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Smellyhobbit
Actual Retard



Registered: 04/01/22
Posts: 11,144
Loc: Stables
Last seen: 2 hours, 39 minutes
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Hobbit’s Secondhand Mycology Challenge Growalong Thread 18
#28269253 - 04/08/23 09:12 PM (9 months, 15 days ago) |
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THE SECONDHAND MYCOLOGY CHALLENGE
Hello, everyone! This will be the official Secondhand Mycology Challenge and growalong thread. Here in the OP we will go over the rules, rewards, and keep track of users entered in the competition.
The hell you say? A challenge? That’s right! The spirit of the Secondhand Mycology Challenge is making do with very little and innovating inside imposed restrictions. This challenge revolves around using almost exclusively found and thrifted materials to grow mushrooms. That is to say, mostly secondhand items.
What are the rules to this most delightful of challenges? The rules are as follows:
1. Besides materials found in the “Allowed Materials” list below, everything you use for your grows must be found or purchased secondhand or from a marked down section. No new, fresh, or otherwise intended-for-mycology products and materials are allowed. Trash, thrift shops, discount racks, dumpsters, the side of the road - whatever, so long as it isn’t purpose made for mycology or commonly used by most growers.
2. All steps of your grow must be documented in the reserved space here in this thread. We are on the honor system here. Please be truthful about the origin of your materials and the results.
3. In order to participate in this challenge, you must start from spore. These will be golden teacher spores provided by me in the coming weeks.
4. Contestants will need to send one mycoquart of spawn, have it reach maturity, and successfully clone tissue without contamination in order to win. The tub must be healthy and free of contamination through its first flush, and your clone’s mycelium must reach a diameter of 1 full inch.
5. This contest is open to all users regardless of location or account age.
But Hobbit, what common mycology items AM I allowed to use? Not many, as it turns out. Here’s a list of widely used materials that will be accepted.
ALLOWED MATERIALS
Pressure Cooker - sterilization is going to be key for any cultivation endeavor. This piece of equipment, above all, is the most important we have. To me it doesn’t make sense to disallow it.
Coco Coir - this is likely already on hand for many of you, and given the other restrictions, I think it is fair to allow this.
Flame Sterilizers - this includes things like alcohol lamps or any lab equipment that produces a flame. Induction heating is NOT allowed. In the event of an apocalypse, we will be able to sterilize with flame.
Still Air Boxes - given the simplicity of the SAB, it would be silly to require you to find a substitute or mostly identical replacement for the one you already have. Flow hoods, however, are NOT allowed.
If you’re not sure about an item, please feel free to post here and simply as if it is allowed. Other than these items, the spirit of the challenge is in finding secondhand replacements for common tools.
Hobbit, I don’t see fruiting chambers or shoebox tubs on there. You’re making me nervous, man. What about grains? Agar? Petri dishes?! How observant of you! That’s correct, you do not see any other equipment or supply listed. Agar, Petri dishes, commonly used no pour containers, and even shoeboxes and mono tubs are NOT allowed. You must find something else to do your work and fruit in. Ask SirPsycho - you don’t NEED all these things, but they sure are nice to have. Look for alternative vessels, methods, and yes even food.
PRIZES
In light of recent changes to the marketplace, live cultures are now a fun and exciting opportunity to share not only varieties but clones! Whoever is the first to complete this challenge adhering as closely to the rules as possible will receiving the following:
Kodama clone on agar Vader clone on agar Avery’s Albino clone on Agar Enigma on agar Starry Night on agar TAT on agar
500 ml Pyrex media bottle 2 sleeves of 10 plastic Petri dishes 🧫
A hand painted trophy and guardian of the realm, The Albino Nurgling!

Edit: Baba Yaga has generously offered a set of pan prints for whoever’s grow is voted “most jank” at the end of the contest!
THE DEADLINE TO ENTER IS TWO WEEKS FROM THIS POST DUE TO THE NEED TO HARVEST SPORES
And that’s it! Ask any questions and I will clarify and edit this if anything isn’t clear. Let’s have a good time and grow some mushrooms
Edited by Smellyhobbit (04/09/23 11:16 AM)
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Pandaskis
Eating Bamboo



Registered: 03/14/23
Posts: 1,869
Last seen: 1 month, 1 day
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Re: Hobbit’s Secondhand Mycology Challenge Growalong Thread [Re: Smellyhobbit] 1
#28269292 - 04/08/23 09:26 PM (9 months, 15 days ago) |
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Quote:
Smellyhobbit said: THE SECONDHAND MYCOLOGY CHALLENGE
Hello, everyone! This will be the official Secondhand Mycology Challenge and growalong thread. Here in the OP we will go over the rules, rewards, and keep track of users entered in the competition.
The hell you say? A challenge? That’s right! The spirit of the Secondhand Mycology Challenge is making do with very little and innovating inside imposed restrictions. This challenge revolves around using almost exclusively found and thrifted materials to grow mushrooms. That is to say, mostly secondhand items.
What are the rules to this most delightful of challenges? The rules are as follows:
1. Besides materials found in the “Allowed Materials” list below, everything you use for your grows must be found or purchased secondhand or from a marked down section. No new, fresh, or otherwise intended-for-mycology products and materials are allowed. Trash, thrift shops, discount racks, dumpsters, the side of the road - whatever, so long as it isn’t purpose made for mycology or commonly used by most growers.
2. All steps of your grow must be documented in the reserved space here in this thread. We are on the honor system here. Please be truthful about the origin of your materials and the results.
3. In order to participate in this challenge, you must start from spore. These will be golden teacher spores provided by me in the coming weeks.
4. Contestants will need to send one mycoquart of spawn, have it reach maturity, and successfully clone tissue without contamination in order to win. The tub must be healthy and free of contamination through its first flush, and your clone’s mycelium must reach a diameter of 1 full inch.
But Hobbit, what common mycology items AM I allowed to use? Not many, as it turns out. Here’s a list of widely used materials that will be accepted.
ALLOWED MATERIALS
Pressure Cooker - sterilization is going to be key for any cultivation endeavor. This piece of equipment, above all, is the most important we have. To me it doesn’t make sense to disallow it.
Coco Coir - this is likely already on hand for many of you, and given the other restrictions, I think it is fair to allow this.
Flame Sterilizers - this includes things like alcohol lamps or any lab equipment that produces a flame. Induction heating is NOT allowed. In the event of an apocalypse, we will be able to sterilize with flame.
Still Air Boxes - given the simplicity of the SAB, it would be silly to require you to find a substitute or mostly identical replacement for the one you already have. Flow hoods, however, are NOT allowed.
If you’re not sure about an item, please feel free to post here and simply as if it is allowed. Other than these items, the spirit of the challenge is in finding secondhand replacements for common tools.
Hobbit, I don’t see fruiting chambers or shoebox tubs on there. You’re making me nervous, man. What about grains? Agar? Petri dishes?! How observant of you! That’s correct, you do not see any other equipment or supply listed. Agar, Petri dishes, commonly used no pour containers, and even shoeboxes and mono tubs are NOT allowed. You must find something else to do your work and fruit in. Ask SirPsycho - you don’t NEED all these things, but they sure are nice to have. Look for alternative vessels, methods, and yes even food.
PRIZES
In light of recent changes to the marketplace, live cultures are now a fun and exciting opportunity to share not only varieties but clones! Whoever is the first to complete this challenge adhering as closely to the rules as possible will receiving the following:
Kodama clone on agar Vader clone on agar Avery’s Albino clone on Agar Enigma on agar Starry Night on agar TAT on agar
500 ml Pyrex media bottle 2 sleeves of 10 plastic Petri dishes 🧫
A hand painted trophy and guardian of the realm, The Albino Nurgling!

THE DEADLINE TO ENTER IS TWO WEEKS FROM THIS POST DUE TO THE NEED TO HARVEST SPORES
And that’s it! Ask any questions and I will clarify and edit this if anything isn’t clear. Let’s have a good time and grow some mushrooms 
Wait this is genius, and sounds super fun! I love thrifting and DIYing things and im a cheap ass. Winwin
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Nichrome
I'm a torso!


Registered: 12/17/18
Posts: 6,475
Loc: Zone 5
Last seen: 7 hours, 34 minutes
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Re: Hobbit’s Secondhand Mycology Challenge Growalong Thread [Re: Smellyhobbit] 2
#28269293 - 04/08/23 09:26 PM (9 months, 15 days ago) |
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Wow what a cool contest and such a generous and awesome prize set to go with it. I love to see the creativity and can't wait to see where this goes.
Edit: Claiming this spot.
-------------------- “Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one.”
Freedom is not the right to do as you please, but the liberty to do as you should. ~Emerson
Edited by Nichrome (04/11/23 10:50 PM)
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Eugene Gesuale
Jar-Sniffer



Registered: 04/12/20
Posts: 1,920
Loc: The Basement
Last seen: 9 months, 12 days
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Re: Hobbit’s Secondhand Mycology Challenge Growalong Thread [Re: Nichrome] 1
#28269308 - 04/08/23 09:35 PM (9 months, 14 days ago) |
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Oh damn. You’ve been busy!
-------------------- Everything in life is a trade-off. All posts made by this account are purely satirical in nature.
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Smellyhobbit
Actual Retard



Registered: 04/01/22
Posts: 11,144
Loc: Stables
Last seen: 2 hours, 39 minutes
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Re: Hobbit’s Secondhand Mycology Challenge Growalong Thread [Re: Eugene Gesuale]
#28269321 - 04/08/23 09:44 PM (9 months, 14 days ago) |
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If you’re interested in participating, designate a reply as your grow log and I will link it in the OP
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Siggyfae
Voyeur

Registered: 04/02/23
Posts: 14
Last seen: 1 month, 5 days
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Re: Hobbit’s Secondhand Mycology Challenge Growalong Thread [Re: Eugene Gesuale] 2
#28269334 - 04/08/23 09:53 PM (9 months, 14 days ago) |
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This looks like it’ll be a whole party! Following to watch what everyone comes up with.
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aPurpleCray0n
His Dudeness



Registered: 02/13/23
Posts: 290
Loc: 🇨🇦
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Re: Hobbit’s Secondhand Mycology Challenge Growalong Thread [Re: Smellyhobbit] 5
#28269352 - 04/08/23 10:01 PM (9 months, 14 days ago) |
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05/12
Print showed up so I grabbed my stuff and got to work.

Pawned a beer out of aunties fridge and cooked it down to a lovely smelling sludge which I then diluted with a bit of distilled water and soaked a piece of a dirty old scotch brite pad in the solution as a matrix

I found an old greasy ashtray out in a section of the barn I hadn’t been in yet since moving here so I figured it made a fitting Petri dish. There was only one and it seems risky to have my eggs in one filthy basket but it was this or shot glasses and this just felt more in spirit of this challenge.
 
Went through the trash and found some tin foil from last nights dinner and fashioned a lid and PC’d the dirty girl for 75 minutes. While waiting for that I chopped up my weed stalk spawn and left it out to sun dry while these spores germ.

05/13
Had a busy ass day and didn’t get to do any cult stuff but I wanted to get these spores down so I just went to knock my scotch brite up and realized I haven’t done anything as far as inoculation loop, was going to use a knife to scrape but that seemed too easy so found some wire and twisted it up to find it still floppy as hell but it got the job done, I hope.
Edited by aPurpleCray0n (05/14/23 02:04 AM)
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stubb
Dahg Rastubfari


Registered: 03/23/19
Posts: 1,310
Loc: Memory
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Re: Hobbit’s Secondhand Mycology Challenge Growalong Thread [Re: Smellyhobbit] 4
#28269359 - 04/08/23 10:05 PM (9 months, 14 days ago) |
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I love trash! Count me in!
5/11 [hr][/hr] <--- Why no horizontal rule?!?! 
After some confusion with my idiot HOA and their idiot mailboxes and their idiot keys, I finally received muh print! Thanks SH!
 Print with my ghetto guitar string inoc loop
I love how you can actually see the print through the foil! Lovely! Anyway, I'm full of Appalachian shine (the real deal, that 'not quite sure if will render me blind' shit), so ima go play with putting some trash in my PC.  LET THE FUCKING GAMES BEGIN!!!
Edited by stubb (05/11/23 10:22 PM)
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Baba Yaga
♥ coir grower

Registered: 09/13/20
Posts: 3,955
Loc: Hyperspace Chicken Coop
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Re: Hobbit’s Secondhand Mycology Challenge Growalong Thread [Re: stubb] 6
#28269406 - 04/08/23 11:00 PM (9 months, 14 days ago) |
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Just here to say: What an awesome idea! 
Won't be able to participate but if it's OK to do a poll for the trashiest or most innovative grow at the end of this then I will gift a set of 3 or 4 pan prints for the winner of that poll.
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Smellyhobbit
Actual Retard



Registered: 04/01/22
Posts: 11,144
Loc: Stables
Last seen: 2 hours, 39 minutes
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Re: Hobbit’s Secondhand Mycology Challenge Growalong Thread [Re: Baba Yaga]
#28269408 - 04/08/23 11:04 PM (9 months, 14 days ago) |
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Quote:
Baba Yaga said: Just here to say: What an awesome idea! 
Won't be able to participate but if it's OK to do a poll for the trashiest or most innovative grow at the end of this then I will gift a set of 3 or 4 pan prints for the winner of that poll.
Yeah man for sure. We can make that happen
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Dirtnapz
Cake Kingdom



Registered: 02/22/23
Posts: 338
Loc: Lurkin yo Threads
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Re: Hobbit’s Secondhand Mycology Challenge Growalong Thread [Re: Smellyhobbit] 2
#28269415 - 04/08/23 11:14 PM (9 months, 14 days ago) |
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This is an amazing idea! Count me in.
-------------------- Extinction is forever
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Shrimps
Traveler


Registered: 10/13/22
Posts: 2,501
Loc: Under the sea
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Re: Hobbit’s Secondhand Mycology Challenge Growalong Thread [Re: Dirtnapz] 1
#28269463 - 04/09/23 01:06 AM (9 months, 14 days ago) |
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Wait I can win your handpainted guardian of the realm, The Albino Nurgling????!!!!
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SirPsycho
Purple Belt in Google-Fu



Registered: 01/01/20
Posts: 6,900
Loc: Rent free in your head
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Re: Hobbit’s Secondhand Mycology Challenge Growalong Thread [Re: Shrimps] 6
#28269525 - 04/09/23 04:56 AM (9 months, 14 days ago) |
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I'll throw my hat in the ring. Only prize I'm interested in is the Nurgling though.
May 10: "agar" prep
I decided to do craft sticks soaked in honey solution in the glasses and realized my plastic cups are pp5 so I'm doing potato slices in those
   
Used the purple cup as a test of how the potato survives the pc. I'm pretty happy. Inoculation tomorrow with my freshly twisted loop
May 11th: inoculation

And one of each in open air for AyePlus.

Edited by SirPsycho (05/11/23 03:00 PM)
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NFLProof
Sponge



Registered: 05/31/18
Posts: 893
Loc: In the ether
Last seen: 2 hours, 5 minutes
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Re: Hobbit’s Secondhand Mycology Challenge Growalong Thread [Re: SirPsycho]
#28269533 - 04/09/23 05:19 AM (9 months, 14 days ago) |
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Not entering YET, I need to brain storm a bit. Smelly, what a great idea and awesome prizes! You da hobbit!
-------------------- Yeah, yeah.
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SirPsycho
Purple Belt in Google-Fu



Registered: 01/01/20
Posts: 6,900
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Re: Hobbit’s Secondhand Mycology Challenge Growalong Thread [Re: NFLProof] 1
#28269546 - 04/09/23 05:38 AM (9 months, 14 days ago) |
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Working plan at 7am on a Sunday waiting to go to the airport, nutrient soaked cardboard for agar and someone was telling me about udon instant noodles that come hydrated and sterile in the foil type bags.
--------------------
Ask me about free Ps tampanesis, Ps subtropicalis and Ps cubensis (ESS) prints Balance in life is like running on ice.
🅑🅞🅣🅣🅛🅔 🅖🅐🅝🅖
    "Mist your balls and fan your asshole" - Pandaskis, 2023
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SirPsycho
Purple Belt in Google-Fu



Registered: 01/01/20
Posts: 6,900
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Last seen: 3 hours, 21 minutes
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Re: Hobbit’s Secondhand Mycology Challenge Growalong Thread [Re: SirPsycho] 1
#28269550 - 04/09/23 05:41 AM (9 months, 14 days ago) |
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Oh oh smelly, can we use boomershroomer tubs?
--------------------
Ask me about free Ps tampanesis, Ps subtropicalis and Ps cubensis (ESS) prints Balance in life is like running on ice.
🅑🅞🅣🅣🅛🅔 🅖🅐🅝🅖
    "Mist your balls and fan your asshole" - Pandaskis, 2023
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Scemilope
Mycoheretic



Registered: 11/16/22
Posts: 603
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Re: Hobbit’s Secondhand Mycology Challenge Growalong Thread [Re: SirPsycho] 8
#28269559 - 04/09/23 05:55 AM (9 months, 14 days ago) |
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Edited by Scemilope (07/26/23 01:40 PM)
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Yahra
Meow


Registered: 03/06/23
Posts: 1,835
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Re: Hobbit’s Secondhand Mycology Challenge Growalong Thread [Re: Scemilope] 1
#28269560 - 04/09/23 05:59 AM (9 months, 14 days ago) |
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I am too noob to enter, but i will watch.
Great contest and great prizes.
-------------------- Disobey
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RoscoeReturns
Crotchety chode man



Registered: 02/12/18
Posts: 1,738
Loc: State of Confusion
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Re: Hobbit’s Secondhand Mycology Challenge Growalong Thread [Re: Yahra] 3
#28269580 - 04/09/23 06:26 AM (9 months, 14 days ago) |
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I’m in! This is a great idea.
5/11
We never finish all our rice when we have Chinese.

Petri dishes anyone?

Just a slight modification.

Fill with nutrient.
Ready for the PC. The visibility leaves a little to be desired, but I don’t have to worry about condensation!

5/26
We have germination! Unfortunately it’s not alone.

I couldn’t find a second hand SAB, so I’m going old school oven tek. PC’d a couple more beer can petris and heroin needle transfer device.

Let’s get some GT myc away from whatever is growing in that corner.

We’ll take two and hope for the best.

6/3
Pasta night has sparked my creativity.


Spawn jar.

Spawn can?

Peanut shells steeped in pasta water. Pasta water is just like grain water, right?
6/6 Update
Today I see how well my oven tek transfers did, and make an attempt at second hand spawn. As I mentioned above, I used some trash peanut shells and soaked them in pasta water after I cooked dinner. I drained them and placed in used pasta sauce jar and some cut up beer cans as spawn jars. After a run through the PC they look a little wet, but let’s see what happens. Back to the oven!

So aside from the ever present danger of slicing off a finger on the cut edge, my can cakes worked better than I could have hoped. I’ve had agar plates that looked worse.

As before, the heroin needle doesn’t cut the sticky rice cake well. I ended up scraping the mycelium off the surface. Maybe my can cake will grow back again?

I dropped a few chunks to the jar and both cans.


Not as much as I would have liked, but I hope it will colonize.

Also for shits and giggles, not a part of the actual competition, I decided to validate my methods. I’m taking can cake mycelium to an agar dish using the needle in the oven. Maybe if all this works I’ll write up a tek?

All done for now! I still have another can cake to use on more spawn. I have another idea in case this doesn’t work out. Don’t want all my eggs in one basket.

6/24
I’m back! My last attempt at creating spawn went moldy. I’m gonna try something different this time. As if my last attempt with cut up aluminum beer cans was not a big enough hemorrhage risk, I decided to up my slicing game.

More beer can spawn containers.
And as for spawn, when you see a cracked clay pot at the garden store you can get it basically for free!

Little did they know I was just going to drop it anyway.


I’m hoping it will soak up a lot of nutrients. Every time I cook something starchy like noodles, rice, or tonight’s potatoes I save the cook water. They clay bits are soaking in it now. After a quick shake and dry I will load it into the cans and run it through the PC. I’m hoping to inoculate it tomorrow. Stay tuned!
I’m still plugging along. Pulled out the SAB after my last mold event. We’ll see if it helps.

Really pleased how these rice cakes performed.

7/16
Still going and growing. I hadn’t cracked the lid on the jar, so progress is slower.

Cans all look done! I may spawn to bulk tomorrow in my second hand “shoebox.”

Spawning day! Needed a second hand shoebox, and we get deliveries in these every day. I think it might work.

Two pints is about right I guess.

I’ll even mod it like Pasty.

And a bit of spawn left over will go into a bottle in honor of SirP. I remember when he was around here.

Edited by RoscoeReturns (07/19/23 07:46 PM)
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AyePlus
Stony Danza


Registered: 12/18/14
Posts: 3,393
Loc: Fairfield, Connecticut
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Re: Hobbit’s Secondhand Mycology Challenge Growalong Thread [Re: RoscoeReturns] 3
#28269690 - 04/09/23 08:25 AM (9 months, 14 days ago) |
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Just saying, Not having a SAB would put anyone joining at a disadvantage. I think they should have to improvise a new method for doing sterile work thats not a plastic tote… if Imm gonna have to do my spore work in a carboard box or under a 1$ alcohol lamp i got from the thrift store everyone else should have to also lol..
Clarifying the main points
agar containers can’t be typical pp5’s or petri dishes. Only reused material.
No buying grain or agar agar powder, so spores will have to be germinated using something else unless you find some free horse feed on the side of the road lol.
Are mason jars ok? The ultimate re-use item tbh.. or is it only ok if theyre re-used from canned goods?
No filter patches I’m assuming?
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