TBTVox said:

A question I came along while doing this, when putting the substrate into the monotub and mixing in the spawn...do you pat it down?  I ended up kinda doing half/half.  Mixed it in, GENTLY patted the mix down, then put a loose layer of coco and spawn on top.  Well see what happens.

Another lesson learned.... screw plastic wrap.  I didnt want to go through the hassle of getting plexi glass cut and modifying the lid to the container...and now i wish i had.  The plastic wrap (used as a lid) just is not easy to do and prolly needs a second person.  As soon as you lay the second sheet and try to adjust it, it pulls the other one off.  I finally got it all, and secured it, but jeez.  Next time I am out, best believe I am getting some plexiglass for the next grow.

My jars took a looooong time to colonize, probably due to the moisture content.  However, as long as this grow goes well, LC is my next step I am going to try and tackle.  Or maybe shroom water?  I need to do more research on this tho.  I have read a lot about it, but it seems many people have trouble with this stuff.

Even though I love Lowes now, the bags that the blood meal, lime, etc come in are friggin huge compared to how much I used.  Seriously these bags will last me a ton of grows.

Speaking of that, thats one spot where I should have researched more.  The measurements for all of the additives.  I kinda just eyed it, leaning on the less side.  Figured that was safer than having to much, especially the blood meal.

Oh, and nylon bags (painters bag) are amazing.  They look kinda flimsy and I swore I was going to rip the bag leaving a huge mess, but these things are tough!  Is it okay to re-use these after cleaning them are is it best to just use a fresh one?

Anyways, if you read my rants thanks for sticking with me.  And even to those that havent read this, thanks to them too.  Honestly, the shroom growing community would be nothing to what it is without this site and the people in it helping each other out.  But hey, thats just my opinion, and Ill admit I havent even looked for another shroomery-like site.  No reason to fix what isnt broken.

Yes, I will be posting pics when its time!

W

---

Good job bro
Got a couple tips for your future grows, one: don't pack down your bulk sub at all, Leave it as fluffy and loose as possible. Two: Glad Press&Seal wrap works wonders, try that next time instead of plastic wrap.

Don't be intimidated to try a LC, Just make sure to get the proper concentration of nutrient water, Sterilize thoroughly(i do 45 mins, no carmelization), Be sterile in your inoculation procedure, and most importantly(i believe this is why many struggle w/ LC) make sure to never get your filter wet.

Good luck