Last minute mushroom growing advice/tips needed please.

[Bigfeely123]

Hello. SWIM is am about to embark on planting. SWIM has done countless hours of research. SWIM just simply would appreciate from anyone that is willing, to give her rabbit last minute helpful pointers/tips/advice. Basically anything you have to offer on how to be successful in this hobby. SWIM will be using the PF Tek with a SGFC. Rabbit is planning on using two smaller sized SGFC with approx. 5/6 cakes in each terrarium. Rabbit has to use two because if he use one it will be too bulky/large for the area he is working in.

If SWIM could while he is at it, put some questions in as well.

1. SWIM's PC will not fit in all of the substrate jars so rabbit will have to run it twice. After the first set of substrate jars are PC'ed should rabbit put them in an airtight container or can rabbit simply leave them out, waiting for the others to get done, then put all of them together AT ONCE in the container.

2. Will the syringe have markings on it? SWIM knows that a 10cc syringe should inject approx 10 1/2 pint jars. SWIM just don't know if Rabbit will have to eyeball shooting 1/10 of the spore liquid into each jar.

3. Is a glove box for innoculation a necessity? Rabbit knows being sterile is a MUST. the day before, Rabbit plans on moving all furniture and vaccuuming, dusting, spraying & wiping down all surfaces with disinfectent spray, removing bed sheets and pillow cases and washing them along with any of cloth materials in work area. Then give the entire room a good few minutes of spraying lysol in the air.

4. How many innoculation points should SWIM make on the jar lid. SWIM was going to do 4 holes per lid but has heard 2,3, and 4. Which is it?

5. After all the substrate jars are PC'ed where should Rabbit put them? Rabbit was planning on putting them all in an airtight hard plastic container and then wrapping the container in a black garbage bag, from there Rabbit would put this underneath a guest bed. Is this the right way to do it?

6. When PCing the substrate jars how many layers of tin foil should SWIM have on top of the jars? SWIM has read that one rectangle of tin foil folded over once (so now there are essentially two layers because of the fold.) will be sufficent enough. But then SWIM read elsewhere that on top of that first layer (which is kind of two because of the fold.) you should place one square, non folded, tin foil layer.

7. Should Rabbit use micropore tape for the innoculation holes? Rabbit was planning on using 3M paper micropore tape & covering the holes before PC'ing the jars but Rabbit read that the micropore tape melts in some cases.

Thank you so much for taking your time to read this anyone, ALL tips & answers to Rabbit's questions would be greatly appreciated by him.

 

[Torresmo]

No need to SWIM here, brother. Please just refer to yourself as "I". Forum rules...
1. No problem in leaving the jars out as long as they are covered. IME, you don't need to freak out so much with the cleanliness, really...
2. You just need a few squirts that trickle down to the bottom of the jar. you don't have to distribute so evenly, there are LOTS of spores in one drop. Don't squirt too much, you don't want water accumulation in the bottom.
3. No. Again, don't be paranoid... Just clean your workspace. Do it in a closed bathroom if you are still worried and spray lysol in it before starting.
4. #2^^
5. Your closet will be fine if your jars are properly closed.
6. 2 layers will be enough.
7. micropore will be fine. You can stick it after you PC, micropore should sterile already, since its medical grade.

In all, you seem to understand the process but you are sticking too much to details, don't complicate things too much, this is really easy.

Welcome to BL.

 

[Bigfeely123]

Oh okay cool, for some reason I thought I saw SWIM had to be used.

Thank you for the reply I appreciate it man! :D I hope this turns out to be somewhat successful, winters are very cold but it will always be in the high 60's to low 70's F temp. range where they will be. throughout their life.

Thanks!

 

[Thomas Davie]

Hello. SWIM is am about to embark on planting. SWIM has done countless hours of research. SWIM just simply would appreciate from anyone that is willing, to give her rabbit last minute helpful pointers/tips/advice. Basically anything you have to offer on how to be successful in this hobby. SWIM will be using the PF Tek with a SGFC. Rabbit is planning on using two smaller sized SGFC with approx. 5/6 cakes in each terrarium. Rabbit has to use two because if he use one it will be too bulky/large for the area he is working in.

If SWIM could while he is at it, put some questions in as well.

1. SWIM's PC will not fit in all of the substrate jars so rabbit will have to run it twice. After the first set of substrate jars are PC'ed should rabbit put them in an airtight container or can rabbit simply leave them out, waiting for the others to get done, then put all of them together AT ONCE in the container.

You can buy autoclave bags online and PC your jars in the bags. Bags will be okay in the open after sterilization.

2. Will the syringe have markings on it? SWIM knows that a 10cc syringe should inject approx 10 1/2 pint jars. SWIM just don't know if Rabbit will have to eyeball shooting 1/10 of the spore liquid into each jar.

If it's a syringe from a commercial source yes. Still a bit of a bugger to carefully inject jars though.

3. Is a glove box for innoculation a necessity? Rabbit knows being sterile is a MUST. the day before, Rabbit plans on moving all furniture and vaccuuming, dusting, spraying & wiping down all surfaces with disinfectent spray, removing bed sheets and pillow cases and washing them along with any of cloth materials in work area. Then give the entire room a good few minutes of spraying lysol in the air.

No, absolutely not. Being very clean (and let's be honest we're not in a lab, but can get close) is important as you note. You might also want to consider plastic painter's tarps to close off or cover art of a room.

4. How many innoculation points should SWIM make on the jar lid. SWIM was going to do 4 holes per lid but has heard 2,3, and 4. Which is it?

First jars I bought had 4 holes per jar, and I've rescued all the jars and lids,,,,so I would say 4. The idea is your trying to get as many healthy points growing as possible, so the whole jar will colonize as fast as possible (meaning far less chance for contamination).


6. When PCing the substrate jars how many layers of tin foil should SWIM have on top of the jars? SWIM has read that one rectangle of tin foil folded over once (so now there are essentially two layers because of the fold.) will be sufficent enough. But then SWIM read elsewhere that on top of that first layer (which is kind of two because of the fold.) you should place one square, non folded, tin foil layer.

One folded layer is good

7. Should Rabbit use micropore tape for the innoculation holes? Rabbit was planning on using 3M paper micropore tape & covering the holes before PC'ing the jars but Rabbit read that the micropore tape melts in some cases.

I PC'd the jars with the 2 lars tin foil, and only removed the foil when inoculating. At that point I would cover with micropore tape while colonizing,.

Sorry for the f'd up quote.

Anyways, you seem good to go.

Here's a rough timeline for you

21-35 days for whole cake colonization.
24 houe soak
10-28 days in fruiting

So figure 31-63 days. My best is 42 days, my worst is 77 days

SGFC is okay, but I prefer a closed FC, floor covered with perlite and ventilated by an aquarium bubbler. An exit air port was just a drilled hole covered with a micropore patch.The bubbler was connected to an aquarium pump/timer. I find SGFC hard to maintain 95% humidity constantly.

Good luck.

Tom

 

[Bigfeely123]

Thank you for the reply Tom I appreciate all your answers to my questions man. A very helping community around here.

So the dunk n roll is necessary for a colonized cake that hasn't fruited once yet? Do I literally just take all my cakes and soak them in spring water in a large container for 24 hours & they won't break apart or get damaged? I read about doing this but for some reason I was under the impression this was only necessary after one flush from the cakes.

And I see...hmmm. For the FC that you are speaking of, do I need anything plugged into outputs for continous periods of time? Because I would really like to stay away from that and do everything manually so I can save money when it comes to electricity and what not. The SGFC I read that you mist 3-4 times a day & fan 4-5 times a day. (after you mist since it triggers pins to be born I read.) And I am home most of the day so I can tend to them frequently. I will have (HOPEFULLY, if not get contam.) 10-12 cakes in 2 smaller sized SGFC's (5/6 in each SGFC) & they will always be in the high 60's to low 70's F temp. range throughout all their stages of life.

I really hope this works guy! I'm really excited about this but also kind of nervous because I am afraid I will fail miserably and not get to taste the fruits of my labor. I bought a PC to hopefully further insure this turns out in my favor. Not trying to sound greedy but approx. what should I expect for my first flush if all goes to plan for my little 10-12 cakes?

 

[Thomas Davie]

Thank you for the reply Tom I appreciate all your answers to my questions man. A very helping community around here.

So the dunk n roll is necessary for a colonized cake that hasn't fruited once yet? Do I literally just take all my cakes and soak them in spring water in a large container for 24 hours & they won't break apart or get damaged? I read about doing this but for some reason I was under the impression this was only necessary after one flush from the cakes.

And I see...hmmm. For the FC that you are speaking of, do I need anything plugged into outputs for continous periods of time? Because I would really like to stay away from that and do everything manually so I can save money when it comes to electricity and what not. The SGFC I read that you mist 3-4 times a day & fan 4-5 times a day. (after you mist since it triggers pins to be born I read.) And I am home most of the day so I can tend to them frequently. I will have (HOPEFULLY, if not get contam.) 10-12 cakes in 2 smaller sized SGFC's (5/6 in each SGFC) & they will always be in the high 60's to low 70's F temp. range throughout all their stages of life.

I really hope this works guy! I'm really excited about this but also kind of nervous because I am afraid I will fail miserably and not get to taste the fruits of my labor. I bought a PC to hopefully further insure this turns out in my favor. Not trying to sound greedy but approx. what should I expect for my first flush if all goes to plan for my little 10-12 cakes?

1) The dunk and roll is not necessary at all, but it does help keep the cakes hydrated. And 90%+ of the mushroom by weight is water. You can fruit without dunking (I did this the first time I grew). It definnitely helps with multiple flushes from the same cake though.

2) For the setup I mention it was just a cheap aquarium pump that wad turned 'on' for 10 minutes every two hours. I've misted/fanned, and will continue to do so, but I do like automation. I misted/fanned at 6:30 am, 5:30 pm and 11 pm, and it worked out ok.

3) Yield? Per cake 3.5-7.0g over the lifetime of the cake. That's dried, and over multiple flushes. 12 cakes could net you from 42-84g dried. I used to keep 'reflushing' my cakes until they became 'spent'. You'll be able to tell. They appear much smaller, and perhaps blueish after 5-6 flushes. Figure on losing 2 cakes per flush due to contamination, so 12 > 10 >8 >6 >4 >2 as a very rough rule of thumb. You might get more, you might get less. My first grow from 6 cakes gave me about 70g over a 3 month period/

About the strength of the cakes? Well, the certainly appear dainty; fluffy white mycelia and all, but they are strong, strong, strong. When dunking after a flush, I use a small bristle brush to clean away as much vermiculite as possible.

And if you go 5 or 6 flushes you may end up seeing some very large mushrooms....and albino ones.

Tom

 

[Bigfeely123]

Thanks a lot. Wish me luck brotha!

Would it be cool if in the future I send you a private msg if I have a few questions during my grow?

 

[Ismene]

Is full colonisation enough to take them out for fruiting? Or do you wait for them to start to pin?

 

[Bigfeely123]

Are you asking me the question? I read your supposed to take them out of the jars for fruiting then let them pin in your terrarium. If by pin you mean develop their fruits.

 

[Thomas Davie]

Is full colonisation enough to take them out for fruiting? Or do you wait for them to start to pin?

Yup, as soon as the cake is 100% white I give it one more week and then birth the cakes. I've had pinning start when the cakes were still in jars and it became 'messy'. A lot of people try pin them in the jars as ofdd as that sounds.

Tom

 

[Solipsis]

Primordia in jars are fine and a healthy sign, but you want to stretch half to a whole week as said for 'consolidation' of the mycelium. OTOH if you get growing fruits against the side of your jar, they can get pretty gnarly and rot later unless you pick them, so not ideal. Be clean about it when you do pick them!

 

[Bigfeely123]

when you say consolidation of mycelium after a week, do you mean that you should leave the 100% fully colonized mycelium cakes inside the jars for a half a week to a week before putting them in your fruiting chamber to make sure that your cakes are fully colonized & don't have any contamin. ?

 

[Solipsis]

Part of that period of waiting 1/2 to 1 week is about the very good possibility that visually confirming 100% is insufficient, it is hard by checking only from the outside, and often not all angles at that (it may still be colonizing in the inside core)... but mostly about the fact that the mycelium gets stronger idling at 100% for a little while, it gathers more concentrated nutrients and gets more resilient, you can allow for its metabolism to make a switch so that it goes more determinedly to the fruiting phase. (It is always a good idea to keep your fungus very clear about the developmental phase it's in. Something like leaving fungus tissue in the fridge for too long or leaving it in the jars for too long can stall it, it becomes unclear about the phase it is in or worse lapse into a sort of hybernation stage. Cold or heat shocks are designed for reasons related to this: you can trigger other stages. So keep your growing cycles neat and your fungus motivated and fresh, so that it can sail smoothly through development.
You can never really know that you are contam free, and you certainly shouldn't wait to confirm that without reason which would just be wasting time. Ultimately time is on the side of contaminations. You could reason that any contaminations should be quarantined immediately when spotted, and I guess you can use the consolidation time to try and spot them before cross-contaminating... beyond that there is little you can do besides checking up on them regularly, avoiding static puddles of water and the like which are breeding ground for bacteria, and this goes without saying: as close to sterile technique as you can manage.
(Actually there is probably a lot you can do, but I don't think I know even half of that, and it's a whole chapter)

 

[Thomas Davie]

Solipsis gives good information.

A fully colonized cake is much more resistant to contamination than an incompletely colonized cake. Mycelium/a is quite hardy.

And you need this if you're going to birth > dunk > DEC (with vermiculite) > fruit > rinse > soak > fruit (5 or more times in total).

Quick tip/test for contamination (and they can be quite gloriously colourfull). If you see a bright blue spot on one of your cakes, don't automatically assume it's contamination. Try gently rubbing the spot with a clean/sterile q-tip....if nothing rubs off, it's likely just cake bruising, if some of the blue comes off on the q-tip, then it's contamination.

At that point, either toss your cake, or clean it with a q-tip/H202 and move it into a 'sick room' FC.

OP, would it be ok if I posted some grow pictures in this thread?

Tom

 

[Ismene]

Thanks for the advice Tom, got about 40 jars that have been beautifully white for the last week or two, I'll go ahead and dunk and roll.

Must admit I've never bothered too much about contam - I spray a bit of antibacterial into the air about 10 minutes before I start injecting the spores but that's about it. No box, no gloves, no special cleaning procedures. Very rarely if ever get any contams. The main problem I get is stalled mycelium growth.

 

[Bigfeely123]

So the short waiting period is to make sure the inner cores of the mycelium cakes are fully colonized as well as the outside & to get the mycelium stronger-okay gotchya man. Tom, Solipsis, Torresmo, & anyone else that may post here you guys rock! Yall are providing very in depth advice that I couldn't find on the internet by simply putting in a search. I'm happy to be part of the BL community. :D

& Tom, feel free to post any grow pictures in the thread. I would greatly appreciate it so I & anyone else that comes to the thread can see some visuals of what healthy stages look like & such.

 

[Ismene]

Bigfeely - what you need is a proper "terranium" for keeping the mushrooms incubated during colonisation. Just go to the supermarket and get two of those plastic boxs that fit inside each other. Then put water in the first box and a cheap aquarium heater (cost from about £13 upwards). Set your temperature - then put the second box inside this so it's just touching the water and there you go - you're very own guerrilla terranium.

 

[Bigfeely123]

I read about that but I can't use it unfortunately because I can't leave anything plugged in for extended periods of time. What I was going to do for my incubation chamber was, I have this decent sized cube storage container that is like a cloth material on the inside I was going to line the entire inside with an unused black garbage bag (I will clean the garbage bag beforehand still just to be sure to rid any contamin.) then put my plastic container without any holes in it (this is not the same container I'm using for my SGFC, this is a smaller plastic container.) with the lid on that contains all the innoculated 1/2 pint jars. inside the storage container. So here it is, overall: plastic container with innoculated jars (plastic container with lid on.) INSIDE storage container that is lined on the inside with a clean black garbage bag THEN the storage box that has the plastic box inside of it will be closed with lid. (cube storage container with lid on too.) What yall think?

 

[Ismene]

How warm is it where you live? I think you need it to be a pretty constant 28-30 degrees.

 

[Bigfeely123]

Winters are very harsh but where they will be throughout their life is in the high 60's around 68/69 to low 70's. So room temp. basically.