cheaplidsstripped.pdf (89.3 KB) grainprepstripped.pdf (60.0 KB)
here’s my lid prep/grain prep if you want some more to critique. Lids are on the crude side, but buying injection ports and filter patches might raise suspicions certain people don’t want raised
Its called 'Slurry in a Hurry"… I advise you to do this…especially when you get real good with the PF cakes… This will show you how bad a properly handled spore syringe is… You will have a 100% failure.
the old magic bullet thing? that’s definitely not a good approach
I should have put that in italics lol its just the most common route i see people trying after pf tek and they usually dont have great success.
I think people have a hard time wrapping their heads around the other methods because they do usually require a little more contam prevention in their methods.
Ok Im going to answer your question, the one in the topic.
I started out with something like this. wore that fucker out..
$35.00
Use 4oz jelly jars (they are faster to colonize vs the 8oz)
Use the Pf tech (Obviously you know what that is and where to get the recipe)
Dont use the injector ports. if you want cheap filters here you go!
But a good layer of vermiculite on top is all thats needed for the PF tech
Inject the 4 holes with a multi spore syringe <0.5ml each… flame needle in between uses… use a still air box or glove box ( That I despise )
Get a small clear tote…drill very small holes on all sides…fill with moist pear-light…sat cakes on tinfoil… when they are fully colonized…watch mushrooms grow
Thats less than $100.00 my Bro
crap…those are the best spore syringes I’ve ever seen…and I’ve seen many. It is really a pia living in California and trying to find someone to ship here. the spore store does, but the syringes are…well you have to shake and look really hard to see them. and those were turbocharged. reddit sucks. yeah you have some impressive syringes there.
What would you say the best step after pf tek is if you want to switch to bulk sub monotubs? I see this question all the time and every time there are 10 different suggestions.
If you are having trouble with PF cakes contaminating… you should stay away from bulk spawns… its possible to grow a bulk amt using PF cakes …
Agar plates…slurry the colonized plates to make liquid culture… a flow hood… Pressure canner…quart jars…mono tubes
When you get good with the quart jars move on to grain Bags… Enjoy life because things just got a lot easier.
I’m not having any trouble with pf tek, just furthering the conversation and was interested to hear your suggestion. You have a lot more experience and your word is more trusting than the random people i see giving suggestions in other places.
Thanks for sharing, assuming you would suggest using rye grains after graduating pf tek?
When you get into flow hoods, grain bags, dishes, and liquid culture…Its all down hill…Nearly 100% of your bags will make it and ALL OF YOUR MONO TUBS will flush…several times.
Thanks! any secret spots to find flow hoods for a good price or do you normally suggest making your own?
Heres my best find
If your handy with tools…make your own…might take a minute to find a good filter…
But I did not know of bid-spotter back then… I see them all the time for cheap on Bid-spotter…
I built a flow hood way back when I grew orchids (you have to sow them on agar because they grow so slow, any contamination will grow faster than the orchids killing them off). I think I built it for less than $200 out of wood and plexi-glass. The hardest part was finding the filters…
teach me something…I love growing stuff and my wife loves Orchids!
In regard to easy ways to scale up, if you live where it is hot and humid, colonized pf cakes will fruit nicely outside. I cased mine with a wet vermiculite and peat mixture. The recipe I had added oyster shell bits (sold as chicken feed) to the casing for calcium
Outside growing adds some deniability from a legal perspective as well. Mushrooms grow by themselves all the time. There are no police helicopters flying around looking for them.
Im not sure about that…You might have a different definition of Hot…LOL
I use to save all my spent substrate… went right into its own compost bin… during spring garden prep… it would get mulched into the raised beds… and covered with wood chips…the entire top would get colonized…all good until it got “warm” lol end of May start of June… “Hot” comes in August and September
Edit…I dont have any experience outside…other than that
It is probably too dry in texas. It worked in florida mostly year round and during the summer in central georgia. Swamp like humidity might be the key.
Uncle ben’s has been popular for a while. It’s easy, but it’s far from ideal
Yea, Im defiantly not in the humid part of Texas…
They would still pop up every now and then through the summer, but the OMG on the top would fry quickly.
I used to be able to find mushrooms no matter the time of the year in FL. I used to find albinos in the winter time, but mostly found alcabenzis in spent/tossed horse dung. I truly miss being able to just go down the road a mile, and find a bag of mushies. Amanita Muscaria grows pretty readily up here, and can be found spring through fall. However, if I want to get inebriated I’m just going to get drunk. From what I understand it feels like versus what it does/side affects, it’s not worth it to me. Maybe if I were a kid again…