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Offlinepsilocybe-maria
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Registered: 02/14/24
Posts: 6
Last seen: 9 months, 21 days
Help a girl out with making grain spawn for the first time - P. natalensis slow growth and light blue color on 1 jar (contam?) * 1
    #28659332 - 02/14/24 08:19 AM (10 months, 27 days ago)

Hi Everyone,

Happy Valentine's Day! This is both my first time attempting to cultivate and my first time posting here! I decided I wanted to try growing some mushrooms and after looking through this forum a ton, I decided to try P. natalensis. I've done research on  the taxonomy of Psilocybe at my uni and really wanted to try growing a different species than the typical cubensis. Natalensis seemed like a good choice because of the fast colonization and relative ease of growth, so I decided to proceed.

However, I made several mistakes/un-ideal choices. I was kind of overwhelmed with all the choices and steps, so I thought I'd buy grain jars and the manure lover's growth kit from Midwest Growth Kit. I'd read that natalensis grows well on brown rice so I bought the half pint PF-tek style jars from Midwest (contains brown rice flour, vermiculite, bee pollen, gypsum). Warning: this was my first mistake, they SUCK! They're the tall jars and came with four holes in the lid and foil on top. I bought my spore syringe and inoculated 1-1.5 cc into each hole in each jar on January 23, 2024. I tried to inject the spore liquid onto the sides of the walls, but it was difficult because, like I said, the jars suck. I was unsure if I should leave them with the holes open just like that while I waited for colonization, and the guide that came with the jars mentioned putting the foil loosely back on (with a dome), so that's what I did. Then I put them in a cabinet and forgot about them for two weeks. This is where my second mistake came in, my kitchen is too cold so by the end of two weeks, there was very little colonization. Two jars had about 15% colonization and the rest had about 5%. I moved them into a box next to my heater last week (end of week 2) and the two jars that were at 15% have gone on to be about 75% colonized. However, the jars that were at 5% have grown at different rates: some are at 15%, some are at 10% (see pics, I took pics of side with most growth, other side of jar has none).

This is where my question comes in: I know P. natalensis is supposed to colonize quickly, but it's been three weeks officially and only two of my 6 jars are anywhere close to being fully colonized. I'm not sure if I am dealing with contamination in the other jars, or if it is because they were in pretty cold temps for the first two weeks, or if there is a lack of gas exchange because of the foil, but was hoping someone could help me out to figure out what is going on. One of the four jars that is mostly stalled has some VERY light blue coloring on the mycelium I can see (last pic), so I don't know if that is an indication of contamination, and if so, should I remove it (all six jars are together in the box).

Please see the attached pics and help me out on my first grow! Will DEFINITELY be making my own grain jars next time (not pf-tek either, I want to be able to shake them next time). Am hoping to shred the cakes when they're done and mix it into a manure based substrate. I know it is an unideal situation but at least I am learning!









--------------------
the steeds that bear me carried me as far as ever my heart

Desired, since they brought me and set me on the renowned

Way of the goddess, who with her own hands conducts the man

who knows through all things.


Poem of Parmenides

Edited by psilocybe-maria (02/14/24 08:25 AM)

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Invisiblemeta_mmxxii
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Re: Help a girl out with making grain spawn for the first time - P. natalensis slow growth and light blue color on 1 jar (con... [Re: psilocybe-maria]
    #28659440 - 02/14/24 10:29 AM (10 months, 27 days ago)

Hi welcome to the Shoomery.
I am not an experienced PF tek user, but I do know they take a while to colonize. Your jars look like they are progressing nicely. I would recommend removing the foil, inside the jar, if they were prepped right, has a layer of vermiculite on the top, this acts as a barrier for blocking contaminates, so it is safe to remove the foil.
Where the PF tek has issues is they tend to dry out on the bottom of the jar before they colonize, when this happens, all you have to do is scrape off the uncolonized BRF (Brown Rice Flower) and then shred and mix into straight coir, manure is not necessary. As far as the blue color in your last jar pic it is nothing to be concerned with as far as contamination, it is bruising due to stress, it could be an indication of your BRF drying out, it turns blue when it is under duress. I would not base your PF Tek experience on those jars, rather make your own jars yourself, it is very easy and only takes minutes. I would just keep an eye on them and dnt worry it looks like they are coming along fine.
You can even wash out those jars you have and reuse those when they have expired.
Good luck!


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Invisibleelasticaltiger
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Re: Help a girl out with making grain spawn for the first time - P. natalensis slow growth and light blue color on 1 jar (con... [Re: meta_mmxxii]
    #28659474 - 02/14/24 10:53 AM (10 months, 27 days ago)

Is it normal for natalensis to blue invitro?


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OfflineThe Tao
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Re: Help a girl out with making grain spawn for the first time - P. natalensis slow growth and light blue color on 1 jar (con... [Re: elasticaltiger]
    #28659517 - 02/14/24 11:38 AM (10 months, 27 days ago)

Sometimes.


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Offlinepsilocybe-maria
An apple in the dark
Female
Registered: 02/14/24
Posts: 6
Last seen: 9 months, 21 days
Re: Help a girl out with making grain spawn for the first time - P. natalensis slow growth and light blue color on 1 jar (con... [Re: meta_mmxxii]
    #28659745 - 02/14/24 03:24 PM (10 months, 27 days ago)

Thank you so much for your response!

Since this is my first time, I was unsure on whether they looked good or not, so it is great to have some input from people more experienced than me on whether they are looking okay.

I'll remove the foil and continue to wait, do you have any recommendations on how long I should wait before deciding to scrape off the uncolonized BRF from the jars that are moving slower? I'm thinking the two jars that are progressing the fastest may need a week or two more, should I just shred all 6 jars (2 fully colonized and 4 semi stalled) into the coir once they're ready? Also, do you think I need casing mix for P. natalensis once it is in the coir? I have some ready (peat moss, calcium phosphate, vermiculite, and gypsum) but not sure if it would be a waste.

Will definitely be making my own jars next time, now that I got a handle on the basics!


--------------------
the steeds that bear me carried me as far as ever my heart

Desired, since they brought me and set me on the renowned

Way of the goddess, who with her own hands conducts the man

who knows through all things.


Poem of Parmenides

Edited by psilocybe-maria (02/14/24 03:28 PM)

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Offlinepsilocybe-maria
An apple in the dark
Female
Registered: 02/14/24
Posts: 6
Last seen: 9 months, 21 days
Re: Help a girl out with making grain spawn for the first time - P. natalensis slow growth and light blue color on 1 jar (con... [Re: The Tao]
    #28659748 - 02/14/24 03:26 PM (10 months, 27 days ago)

Nice to know I can use the Bulk Barn containers I've accumulated for this :smile:


--------------------
the steeds that bear me carried me as far as ever my heart

Desired, since they brought me and set me on the renowned

Way of the goddess, who with her own hands conducts the man

who knows through all things.


Poem of Parmenides

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OfflineThe Tao
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Registered: 09/12/19
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Re: Help a girl out with making grain spawn for the first time - P. natalensis slow growth and light blue color on 1 jar (con... [Re: psilocybe-maria] * 2
    #28659760 - 02/14/24 03:42 PM (10 months, 27 days ago)

Grows decent Nats.

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Invisiblemeta_mmxxii
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Posts: 1,071
Loc: PNW
Re: Help a girl out with making grain spawn for the first time - P. natalensis slow growth and light blue color on 1 jar (con... [Re: psilocybe-maria]
    #28660000 - 02/14/24 07:17 PM (10 months, 27 days ago)

Quote:

psilocybe-maria said:
Thank you so much for your response!

Since this is my first time, I was unsure on whether they looked good or not, so it is great to have some input from people more experienced than me on whether they are looking okay.

I'll remove the foil and continue to wait, do you have any recommendations on how long I should wait before deciding to scrape off the uncolonized BRF from the jars that are moving slower? I'm thinking the two jars that are progressing the fastest may need a week or two more, should I just shred all 6 jars (2 fully colonized and 4 semi stalled) into the coir once they're ready? Also, do you think I need casing mix for P. natalensis once it is in the coir? I have some ready (peat moss, calcium phosphate, vermiculite, and gypsum) but not sure if it would be a waste.

Will definitely be making my own jars next time, now that I got a handle on the basics!



Your jars will most likely finish at different times, I would give that one a bit and see if it colonizes a little more. Draw a line where the mycelium ends and check it in a couple of days and that will tell you if it is stalled or not. You could shred them all into one tub or do a couple of shoe boxes. All you will need is a layer of straight coir, this is commonly referred to as a pseudo casing layer, as it is not a true casing layer but it serves the purpose for what we are doing. It is recommended to use a pseudo layer in all your grows.
You can use a real casing layer, but why it is not usually recommended is that it will slow down the growth of your tub and therefore give any contamination better chance to take hold and out compete the mycelium for food.


--------------------
Trusted Cultivators Teks

Ultimate Tek Compendium

The Hitchhikers Guide

       

๐Ÿ…ƒ ๐Ÿ„ด ๐Ÿ„ฐ ๐Ÿ„ผ    ๐Ÿ„ฒ ๐Ÿ„ป ๐Ÿ„ธ ๐Ÿ„ฝ ๐Ÿ„ถ ๐Ÿ…† ๐Ÿ… ๐Ÿ„ฐ ๐Ÿ„ฟ

        FRENCHPRESS GANG

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Offlinepsilocybe-maria
An apple in the dark
Female
Registered: 02/14/24
Posts: 6
Last seen: 9 months, 21 days
Re: Help a girl out with making grain spawn for the first time - P. natalensis slow growth and light blue color on 1 jar (con... [Re: meta_mmxxii]
    #28660988 - 02/15/24 04:05 PM (10 months, 26 days ago)

Okay, that is very clear. Thank you SO much for the tips, will update you on how it goes! Have a great weekend :smile:


--------------------
the steeds that bear me carried me as far as ever my heart

Desired, since they brought me and set me on the renowned

Way of the goddess, who with her own hands conducts the man

who knows through all things.


Poem of Parmenides

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Offlinepsilocybe-maria
An apple in the dark
Female
Registered: 02/14/24
Posts: 6
Last seen: 9 months, 21 days
Re: Help a girl out with making grain spawn for the first time - P. natalensis slow growth and light blue color on 1 jar (con... [Re: The Tao]
    #28660990 - 02/15/24 04:06 PM (10 months, 26 days ago)

Beautiful!!!!


--------------------
the steeds that bear me carried me as far as ever my heart

Desired, since they brought me and set me on the renowned

Way of the goddess, who with her own hands conducts the man

who knows through all things.


Poem of Parmenides

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Offlinepsilocybe-maria
An apple in the dark
Female
Registered: 02/14/24
Posts: 6
Last seen: 9 months, 21 days
Re: Help a girl out with making grain spawn for the first time - P. natalensis slow growth and light blue color on 1 jar (con... [Re: meta_mmxxii]
    #28677079 - 02/26/24 03:43 PM (10 months, 15 days ago)

Hi, hope it is okay if I ask one more question!

My jars are coming along really nicely (they didn't stall, just slow) but I noticed a few of them have these strange white and blue spots, would you say this is contamination or are they just starting to pin? Was hoping to put them in my tub today or tomorrow. They started to appear a week ago on one of the jars that was almost fully colonized and the other ones that are a little behind now have it too.




--------------------
the steeds that bear me carried me as far as ever my heart

Desired, since they brought me and set me on the renowned

Way of the goddess, who with her own hands conducts the man

who knows through all things.


Poem of Parmenides

Edited by psilocybe-maria (02/26/24 03:44 PM)

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