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BlargIAmDead
Shroom Samurai



Registered: 11/04/07
Posts: 550
Last seen: 14 years, 11 months
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First Time Grow Log
#7595284 - 11/04/07 04:43 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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So this is my first time growing mushrooms and I just wanted to start a grow log because it'll help me see where I go right and wrong. So I have a syringe of psy cubensis B++ and Ecuadorian. I decided to start with B++ because I've heard it's an easier grow. So first I made a glove box out of a plastic tote. Note for all other noobs, get a LARGE tote. Like one you can fit a chocolate lab in because once you get four or five pint jars, a bottle of alcohol, syringe, and your arms in there...it's not exactly roomy. Also, another mistake I made is I got opaque lids. Bad idea >.<. Get clear lids that you can see through, not the translucent kind.
[image] [/image]
I pretty much followed the video on YouTube, Let's Grow Mushrooms!, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHJQrsZFQdE with little addendums thrown in by reading the forums here. Word to the wise on that video, if your making pint jars instead of half pint jars, when you double the verm, flour, and water recipe it makes 4 pint jars not 5. Another noob mistake I made is I forgot to sterilize the needle between jars 1 and 2 but remembered between jars 2,3, and 4. I also used too much spore solution per hole. In 4 pint jars I ran through one syringe. I then taped the holes back up and put the jars in my closet to sit and colonize.
[image] [/image]
I'm so excited and I keep wandering back in to look at them . But I'm leaving the closet mostly shut to conserve heat because it's getting towards winter here and we have a cold snap coming tomorrow. Low of 32F. The temperature is staying right around 80F. For anyone who wants to know where to get stuff to grow, Wal-Mart. It's like the hobby store you never knew existed. I got a hygrometer/thermometer combo in the hardware/paint section next to the other thermometers. The one thing I don't like is the totes are kinda puny and you can crack the sides VERY easily if you press too hard with a drill. Vermiculite for those that are having trouble finding it can be obtained from any Uline store. I got 2 four cubic foot backs (that's 8 cubic feet!) for around $45 total. One's still in the trunk of my car.
The one question I pose to people is this: For a fruiting chamber, I saw on the video how he drilled many little holes in all 6 faces of the tote. I drilled holes in the sides and the bottom for air exchange but do I want to drills holes in the lid? Won't that let our a lot of the humidity? And if I don't drill holes in the lid should I make a drip shield? I want my first grow to go well and I'm asking for any and all advice.
[image] [/image] Fruiting chamber.
My second question would be: I have a shiitake block coming that is fully colonized and will start fruiting almost right away given the correct conditions. Can I put my block in with my pillars and form a little shroomy ecosystem? Do shiitake and psy cube take different parameters?
Thanks in advance.
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veda_sticks
Cultivator




Registered: 07/29/07
Posts: 14,191
Loc: UK
Last seen: 4 years, 25 days
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sounds like your pretty well clued up, u can leave the holes in the lid for just now, my fc doesnt have any in the lid and does fine. Or u could stick to the design and make the holes, if you have problems maintaining humidity then you can start to plug holes up with tape.
Not sure about the shitake never tried to grow them.
-------------------- PF TEK - writeup by EvilMushroom666 Lets Grow Mushrooms - RogerRabbit & RoadKills website with sample videos plus the full PF TEK video series. Alot of great information - BUY THE DVD Cakes can and will pin! - So you think cakes suck for pins. Your wrong Franks Simple Coir/Verm Tek Franks Proper Pasturisation Tek Franks Spawning To Bulk - Monotub Professor Pinheads RTV Injection Port Tek Foo Mans No Soak WBS Prep Tek
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BlargIAmDead
Shroom Samurai




Registered: 11/04/07
Posts: 550
Last seen: 14 years, 11 months
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Re: First Time Grow Log [Re: veda_sticks]
#7595465 - 11/04/07 05:24 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Thanks veda. Also, another piece of advice for all you people who have room mates and other people who aren't nearly as excited about mushrooms as you are: Get everything set up to start cooking at like 2AM and out of the kitchen by like 9 or 10. Cause there is nothing more thrilling than trying to cut a piece of aluminum foil quietly while the new pot you just got gives off that new pot funky smell of burning metal mixed with you trying to handle several large jars.
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BlargIAmDead
Shroom Samurai




Registered: 11/04/07
Posts: 550
Last seen: 14 years, 11 months
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Alright, using the search function is your friend. I found out why RR drills holes in all six sides and it seemed reasonable to me so I went ahead and put holes in the lid. Quick question though, when drilled in this fashion do you still need a drip shield?
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BlargIAmDead
Shroom Samurai




Registered: 11/04/07
Posts: 550
Last seen: 14 years, 11 months
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Okay it is day 3 and I don't see any mycellial growth but I'm holding out hope. It got REAL cold here last night, mid 50's or so I'm guessing so I flipped my laptop over, put all the jars in a cardboard box, put the box on top of my laptops bottom (vents for CPU, RAM and graphics card ) and threw a sheet over the top of that. According to my thermometer which has a min/max function that records the min/max temp since last reset, it's about 77F in the box. I'll put up pics when I get back from class .
On a side note the jars smelled funny, but I couldn't really tell. I have mild to severe allergy problems sometimes and I can't smell or taste anything 90% of the time. But it smelled sour/off. But I attribute that to the tape I was using. I got the wrong kind. I was using the sports tape used to wrap ankles and wrists and I needed the micropore tape. I got the right kind and put it on them and they smell much better now. I'll check them again when I get back. Hope they're okay. 
Edit: Pics
[image]http:// [/image]
The setup
[image]http:// [/image]
A jar
[image]http:// [/image]
Better shot of said jar. And since I'm paranoid I worry about everything from the substrate being too dry, to the smell of the jars, to whether I have them in a sterile enough environment being in my closet and all...I'm stressing out. I need patience.
Edited by BlargIAmDead (11/06/07 06:19 PM)
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BlargIAmDead
Shroom Samurai




Registered: 11/04/07
Posts: 550
Last seen: 14 years, 11 months
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Shameless Bump.
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BlargIAmDead
Shroom Samurai




Registered: 11/04/07
Posts: 550
Last seen: 14 years, 11 months
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Well the only problem with my laptop incubation setup is this. There's no temp regulator. Came back today to see a reading of 95 on the thermometer >.<. Might have to invest in an incubation setup. Or find some way to rig things that regulates itself. But the good news is that after 4 days of nothing I finally see some darker areas on the substrate. No sign of mycellium yet. Still can't smell anything but that's just me. Hopefully my jars are okay. I'm surprised to not see any growth yet. I used a 10cc syringe on 4 jars. Hmmmm, nothing to do but wait.
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BlargIAmDead
Shroom Samurai




Registered: 11/04/07
Posts: 550
Last seen: 14 years, 11 months
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Well I'm starting to get some results. Got my heat issues worked out mostly. Might go buy a smaller heater for my closet. But the only thing that looks to be growing on my cakes looks like contamination. I'm trying to talk myself out of it but I don't know. I THINK they smell off but I can't really smell anything like I said, and it's all four of them. While not unheard of, it would suck, seeing as how I did them in a glove box and all. The other four jars have patches of the cake that look slightly yellowed areas where it looks like the spore solution soaked in. The one that is growing looked black but there are other pieces of large vermiculite in my jars that are black. So it could be black and small white fuzzies but I"m not sure yet. The bad part being that I now feel like I have strep throat.
So either I have strep throat or worse case scenario I have black mold in my cakes AND in my lungs . Tell me what ya think. And I know it looks bad but it looks better in real life...promise >.>.
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c0_hush
Stranger



Registered: 07/16/06
Posts: 417
Last seen: 12 years, 4 months
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Take the pics for a little farther away, it's all blurry. Are those the 1st jars you used when you forgot to sterilize the needle? Also, you don't need a tub with a clear lid when you can just turn the tub upside down, no?
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BlargIAmDead
Shroom Samurai




Registered: 11/04/07
Posts: 550
Last seen: 14 years, 11 months
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Re: First Time Grow Log [Re: c0_hush]
#7611705 - 11/08/07 03:30 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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I sterilized the needle before the first jar. I didn't sterilize the needle when I moved from the first jar to the second jar. I'll try to take better picture later. And yes....I suppose that would be the simpler method . One of the few times in my life that I HOPE I'm sick.
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BlargIAmDead
Shroom Samurai




Registered: 11/04/07
Posts: 550
Last seen: 14 years, 11 months
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Well update: It seems I'm going to lose one of my jars to black mold. Fun.
[image] [/image]
But I'm still holding out hope for the others. Though I think with my constant worrying and handling and moving them and temperature changes I'm pretty sure I've stalled or completely killed the spores. *sigh* I'll wait another week or so and see if they rise from the dead. I'll have to sterilize that jar now or tonight.
On a slightly better note though I got my shiitake block yesterday. It's soaking now preparing for the fruiting chamber. I don't know if anyone wants the but PM me if you want a shiitake print and I'll see if I can NOT kill these .
Edited by BlargIAmDead (11/09/07 12:02 PM)
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katfish
Nooblit



Registered: 07/22/06
Posts: 592
Loc: Louisiana
Last seen: 15 years, 11 months
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damn that sucks. i hate black mold.
-------------------- 08/2/07 Inoculated mycobag with Brazilian, 3cc 08/08/07 First mycelium show 09/03/07 Brazilian still colonizing, Three Mycobags inoculated with Koi Somui 10/11/07 2 Pint PESA 100% colonized. 1 pint Amazon 90% colonized 10/12/07 Storage bin perite FC constructed 10/28/07 Havested my First ever flush, of PESA!
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BlargIAmDead
Shroom Samurai




Registered: 11/04/07
Posts: 550
Last seen: 14 years, 11 months
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Re: First Time Grow Log [Re: katfish]
#7624344 - 11/12/07 01:30 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Well I might lose another jar to penicillin type mold I think. It's a dark blue/black in the center with a white ring around it. I'll put pictures up when I have the urge. Man, I'm at 50% attrition already and the other two jars aren't showing any signs of colonization and it's been 8 days. I'm PC'ing some jars right now and I'm going to try my hand at the Ecuadorian strain and see how that one treats me. Wish me luck.
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grandesign
Mushroom Madness



Registered: 08/13/07
Posts: 488
Loc:
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its all patients mate you need to stop panicing and let it all takes its course i know how you feel i felt the same not that long ago really but you need to get your sterility spot on clean all your work surfaces make sure there is no draft going through the room when you start making your sterile enviroment have you got isopropyl alcohol 70% is good (rubbing alcohol) use it in your glovebox before you put your jars in then wipe your needles with it after flame sterilising the more you can do the better your chances of a clean ennoculation once you know your sterile proecures are spot on and you have a steady incubation temp there are little reason for your colonisation process to go wrong remember sterility patience and a little bit of thought twinned with a little experimentation is whats worked for me so far and im still very much a begginer with two successfull grows under my belt
-------------------- who are you ? who am i ? This shit aint real !!!
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BlargIAmDead
Shroom Samurai




Registered: 11/04/07
Posts: 550
Last seen: 14 years, 11 months
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Re: First Time Grow Log [Re: grandesign]
#7626663 - 11/12/07 04:38 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Thanks grand. That's kinda what I've been trying to do lately. Just relax and leave them alone. On a slightly different note here's my awesome penicillin/trichoderma mold grow:). I can't tell if it's blue or green, too dark. I think I'll name him "I-hate-you-why-aren't-you-mycelium-you're-not-my-real-fungus" [image] [/image]
Thinking about making an LC with my Ecuadorian syringe.
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BlargIAmDead
Shroom Samurai




Registered: 11/04/07
Posts: 550
Last seen: 14 years, 11 months
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So I went ahead and made the LC out of Ecuadorian. Used the beginner friendly tek for LC's, no PC so steamed the jar for 30 mins by itself. Eyeballed out about a tablespoon of pure honey, about a table spoon of Karo (with REAL vanilla ) and capped it and steamed for another 30 minutes. Waited overnight and inoculated in my glove box (which by the by for all other people, get LONG gloves. The short ones are prone to being annoying. So my glovebox went back to an open air still box) and set in my incubator closet.
I think it's going good. I already see snot clumps floating around. Wish I'd taken pictures to compare clarities though. I'm pretty sure it's the same color it was when it started though so here's pictures.
[image] [/image]
My B+ jars also decided they wanted a chance at LIFE, so they went ahead and germinated and have little thumb tack sizes of mycelium. It doesn't appear to be penicillin, black mold, or trichoderma, all of which I have met and I believe I know what they look like so wish me luck on these .
[image] [/image]
[image] [/image]
The Ecuadorian jars are also looking good but the mycelium is only visible to the eye and not my awesome lacking camera . I made a magnetic stirrer according to the hobo stirring guide with fan, HDD magnet, and ten penny nail and it works AWESOME for all the doubters. But I made it after my LC so I'll have to incorporate it into my working LC's.
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BlargIAmDead
Shroom Samurai




Registered: 11/04/07
Posts: 550
Last seen: 14 years, 11 months
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Well here's an update. All of my jars of Ecuadorian contamed, my 1st LC isn't looking so hot, but that is my fault, my 2nd LC is looking better though so I have some hope. These are my two B+ jars. As you can see from the dry erase marker marks they're growing rather well. Those marks compared to growth are two days old. So not stellar but good. I've got some nice rhizomorphic growth in one jar and it makes me dance .
[image] [/image]
[image] [/image]
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farmerofduck
Stranger

Registered: 07/22/13
Posts: 28
Last seen: 10 years, 3 months
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Nice
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