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KodiakBeer
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Registered: 06/09/23
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Last seen: 1 year, 5 months
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Old guy trying to grow for the first time.
#28353456 - 06/09/23 04:37 PM (1 year, 7 months ago) |
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I had a few great experiences with mushrooms back in my long lost youth. Back in the early seventies you'd only see them infrequently and in a frozen state, from people who would travel to areas where they grew wild. If you were lucky they'd share some with you. I've just started cultivating in grow bags with live culture syringes. The first four bags are about half failures. I chose randomly from a well known vendor. The B+ is doing well, with the mycelium almost filling the medium after 5 weeks, but the PE variety is growing very slowly with perhaps 20% - 25% mycelium. The Mexican variety is even slower at maybe 10%, while the Ecuadorian has produced no mycelium at all. All of the bags are at 72 degrees and show no signs of contamination. Is this a temperature thing with the tropical varieties? The other thought I had was that the medium seems to be dryer after 5 weeks. I live in a desert climate and wonder if the low humidity might be drawing the moisture out through the gas exchange port. Would it be a mistake to inject sterile water into the bag? Since the B+ is doing so well in my first attempt I've started four more bags of all B+. Still, I'd like to try various varieties and any advice on the tropical types would be welcomed.
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Hysteria
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Registered: 02/19/23
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Re: Old guy trying to grow for the first time. [Re: KodiakBeer] 2
#28353469 - 06/09/23 04:49 PM (1 year, 7 months ago) |
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Hey, man. Welcome! Yeah, first things first, you really shouldn't inject LC into grains without testing it for contamination on agar first. You don't need to treat those other varieties any different. All cubes grow under the same conditions. DO NOT inject anything into a medium that is colonizing. Don't open it, either. Are they all in one bags or just sterilized grain? Posting pictures is the best way to get help from the experts here. Try to do that.
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Hysteria
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Registered: 02/19/23
Posts: 996
Loc: New England USA
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Re: Old guy trying to grow for the first time. [Re: KodiakBeer] 3
#28353471 - 06/09/23 04:54 PM (1 year, 7 months ago) |
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Here, this might save you some time trying to figure out how to post your pictures:
Post your picture using this site's built in functionality.
1. Click 'Pics' 2. Click 'Upload' 3. Click 'Choose Files' 4. Select your file(s) 5. Click 'Upload' 6. Copy the links under the pictures and paste them into your post. Make sure you copy everything in the text box. (Ctrl-a, Ctrl-c on keyboard or long press->Select All->Copy on touchscreens are your friends for this step)
0. *There's also an option (text box) at the bottom to copy all links at once if you uploaded multiple.
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crabs
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Re: Old guy trying to grow for the first time. [Re: KodiakBeer]
#28353475 - 06/09/23 04:56 PM (1 year, 7 months ago) |
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Welcome!
Can I assume you purchased these growbags premade? It's hard to know how well prepared a growbag or grain bag is when purchased as opposed to made at home. It could be a little past its prime, dried out, even improperly sterilized. Slow growth, in itself can be a sign of contamination. 5 weeks is a long time. Can you tell us a bit about your process? Did you mix the bags up at all after first signs of growth? What exactly is in the bags?
I wouldn't worry about discerning "tropical" varieties. Cubensis as a species, regardless of strain, variety, etc doesn't naturally grow in dry deserts, or cold mountaintops, or inside city apartments. Nonetheless, psilocybe cubensis will grow in those locations, or really anywhere when the right conditions are provided. Your temperatures are fine. Could proper hydration be an issue? Perhaps, but it is really hard to know if you did not prepare the bags yourself.
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LtLurker
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Re: Old guy trying to grow for the first time. [Re: Hysteria] 1
#28353491 - 06/09/23 05:06 PM (1 year, 7 months ago) |
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Mostly just need patience and wait. Pics of bags can help find issues. Sure this isn't the best method, But your in it this far so let it grow
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KodiakBeer
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Registered: 06/09/23
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Re: Old guy trying to grow for the first time. [Re: LtLurker]
#28353706 - 06/09/23 07:54 PM (1 year, 7 months ago) |
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Trying to answer several of you in one post. Yes, these were pre-made bags ordered online. Yes, I did shake and loosen the media up before injecting. The picture is the huala Mexican variety, photo taken of the bottom of the bag. You can see the mycelium is just on the bottom and slowly creeping up one side. The PE variety is much the same, but further along. The medium in the bag feels like it's drying out. We have about 5% humidity where I live which is why I'm wondering if I should inject sterile water into the bag.
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Hysteria
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Re: Old guy trying to grow for the first time. [Re: KodiakBeer] 1
#28353731 - 06/09/23 08:03 PM (1 year, 7 months ago) |
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Looks a little bacterial to me, boss, but I'm no expert, even less so when it comes to bags. Wait for others to comment.
Check this out.
Sweet Van Gogh.
Edited by Hysteria (06/09/23 08:05 PM)
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KodiakBeer
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Re: Old guy trying to grow for the first time. [Re: KodiakBeer]
#28354271 - 06/10/23 09:27 AM (1 year, 7 months ago) |
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I ask again, in the hope that somebody else lives in a desert climate. Could this be due to loss of moisture? Would injecting sterile water perhaps jump-start these slow growers? How long does a typical pre-made grow bag take to fill with mycelium?
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Yahra
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Re: Old guy trying to grow for the first time. [Re: KodiakBeer] 2
#28354277 - 06/10/23 09:31 AM (1 year, 7 months ago) |
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I would not inject anything into the bags. Let them do their thing.
PE is known for slow colonizing.
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Ryeguy85
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Re: Old guy trying to grow for the first time. [Re: KodiakBeer] 1
#28354285 - 06/10/23 09:36 AM (1 year, 7 months ago) |
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I would not inject any water into those bags, I love in a desert environment but make all of my own stuff. Most likely best to just wait it out man.
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crabs
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Re: Old guy trying to grow for the first time. [Re: Yahra] 1
#28354286 - 06/10/23 09:37 AM (1 year, 7 months ago) |
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Do not do that.
I have grown in a desert climate. Extremely dry. It did not matter, because I had control over all conditions from the get-go. Be patient, and in the meantime learn to make your own grain jars/bags with a pressure cooker.
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dyel



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Re: Old guy trying to grow for the first time. [Re: crabs] 1
#28354308 - 06/10/23 09:52 AM (1 year, 7 months ago) |
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no need to inject anything as previously stated, myc can handle loosing a bit of moisture did you break and shake the bags at any % of colonization? welcome to the shroomery
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KodiakBeer
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Re: Old guy trying to grow for the first time. [Re: dyel]
#28354349 - 06/10/23 10:33 AM (1 year, 7 months ago) |
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I have not shaken the slow bags because all the directions say not to until they reach 40 or 50% colonization. I did shake and loosen the bags before injecting them. Should I break up the mycelium in these bags that are stalled? Will that speed up growth?
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EpicMyco10
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Registered: 06/09/23
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Re: Old guy trying to grow for the first time. [Re: KodiakBeer] 1
#28354395 - 06/10/23 11:13 AM (1 year, 7 months ago) |
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Quote:
KodiakBeer said: I have not shaken the slow bags because all the directions say not to until they reach 40 or 50% colonization. I did shake and loosen the bags before injecting them. Should I break up the mycelium in these bags that are stalled? Will that speed up growth?
When you buy pre-made substrate bags like you did, you could be getting an old batch which has less water content, and thus results in stalling growth.
I'd either reccoment starting over, perhaps with a PF-tek, or buying bags from a reccomended sponsor like Northspore or MagicBag.
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Mycolorado
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Re: Old guy trying to grow for the first time. [Re: EpicMyco10] 2
#28354398 - 06/10/23 11:14 AM (1 year, 7 months ago) |
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The stalling is most likely due to the fact that is bacterial.
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Kevinarns



Registered: 07/05/21
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Re: Old guy trying to grow for the first time. [Re: Mycolorado]
#28354496 - 06/10/23 01:02 PM (1 year, 7 months ago) |
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Yes, you want to break up the mycelium and remix the grain to spread it around. This will speed up colonization. I mix at about 30% colonization.
-------------------- Seek out wisdom always,
Let not thine body betray,
Keep in the path of the light wave,
Shun thou the darkened way.
Lagm2023
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med man
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Re: Old guy trying to grow for the first time. [Re: Kevinarns]
#28354596 - 06/10/23 03:05 PM (1 year, 7 months ago) |
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In the mean time break those bags up then wile you are waiting get some agar plate's if you have any of the LCS knock up some plates and see if they are clean. If not do some transfers until you feel the plate has good clean, strong mycelium.Have fun1
-------------------- Somewhere between chaos and disorder.
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KodiakBeer
Stranger

Registered: 06/09/23
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Re: Old guy trying to grow for the first time. [Re: Kevinarns]
#28354607 - 06/10/23 03:15 PM (1 year, 7 months ago) |
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I'll break them both up. Thanks!
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LtLurker
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Re: Old guy trying to grow for the first time. [Re: KodiakBeer] 3
#28354650 - 06/10/23 04:07 PM (1 year, 7 months ago) |
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Try not to worry so much bud. You dunno how it's supposed to look and feel besides it should be white and green is bad. Don't be making problems and trying to fix them. I'm sure you know this and just don't realize it's what's happening.
Just take their advice, share some images every few days and leave it alone more. Go spend this time reading pf tek(link in signature below) and start getting ready to run that. The bags are gonna be what they gonna be, nothing changing that now, don't waste time frettin and fiddlin.
Edited by LtLurker (06/10/23 04:09 PM)
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KodiakBeer
Stranger

Registered: 06/09/23
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Re: Old guy trying to grow for the first time. [Re: LtLurker]
#28355336 - 06/11/23 08:42 AM (1 year, 7 months ago) |
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I started new batches of B+ on 7 June with MagicBag medium. B+ because that was the most successful of the first batch. I broke up the two bags of (apparently) stalled growth, and we'll see if that kicks off something. If everything is done properly, what is the average time a bag should fill with mycelium and be ready to cut open and expose to light with B+? I chose B+ n0t just because that showed most growth in my first experiment, but also because many say it is the easiest and most forgiving to grow.
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