first time cultivation

[Meduzz]

hello (and merry lightmass :wink: )

i have just started my first cultivation of mushrooms using the azarius starter kit (pf tek variant).

i have started with only one jar in case it fails. it's now sterilising. and now the questions come if i did everything right.

i used an 3/4 full jar of verm, and between 1/4 - 2/4 of rice flour and added water till i tought it was good. all water was token up, so there was no bottom of water but still it was very moist. is it a problem if i used too much water?

the spore siringe has been underway for a week and now it's in the fridge. i noticed two small white flakes in the siringe. but i assume this is no problem?

peace
meduzz

 

[user_1919]

"i used an 3/4 full jar of verm, and between 1/4 - 2/4 of rice flour and added water till i tought it was good. all water was token up, so there was no bottom of water but still it was very moist. is it a problem if i used too much water? "

Yes there is a problem, you need the perfect mix for it to work, with the perfect amount of moisture. This is only from my knowledge so far, but i'm pretty sure not enough water or too much water could ruin the whole process.

"the spore siringe has been underway for a week and now it's in the fridge. i noticed two small white flakes in the siringe. but i assume this is no problem? "

It's proabably just spore build-up. Make sure to give your syringe a very good shaken, even between incolutions. (every time you switch a jar, flame the needle, and give it a good shake)...thats if your even using a jar. Just give er a good shake and you will be fine

Good luck man. Hope everything goes well with your grow, and you get some beautiful mushrooms.

PEACE

 

[HeartCore]

1) always add water to the verm, then if the verm is at field capacity, add the rye. Prepare for a mess when done differently . Water content does not have to be a problem, just wait it out a week and see if you get germination.

2) I would have started with 3 jars if I where you because one is just, well, one


3) white flake is not clumped spores but are generally germinating spores.

 

[Meduzz]

thx for the reply, i sure hope it works out.
that's why i used only one of the five jars you can prepare with this kit :wink:

it sure looks moist. i have inoculated the same evening of sterilisation, after i let it cool down an hour or 2.

it's been 2 and a half days now. now i'm going to my parents house and when i return after the weekend i hope to see some mycelium

otherwise i will prepare another jar.
the problem is that i find many sources all telling me another ratio of verm/BRF.

maybe some people here can tell me exact what to use? they are 250ml jars.
the instruction manual said to mix 1L of the verm with all of the BRF (250grams) but i use only one jar of the five.
and i haven't got a scale, so can anyone tell me in volume dimensions?

 

[Meduzz]

2) I would have started with 3 jars if I where you because one is just, well, one

i just now saw your post
i wanted to start with only one jar, because i have no room where i can create very sterile conditions. i live in a room where i eat, sleep and relax. the kitchen and bathroom are shared with 5 other people. and they are definitly not sterile

and i'm pretty sure i'm high on contamination factors, so this is more of a test.

i still have a portion of dry shrooms and a piece of san pedro, and i intend not to take any drugs until februari, after my exams. so there is no need to rush things :wink:

 

[user_1919]

"3) white flake is not clumped spores but are generally germinating spores."

Sorry, thought it was clumping of spores. It happen to me once, and I shook it for a while and it disappeared.

"maybe some people here can tell me exact what to use? they are 250ml jars"

Like a ratio of what to mix? If 250mL jars are the same as half-pint, I would use the ratio:

-2/3 cup Vermiculite
-1/4 cup Brown Rice Flower
Mix these two together, then add:
-1/4 cup of distilled water.

This is the mix called for from "The Magic Mushroom Growers Guide"

http://nepenthes.lycaeum.org/Plants/shrooms/MMGG/

PEACE

 

[Meduzz]

thx 1919. i shall use these with the second jar :wink:

-1/4 cup of distilled water.

i read that using natural water (or tap water or drinking water) is better because it contains some salts and minerals fungi need for growth.
you sterilize it anyway...
i'm not sure where i read this but they also compared shrooms grown with distilled water and shrooms grown with "normal" water and they got better results from "normal" water.

 

[user_1919]

Meduzz: Hmmmm, maybe you shall be the one to fine out. You should try it with distilled water, and "normal" water in two different jars. Observe the outcome, and please foward the information if you do try this and suceed.

Maybe you can add minerals and vitamins that are vital to the growth of mushrooms into the water. Does anyone on this forum know some vital nutrients that mushrooms take in, that if dissolved in the water, would produce larger, healthier flushes? Or is this totally useless. Maybe I shall contuct this study if one gives me the nutrients mushrooms feed off.

Thanks, PEACE

 

[Meduzz]

i could give it a try, but i'm pretty sure the one with mineralised water will succeed :wink:

as it is the closest to the nature situation.

and nutrients aren't the only factor. osmosis is one too.

 

[Meduzz]

i just came back home after weekend, and i saw some beatiful mycelium growing

i'm soo happy

 

[HeartCore]

Grats!

Very nice...

Always good to be away after innoculating your first grow, my first grow took twice as long because i kept disturbing the jars to check for growth

As for sterility, even in a small room you can get near perfect conditions. Key wordt: plastic box with a transparent lid and two holes in it for you arms. Tape some plastic bag/tube to the holes, mix 95% water with 5% bleach, put all you need to work (spores packed IN a plastic bag please ) in the box. Spray the box inside and the tubes with the water/bleach solution and go have a shower. Come back, put on latex gloves, spray your hands with the same solution and then do the spore work in the box.

Often this is not needed, when I started growing when I lived in France (o no sorry, back there it was SWIM ), I inoculated in the kitchen sink and had little to none contaminations. Here in Holland though I lost 90% of jars when I tried that and since then am using this box which works just fine

 

[random]

I'm beginning myself to in growing mushrooms. I started with 3 box's and they are already in the bags ready to grow! (I Wish!!)

And I putted them in 3 different conditions. I left two of the three cakes inside the box's. One of them near the water container, so it can reach the right temperature. The other one is up in the closet (anyway, this one, It was the first one I made. I think I putted too much water. Looks a little slimy.)
And the third one (just took care of him a few hours ago) I got the cake out of the original box and putted in a Bigger box with a wet towel, in the bottom, and a transperent plastic bag covering the Box. This, to, near the water container.

The mycelium looks good on those that are near the container. Hope seeing those magic beauties grow soon!

My main scource for growing mushrooms is this web:
http://www.fungifun.org/English/Pftek

 

[Meduzz]

the mycelium is growing pretty fast now, a small half of the cake is colonised.
when it's fully colonised, i'm going to put the cake upside down on a small dish (like for coffee cups), and put the whole thing in a filter bag.

or should i do some other stuff? how many difference would a casing make for only one cake?

 

[Meduzz]

hmm bad news, i might have a contam.
it looks like "wet spot" and it's on the bottom of the jar. the cake is almost fully colonised so this is rather sad...
maybe it's not a contam, just too much water...
after the weekend i will take a smell.
i'm now at my parents house and i will return monday, then i will see if it has grown bigger and maybe post a pic.

good thing i still have 4 more jars to try
any ideas how to specificly prevent wet spot?

 

[random]

that happened too with my first jard. Every part of the cake was colonized, except a circular part in the bottom. That cake was a little too washy. Now, that he is out for flush, I saw today a contamination (some parts of the mycelum started to be dark blue). Anyway I'll leave it, and see if it flushs any mushrooms (in case if its not a contamination).

Today I dropped that cake to the ground (inside the bag). And strangely, I only noticed that blue thing after I dropped it (sometime after that).
Still have 2 cakes, that look healthy

 

[Guest]

random, mycelium can and will turn blue after a bruise. always fruit the cakes after they are fully colonised, to minimize infections. smell it, and if it smells funny, it is infected. another good way is to rub it with toilet paper and see if something comes sticked in it, like some spores, or something like that. bruised mycelium does not stick to anything, because it does not have spores.

 

[random]

Hm, it's more dark now. Almost black, really. Well but it's just on one of the cakes, and on a little part of the cake (3 or 4 cm).
Well since is bruised, it means it's infected? (I already smelled. Smells like mushrooms, just like the other cakes)

Anyway the cake (with the dark blue thing), seems to be more shrinked and a little dried. Though the plastic bag has water in it, so guess the problem is not moisture.

Well, anyway, it has been some days since I putted them ready to start growing. Guess I just have to wait and see if the other two cakes start growing something, and then if this one doesn't grow anything, I'll trew it away.

 

[Meduzz]

Well since is bruised, it means it's infected? (I already smelled. Smells like mushrooms, just like the other cakes)

no bruising does not mean infection. and if the smell is good, i think your cake is absolutely fine :wink:

btw, mine is fine too, just to much moisture on the bottom of the cake, i thought it was "wet spot" because of the colour (dull grey), but it hasn't grown.

and i understand that wet spot mostly occurs with cultivation on grain, and very seldom with PF cakes (confirmation?)

 

[Meduzz]

hi guys!

i was wondering if i could already make the cake fruit?
it has a layer of verm on top that hasn't got any BRF in it.
should this layer be colonised too? because the mycellium hasn't grown trough this layer for 4 days now.
(layer is only 0.5cm thick.)

 

[Meduzz]

I made a casing.
I crumbled the cake (which was brick hard), put it on a layer of verm, then put casing layer on it (casing: 30% verm 60% peatbased flower earth 10% oystershell)

Now i get some mycelium growing up to the surface on some points, should i cover that so that the mycelium grows evenly over the surface? or does this make no difference?

Can't wait till harvest...