Looks to me that itās an evenly tamped surface, which allows for uniform mycelium growthā¦still working on perfecting that, but heard grout floats work greatā¦
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Agreed! Also not maintaining even conditions through out tub. Those also from an isolated clone that he has picked and worked that makes a HUGE difference. I can fill out a shoebox with beautiful canopies almost everytime from spore print. Tried one time in a monotub and couldnāt get it to grow even close to right.
. Experience, genetics, growing conditions all can effect growing full flush. The easiest way to help is making sure you have an very even and tamped surface. Iāve known of growers who put a towel over substrate and does push ups on it to pack it in better then make sure is flat like well finished cement.
That pick almost looks like a pf Tek cake.
Oh ya not evenly moist substrate or contamination both can cause not full flushes.
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The others are correct, an evenly tamped down cake is what does it alone with evenly misting the surface. Also another factor is to mix your grain and substrate thoroughly
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Well still looking nice. That is why I run shoeboxes cause I know I screw up. So Iād rather screw up small 
. Also I have extreme heat to deal with so more chance of them going bad.
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Iām still pretty happy. 1st time and I did get 2 zips dry from 1st flushā¦ definitely room for improvementā¦ gleaned a bunch of info from this thread and shroomeryā¦ did UB tek for this run with no contaminationā¦so thereās that!
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Mixed agar wonāt work for LC. You can make LC with agar in it but what you already have is not suited for that purpose, SSLC or Semi Solid Liquid Culture.
.5-2% volume Light Malt Extract and water. Pressure cook at 15 psi in a properly vented pressure cooker for 15 minutes. Filter it through a coffee filter first if sediment freaks you out. There should never be any turbidity (milkyness) throughout the process.
Any glass vessel that closes will work. Media bottles, mason jars, boston rounds. Some folks make a gas exchange some donāt. It is very easy. PP5 vessels work too.
Sweet cloud rice syrup never leaves crud and is always crystal clear, and the same measurements apply as with LME. .5 to 2% by volume. Same cook time.
Brown rice flour and water also works very well but it is soupy and there is debris by nature. Still goes clear as crystal as the myc eats up the flour. About 1/4 tsp per 500 ml of water and PCād for 30 min at 15 psi.
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I was looking at some grain bags and reishi yesterday during the sales. So you just inoculate, let it cook, and then take it out of the bag and it starts pinning or whatever?
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What do you have to inoculate with, spores or live culture?
A lot of premade bags for sale are iffy AF and contaminated or not prepped properly. Bags are in all honesty much more difficult to use than things like mason jars or ziploc containers and for some reason are being mass marketed to new growers who donāt know better. Bags can get holes in them and they take a lot more time to properly sterilize. A lot of people producing them are using long run time steam vessels at low to no PSI. A good bag will not be wet looking or loose. It will be firmly packed, the seeds plump and dry on the outside without many burst grains. Most companies if you call them on bad bags will return or replace them.
That being said, and I honestly mean no offense, summing a whole process up like that and going by a nutshell answer you are bound to fail.
A protocol I would suggest is as follows.
Set up your Still Air Box
Wipe the entire outside of your bag, gloved hands, and syringe (not the needle) with ethanol and let evaporate inside the SAB
Flame sterilize your needle, and make your inoculation quickly
Seal the bag well and set it on a shelf in ambient light and LITFA
Mix up the bag at 15% colonization, and mix again at 60%. Do this by massaging the outside of the bag, do not open and stir or anything like that
Once fully colonized, spawn to the substrate of choice
The crucial things you need to comprehend are the use of a SAB or laminar flow HEPA filter/fan filter unit if youāre fancy, sanitizing surfaces, and flame sterilization of the needle. These things are crucial. A SAB takes some practice to develop your ninja moves. It all takes practice. Good luck.
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Here is links to a SAB setup and banter.
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Iāve never rocked reishi but I buy pre-made rye bags from a single source who I have used for years. Hit with an ape syringe wait till white and use for shoe boxes that have a smaller layer of coco verm Iāve hand squeezed with gloves and wait for the beauties. Watch humidity fan if you want but once you got dialed in itās set and watch. Get flush after flush (they do get smaller and eventually go green)of delicious apes. Such a rewarding hobby. Best of luck!
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I actually bought one of these guys last year but never used it.
https://isteam.wsimg.com/ip/d8662db5-e320-4193-863c-20efed6cb0f6/ols/23_original/:/rs=w:600,h:600
Sorry boys. Wanted to post a pic but it didnt like the file
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Oh cool my bad I must have mis read I thought you were just getting into but that setup looks legit. How has it worked out?
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I havent used it yet lol. I opened it up to look at it and saw it working. It looked pretty on point tbh
I was about to order some reishi but i ended up starting a plant in my 2x2 and never got around to it
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Iāve always wanted to try my hand at reishi I mean they look cool and the health benefits sound amazing. Thatās cool you brought them up may need to order some
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From what i gathered them and turkey tails are the most beneficial health wise. Id like to do lions mane but it was pointed out to me recently theyre woodlovers, and id have no idea on hwo to go about that lol. Doubt they do a premade bag.
I think i might order some too, and break out the pressure cooker. Have to read up on what grains they like, also how to go about making a substrate. I think coco works
Turkey tails are easy enough. Just spawn to pasteurized HWFP in a .5 micron unicorn bag and rip the top of the bag off when you want to fruit. Theyāll all grow off like a wig. Just peel the wig off when you want to harvest, soak the block in cold water overnight and repeat.
If anybody wants Ganoderma tsugae colnes hmu. I have a good collection from the last few years of local finds. They do prefer hemolck but will also grow on anything else. I prefer them to Reishi.
A wedge goes in a jewelers baggie (baggies are sterile inside due to the manufacture process) and only costs a stamp and an envelope.
This one is pretty.
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thats how mine have been so far, Iāve gotten a decent amount just not enough. thanks to all yall for that tip, pretty sure its gonna make my life a whole lot better
Iām finally takin your advice and running several smaller containers rather than one large one. bigger than shoeboxes but much smaller than the 66qt Iāve been runningā¦ Iāve got 6lbs of colonized grain just too many shoebox size containers
I blame starting too many grain bags on MMM for all the freebies
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Anyone heard of, or had experience with, āRoad Tripā brand mushroom extract gummies?
Iām getting reports that they work, and are a LOT like shrooms.
But I donāt like not knowing exactly whatās in themā¦
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Any of those smoke shop mushroom products cannot have any psilocybin in them. They have weird analogs usually aoc 4 or something itās a dmt anaolog. Just not regulated very well so is almost like research chemicals.
@hooddirt ya they have 12qt ābootboxesā also few in 20ās and 30 quart range. Maybe 3 20 qt instead of big 66? Best of luck.
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