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tengumai
Bioengineeredfor the win

Registered: 03/08/06
Posts: 32
Last seen: 17 years, 8 months
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First post, first shrooms: how does my plan sound
#5393315 - 03/12/06 08:41 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Hi, I'm pleased to make my first post on the shroomery. I've spent the last week reading everything I can find about growing shrooms. Wow, there's a lot of information here! Based on that reading, I've put together a plan for my first try. I'd like your comments, maybe you see some weaknesses or have recommendations!
The spores: I ordered some B+ syringes (from a sponsor, of course), which should be arriving this week. I chose B+ because I've read a lot of reports that they are forgiving in the grow, relatively prolific and deliver a nice trip. Perfect for a newbie!
The substrate: I'm attracted to grain methods over cakes. It sounds like a grains are a bit easier to get a big yield, and I may be able to speed up the grow a little by shaking those grains up during mycelium growth. I chose birdseed because it's cheap and I've read a lot of success stories about it. (I also bought a bird feeder so I can share the unused portion with the locals). I'll be following one of the birdseed teks posted here, and I plan on pressure-cooking the seed in tyvek-filtered Mason jars. Sounds like I can inoculate directly through the tyvek and cut down on a lot of hassle.
Mycelium growth: Right after inoculation, I plan on putting my jars into the fruiting chamber. I built the double-bin chamber from the 'PF Tek for Simple Minds' guide for about $18. It's dark, and an aquarium heater should hold it to about 84-86 degrees. Although the sides of my chamber are translucent, I'll keep it in a dark closet and only visit it occasionally to shake those grains and exchange a little air.
Casing: I'll case over vermiculite with a 50/50+ mixture. I don't have any litmus strips, and I'm not sure how worried I should be about pH: I plan on adding a little limestone and a little more oyster shell. I know peet moss comes in differing acidities, but I'm hoping that a 45/45/5/5 mixture will be "in the neighborhood" of a good pH and that the oystershell can cope with pH long-term. What do you think? I also haven't decided how thick to make the substrate layer in the casing yet - any recommendations? While casing, I'll sterilize the fruiting chamber and add perlite on the bottom, then the cases go back in and back into the closet until the valleys are myco-covered.
Fruiting: This should be easy. Reduce the temperature in the fruiting chamber to about 70, and move the chamber into the bedroom, where it will get about 12h of ambient light every day. Exchange the air daily, keep the RH nice and high. I am hoping that the perlite will do most of the humidity work for me, and I can just mist once a day.
How does this sounds overall? Any tips or suggestions?
Concerns: - don't know what "best practices" are for thickness of the substrate - don't know if I need to invest in pH equipment or if a 45/45/5/5 mixture should be "in the neighborhood". - don't know if I should cold shock the cases to spur pinning. - don't know what music I should play while tripping or what toppings should be on that pizza.
Thanks, everyone! Tengu
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musher_420
Stranger

Registered: 08/01/05
Posts: 2,691
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Re: First post, first shrooms: how does my plan sound [Re: tengumai]
#5393449 - 03/12/06 09:15 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Well most of that plan looks to be in order. Just a few tips and clarifications I have for you.
Tip- On your jars with the tyvek filter lids, don't forget to include the metal disk with two quarter inch holes. Using just tyvek on the top will cause your jars to dry out. (Happened to me so I thought I'd remind ya). When inoculating though the tyvek it's a good idea to stick a piece of micro pore tape over the hole your needle makes.
Clarification- The double bin with an aquarium heater you called your Fruiting chamber is actually called a TiT (tub in tub incubator)
Tip- With peat based casing mixes ph is CRITICAL. Using oyster shell powder at about a 5 - 10% by volume ratio works pretty well. Of course litmus paper is cheap and very helpful.
Best casing mix info I've found is here. http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/5320904#Post5320904 http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/3290155/an/0/page/0
Tip- Cold shocking is unnecessary, the 10 degree drop in temp is what is important. Anything more then that like placing it into the fridge is mycelium abuse ..lol just kidding but not really.
Tip- Tool is the best music to listen to when tripping  Tip- Pizza is best with Pepperoni, bacon, red onions, green peppers, and tomatoes. Tip- Mushrooms taste best when ground up in a coffee grinder and mixed with melted chocolate and allowed to cool in ice cube trays.
Click that link in my sig to find some more great links within.
Good luck.
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tengumai
Bioengineeredfor the win

Registered: 03/08/06
Posts: 32
Last seen: 17 years, 8 months
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Re: First post, first shrooms: how does my plan sound [Re: musher_420]
#5393481 - 03/12/06 09:25 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Hey, thanks for the reply Musher! A couple of followups:
Quote:
musher_420 said: Tip- On your jars with the tyvek filter lids, don't forget to include the metal disk with two quarter inch holes. Using just tyvek on the top will cause your jars to dry out.
I just today drilled out my tops with one hole about the size of a quarter. Think I should redo these? They're cheap, and easy to get.
Quote:
musher_420 said: Clarification- The double bin with an aquarium heater you called your Fruiting chamber is actually called a TiT (tub in tub incubator)
Good to know. Do you see any problem if I use it as an incubator first, and then I add some perlite, turn down the heater and use it as for fruiting?
Quote:
musher_420 said: Tip- Mushrooms taste best when ground up in a coffee grinder and mixed with melted chocolate and allowed to cool in ice cube trays.
Hmmm... a "special" dark chocolate. Yes, my mind is filling with the possibilities....
Thanks again!
Good luck.
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musher_420
Stranger

Registered: 08/01/05
Posts: 2,691
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Re: First post, first shrooms: how does my plan sound [Re: tengumai]
#5393541 - 03/12/06 09:40 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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A hole the size of a quarter is on the large size. Some of my jars I use just one 5/8 inch hole and it works fine. You will probably be okay. Redo it if you want. Maybe even consider using polyfil in the holes it works great and doesn't seem to have the same problems with the jars drying out.
Converting your incubator to a fruiting chamber will work. except then you wont have an incubator AND a fruiting chamber. If you do plan to go that route however I don't think you would need to heat it at all unless your house is really cold.
Double tubs work great and don't cost very much. http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/4323984/an/0/page/0
I'd suggest using your WBS as spawn to preferably horse poo, but if you don't wanna go that route you can try coir. http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/5150228#Post5150228
Wbs doesn't really retain the kind of moisture needed to get great fruits.
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