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contams_for_every1
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Registered: 12/27/23
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After a steer for the gourmet mushrooms and pf tek
#28613714 - 01/08/24 06:48 AM (20 days, 10 hours ago) |
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Hey folks, I've been wanting to get into growing for years and I'm now committing to it. I've considered this place something of a university for growing since stumbling on it many years ago. I'm initially looking at gourmet and am erring to PF Tek, following Ziran's PF Tek guide. I've a fair journey ahead and am ready to learn and do this right. The process of prepping the jars, dunking, rolling, contams, all seems fine. I'm used to aquariums and am an avid gardener so I know biology is a messy dauting business. But one thing I can't quite find is a drop dead simple one: what gourmet mushrooms are suited to PF Tek? I'm aware how naff this is but as a starter it's a bit of a challenging question. I've probably missed the glaring signpost at the start of this that pointed to mushroom species and tek, but either way I've missed it. I'm pretty open to whichever species. Perhaps it comes down to local availability but the usual ones are around. Oysters? I'm in Australia. I just need something to get me started, really. I see a SAB, SGFC in my future and am happy to build them. I bought a pressure cooker years ago for this project that never started. I've some heat mats which I haven't yet read about people using but am eyeing off as 20c isn't a constant where I live. Anyhow, apologies for the naff question but a steer would be awesome. Cheers!
Edited by contams_for_every1 (01/08/24 06:08 PM)
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ParanoidGuy
Agar enthusiat



Registered: 01/30/20
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Shroomery is a great place to learn growing mushrooms! I have learned everything here, and I also started with the PF tek and a SGFC.
I believe PF tek is not the best for gourmet mushroom, but only because it has a low yeild and the default recipe of the cake is made for cubes.
However, doing this will teach you a lot about growing mushrooms and is very fun.
Once you feel confortable with the PF tek, you should look into the bulk techniques (grains to bulk) and agar.
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Chtouxhu
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Registered: 02/25/20
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Re: After a steer for the gourmet mushrooms and pf tek [Re: ParanoidGuy]
#28614229 - 01/08/24 03:38 PM (20 days, 1 hour ago) |
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I think Pioppini (Ciclocybe aegerita) will fruit readily from a PF cake in a SGFC, as you can see in this thread. Ironically enough, they also look a lot like cubes 
Oysters will grow and pin on near anything, so the PF tek per se isn't a problem. Problem is, they need massive amounts of FAE to develop properly after pinning, so manual fanning would be necessary in a SGFC. On the other hand Pioppini can be done in a monotub so that alone attests how tolerant of high CO2 they are, compared to oysters.
Keep in mind that both these species require cool temperatures to fruit. Oysters will pin in warm weather too but their fruits will be lanky. If warm temperature is a problem, opt for pink or yellow oysters.
As ParanoidGuy said, yields will be small and obviously insufficient to feed yourself, regardless of what species you choose. Without even resorting to grains and pressure cooking, you could always spawn the PF cakes to small amounts of pasteurized straw, coir etc. and get more decent flushes than what you would get with cakes alone.
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contams_for_every1
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Re: After a steer for the gourmet mushrooms and pf tek [Re: Chtouxhu]
#28614498 - 01/08/24 08:30 PM (19 days, 20 hours ago) |
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Great, thanks guys! Awesome response, really appreciate it.
I'll keep the PF Tek for cubes and move to the right tek for gourmet.
I read PastyWhyte's Principals of Mushroom Tek for Beginners.
Awesome stuff. With ideas floating in my head and not yet put to notes it looks like I will, depending on the particulars of a species:
Pick up some grain spawn from a supplier Mix coir and verm and sterilize in a bucket. Set up a monotub.
I know from gardening and 3d printing that if you keep things simple and systematic you can eliminate sources of failure which makes that process appealing.
Am I on the right track? There are certainly plenty of teks!
I'm not so inclined to go in this direction as it strikes me as out in the weeds a bit, but I have a four-tier greenhouse (the typical ones you see with the plastic curtain) I use for seed raising. I have a heat mat on each layer and an LED panel on the underside of each tier.
FrankHorrigan mentioned that greenhouses are good for gourmet, if you can maintain the humidifiers and FAE, but that they shouldn't be viewed as an easy way to automate things, and I certainly wouldn't see it as easy mode.
Here's some photos of the greenhouse.


I just flicked the lights on. I'm sewing side access zippers and am installing fine spray misters to attach to the seed trays using some 3d printed attachments. That will be automated using a timer.
So if a monotub with sterilized coir and verm and some grain are a good start, I'll document the process and get going.
In terms of climate, I'm in a typically cool climate but it's summer right now so 25c, 30c (77f - 86f) are set for the weeks ahead, but I can keep things to 20C (68f) in the room I'm in now with next to no air flow.
Thanks for the help so far!!
Edited by contams_for_every1 (01/08/24 08:32 PM)
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taku
° shapeshifter ∆



Registered: 12/05/20
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Loc: Canada
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this is a really simple and easy way to get started.
bucket tek from FreshCap
you can substitute straw for the wood shavings as well.
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deadmandave
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Re: After a steer for the gourmet mushrooms and pf tek [Re: taku] 1
#28614672 - 01/08/24 11:01 PM (19 days, 17 hours ago) |
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Straw or wood will be better substrates for most gourmet and they're cheaper than coir.
Kings will grow well in a sgfc as will pio and even lm can suffer it ok.
Greenhouse is a good alternative, you'll need a very fine mist for mushrooms. Not sure a 3d printed part can get the particulates fine enough.
Quote:
Tippinthru said: Dry fog is considered to have a 10-15 micron (volume mean diameter), wet fog (20-30 micron VMD), mist (30-60 micron), fine spray (above 60 micron), etc.
Applications vary, dependent the on the system, ambient air temperatures, and if the air is "still" when applications are made.
Generally, a commercial operation would want 20-30 micron VDM in still air.
(taken from "agar's" notes on the subject)
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contams_for_every1
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You guys rock, thanks! It's more than just a bit of advice; it's confidence, and it's enough to carry me through. I'm gunna come back with results in a while. Thanks again! (and here's the 3dp parts - they're little clips that attach to the side of seed trays and hold little fine mister heads of unspecified micron, sorry I wasn't clear!)
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taku
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Registered: 12/05/20
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The quality of mist that you want for a greenhouse setup would be what you get with a humidifier. But the greenhouse grow would be the next level for growing, so buckets may be a good place to start and then we can help walk you through setting up the grow tent once you feel ready.
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Chtouxhu
Compost machine



Registered: 02/25/20
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Mister heads are usually coupled with diaphragm pumps to make a misting system. I have a few of those in my outdoor greenhouse for my pepper plants and I've used them for tropical terrariums as well. They don't produce true fog like an ultrasonic fogger or a coolmist humidifier, they basically spray a fine mist of water (around 60 micron or more) like a spray bottle would, so in just a few seconds they can soak everything.
I think they would work great if turned on every few hours or so for less than 10 seconds, problem is they won't keep constant humidity when they're off. Maybe you could couple them with several big trays of perlite, or alternatively use both the misting system and a coolmist humidifier. Be aware that some species like Nameko and others Pholiota sp. require a constant condensing fog around their block; I don't think a misting system + perlite is going to cut it in those cases.

Edited by Chtouxhu (01/09/24 09:12 AM)
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