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Invisiblelogical
strangerthanfiction
Registered: 07/26/02
Posts: 26
Psilocybe cubensis [indean, gulf caost] alien cakes, in hydropod.
    #780927 - 07/27/02 07:00 PM (22 years, 3 months ago)

GROW LOG

Long time lurker and mad scientist, 1st time poster- hope it?s right the 1st time. {Posted for a friend).

Components of grow:

a) Desktop Hydrapod model, available from Mycotek
b) 1 pint wide mouth Kerr jars
c) filter disks
d) Alien Substrate Tek - Formula, updated version (It was the newer version listed on the alientek.iwarp.com site before it was taken down.)
e) 2 spore syringes- 1 PF?s Indian, 1 Gulf Coast from 3Mshroom (no longer available for purchase)
f) Pressure cooker

Background/experience of cultivator:

Logical is a long time reader and cultivator, who has had most experience with inert casing (vermiculite) and whole grains than any other method. He has been largely unsuccessful with cake cultures, and turned to casing early on. (He could never get a cake to fruit more than once, and had less than great results in general.) He prefers using Alien Tek Substrate when starting cakes- as it is nice to work with and also has had the best results with. He has used PF style substrates in the past, but does not like the flour component as compared to using whole grain (rice for Alien Tek). He prefers birdseed/millet to rye/wheat grain when using quart jars (wet spot is a constant issue). Logical has never used anything more than a plastic bin as a terrarium (and has used both plain perlite, perlite with a bubbler, and cool mist humidifier variations of the plastic bin terrarium). He has tried and failed at using bulk grains as spawn to castings/straw (lost every attempt to mold or lack of colonization). He makes his own syringes, does agar work when necessary/desirable, and has bought premade syringes from vendors a few times. He has no experience with anything but cubensis. He was intrigued enough to purchase a hydra-pod, as Logical has much less time lately for cultivation hobbies, and bought it primarily because of the "maintainance-free" aspect.

Notes on Substrate/Colonization:

Logical did not take photos of the jar colonization, but jars were made using UPDATED Alien Tek Formula (not the one listed on the Shroomery). Logical used the wide mouth Kerr type jars, so he was not able to fit as many cakes as had been prepared (only 8 would fit with enough room for fruiting). He assumes that thinner pint jars would mean more cakes possible in the pod, but had these so used them. Jars were covered with a dry verm layer, fitted with a filter disk, and pressure cooked for 30 minutes. Jars were then inoculated "open air" style, 4 pint jars per 10cc syringe.

Note on syringes:

Logical had older syringes from vendors that had not been used- the syringe from PF was about 6 to 9 months old, while the syringe from 3Mshroom was quite a bit older. (The 3Mshroom syringe was bought when he was still in business). He wanted to try "vendor products" only for this grow- no home syringe making.

Notes on Incubation:

Jars were incubated IN the hydrapod while it was running. This wasn?t done for any particular reason, except that Logical has found that filter disks without lids tend to dry the substrate. He hypothesized that the humid environment of the hydrapod would be suitable for filter disk incubation. He also wanted to run the pod empty to monitor rh and temperatures, as well as the general method and work of the pod. Jars were fully and overly colonized in 3-4 weeks, with the 3Mshroom cakes taking a little longer. Logical figured it was because of the age of the spores. Only one jar was lost to contamination (cobweb/black spore), likely because of the "open air" inoculation and not due to the spore solution. Every inoculation point was colonized.

Some of the bottom of the jars would not colonize. They were birthed when it was determined no more growth would occur (and one jar had a bit of green on the uncolonized part.) These parts were cut off. It was determined upon birth that the spots had become too moist for the mycelia to colonize the whole grains of rice and quinoa.

Logical was worried that the cakes may contaminate, since it "looked" like much of the bottom part of the cakes were too wet to be fully colonized in the jar. The lower eighth of the cakes were wispy compared to the vigorous growth on the rest of the cake. However, he was pleasantly surprised to learn that a day after the jars were birthed into the pod, the wispy/little colonized parts began to grow vigorously and eventually covered the parts he was concerned about. No further contamination has been spotted on any cake, even the cake that had a hint of green mold on one uncolonized spot.

Notes on Hydrapod:

The Hydrapod is run in the hands-off method it was bought for. It?s water content is checked every week, and runs almost silently. No add-ons were used (no water heater, no extra bubbler). No fanning, no misting, nothing is done to the pod that did not come in the box it was shipped in. This is intentional: it is possible that adding a larger or second bubbler may be necessary due to air exchange concerns noted below or that a higher temperature may have sped up colonization of jars. But Logical wanted to have a "control" run to see the results first, and tweak them afterwards. This is his 1st attempt with using the Hydra-pod. The temps ranged from 70 to 85, as the ambient temperature of the room controlled the pod?s temperature. It generally remained at 72 degrees so far.

Photos:

Here are the photos of the pinning cakes, birthed into the hydrapod approximately 1.5-2 weeks ago. Logical kept the rh in the pod very high the 1st several days in order to allow for the cakes to fully colonize, and reduced after they were done. They have been in "fruiting mode" for about 3-6 days now.

Some cakes look uneven on their tops- the result of cutting away uncolonized substrate that has grown over.


Top view of pod with top off. The 3 cakes with toothpicks inserted are the Gulf Coasts (lower right), the 4 without toothpicks are PF?s Indian. The Indians look larger than the Gulf Coasts, but the Gulf Coasts are more prolific and are fruiting very vigorously from all sides of the cakes.



Side view of pod: PF?s Indian on left, 3 Gulf Coasts on right. Mycelia has grown onto the toothpicks approximatly 1/2".



Another side view of pod, better angle. Easy to see the difference in strains: Indian fruits less but larger, Gulf Coasts fruit more but smaller. Time will tell the difference as they are just pins. It also may tell which "type" of strain is best suited for the pod- if the larger fruits do well in a somewhat close environment, and if the many fruits of the smaller strains will eventually mature into full specimens (and not abhort/be stunted because of their numbers.)



Macro shot of cake, up close. Gulf Coast strain. Many pins, a lot of potential. Too soon to tell what result, but Logical?s feeling is that few will abhort (and if they do, it is because of too many pins). But none so far on any cake.



Another macro shot of (another) cake. Indian strain. Logical noticed that the Indian cakes seem to pin more at the bottom half of the cake, where the Gulf Coast cakes tend to pin from all sides. And that the Indians are larger.



Top view of Indian cake, 2 broken veils. These 2 were harvested after the shot to avoid sporulation in the pod. Total wet weight was 32 grams, 15 & 17 respectively. Logical will try to keep a running tally on the harvest weight, for grow log purposes.



Final shot, Indian on left, 2 Gulf Coasts on right. (PLEASE NOTE EDITED CHANGE! Position was listed incorrectly - fixed 8/12/02.)


Comments on Grow So Far:

a) Logical would not use pint jars as they take too long to colonize as compared to 1/2 pints, and take up too much room in the pod in general (wide mouths). He believes this extra time was the reason why water was allowed to over saturate the bottom grains, slowing and halting full colonization. It could also have been the humid environment of the Hydra-pod. Instead, he would double-stack 1/2 pints using toothpicks, and take advantage of the height of the pod?s dome lid.

b) Unfortunately, the rh of the pod is too high. Notice in photos above, the mycelia growing on the stems of the mushrooms up from the cakes. The pod?s rh control has been opened fully, and still remains too high. On one of the 2 harvested, a crack on the top of the cap as well as a small crack in the side of the cap also tell Logical that it is likely that the rh is too high. (Logical also noticed today that a rosecomb has started on one cap, another hint that the humidity is too high). But- all in all the humidity is not a negative factor as the cakes are doing very well, and certainly better than any cakes Logical has every tried before.

c) Unfortunately as well, Logical believes that there is not enough air exchange within the pod. This is shown by the somewhat small caps of the mushrooms in relation to the size of the stems. This has only been the case in the Indian strain, as the Gulf Coasts have not come close to breaking any veils yet. But, from Logical?s experience, judging from the looks of the cakes now, many will have small caps in relation to the overall size. This also may be unique to the spore strain as well. Only when the Gulf Coasts have grown larger will it be fair to say that the air exchange is the small-cap culprit in the setup.

d) The number of pins concerns Logical: He has not had so many pins on a cake, EVER- so he is worried that they will result in possibly more abhorts. But, from his experience, he knows that this Gulf Coast strain has a propensity to produce many smaller pins on casing, so he will have to wait and see.

e) In using toothpicks to differentiate the strains, Logical figured he really liked inserting the toothpicks into the cakes right after birthing. They allow for easy handling of the cakes- no need to touch or bruise mycelia, just pick up and inspect cakes by their toothpicks! He hadn?t heard of this before, so wants to pass it on to other cakers.

f) The hydrapod is performing much as it was expected and hoped. It has been absolutely ignored (except for Logical?s curiousity!) and has really flourished. Once the log/grow has been completed, he may have more insight into what may be necessary in tweaks to his own setup, but doesn?t want to recommend anything until the grow is over.

g) Any questions about this log - please ask them in this post. Logical will try and update and answer questions about this log every few days, but has been quite busy lately (the reason he was interested in the pod in the 1st place), and will only check this post for questions.

Thanks all. Logical hopes this log will help some like he has been helped in the past by reading posts here.

Edited by concretefeet (02/07/05 06:44 AM)

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Offlinebravar
a.k.a John Doe

Registered: 02/28/02
Posts: 84
Loc: Canada
Last seen: 21 years, 8 months
Re: Advanced Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #781439 - 07/28/02 04:42 AM (22 years, 3 months ago)

nice grow log

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Invisiblelogical
strangerthanfiction
Registered: 07/26/02
Posts: 26
Re: Advanced Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #782711 - 07/28/02 06:22 PM (22 years, 3 months ago)

2nd entry in log:

Logical pulled 1 Indian (6 gram) and 2 Gulf Coasts (6 gram total) that had broken their veils before this shot was taken. Total of 32+12=44 grams wet so far- mushrooms are pulled once their veils are broken (or as close to finding them broken as possible). Logical will try to tally the weights in this log, to keep an accurate count.

Pictures, approx. 1 week into fruiting mode in the hydrapod, 2 days newer than the pictures posted above:


Top view of pod, Gulf Coasts on right with toothpicks in their centers.



Side view of pod. Logical says both cakes are Indian strain. Notice the rosecomb on the middle mushroom. No petroleum products were used in the caking process whatsoever, and no such contaminates are within the possible vectors of contamination.


Another side view- Indian strain on left, Gulf Coast strain on right. The 2 mushrooms in the back middle of pictture with broken veils were harvested after this shot. Some sporulation can be seen on the tops of one cap. Both were Gulf Coast strain.



Same group of mushrooms as above, closer macro shot. The 2 harvested mushrooms are better seen in this shot.



Top view of Gulf Coast cake.



Another Gulf Coast cake- another angle of a broken veiled mushroom that was later harvested.



Final shot of tops of cakes.

The rosecomb noted on one picture above is believed to be a product of too high humidity. The Indian strain thusfar has proven to be sporeless, a sign Logical has noted before with conditions that are too humid. Prints will not be taken from these mushrooms, due to previously noted contamination of uncolonized cake. However, the Gulf Coast strain does produce spores, noted on the caps and also after harvest (seen in gill structure, where the Indians appeared to be sterile).

All in all, Logical thinks they appear happy and healthy. The cakes are still producing pins on all sides for the Gulf Coast strain, and clusters near the bottoms of the Indians. Logical thinks the mushrooms produced from the Gulf Coasts will be small, and the Indians a little larger. They are smaller than the mushrooms he is accustomed to, in using 2-4 pints of cakes in a casing. He thinks the harvest will be smaller than what he is accustomed to in using casing, but probably will be very respectable.

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Invisiblelogical
strangerthanfiction
Registered: 07/26/02
Posts: 26
Re: Advanced Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #784507 - 07/29/02 03:19 PM (22 years, 3 months ago)

Grow Log Update

72 grams wet were harvested after these pics were taken (pic of harvest at end of update). With previously 44 grams harvest, new total wet is 44+72=116 wet grams. Pins were harvested if the veil had just broken. Most of the harvest was of the Gulf Coast strain.

Pins are fattening more evenly (next picking will be a large one, possibly all mushrooms now pictured). The caps will be allowed to open more fully before next harvest, to allow for an even harvest if possible. Cakes still seem to produce more pins.


Top view- pins growing larger daily.



Side view, all 3 cakes Indian. Indians are stouter than Gulf Coasts and will have larger stems and weight upon harvest. They seem to be producing more pins now, not quite catching up to the numbers of the Gulf Coasts.



Side view, Indian cake on left- Gulf Coasts in middle and right of pod. Gulf Coasts producing visibly more pins compared to Indians at this angle.



Top view of Gulf Coast cakes. Thin stems, but more proportional than the Indian strain in cap to stem ratio (in terms of gauging humidity).



Macro shot of caps. Gulf Coasts tend to keep the veil semi-attached to the stem, while Indians do not. Gulf Coasts also have the cap that resembles the thin part of an egg- not quite round.



Harvest of mushrooms that had opened their veils: 72 grams wet. Only 2 were abhorts, blackening heads located in the lower middle of the photo. The rest were mature mushrooms or small ones attached to mature mushrooms.



Final picture. Weird rosecomb on Indian mushroom (also harvested). Logical did some reading and noticed another Hydrapod user had experienced rosecombs in their pods. He still believes that the high humidity was to blame, but as rosecombs are most often attrubuted to petroleum exposure- he hopes there was not a possibility of petroleum contamination thru use of the pod. Logical doesn?t think so, since the problem was only on one cap, and has not reappeared on any others. Also note the semi-attached veil of the Gulf Coasts up close.


Logical is still waiting to see if an entire flush can be harvested next time, or if cakes will have to be kept in perpetuity until they are exausted. He has not had a second flush on cakes before, so does not know what to expect with these cakes. They still produce pins which reach maturity: very few abhorts have been identified.

He was considering dunking a few of the cakes, but it seems the hydration is so efficient that he may not have to. Normally Logical?s cakes would be shriveled at least a little, but they have not done so at all. Time and the next harvest will tell.

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Invisiblelogical
strangerthanfiction
Registered: 07/26/02
Posts: 26
Re: Advanced Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #789001 - 07/31/02 05:15 PM (22 years, 3 months ago)

Grow Log Update-


Top view of Hydrapod.



Side view of pod.



Macro shot of caps, heavily sporulated.



Gulf Coast harvest on standard legal paper. 112 wet grams total. Note that even matured mushroom caps remain rounded, and the mushrooms are less heavy individually than the Indians. Note also they produce higher numbers of mushrooms.



Indian harvest on standard legal paper (same pad, worse angle). The mushrooms are covering the same amount of space as the Gulf Coast harvest above. Larger mushrooms with much heavier stems than the Gulf Coasts. 114 wet grams total.

Notes on the 1st flush

a) Logical isn?t sure if this is technically the "1st flush," since pins remain on cakes that will mature (non-abhorts). As he has not had cakes that produce this prolifically before, he is unsure as to how much more they can produce. But Logical will keep them in the pod for as long as they seem to be productive.

b) The cakes upon harvest looked almost untouched. This was unusual for Logical: None of the substrate had been damaged by harvest. The mushrooms were very easily removed, unlike some casings he had in the past. The cakes look as if they should be able to produce more without problems, but Logical wonders if forcing them back into pre-fruiting mode (by increasing the humidity and temperature) would be better in the long run. He will wait and let the larger pins mature, and will base where to go from there on the situation. If more pins keep appearing with no sign of smaller or fewer mushrooms, he will allow the cakes to produce continuously. However, if it appears the cakes have not fully recovered from this "1st flush," then he will return them to pre-fruiting mode. Any suggestions on this, those with cake culture and/or Hydrapod experience especially, would be appreciated.

c) Total wet weight of "1st flush":
116 wet grams so far,
+112 wet Gulf Coast
+114 wet Indian
=342 wet total harvest for "1st flush."

Logical will add the breakdown of the 116 wet grams, as he cannot remember now if they were primarily Gulf Coast or Indians. Simple mathematics averages that to about 49 wet grams per cake (7 cakes total). Logical is curious to compare this with cakes in general and other Hydra-pod experiences: He is impressed by the result but wonders if this is average, or worse/better than to be "expected" for cakes. He has never taken off numbers or mushrooms like these off of cakes, so that in itself could be worth the Hydra-pod.

d) Logical would like some input if anyone has advice on the posts above, or if anyone has questions on the setup. He had hoped this would turn out to be a learning experience for those interested and himself, but may not post again if there is no interest in this log.

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Anonymous

Post deleted by Administrator [Re: logical]
    #789852 - 08/01/02 05:07 AM (22 years, 3 months ago)


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InvisibleBoppity604
Stranger
Registered: 10/19/01
Posts: 1,056
Re: Advanced Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: Anonymous]
    #790116 - 08/01/02 07:32 AM (22 years, 3 months ago)

Just a note of accuracy...that's the Dekstop model, not the Advanced Model of the hydrapod.

Glad it's working for ya.

Peace,

Bop

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Offlineguber420
Monk
Registered: 07/24/02
Posts: 3
Loc: The Shire
Last seen: 22 years, 2 months
Re: Advanced Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: Boppity604]
    #792272 - 08/02/02 08:38 AM (22 years, 3 months ago)

I am definitely interested in seeing how your other flushes turn out!


--------------------
"Knowing is not Enough; we must apply
Willing is not Enough; we must do"

-Bruce Lee-

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Invisiblelogical
strangerthanfiction
Registered: 07/26/02
Posts: 26
Re: DELUXE Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #794916 - 08/03/02 10:25 PM (22 years, 3 months ago)

Grow Log Update:

Changed the title to reflect the correct name of the pod (thanks for the heads-up)!

Logical has harvested 40 wet grams of Indian, and 20 wet grams of Gulf Coast that had matured. The cakes are producing pins again, and not resting in between flushes as Logical had thought they would. The Indians are producing more pins than Gulf Coast, and seems to be catching up in the numbers. Pics will be taken soon and posted with more developments.

Harvest weight so far: 342+60=402 wet grams.

Logical broke the harvest weights down into strain type:

Indian:
32+6+15+114+40=207

Gulf Coast:
6+57+112+20=195

It must also be noted that there are only 3 Gulf Coast cakes, while there are 4 Indian cakes. This would mean that the Indians have produced approx. 52 grams wet per cake, while the Gulf Coasts have produced approx. 65 grams wet per cake. However still, the Indians are now producing more mature and heavier fruits than the Gulf Coasts are, and may "catch up" to the Gulf Coasts in the subsequent flushing.

The cakes have become covered in spores from the last harvest. Logical hopes that next time he will catch them before they sporulate again, and that they do not open up a possibility for contamination or stunting pinning.

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InvisibleShroomziIIa
journeyman
Registered: 04/10/02
Posts: 93
Loc: Vancouver
Re: DELUXE Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #794974 - 08/03/02 11:51 PM (22 years, 3 months ago)

Very nice grow log!


--------------------
have a shroomy day!

Shroomzilla




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OfflineNewHunter
help
Registered: 04/04/02
Posts: 421
Loc: Washington
Last seen: 22 years, 25 days
Re: DELUXE Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: ShroomziIIa]
    #795868 - 08/04/02 01:26 PM (22 years, 3 months ago)

very beautiful pictures!!!!


--------------------
RAIN^^^RAIN^^^RAIN^^^RAIN^^^RAIN

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OfflinePhenix
Stranger
Registered: 03/12/02
Posts: 19
Last seen: 21 years, 4 months
Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #797339 - 08/05/02 07:32 AM (22 years, 3 months ago)

wonderful man, keep up the good work. I can't wait to see more pictures

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OfflineBruiser
Fuel Injected Suicide Machine

Registered: 04/17/02
Posts: 15,255
Loc: Hell
Last seen: 16 years, 4 months
Re: Advanced Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #797427 - 08/05/02 08:12 AM (22 years, 3 months ago)

Excellent job, Can't wait to see more pics!
-Bruiser


--------------------
-I put the chrome to your dome

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Invisiblelogical
strangerthanfiction
Registered: 07/26/02
Posts: 26
Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #798678 - 08/05/02 07:30 PM (22 years, 3 months ago)

Thanks for the encouragement everyone. Logical had thought no one was interested in this type of log. But he is so happy with the hydrapod that it almost didn?t matter. (More comments/observations on the pod will be posted at a later date).

The photos below were taken AFTER 8 grams wet of Gulf Coast and 14 grams wet of Indian were harvested. (They matured appox. 2 days ago). The mature mushrooms in these pics were harvested after the photos were taken.


Top view of pod, cut off due to Logical?s poor photo skills. Large mushrooms in bottom right are Gulf Coast. Top left cake is Indian. Besides these 2 cakes, none of the others seem to have adequately recovered from the flush. The pins are not as healthy, and many will be abhorts in Logical?s opinion.



Macro shot of large Gulf Coast caps. The Gulf Caosts in this batch have started to show nipples, unseen in the "1st flush." Logical harvested all mushrooms in this photo.



Same photo, closer.



Harvest of mushrooms from pod. Almost all were Gulf Coast. (They are lying on a college textbook, and that is a regular sized Bic lighter, not a mini.) Total weight of harvest= 54 wet grams. 47 wet Gulf Coast, 7 wet Indian. (The large Gulf Coasts weighed 14 and 13 grams, respectively.)

Running tally:

Indian=207+14+7=228 wet grams for 4 cakes, avg. 57 wet grams per cake

Gulf Coast= 95+8+47=250 wet grams for 3 cakes, avg. 83 grams wet per cake

Total= 228+250=478 wet grams for 7 cakes, avg. 68 grams wet per cake

Notes:

a) Logical thinks that this was technically the end of the "1st flush," not post from a few days ago. He thinks this because the mushrooms recently harvested were pins when the major flush had occured earlier. He also thinks this because, except a few large Indian pins that may become larger, there have been no new pins in the past 2 days. Which is unusual as the cakes have been pinning since birth. Also, almost all of the new pins are abhorts, and the cakes have the typical "spongy" dehydrated feel when a cake has become depleted of water. Later he will cut off all abhorts and dispose of them; he will not count them towards the weight of the harvest. (They should be negligible, perhaps 10 wet grams at the most).

b) The cakes are bluing now, and Logical wonders if he should "dunk" the cakes. He has no experience with this, but is almost positive the cakes are becoming dehydrated and not become hydrated enough quickly enough. This is sensible, as almost 430 grams of water have been robbed from the cakes during this 1st flush. (478-47=431; total wet weight - estimated dry matter weight = amount of water expended by the mushrooms.) He has often added water to casings after their 1st flush, and had been extremely sucessful with maintaining several flushes of casings in this manner. He does not see why the same principle would not work for cakes. He will not add anything to the water if/when they are dunked. Any input/guidance as to the need to dunk would be appreciated; Logical worries that if he doesn?t soon, the substarte will stop producing (when he knows it is not nearly depleted of food). The dunk may also help wash off the spores which Logical failed to stop from happening: Mushrooms are pretty when opened but make a mess. He will not allow them to get large again- the picture from today is almost too far on the bulky Gulf Coasts. Since Logical harvests early, it is fair to assume that if he had let the harvest mature excessively, the wet weight would have been greater.

c) Mycotek- thanks for the words and input. Logical was almost going to agree with you about the Indians bulking up, but after this post you?ll see that the Gulf Coasts seem to have some major tricks up their sleeves. All the more reason to encourage subsequent flushing. Plus, the Indians have been very bulky (but not numerous) during this flush, where the Gulf Coasts have been tiny. Logical is very pleased with the pod, if you hadn?t noticed. You don?t think that there is a chance of petroleum exposure in their use, do you? See above posts for questions on rosecombs and the pod. Logical doesn?t think so.

d) A note on substrate, since he?s been getting pm?s he can?t answer. Logical used the updated Alien tek. He got it by searching google?s cached webpages for alientek.iwarp.com cached pages, and printed the recipe from there. Unfortunately, after the cakes were pressure cooked, Logical threw the recipe away- and google no longer has a cached page for alientek.iwarp.com. Logical honestly believes that this substrate has quite a bit to do with the vigor of the cakes, and also provided adequate "texture" to induce pinning. In other words, the bumpy textures and valleys of the colonized rice and quinoa were often where pins would spring from. He has used the recipe often in making cakes that would be cased, and was always happy with it. It is a personal preference to be sure. But, unfortunately- he can?t share the recipe since he doesn?t have it.

e) It would seem the Gulf Coast has surpassed the Indian weight wise, as far as the 1st flush went, considering the average per cake. Logical wonders if it is just because the Gulf Coast is a smaller but more prolific mushroom which utilized the space and action of the pod more efficiently than the larger mushroom-type of the Indian. Or of it was just an incredibly effiecient and kick ass strain in itself. It is no longer available as 3mshroom no longer is a vendor, but Logical hopes this strain is still circulating among the community. Time will tell what the next flushes look like of these mushrooms, but the large sized mushrooms from this harvest could possibly be an indicator.

f) It should be noted Logical edited the title to reflect "DESKTOP" model, and not "deluxe" or "advanced" model. It should also be noted Logical used the KERR type canning jars, not the Ball type he mentioned earlier. Also, the fact that most (if not all) of the cakes were birthed and then large pieces of uncolonized substrate were removed should be emphasized: The cakes are 1 pint sized, minus the uncolonized chunks that made the tops uneven.

g) Any questions, please ask. Logical won?t post pics for a few days, as the cakes recover from being picked of all pins and perhaps dunked, and definitely in a higher rh atmosphere.

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Offlinepleezr
fuct

Registered: 12/22/01
Posts: 1,708
Loc: NW
Last seen: 19 years, 9 months
Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #798831 - 08/05/02 08:50 PM (22 years, 3 months ago)

I dont believe your cakes need dunking when fruiting in the pod.


--------------------
pleezr

"Tell me about the fucking golf shoes!!"

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Offlinedsunn
The 107thsmurf(the blacksmurf)
Registered: 07/30/02
Posts: 30
Loc: new york
Last seen: 11 years, 11 days
Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #799438 - 08/06/02 06:32 AM (22 years, 3 months ago)

is logical eating these shrooms to gauge there individual qualities?

perhaps one strain is more potent, visionary, mellow, turbulent....etc

Does logical place the pod in the dark during incubation or in the sun?

this may have direct affect on the cakes

Is logical keeping the harvested shroooms seperate-----like the 1st flush and 2nd flush in different containers? I ask because it would be helpful to know if the 2nd flush was stronger than the 1st or the 3rd.

And Last---what method is logical using to dry/preserve the shrooms---I ask because they are very thick and heavy.

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OfflinePhenix
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Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: dsunn]
    #799762 - 08/06/02 09:42 AM (22 years, 3 months ago)

Logical, once again great pics. I'm def goin to get a hydrapod in the near future and you are reassuring my choice. Please keep posting.

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Invisiblelogical
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Registered: 07/26/02
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Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: dsunn]
    #803454 - 08/07/02 08:31 PM (22 years, 2 months ago)

Dsunn, Logical actually doesn't grow to consume psychedelics. He has long since stopped consuming them, and grows mushrooms for the sheer pleasure of the process. Logical has had read a lot about both of these strains, and a lot can be found out about them by searching here. Sorry but he can't give an answer

The pod has been kept on a desk in a spare bedroom for the entire cycle, including jar incubation. Logical has never really thought that keeping the colonizing jars in dark was necessary, though if possible or easy he would. Otherwise, he just keeps his jars where was most convenient. In this case, in a spare bedroom of his house on a desk. The ambient light is all the light available to the substrate: The room is generally dim as it is rarely occupied, but is not very dark. There is a window which sometimes let light in, but not enough to skew the production in the pod. However, Logical has never felt that constant light was necessary. He believes it guides substrate to pin, and also gives the mushrooms a direction in which to grow, but otherwise is not essential in a setup. Therefore, Logical has never added a light fixture to a terrarium- the most Logical did to supply light was to be sure to get clear terrariums that had some access to some light. He also gave up on cutting the lids of rubbermaids to give casings light from above, and had success with just the clear sides of the rubbermaid.

The flushes will likely not be kept seperate, due to space constraints and the fact Logical doesn't plan on consuming them and comparing them. Perhaps to give an idea as to weight, but it is unlikely Logical will go that far. He is keeping the mushrooms seperated by strain, to be able to compare dry weights. He doesn't know how much longer he will, since he does not have the space (he didn't think ahead to the harvest amount).

Logical has followed a drying method for quite a while. He lays the harvest ON paper sacks (the heavy kind from supermarkets), and cleans them thoroughly of vermiculite or casing material. Do not place mushrooms in the bag to dry from both sides, this encourages rot. He usually does not have to cut or open the stems due to "fat asses", and doesn't cut up the mushrooms unless they are truly waterlogged. He then takes the paper sacks and lays them up high (dresser, wardrobe, bookcase) to dry. The mushrooms will get fairly dry, but not cracker dry. The heavier the paper sacks from the supermarket, the more water they will help carry away from the mushroom. In other words, the lunch sacks you pack an apple in aren't any good - Logical tried but never had much luck with them. When they get fairly dry (1 - 2 weeks), Logical places them on a wire rack in a drying chamber, full of damp-rid. He leaves them in the drying chamber for as long as possible, and at least a week or so. The mushrooms will easily become cracker dry in a few days- you have to test if they are dry for yourself, it is no good to gauge in days. Then, store as usual.

Logical used to "fan dry", but felt it was excessive use of electricity and time compared to how easily they dried on their own on supermarket paper sacks. He also used to put the wet harvest directly into the drying chamber. The result was caked damp-rid and this goo at the bottom that would never be absorbed. Since SO much water had been drained out by the damp-rid, the damp-rid could never really get the mushrooms really dry. And it was a huge waste of damp-rid as well. The best result he has had is with the drying method listed above.

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Invisiblelogical
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Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #804995 - 08/08/02 03:09 PM (22 years, 2 months ago)

Logical put off cutting abhorts off until this post. 25 wet grams of abhorts were removed from the cakes, but their weight will not be added to the running tally of wet weights. Logical also harvested 50 wet grams of Indian and 18 grams of wet Gulf Coast today, before cleaning the cakes fully of almost all pins. He left a few on which show promise, but almost all of the new pins were very small, and were obviously going to be abhorts. He will not dunk the cakes, and allow for a true "2nd flush" to appear on their own. However, the cakes are quite small now - Logical thinks they look like "regular" pf cakes (1/2 pint size) instead of the full pints. But, Logical will rely on the action of the pod to re-hydrate the cakes. He has not had much luck with getting 2nd flushes from cakes, so this may prove to be a challenge.

The mushrooms in the following post were quite unexpected: Logical left the pod unattended and assumed that since the cakes were only producing abhorts, there would be nothing to do with the pod until he decided what he would do with the cakes. He was pleasently surprised that the hydrapod and these cakes seem to have a mind of their own in producing mushrooms. The cakes now have been completely (alomst, a few left) cleaned of all pins. Logical has decided, mainly based on Mycotek?s post, not to dunk the cakes and let them be. This will also give an honest trial of the hydra-pod as well. He probably will end up spraying them lightly with water, or perhaps rinsing them - if he believes the spores collected on the cakes will end up a problem. There are quite a few.

Running tally:

Gulf Coast=228+18=246 wet grams from 3 cakes, approx. 82 wet grams per cake
Indian=250+50=300 wet grams from 4 cakes, approx. 75 wet grams per cake
Total=246+300=546 wet grams from 7 cakes, approx. 78 wet grams per cake

(With abhort weight added, this means more than 570+ wet grams were harvested thus far. Assuming they will lose 90% of wet weight, this means the cakes will produce more than 2 oz. of dried material that has been harvested. Very impressive for cakes, Logical thinks.)

Logical is officially considering this harvest part of the "2nd flush," but will keep a running note of the overall harvest wet weight in this log for informational purposes.

Questions Logical has:

a) Logical has heard the quote "5-7 dry grams per cake" when referring to optimal output in cakes. Does anyone know if this refers to the entire lifespan of the cake, or of the 1st flush only? Either way, the pod seems to have been performing "optimally."

b) Also, if anyone is able to let Logical know how well he doing with the pod (current/previous pod owners?) - is the numbers and harvest normal for a hydrapod? Logical does not want to portray this as a "normal" output for a pod if it is not. He is personally very pleased with his results, but doesn?t know if they have been duplicated or surpassed? In any case, for Logical this was an excellent 1st flush on cakes - and nothing was fanned or misted or anything during the entire process. Which is almost the most satisfying part.

Pictures:

Harvest. Far right large mushroom and those above it are Gulf Coast. Middle large mushroom and those below are Indian. The cracked caps of the Indian were a surprise - the group had actually grown down and into/around the hose pump, and had crushed their own caps in the process. Sandwich bag in right corner is "abhort harvest," both strains mixed together. They will be disposed of after this picture was taken. Again, regular bic and regular textbook for size comparison.



Top view of larger mushrooms, propping themselves against a 12 oz. can. Indian on right wet weight=13 grams. Logical forgot to take the wet weight of the Gulf Coast, but it was not as bulky. Note: Even though the Gulf Coasts seems to be growing larger, it still maintains the characteristically* rounded cap and semi attached veil. Is also a large sporulator as well. Indian is broader with a lighter coloured cap and no veil remains attached at stem. Note the shadow of the still-attached veil of Indian in the shadow cast, as well as the nippled cap. * = as far as this grow is concerned, Logical doesn?t know what "normal" Gulf Coasts look like.



Looking up skirts view. Again, the difference in strain type is evident in caps. Gulf Coasts keep their caps very rounded until the very end of maturity, while Indian tends to spread.

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Offlineruskifile
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Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #809530 - 08/10/02 05:29 PM (22 years, 2 months ago)

they are beautiful fruits aren't they ...great pics logical


--------------------
(zhukov in a previous life....)

2SER FM underground radio

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Invisiblelogical
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Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #813192 - 08/12/02 02:05 PM (22 years, 2 months ago)

Grow Log Update:

26 wet grams of Indian have been harvested since the last post and before the following pictures were taken. No mushrooms have been harvested since. The cakes seem to be regenerating in a way, and though many are not putting forth pins - they do seem to be "fluffing" up and recovering from the last flush. Logical will not dunk, and has not washed off or done anything extra to the cakes (besides cleaning off abhorts as noted in the last post). He does want to see the pod performing as to re-hydrating the cakes, and thinks that by not dunking he will be able to fully gauge the "action" of the pod.

Running tally:

Gulf Coast=228+18=246 wet grams from 3 cakes, approx. 82 wet grams per cake *NO CHANGE*
Indian=300+26=326 wet grams from 4 cakes, approx. 81 wet grams per cake
Total=246+326=572 wet grams from 7 cakes, approx. 82 wet grams per cake

1st flush:
228+250=478 wet grams from 7 cakes, approx. 68 wet grams per cake, see above posts for details and strain break-downs

2nd flush (in progress!):

Gulf Coast: 18 wet grams from 3 cakes, spprox. 6 grams wet per cake
Indian: 76 wet grams from 4 cakes, approx. 19 grams wet per cake

Pictures:


Top view of pod. Few large pins, but many smaller ones seem to be appearing first at the bottoms of the cakes. Hopefully they will begin to appear all over the cake.


Macro shot of Indian pins. The Indians have seemed to first pin from the bottom of cakes and work their ways up. Hopefully this will be the case again in the 2nd flush, and more will arrive soon. (Though the Indians seem to now be the "front-runner" between the 2 strains.)


Larger Gulf Coast pins, macro. Note the sporulation on tops of cakes from last flush. As well as slight bluing in the middle portion of some cakes. This is being "grown over" by fluffier mycelia, ostensibly because Logical increased the rh to promote new mycelial growth.


Macro again. Unfortunately, this picture was supposed to illustrate the mycelia becoming more fluffy as well as a group of potential pins, however - the new growth Logical was trying to illustrate isn?t well pictured here. As well, mycelia can be seen growing on the rocks of the hydrapod, not even attached to the cakes (they once were.)

Notes:

a) Logical would not recommend waiting so long between flushes to clean the cakes, as he did. He allowed too many abhorts to form, where the strength of the mycelial mass should have been applied to producing viable pins/mushrooms. Once the major flush is over, next time he will leave all larger/viable pins and just cut off any abhorts which form. He is dissapointed in the weight and number of the abhorts he removed - he did not think they were so many.

b) Though the cakes are still producing mushrooms, it is Logical?s guess that most of the efficiency of the cakes has been spent. He could very well be wrong, and will let this log/experiment show one way or another. It mush also be stressed Logical has never had luck with 2nd flushes on cakes in his experience, so he may also have bad luck or not know what to look for in subsequent flushing.

c) More pics and updates to come soon. Logical can see much potential in the new pins, but only time will tell if they abhort as well. (Or become more numerous!)

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Offlinetps
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Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #815127 - 08/13/02 12:42 PM (22 years, 2 months ago)

damn your.. err logical's cakes are like the energy bunny with better results. keeps going and going and going, then logical can keep tripping and tripping.


--------------------

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Invisiblelogical
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Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #815186 - 08/13/02 01:14 PM (22 years, 2 months ago)

Grow Log Update:

37 wet grams of Gulf Coast and 3 wet grams of Indian (one little baby!) harvested. Pics to follow of harvest soon; Logical wanted to add the notes before the pictures. The Gulf Coasts are shifting into larger mushrooms, and look similar in stature to the Indians of the 1st flush. The Gulf Coasts are also pinning less than the 1st flush. The Indians are likely going to be large mushrooms again, judging from pins on cakes. But time will tell. It doesn't matter to Logical the size of the mushrooms, but he did want to choose 2 very different strains (large fruiters vs. smaller fruiters) to see if one type does better than another in the hydra-pod. It seems that the strain type does not matter - approximating wet weights and assuming dry weights, it seems that each strain is "competitive" with the other. This goes against what Logical thought would happen: Logical thought that the smaller mushroom strains would not do as well, since there would be less space for pinning on cakes. But, as far as this experiment/log is concerned - it does not seem that the choice of strain should only be a personal/aesthetic one for pod owners.

Logical prefers smaller and more mushrooms, generally - but this is only because he likes the uniform way they look rather than large, far-spaced mushrooms do. But is happy to report that it seems any strain as far as size-typing goes will likely perform as optimally as any other in the hydrapod. Also, it should be noted that the spores Logical used were quite a bit older - the ages and info can be found in the very 1st post in this log. It is unusual that Logical has had quite a bit of success with this log when considering the "age" of the spores - as far as Logical can remember, "age" of spores has something to do with how well a strain will perform (according to many posts Logical has read in the past). Perhaps the optimal conditions of this hydrapod has shown that the "age" of spores has less to do with the prolificness of a strain than previously reported to the community in posts and observations. Any input or comments on this observation welcomed and expected!

Running tally:

Gulf Coast=246+37=283 wet grams from 3 cakes, approx. 94 wet grams per cake
Indian=326+3=326 wet grams from 4 cakes, approx. 82 wet grams per cake
Total=283+326=609 wet grams from 7 cakes, approx. 87 wet grams per cake

2nd flush (in progress!):

Gulf Coast: 18+37=55 wet grams from 3 cakes, approx. 18 grams wet per cake
Indian: 76+3=79 wet grams from 4 cakes, approx. 20 grams wet per cake

Pics already taken, will be added later.




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Invisiblelogical
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Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #818376 - 08/15/02 03:03 PM (22 years, 2 months ago)

Grow Log Update:
30 wet grams of Indian and no Gulf Coast harvested after these pictures were taken. Harvest pic below.

Running tally:

Gulf Coast=246+37=283 wet grams from 3 cakes, approx. 94 wet grams per cake *NO CHANGE*
Indian=326+30=356 wet grams from 4 cakes, approx. 89 wet grams per cake
Total=283+356=639 wet grams from 7 cakes, approx. 91 wet grams per cake

2nd flush (in progress!):

Gulf Coast: 18+37=55 wet grams from 3 cakes, approx. 18 grams wet per cake *NO CHANGE*
Indian: 79+30=109 wet grams from 4 cakes, approx. 28 grams wet per cake
Total: 55+109=164 wet grams from 7 cakes, approx. 23 wet grams per cake

PLEASE NOTE:
Please DO NOT pm Logical asking for drugs, or a drug hookup, or for him to sent you anything. He will not, and considers such pm?s to be insulting and also dangerous. Logical is presenting this log for educational purposes only, and do not risk those purposes by asking or referencing drug sales, trades, give aways, or transport in any pm?s. If Logical continues to receive such pm?s, he will refuse to answer any questions except those posted in public in this log. Thanks to those who understand.



Pictures:


Harvest from post above, 37 wet Gulf Coast.



Top view of pod- cakes recovering



Mature Indians, cakes slowly recovering from 1st flush



Macro shot of Indians. Note the veil is attached, unlike previous flush.



Another macro of Indian caps.



Blair witch picture


30 gram wet Indian harvest after pics were taken


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OfflineI3lunts42o
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Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #819352 - 08/16/02 03:52 AM (22 years, 2 months ago)

with every post you convince me more and more to get a pod. Very Nice Job. how long have you been cultivating?


--------------------
Note: This post is a work of fiction and for entertainment only.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I smoke weed to ease my mind,
I eat every tab i find,
I drink shroom tea by the jugs,
Can't you see that I love drugs?

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Invisiblelogical
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Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #830405 - 08/20/02 11:58 AM (22 years, 2 months ago)

Grow Log Update

18 wet grams of Indian (1 large mushroom) and 13 grams wet of Gulf Coast were harvested. Some of the Indians have large pins that will likely turn into large mushrooms, yet the cakes are not pinning as much as before (the 1st flush). More pictures to be added soon.

Running tally:
Gulf Coast=283+13=296 wet grams from 3 cakes, approx. 99 wet grams per cake Indian=356+18=374 wet grams from 4 cakes, approx. 93 wet grams per cake
Total=296+374=670 wet grams from 7 cakes, approx. 96 wet grams per cake

2nd flush (in progress!):

Gulf Coast: 55+13=68 wet grams from 3 cakes, approx. 22 grams wet per cake
Indian: 109+18=127 wet grams from 4 cakes, approx. 31 grams wet per cake
Total: 127+68=195 wet grams from 7 cakes, approx. 28 wet grams per cake


Edited by logical (08/20/02 12:10 PM)

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OfflineT0aD
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Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod- 670 wet grams & counting! *PICS! [Re: logical]
    #831387 - 08/20/02 07:57 PM (22 years, 2 months ago)

you did this with Hydra Pod ?
Nice gramz


--------------------
Cuba Libre

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Invisiblelogical
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Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #839010 - 08/23/02 06:27 PM (22 years, 2 months ago)

Grow Log Update

26 wet grams of Indian harvested - 2 single mushroom ("the twins"). Both weighed 13 grams, both look the same. Few pins on Gulf Coast cakes. Sporulation accidentally occured over some cakes from the last harvest. Spores have left their image on top of several cakes.

Running tally:
Gulf Coast=283+13=296 wet grams from 3 cakes, approx. 99 wet grams per cake *NO CHANGE*
Indian=374+26=400 wet grams from 4 cakes, approx. 100 wet grams per cake
Total=296+400=696 wet grams from 7 cakes, approx. 99 wet grams per cake

2nd flush (in progress!):

Gulf Coast: 55+13=68 wet grams from 3 cakes, approx. 22 grams wet per cake *NO CHANGE*
Indian: 127+26=153 wet grams from 4 cakes, approx. 38 grams wet per cake
Total: 153+68=221 wet grams from 7 cakes, approx. 31 wet grams per cake

Pictures:


Top view of cakes. Mushrooms too mature, caps have begun to "wave".



Macro of caps. Note attached veil, as well as "wave" shape of too-mature mushroom.



Harvest pic.

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Invisiblelogical
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Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #839148 - 08/23/02 07:00 PM (22 years, 2 months ago)

Grow Log Update

16 wet grams of Gulf Coasts were harvested a few days after Indians above were. Gulf Coasts are showing to become inconsistent within the strain as to the size of the mushrooms produced - previous to this flush, the Gulf Coast was evenly smallish and heavy pinning. Current to this log, they have been both large and small mushrooms, and have pinned much less heavily.


Running tally:
Gulf Coast=296+16=312 wet grams from 3 cakes, approx. 104 wet grams per cake
Indian=374+26=400 wet grams from 4 cakes, approx. 100 wet grams per cake *NO CHANGE*
Total=312+400=712 wet grams from 7 cakes, approx. 101 wet grams per cake

2nd flush (in progress!):

Gulf Coast: 68+16=84 wet grams from 3 cakes, approx. 28 grams wet per cake
Indian: 127+26=153 wet grams from 4 cakes, approx. 38 grams wet per cake *NO CHANGE*
Total: 84+153=237 wet grams from 7 cakes, approx. 33 wet grams per cake

Pictures:


Top view of cakes. Note heavy sporulation on tops of all cakes, and where one mushroom from previous harvest has left a "reverse-shadow" in spores. In middle of picture.



Macro shot of large cap. The mushrooms this size of Gulf Coast have not been successive with this flush - they have been randomly appearing among the smaller sized mushrooms that are similar to the previous flush.



Macro shot of 2 smaller mushrooms (Gulf Coast). Note the bunching of mushrooms in right corner/middle - thesse dark caps signal a possible abhorting. Many cakes this flush produced abhorts, while the 1st flush provided almost none.



Harvest picture.

Notes:

1st flush = 475 wet grams; current 2nd flush - 237 wet grams. 475/2=237.5.

Log sees the cakes noticibly slowing down, but this "second flush" has already produced almost exactly 1/2 of the wet weight of the 1st flush. As much for Logical complaining about this flush, it has produced a great deal of weight and has actually recovered according to the numbers. Yet the cakes are also producing abhorts as well as pins which never mature (many post-primordia, yet not attaining maturity or even "real" pins). So, as the numbers may be impressive, Logical still feels that they haven?t recovered enough, to their full potential. Time will tell with the future harvests.

Log was considering breaking the cakes into casings, and leaving them in the pod to see how/if they recover and produce. Yet, casings are not suited for the pod. And the reverse is true - the hydrapod is not suited for casings. (Neither would like the other, Logical supposes). So, Logical will let the cakes keep producing. He may think to dunk soon, if the cakes show to slow down to no growth. The most likely course of action will be that Logical does nothing and leaves the cakes and the hydra-pod to its own devices. Time will tell, again.

Also, please note - if you pm Log, please be sure you?re accepting pms yourself. Thanks, more updates when necessary.

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Invisiblelogical
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Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #845041 - 08/26/02 05:07 PM (22 years, 2 months ago)

12 grams wet of Gulf Coast and 26 wet of Indian were harvested.

Log thinks he may cut the experiment short, in order to work with gourmets in the pod. The cakes aren't producing as much as they had been - but, at over 100 wet grams per cake, Logical thinks the hydrapod has done quite well for the cake culture. (Keep in mind, the cakes are a little less than 1 pint each of substrate material).

So, the log will likely be closed soon. It was fun-

Running tally:

Gulf Coast=312+12=324 wet grams from 3 cakes, approx. 108 wet grams per cake
Indian=400+26=426 wet grams from 4 cakes, approx. 106 wet grams per cake
Total=324+426=750 wet grams from 7 cakes, approx. 107 wet grams per cake

2nd flush (in progress!):

Gulf Coast: 84+12=96 wet grams from 3 cakes, approx. 32 grams wet per cake
Indian: 153+26=179 wet grams from 4 cakes, approx. 44 grams wet per cake
Total: 96+179=275 wet grams from 7 cakes, approx. 39 wet grams per cake

Edited by logical (08/26/02 05:09 PM)

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OfflineNewHunter
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Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #845176 - 08/26/02 06:03 PM (22 years, 2 months ago)

good grow log man.... Oh and you got some nice looking mushrooms in there too!!!


--------------------
RAIN^^^RAIN^^^RAIN^^^RAIN^^^RAIN

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Invisiblelogical
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Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #849363 - 08/28/02 01:16 PM (22 years, 2 months ago)

Update:

Log harvested 44 grams wet of Indian, and no Gulf Coasts. Many Gulf Coast cakes are not pinning at all now. The Indians produce large (10-15 wet grams each) yet sporadic individual mushrooms, and not the clusters of the earlier flush.

Running tally:

Gulf Coast=312+12=324 wet grams from 3 cakes, approx. 108 wet grams per cake
Indian=426+44=470 wet grams from 4 cakes, approx. 118 wet grams per cake
Total=324+470=794 wet grams from 7 cakes, approx. 113 wet grams per cake

2nd flush (in progress!):

Gulf Coast: 84+12=96 wet grams from 3 cakes, approx. 32 grams wet per cake
Indian: 179+44=223 wet grams from 4 cakes, approx. 56 grams wet per cake
Total: 96+223=319 wet grams from 7 cakes, approx. 46 wet grams per cake

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Invisiblelogical
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Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod with Alien Tek Grow Log **PICS** [Re: logical]
    #859786 - 09/02/02 07:16 PM (22 years, 2 months ago)

Final update:

Running tally:

Gulf Coast=324+12=336 wet grams from 3 cakes, approx. 112 wet grams per cake
Indian=426+44=470 wet grams from 4 cakes, approx. 118 wet grams per cake
Total=336+470=806 wet grams from 7 cakes, approx. 115 wet grams per cake

2nd flush, final numbers:

Gulf Coast: 96+12=108 wet grams from 3 cakes, approx. 36 grams wet per cake
Indian: 179+44=223 wet grams from 4 cakes, approx. 56 grams wet per cake
Total: 108+223=331 wet grams from 7 cakes, approx. 47 wet grams per cake

The hydrapod was stopped running with psilocybe cakes. Final harvest was 3 Gulf Coasts at 12 wet grams. The total for this grow log turned out to be 812 wet grams from 7 pint-sized cakes, alien tek recipe. A final post on Logical's observations and experiences with the pod will be added in a few days, then marked "completed" as requested by the moderators. Please do not lock the post until Log has had a chance to post a final review. Thanks.

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Offlinepleezr
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Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod- +800gr. wet; +110gr./cake *PICS! [Re: logical]
    #865010 - 09/05/02 06:49 AM (22 years, 2 months ago)

That macro shot of the GC is one of the best cubensis pictures I have seen.

Wicked!


--------------------
pleezr

"Tell me about the fucking golf shoes!!"

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Offlinef8L
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Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod- +800gr. wet; +110gr./cake *PICS! [Re: logical]
    #869308 - 09/07/02 04:51 PM (22 years, 1 month ago)

>> Logical used the updated Alien tek. He got it by searching google's cached >>webpages for alientek.iwarp.com cached pages, and printed the recipe from >>there. Unfortunately, after the cakes were pressure cooked, Logical threw the >>recipe away- and google no longer has a cached page for alientek.iwarp.com

I was able to find the page using the archive.org page.. here's the address:

http://web.archive.org/web/20010411154354/alientek.iwarp.com/shroomtek.html



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Invisiblelogical
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Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod- +800gr. wet; +110gr./cake *PICS! [Re: logical]
    #870782 - 09/08/02 10:45 PM (22 years, 1 month ago)

Logical's notes and overview of the Hydrapod Log:

Hello everyone. Log just wanted to make some observations about the grow in general, as well as reiterate certain points Logical wanted to emphasize about the grow and grows in general. First he'd like to thank the posters and viewers of the thread, and hopes that something was learned by someone in reading it.

Observations...

1) The substrate seems to have really supported the action/hydration of the pod. Two of the major influeneces in mushroom production, food and hydration, have been symbiotically and healthily represented in this log. The whole grains of rice really created an airy substrate, as well as made a patchy feel to the outside of the cakes. Since the cakes were effectively "bumpy," they seemed to encourage hypheal knots (tiny mycelia "puffs" that are the beginnings of pins) to form in the valleys and uneven surface. This surface mimicks effective casing layers, which also have an airy and bumpy surfaces which encourage similar growth. Log thinks that the substrate encouraged the numbers of pins on the cakes in the same way.

However, it was not the only factor. The Indians in the log were consistently fewer in number than the Gulf Coasts. Logical believes that the type characteristics of each strain also influence the number of pins on a substrate. But, the excellent texture helps to allow a strain to perform its best. (Log will touch on strain choices and the log as well, later.)

The texture is not the only desirability of alien's substrate recipe, the nutrition and variety of the substrate can be readily seen when making it side by side the traditional pf tek. Logical really thinks he can see the difference that adding a variety of foods can offer, and it just is more fun to make in general. The experience overall is that the cultivator ends up feeling like he cooked something wonderful as his substrate, not just ground and pound.

Logical notes he is biased in favor of whole grain teks in general over one-ingredient flour recipes, so the nutrition aspect should be taken with a grain of salt. However, the observations of the bumpy texture of the cakes can readily be seen in the photos accompanying the log, and how the knots tend towards these places.

2) Colonization of jars. Logical made no record of colonization, since it was normal in almost all respects from general colonization of jars. There were 2 major differences, one being the use of filter disk lids, the other being colonization occuring within the running hydrapod.

2a) Filter disk lids. Log had stopped using filter disk lids prior to this log's run. He had a difficult time in maintaining moisture within the jars when using them to replace the whole lid, and in making half-lid/half-disk "lids". (He previously did not have a colonization chamber for jars, he simply let them colonize in the boxes the jars are packed in.) But, in using the hydrapod as a colonization chamber, Logical figured that the moisture of the substrate could be maintained. And, the jars did not dry out towards the open end as he had previously experienced, but grew at a very rapid rate. The jars varied in colonization times of 3-4 weeks, and these are the wide mouth (thicker) pint jars, double the size of the usual 1/2 pints. Log thinks colonization was definitely sped up by use of the lids, as long as they are kept in an optimal atmosphere where the moisture is minimally lost.

2b) Colonization in hydrapod. The hydrapod's ambient moisture levels were enough to not allow the colonizing substrate to dry out in using filter disk lids. Though, Log doesn't think he should condone the use of the pod as a colonization chamber, since it would be inefficient except for the 1st batch of cakes in the pod. After that, the grower would have to "tack-on" the extra colinzation time to the time spent overall by cakes in the pod. For efficiency's sake, Log would reccomend that people NOT rely on the pod for a colonization chamber. For the grower not interested in efficiency, it is a convenient and optimal home for colonizing cakes. Provided the correct temperatures are provided it. The light that reaches the substrate is a non-issue, it does not harm them (as far as Log's own observations go).

It must also be noted that Logical's cakes were waterlogged in the end of the colonization period, when they were not in the preparation of the substrate nor after pressure cooking. The cakes were kept at a too-high humidity setting within the pod, and took in too much moisture too easily thru the filter disks. If colonizing within the pod, it is important to watch that the cakes do not become too wet. This happened to Log, and he had to cut off parts of wet uncolonized substrate when birthing the cakes. This is another negative factor to colonizing within the pod, aside from the effective use of the purpose of the pod for fruiting.

3) Pints v. 1/2-pints. Earlier in the log, Log had mentioned that he would have preferred to have used 1/2-pints to the pints he used. However, he now feels that it is best to use 1 pints, not 1/2's. If the colonization does not end up in waterlogged parts, it takes about 1 more week for colonization of twice the substrate. Log also thinks the mass of the substrate lends to the size of the mushrooms, from earlier experiences. As long as the cakes fully colonize in optimal time, they are the better choice. The pod would likely be horizontally challenged with smaller, more cakes. The mushrooms would have less horizontal space if there were more cakes: If one would like to have more substrate, it would likely be advisable to "stack" cakes (perhaps aiding in it by use of a cleverly-placed toothpick) to take advantage of the vertical space.

4) Air exchange and humidity concerns. Earlier in the log, Logical was concerned with the air exchange and humidity of the pod. (AE based on the smallish caps of the mushrooms early in the 1st flush, and rh based on the excessive mycelium on the stems of the mushrooms.) However, the AE was easily rectified by maintaining the water level of the pod - which allowed for more fresh air to flow across the cakes. Earlier on, Log had had the water level about 1/2-3/4" below the rocks, and raising it to 1/4-1/2" helped the size of the caps to increase. The problem also likely rectified itself - the size of the caps could have just been because they were the 1st mushrooms of the 1st flush, early mutants/etc. The humidity was lessened by the increased air exchange, but the stems were still consistently growing mycelium, almost 1/2 way up on some. But, this is not a problem - the mycelium is harmless, and no real effect otherwise was found from the high humidity levels. In fact, as cakes require up to the high 90's in rh, the pod is working with cake substrates effectively.

Logical will add more comments on the following in a few days:

1) Spore strain choices.
2) Post-1st flush, dunking? Dehydration after flush pickings.
3) Rosecombs.
4) Even flush of 1st, uneven production of 2nd.
5) Drying method.
6) Spore age issues.
7) Weight and production, comments overall.

If anyone has other questions about the grow in general, please post & Log will address them. Thanks.

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Invisiblelogical
strangerthanfiction
Registered: 07/26/02
Posts: 26
Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod- +800gr. wet; +110gr./cake *PICS! [Re: logical]
    #871076 - 09/09/02 01:40 AM (22 years, 1 month ago)

5) Spore strain choices. Log thought that the selection of the spore strain would be predicated on the action of the pod - would the pod do better with heavy, large mushrooms such as Indians, or do better with numerous, smaller mushrooms like Gulf Coasts? However, the choice of strain apparently did not matter as much as Logical thought. Both the Indian and the Gulf Coast produced the approximate weight of each other, about 115 wet grams over the life of each cake (112 for Gulf Coast, 118 for Indian). To Log, the choice in strains is more of a preference when it comes to the new hydrapod.

There is one consideration, that the grower should choose a strain which produces 2nd flushes reliably. A strain which is not induced to produce more than once is not going to use the pod effectively. (Log will discuss the breakdowns of weight later, and his general observations on them.) Since the hydrapod could hypothetically support continuous flushes, the grower should use a multi-flushing strain which exploits this feature. Again, Log will try to address multiple flushing later as well.

6) Spore age issues. Log made an interesting observation during this grow log. Namely, that "old" spores do not necessarily perform at a lower par than "fresh" spores do. Log used spores that were from 6 months to over a year old, stored in vendor syringes at room temperature. Though the oldest spores, the Gulf Coasts, took longer to fully colonize than the Indians, they fully colonized a pint cake in approximately 3-4 weeks, in too humid conditions. And the subsequent mushrooms produced could not be said to be of a lower quality based on the age of the spores, nor the vigor of the mycelia. When compared to the end result.

A side note: The Gulf Coast syringe was an original "print in a syringe" from 3Mshroom, who is no longer a vendor due to personal issues. His dark syringes are a thing of legend among older growers such as Logical. 3Mshroom's Gulf Coast is a very impressive fruiter, whose quantities are commendable. For growers interested in numerous, reliable flushes, 3M's Gulf Coasts would be a good choice for those who can still find them.

7) Rosecombs. Logical found that the occurance of one rosecomb on an Indian mushroom to be a strange anomaly, since he does not have any contact with petroleum products. Log also found that another pod user has reported a rosecomb while growing, as well. Log only had one, and does not think that the occurance was more than a freak occurance. But he also thinks it is important to note the occurance to potential and current pod owners, in order for others to watch for the abnormal appearances.

8) Post-1st flush, dunking? As noted above, after the 1st flush was fully harvested, the cakes went thru substantial shrinkage and bluing due to water loss. They were still heavy with compacted substrate, but it was dry. Logical relied on the action of the pod to rehydrate the cakes, but they did not recover as fully as Log would have expected, and would likely recommend to other growers that the cakes be dunked after the 1st flush. The reasoning for this is as follows:

The 1st flush of each cake was 475 wet grams, approx. 68 grams per cake. Assuming 90-92% water, each cake "lost" about 60 grams of water in producing the 1st flush. This is over 2 oz. of water per cake, that should be resupplemented with each flushing. This is over 14 oz. of water - almost a pint needed to return the cakes to their optimal production. Log feels that the large amount of substrate could not be supplemented enough, even with the full action of the hydrapod. This is not a "knock" at the production of the pod, but a reality - there is no way to resupplement that much water into a substrate without doing it manually.

Logical decided not to rehydrate the shrunken cakes, and still had a very very respectable 2nd flush from it. He also stopped the log early; there is no way to determine how many more mushrooms would have been produced had the log not been stopped early. The 2nd flush is comparable to that of the 1st. However, though the numbers are impressive, they do not reflect the fact that the cakes were not producing with the vigor of the 1st flush. This loss of vigor is the reason Logical would reccomend dunking, or should have dunked himself.

Dunking is not for every case, and not for every pod user. Log's cakes were just very shrunken. Not everyone will have such a change in their cakes, and they should therefore not dunk. And rely on the pod's action. But those who's 1st flush robs the substrate of its weight and power, seriously consider to dunk.

Log believes that the even-ness of the 1st flush as compared to the overall sporadic production of the 2nd is the result of the cakes not being optimally hydrated. The 1st flush was the cakes at optimum, and the 2nd cakes were suboptimal performance. All things were equal at the 2nd flush (pod, etc.) except for the water loss.

9) Drying method. Logical would like to cut & paste this note on drying that he posted above. He oftens notes novice growers using high-tech, and high-energy use methods of drying. Logical believes that the low-tech way is more responsible - that the extra use of ecological and natural resources in using electricity for fan drying, etc. is superfluous and wasteful. His method is able to easily dry the hydrapod's output with no excessive space or contraptions needed, and as non-intrusive as possible.

"Logical has followed a drying method for quite a while. He lays the harvest ON paper sacks (the heavy kind from supermarkets), and cleans them thoroughly of vermiculite or casing material. Do not place mushrooms in the bag to dry from both sides, this encourages rot. He usually does not have to cut or open the stems due to "fat asses", and doesn't cut up the mushrooms unless they are truly waterlogged. He then takes the paper sacks and lays them up high (dresser, wardrobe, bookcase) to dry. The mushrooms will get fairly dry, but not cracker dry. The heavier the paper sacks from the supermarket, the more water they will help carry away from the mushroom. In other words, the lunch sacks you pack an apple in aren't any good - Logical tried but never had much luck with them. When they get fairly dry (1 - 2 weeks), Logical places them on a wire rack in a drying chamber, full of damp-rid. He leaves them in the drying chamber for as long as possible, and at least a week or so. The mushrooms will easily become cracker dry in a few days- you have to test if they are dry for yourself, it is no good to gauge in days. Then, store as usual."

Logical also would like to note that no extra wire is necessary. A grower could line a low-rise sealing rubbermaid with similar paper sacks from the supermarket. One layer of cut-up paper is fine. Then, set up a "Damp Rid" container system - the one that comes with its own drip system. Not the "refill", but the container. Set the prepared container in the centre of the low plastic bin, and place the semi-dry mushrooms around the container in as close to a single layer as possible. Seal bin, let sit for at least a day before checking on it. The damp rid container will seal the water from the mushrooms. One container is enough (the small package with the drip system) for more than the harvest of the hydrapod, when dried using the supermarket bag system described above. Stems will snap within 2-10 days, and neither the bottom of the container nor the mushrooms will be "destroyed" if the container system is used.

Logical will address the last comment, "Weight and production, comments overall," in another post in a day or so. Thanks.

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Invisiblelogical
strangerthanfiction
Registered: 07/26/02
Posts: 26
Re: DESKTOP Hydrapod- +800gr. wet; +110gr./cake *PICS! [Re: f8L]
    #871112 - 09/09/02 02:06 AM (22 years, 1 month ago)

Thank you, f8L - this really completes the log nicely. Many thanks!

"Alien Substrate Formula

2/3 cup of quinoa (health food store)
2/3 cup long grain brown rice (grocery store)
2 1/4 cups spring water
1 1/4 cups vermiculite (Wal-Mart)
1/8 cup flax seed (measured before grinding)
1/4 cup finch seed (measured before grinding)


1) Cook the quinoa and rice (use the whole grains, not ground) by bringing it to a boil with 2 1/4 cups of spring water, then turn the heat down to a simmer, cover the pot with lid and set a timer for 20 mins.

2) Important!! -- Be sure to cover the pot with the lid, otherwise water will be lost from evaporation.

3) While this is cooking, measure out your flax and finch seed and then grind them up in a coffee grinder or similar.

4) Mix the ground flax and finch seed with the other dry ingredients, stir the cooking grains occasionally so as not to burn them.

5) When the grains are all done, turn off the heat and allow them to cool for a minute or so.

6) Now dump them and the water that is still in the pot (do not strain) all in with the dry mix previously prepared.

7) Mix this carefully with a fork (no hands) so it remains light and fluffy. Small amounts of water can be added at this point to improve fruiting, just don't overdo it. I know that anything over 1/4 cup would be overkill, I sometimes add around an 1/8 cup to mine, but sometimes I don't. Its best to wait 5-10 minutes before adding any water, this makes it mix better.

8) Cover and let it cool for about 15 minutes before spooning into jars. I use the vermiculite topping like PF and this has helped alot to eliminate contams.
Don't pack the substrate when loading, try to keep it fluffy and pressure cook at 15 p.s.i. for 45 minutes.

9) If you use the PF style jars with the holes in the lids, then cap the jars with aluminum foil. This substrate is very airy and makes any good cubensis grow very rizmorphic. "



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