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Why is it that we kill people who kill people to show people that killing people is wrong?

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Peace
Blue

You can get substantially bigger yields casing, but my advice to any 1st-time grower is to go with straight cakes, because it's so simple and allows you to spend your time watching the mushrooms grow, learning what they need environmentally and how they react to changes, instead of spending your time tending a more elaborate growing tek. The simpler the method, the more easily you can "get to know" your shrooms, if you will.

Second time, definitely go with casing, though!

My personal experience: Started 12 1/2 pint jars, cracked two during sterilization. Of the 10 surviving, 3 were contaminated and 2 suffered from some unknown malaise, leaving 5 to fruit in my 10 gal. aquarium with perlite on the bottom and saran wrap to seal the top. I aired them out once or twice a day, but otherwise did nothing except walk in each evening and pull a handful of shrooms off the cakes.

Total yield from 5 cakes over the course of 5 weeks (spores to shrooms): 27 grams dried.
Temp. 68-72 F.

Very very rewarding, in a number of ways.

Best of luck!

GT

[This message has been edited by GorgeousTortoise (edited December 18, 1999).]

GorgeousTortoise, how well did the five cakes fit into the ten gallon aquarium? How much room was left and how many more cakes do you think could have fit?

If you were careful with this type of "staggering", you could probably get away with 6 cakes in a 10 gallon.

Which brings up a question I've had about casing... which I'll put in a new post.

GT