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Mushrooms, Mycology and Psychedelics > Mushroom Cultivation
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Re: Growing on a boat [Re: hiredgoons]
    #29618378 -

Except in my case I sail like a muppet on the sea rather than a lake and have hallucinogens instead of cups of tea..


Edited by hiredgoons (07/06/26 05:17 AM)

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Re: Growing on a boat [Re: hiredgoons]
    #29618384 -

Otis Redding used to live on a houseboat near San Francisco.


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Re: Growing on a boat [Re: CreonAntigone]
    #29618581 -

How did you freeze precip your deems with no freezer?

I'm happy you pulled this off and got some fruits.


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Re: Growing on a boat [Re: seldom seen] * 2
    #29618611 -

I bought bags of ice and a load of salt from a shop, bashed the ice into small bits with a mallet and then mixed them together, put the whole lot in an insulated cool bag and then put the sealed jar of naptha in the middle of it. It's how people used to make ice-cream

Edited by hiredgoons (07/06/26 02:13 PM)

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Re: Growing on a boat [Re: hiredgoons] * 1
    #29619284 -

Fkn A Dude, I respect the hustle.


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Re: Growing on a boat [Re: seldom seen]
    #29622682 -



seldom seen said:
Fkn A Dude, I respect the hustle.


Thanks. 🙂

This bag is still producing. It stopped and I thought it was finished so I turned the block over and put it in the bag sideways thinking I may get a few more small ones and look at it now!




Edited by hiredgoons (07/12/26 07:57 AM)

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Re: Growing on a boat [Re: hiredgoons]
    #29622687 -

Next one ready to roll. This is a top quality 2kg one.


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Re: Growing on a boat [Re: hiredgoons]
    #29622768 -

Picking time!



edit: this flush has much hollower stems than the previous ones.

Edited by hiredgoons (07/12/26 12:22 PM)

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Re: Growing on a boat [Re: hiredgoons]
    #29623138 -

This turned out well for you 😊 So awesome

Are you having fun?


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MUSHROOMS RULE

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Re: Growing on a boat [Re: Dala] * 2
    #29623169 -

Dala said:
This turned out well for you 😊 So awesome

Are you having fun?


Sure am! 😀

I had a great trip the other day. There's a report here: https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/29622811

I'm planning another later this week.

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Re: Growing on a boat [Re: hiredgoons]
    #29623187 -

Great report, I could see myself having a similar experience. And the visuals are a treat! Way to go man. Good luck on your next grow and take a few spore prints from this one!


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MUSHROOMS RULE

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Re: Growing on a boat [Re: Dala]
    #29634534 -

Wrapping the bag in black plastic definitely works. These are growing round the edge but not down the sides of the bag. Oddly some of them look to be growing from the plastic rather than the substrate. These are Natal Super Strength. No overlay or any problems. I wonder if they like the cooler temps on my boat. South Africa where these are from isn't that warm afaik.

That Z-strain bag is still producing a few too. I've had at least 350g from it, probably more, and now only have 4 dry grams left. Good fun!





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Re: Growing on a boat [Re: Dala]
    #29634537 -

Dala said:
Great report, I could see myself having a similar experience. And the visuals are a treat! Way to go man. Good luck on your next grow and take a few spore prints from this one!


Thanks! I've already taken a print from the z-strain and will take one from these Natals. I think I'll concentrate on growing Natals if I find them to be stronger as I expect I will. I haven't found the colonisation to be reliably faster though. I have two natal bags and a PE6 bag. One natal bag is fruiting, the PE6 bag is about to fruit and the other Natal bag is almost fully colonised. All inoculated at the same time.

Edited by hiredgoons (07/28/26 07:45 AM)

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Re: Growing on a boat [Re: hiredgoons]
    #29634542 -

You can see here what I mean about growing from the plastic


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Re: Growing on a boat [Re: hiredgoons]
    #29634544 -

Not usual for mushrooms to want to pin away from the nutrients. A big part of why casing was used a lot even for species that "didn't need it"


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:headbang3: Pastywhyte's Easy Writeups :headbang3: My Favorite Grow Logs :headbang3:
:headbang3: Avoiding the dreaded facepalm in cultivation :headbang3: The worst threads all have the same subjects :headbang3:
:headbang3: Q & A.M.U. :headbang3:

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Re: Growing on a boat [Re: Pastywhyte]
    #29634547 -

Hmm. Maybe I'll look into using casing in future. Primordia are starting to develop in the middle so the next flush might not be so concentrated around the edge.

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Re: Growing on a boat [Re: hiredgoons]
    #29634580 -

The nats seem to smell a bit different to cubes. Less earthy and slightly sweet. I wonder if they'll taste different.




Edit: I got Grok to do a summary of The official Psilocybe natalensis/ ochraceocentrata thread as it's far too long to read the whole thing. It mentions that the mycelium is prone to climbing walls so maybe that's why I appear to have mushrooms growing out of the side of the bag. I understand a lot more about these Ochras now. 🙂

Here's the summary:

This is the official long-running Shroomery cultivation thread for what community members initially called *Psilocybe natalensis* (and later largely reidentified or rebranded as *Psilocybe ochraceocentrata*, often shortened to “ochras” or “nats”).** It began in early 2020 and has grown to nearly 800 pages with hundreds of thousands of views and tens of thousands of posts. It functions as a living grow log, troubleshooting hub, genetics-sharing space, and informal taxonomy discussion.

### Origins and early confusion (2020)
User Hillbillyjohn started the thread after receiving spore prints labeled as *P. natalensis*. Early posts noted scant online information and suggested growing them like *P. cubensis* (on coir or similar bulk substrates). South African grower Zifozonke quickly shared photos and advice: treat them like cubes on straight coir (roughly 2 quarts grain spawn to 2.5 quarts coir, just under field capacity), using unmodded or minimally modified tubs/shoeboxes. 

Initial skepticism was high. Many fruits looked cubensis-like, and some prints were suspected to be ordinary *P. cubensis* varieties from the Natal region of South Africa (sometimes sold as “Natal Super Strain” or NSS). There was debate about whether true *P. natalensis* (described by Gartz et al. in the 1990s from KwaZulu-Natal pastures) was distinct. Microscopy discussions (cystidia, etc.) and calls for DNA sequencing appeared early. The title was later edited (by Land Trout and others) to reflect the evolving understanding, eventually becoming “The official Psilocybe natalensis/ochraceocentrata thread.”

### Cultivation characteristics and techniques
Growers rapidly established that these mushrooms are aggressive colonizers with distinctive mycelium (often highly rhizomorphic or fuzzy/tomentose, sometimes climbing walls and forming “spheres”). Key traits reported across years:

- **Overlay is very common** — thick, cottony, sometimes coral-like or blob-forming surface mycelium. Many recommend *not* scraping it aggressively; it often still fruits. Some experiment with light casings (peat, vermiculite, Jiffy mix) or heavy compression of the surface. Overlay material bruises blue/green and is sometimes bioassayed.
- **Fruit morphology**: Tall, slender to meaty stems; caps often smaller relative to stem length, frequently lacking a full partial veil or showing only remnants; gills can appear differently attached (sometimes described as more decurrent or subdecurrent). Fruits can open widely, split, or become “stringy.” Color ranges from brownish to yellowish/ochre-centered or even greenish bruising. Later “black cap” and other phenotypes appear.
- **Substrates & ratios**: Straight coir or CVG (coir-vermiculite-gypsum) is standard and highly successful. Spawn-to-bulk ratios from 1:1 to 1:5 (or leaner) work. Manure-enriched substrates are tried but not required. Grain spawn (various grains) colonizes quickly.
- **Fruiting conditions**: Similar to cubes but often needing *more* fresh air exchange (FAE) to avoid “spaghetti” or bent stems. Unmodded shoeboxes, dub-tubs, monotubs, Martha tents, and even ignored tubs all succeed once dialed in. Surface moisture is important; they like it relatively wet but respond to evaporation cycles. Consolidation after colonization is optional.
- **Speed and yields**: Fast colonization and fruiting for many cultures. Multiple flushes are common; large harvests (kilograms wet from multi-shoebox runs) are frequently posted. Side-pinning can be heavy.
- **Other notes**: Some cultures appear less cold-tolerant than cubes. Cloning and isolation (rhizomorphic vs. tomentose sectors) are popular to reduce overlay and improve fruit quality. Spore prints and liquid culture are widely shared.

### Evolution of identity and later discussion
Over time the community largely shifted toward calling the commonly cultivated material *P. ochraceocentrata* (or simply “ochras”), treating earlier “natalensis” labels (especially NSS) as misidentifications or regional variants. True *P. natalensis* is discussed as rarer or genetically distinct (sister to other African/Asian species in some sequence data mentioned in related threads). Posts include identification help (gill attachment, cap color, bruising, overlay behavior), comparisons to cubes, and warnings about mislabeled vendor material (including AI-generated photos). 

Phenotypes, crosses, and testing continue: black-cap ochras sent for alkaloid analysis, discussions of potency (often reported as comparable to or somewhat different from cubes—sometimes clearer-headed, less body load, variable intensity), and aesthetic appreciation of the fruits and mycelium.

### Ongoing activity (through 2025–2026)
The thread remains extremely active. Recent pages feature first-time ochra grows, overlay management experiments, harvest photos (including intense green bruising), agar work (blueing plates), identification of possible mislabels or crosses, FAE/moisture troubleshooting, and casual chat. It is the central repository for shared genetics, tips, and photos of this species on the Shroomery.

**In short**: What began as curiosity about a little-known South African species became a massive collaborative domestication and refinement project. The material is now routinely grown like an aggressive, overlay-prone relative of *P. cubensis*, with a distinctive look and enthusiastic following. The thread documents the full arc from confusion and first successful tubs to widespread cultivation, phenotype hunting, and ongoing taxonomic refinement.

Edited by hiredgoons (07/28/26 01:22 PM)

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Re: Growing on a boat [Re: hiredgoons]
    #29634850 -

Turns out I've mixed the bags up and this one is actually the PE6. 🙄

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Re: Growing on a boat [Re: hiredgoons] * 3
    #29643535 -

Getting some really big ones from this bag now.


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Re: Growing on a boat [Re: hiredgoons] * 3
    #29650685 -

The size of these!


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Mushrooms, Mycology and Psychedelics > Mushroom Cultivation
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