I concur on the stoned ape, thats how we found fermentation which leads to random test bites of thingā¦over millions of years yes this I believe is the āmissingā link
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I want me some mushrooms. That sounds mighty good. Canāt wait to visit. Maybe I can help count votes?
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whatās up everybody, Iām a disabled cannabis grower and Iām looking into growing some mushrooms as an additional source of medication. Iāve been following along with this thread for a while, and I think Iām developing a basic understanding of this process. Would you guys mind letting me know if Iām on the right track?
as I understand it,
one of the most important factors is sterilization of the containers and growth medium, to ensure that random fungal or bacterial growth wonāt occur and taint the grow.
the things necessary for a grow are
A. a pure, verified mushroom culture
B. substrate/ growth medium, usually grains
C. a container for the mycorrhizae to colonize
D. a container for the mushrooms to fruit
Are there any lighting period requirements, or is this something I would be able to do on my kitchen counter?
How do you sterilize the grains?
Iām still not sure whether I would actually be able to manage mushroom growing physically. It seems like a lot of these steps involving sterilization and inoculation are time sensitive, and Iām not sure I would be able to complete them without stopping to rest. For now Iāll just continue to research, learn, and try to figure out the most simplistic/minimalist method possible.
On breedbay a member in the PNW inoculated a pile of wood in his backyard in spring and harvested āwood loversā outdoors in fall. I love outdoor growing and this idea is really appealing, but I donāt think this would be a good option because wild mushrooms could grow there too, and Iām no expert at identification.
Hopefully this isnāt too much a distraction from the thread. Have a good one, and keep up the awesome work guys.
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Hey @zephyr whatās happening?
I used to grow mushrooms many years ago. Itās easy. I grew straferious cubensis which is an interesting strain as it is an anaerobic Amazonian strain that goes dormant in the absence of oxygen which means it could have come in on an asteroid.
The mycelium culture was purchased from a lab in south Texas growing on ergot in a slant tube (in 1979).
All you need is a good pressure cooker (to sterilize the jars and rye grain) and quart size canning jars. I bought the natural rye grain from a health food store.
To inoculate the jars spray lysol all over and use a lighter to sterilize a metal poker to quickly when cooled to poke the mycelium and transfer small amount into a sterilized jar of rye grain. Best if you have two people there with you so one can open the slant tube and the other can open (and close quickly) the mason jar.
Once the mycelium (white hairy stuff) permeates the jar of rye grain (when solid whiteā¦can eat the mycelium with honey not badā¦pinch to see if it turns purple) then place about 2" of soil on top of the mycelium permeated rye grain right in the jar. After soil I put just reg sandwich baggies over the jars and misted daily. Best mushroom I grew was over an ounce fresh.
I kept my jars in a large aquarium with shop lights on top. Once the mycelium grows up through the soil you will begin to see a cluster of mushrooms. The next morning expect to likely harvest some. If twist off careful the other smaller ones in cluster will grow out the next night.
The hard part is gonna keep from getting infected with yeast and aspergillus molds. Aspergillus is the green mold usually seen on bread and oranges. Yeast is a clear/yellowish slime mold.
Some of my best mushrooms came from infected jars. If the mycelium is far enough along before contamination sets in then the mycelium will fight the infection making the shrooms stronger. Just have to watch and keep an eye out for progression of contamination. The darker purple the mushroom turns when pinched (and faster) the stronger it is.
Another problem is marijuana is covered in aspergillus so hard to grow marijuana and shrooms in same vicinity (had been told this but unsure of myself as havenāt tried both at same time).
On average I lost half my jars to contamination before soil so plan on a bunch of jars. I canāt remember the light schedule I used (12/12 after soil?). The mycelium in nature is underground so I think no light until jar is permeated.
Funny, even going back to ancient man archeologists found leather bags with substances that had hallucinogenic properties in them (can see in museums). So even ancient man knew of the benefits of these things! I think someday I would like to grow shrooms again.
My info is 40 years old so likely much has changed since I grew but hope this helps as not very hard to grow and you likely would enjoy it.
Edit: was looking for your grow thread zephyr and saw you asked like 4 days ago with no response here so thought Iād help. Looks like itās Petr dishes instead of slant tubes but basically the same operation.
The shroom growers in this thread way ahead of me though man!
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Thanks Bez, this info is a great place to start. thatās just the sort of clarifications I needed, and it gives me an idea of the scope of the process in a simple grow.
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this is my simple pf-tek cake methodā¦ and further on, I explain bulk techniques a little bit
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thanks toastyjakes, Iāll give that thread a through read. I remember some amazing photos of your mushroom grow earlier in this thread, it definitely seems like youāve got things dialed in.
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after quite a few years of doing it Iāve learned where corners can be cut and where they cantā¦ Iāve also learned that there a couple little things to help aa grower outā¦
unfortunately they are not as fast as stated aboveā¦ closer to 4-7 days after first Sight of a pin til at least a partial harvest, and even more unfortunate is they donāt recoup from bad things like weed couldā¦ you get a contam and depending on what you have, you may slow it a bit, but your grow will suffer greatly
it is super enjoyable thoughā¦ very relaxing not only to grow but to enjoy
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Dead cake pile flushes year round ā¦ These cakes are on the seventh week of flushing and I lost one today due to a spot of trichā¦this will be the 8th time they have been dunked and flushed [they have shrunk by almost 25% now so they are about done]. 
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Iām jealous. 150+ spore prints and so far all Iāve got is trich germinating.
On a positive note all of my edibles are doing really wellā¦
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Hey hey! Been lurking this thread for a while. Really want to start growing some but my main concern is purchasing Spores. (paranoid stoner) Are there reputable places to purchase them? Should I be using a proxy or VPN?
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the purchase of the spores themselves are 100% legal, as they are sold to look at them under a microscope, so there is no need to feel paranoid for ordering themā¦ itās what you do with the syringe that causes legal drama hahaā¦ but we all know what it isā¦
ive used ralphsters spores and sporeworks before without incidentā¦ quick shipping and discreet packaging for your order
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I like both, also lil shop of spores is good.
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Awesome thanks Iāll check them out.
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Next question haha. Do the cakes need a lot of light to start fruiting? Or does it not matter?
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mushrooms donāt need light for growth process as much as the need fresh air and humidityā¦ sometimes cakes will pin invitro (without opening or taking it out of the jar)
but Iāve always used a 12/12 4500k flouro for added warmth more than light
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No mushrooms need zero light, they grow against gravity and do not photosynthesize their foodā¦different kindomā¦not plant nor animal
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Perfect. That means I can keep these away from my grow haha.
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Anyone know a good Canadian source for spores? Iāve mailed money to ralphster twice now with no response and no spores. Tried spores101 years ago and the syringes were all dead.
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