Mushroom thread

[dextr0]

I highly recommend getting synthetic filter disc (.3micron) it lasts forever and you can make many for your lids from just one if you cut them to dime size. I use a good hole puncher (cheap kind fall apart easily) and rtv (silicons) them over the hole. The SFDs are also pretty cheap I think like 12$ for 10.
Thats if I even mod the lid.

Here are some Brainiac going wild like always.

 

[Dirtbag]

Any of you considered leaving the tinfoil loosely covering the jars while they colonize? It would act as a second layer of protection against airborne crap landing on the filter disk. Thats how i do my yeast starters in an erlenmeyer flask. Gets plenty of gas diffusion for fae.

 

[beluga]

Your filter material should do everything you'd need.
Won't necessarily hurt to leave the foil on, but it's just not totally necessary.

With PTFE SFD's, I've pretty much stopped using foil except for my media bottles.

There's water in there to show the efficacy of both the SFD and the seal of one of those PP5 lids after many uses. These grey ones rock compared to the standard white ones.

 

[Dirtbag]

Your filter material should do everything you'd need.
Won't necessarily hurt to leave the foil on, but it's just not totally necessary.

With PTFE SFD's, I've pretty much stopped using foil except for my media bottles.

View attachment 1057032

There's water in there to show the efficacy of both the SFD and the seal of one of those PP5 lids after many uses. These grey ones rock compared to the standard white ones.

Do you PC the coir too? Ive seen a lot of folks just hydrating it with boiling water before use.
Sorry i may have asked this already lol. But since you mentioned your media being in jars..

 

[beluga]

Do you PC the coir too? Ive seen a lot of folks just hydrating it with boiling water before use.
Sorry i may have asked this already lol. But since you mentioned your media being in jars..

I do not.
Out of habit, I boil water and throw it in a bucket with a brick of coir.
Although it's becoming more common to just use straight tap water... results seem to be the same.
I've done it a few times, I'm just stuck in my ways I guess.

 

[dextr0]

Do you PC the coir too? Ive seen a lot of folks just hydrating it with boiling water before use.
Sorry i may have asked this already lol. But since you mentioned your media being in jars..

I’m sure he meant agar media in this instance. Just letting you know people will call agar media and use substrate when speaking of coir, manure, peat etc...

There are people who do pc their coir though. And I personally like to properly pasteurize mine.

 

[Dirtbag]

I’m sure he meant agar media in this instance. Just letting you know people will call agar media and use substrate when speaking of coir, manure, peat etc...

There are people who do pc their coir though. And I personally like to properly pasteurize mine.

Sounds like something that could be done in the oven and then rehydrated.

And yeah.. lol, just like when i started brewing, im lost in terminology for the first couple months..

 

[beluga]

It's pretty useless and was once considered detrimental to pasteurize or sterilize inert substrates.
Coir is the media of choice because it's so resistant to contamination yet provides just that right amount of digestible material that many mushrooms thrive on.
It's even more impressive because you can pasteurize or sterilize it without causing a horrible bloom of bad microbes.
But it's really just a waste of time and energy.

For the record - oven pasteurization is very hit or miss. Because there's not a consistent transfer of steam and because there are hot spots, you can easily throw it off.

 

[1diesel1]

Professional opinions,
Best size tub for a beginner that has no clue what he’s doing:)

 

[beluga]

6qt shoeboxes, hands down.
I primarily use them unless I get out of control amounts of spawn.

1 quart of spawn, 2 quarts of sub

Low stakes if you happen to have a compromised culture. Just as productive as full sized monotubs.

 

[dextr0]

It's pretty useless and was once considered detrimental to pasteurize or sterilize inert substrates.
Coir is the media of choice because it's so resistant to contamination yet provides just that right amount of digestible material that many mushrooms thrive on.
It's even more impressive because you can pasteurize or sterilize it without causing a horrible bloom of bad microbes.
But it's really just a waste of time and energy.

For the record - oven pasteurization is very hit or miss. Because there's not a consistent transfer of steam and because there are hot spots, you can easily throw it off.

And yet that’s the exact reason I pasteurize instead of bucket tek coir. I’ve had too many bricks contam while just sitting to wait to be used. I’ve read a million times that coir will not contaminate but that is not my experience here. I fought my mind and eyes over the subject over and over because it’s preached about over and over. Once I started pasteurizing those problems stopped. And that was only after a local guy who’s been growing 10 yrs told me it was exactly why he didn’t like bucket tek himself.

Proper pasteurization is easily done right. Monitor your stuff and make sure the temp stays between 140f and 170f. It only takes an hour and a half of your day.

I will say this bucket tek worked for a long time it may have just been a couple of bad bricks but piece of mind for me is priceless. I don’t like failing.

@1diesel1 I agree shoeboxes are easiest and a good way to learn proper surface moisture before moving to bigger tubs.

 

[beluga]

And yet that’s the exact reason I pasteurize instead of bucket tek coir. I’ve had too many bricks contam while just sitting to wait to be used. I’ve read a million times that coir will not contaminate but that is not my experience here. I fought my mind and eyes over the subject over and over because it’s preached about over and over. Once I started pasteurizing those problems stopped. And that was only after a local guy who’s been growing 10 yrs told me it was exactly why he didn’t like bucket tek himself.

Proper pasteurization is easily done right. Monitor your stuff and make sure the temp stays between 140f and 170f. It only takes an hour and a half of your day.

I will say this bucket tek worked for a long time it may have just been a couple of bad bricks but piece of mind for me is priceless. I don’t like failing.

@1diesel1 I agree shoeboxes are easiest and a good way to learn proper surface moisture before moving to bigger tubs.

Not one to argue experience, but I would surmise the vector was something foreign to the coir.

The shift to the 'Unbucket Tek' (tap water to field capacity and go) is gaining steam and piloted by one of the best and original in the community.
I've reproduced its success. I leave my excess coir to sit in a bucket and dry out every time. I've never seen anything grow on it unless I accidentally splash some spawn in there.

Curious, how do you pasteurize and with what substrates?

 

[dextr0]

Not one to argue experience, but I would surmise the vector was something foreign to the coir.

The shift to the 'Unbucket Tek' (tap water to field capacity and go) is gaining steam and piloted by one of the best and original in the community.
I've reproduced its success. I leave my excess coir to sit in a bucket and dry out every time. I've never seen anything grow on it unless I accidentally splash some spawn in there.

Curious, how do you pasteurize and with what substrates?

You mean Bodhi? Because I have always followed all his Teks religiously I just don’t happen to like bucket tek.

I follow Franks proper pasteurization tek: https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/17246844

For me if you ask me it’s more about killing off any possible live mycelia or spores then trying to keep any beneficials since there are supposedly not any in coir.

 

[beluga]

Nah, eats.
Bod also has admitted that it's not necessary and the bucket tek isn't anything close to an exact science.
Frank says it in that post, too.

All of this means that it isn't necessary to pasteurize coir.

If you use these teks with horse poo, peat, or straw, you'll never see success.

Except maybe Frank's because he probes it.

Much easier, more efficient, and surefire is a crock pot with a probe.

Ovens, which I was originally warning against, not so much.

 

[Dirtbag]

Well i have a crock pot too!

 

[beluga]

Wait for Pans!

 

[Dirtbag]

Wait for Pans!

I met a local guy tonight thats taking me under his wing. He has his shit on lockdown, doing it commercially for a decade apparently. Funny enough i knew him already, just had no idea he did this. Pretty awesome lol, small island.

Anyway he has Pans, penis envy and about a dozen other strains in agar he is willing to hook me up with once i get the process down. And hes gonna come by to assist with my first grain culture. Pretty stoked. Fuk i love where i live.

 

[dextr0]

I’ve read all that. I can quote all of their opinions too. But again that does not coincide with what happened to make me switch.

It also didn’t just happen once. Like I said I don’t have time to mess around I’m doing 50+ jars at a time.

 

[beluga]

I met a local guy tonight thats taking me under his wing. He has his shit on lockdown, doing it commercially for a decade apparently. Funny enough i knew him already, just had no ide he did this. Pretty awesome lol, small island.

Anyway he has Pans, penis envy and about a dozen other strains in agar he is willing to hook me up with once i get the process down. And hes gonna come by to assist with my first grain culture. Pretty stoked. Fuk i love where i live.

Yeah, seems you can't throw a rock in the PNW without hitting someone who's growing.

 

[beluga]

I’ve read all that. I can quote all of their opinions too. But again that does not coincide with what happened to make me switch.

It also didn’t just happen once. Like I said I don’t have time to mess around I’m doing 50+ jars at a time.

You might wanna try bags.