All things shrooms

[Observer]

Said they got a 30 day guarantee. It’s been 27 days. They are sending replacement syringes. I gave them the lot #’s to the bad ones. They asked for those so they can monitor it with other customers. I have the tracking number for the replacements. They were pretty good about it I must admit.

they hooked me up, havnt had problems with them.

 

[SpectrumFarms]

If you’re looking for solid spores check out Philly Golden Teacher. His genetics are top notch and he truly loves mycology and it shows. Be warned the albinos he isolates are insanely potent. I grew out some of his True Albino Teachers and had a trip so intense off an 1/8th it felt more like LSD.

 

[tobh]

back at it. updates to come soon.

 

[Aqua Man]

back at it. updates to come soon.
View attachment 63950View attachment 63952

Hope things are well brother

 

[tobh]

syringes proved out to be clean, and the LC jars I mixed up also tested out to be clean on agar. gonna be knocking up those jars this evening to increase the volume of LC. also have 150 lbs of rye grain coming in here in a couple weeks so will be ramping up rather quickly.

found a vendor that has various pan cyan prints available so got some of those ordered. the syringes i have just won't germinate on agar no matter what I do, so hoping the prints will prove out to be more viable. if i can't get them to germinate i'll probably put away the decades long dream of running those exotics. really hoping i can make it happen though because they'll be a great primer for handling more difficult medicinal varieties like cordiceps.

also need to hit up the farmers market and see what the competitors have available. there should be opportunity to squeeze in with offerings that aren't as common, and as such charge a higher premium. anything to help increase the profit margins since operational costs are starting to stack up just based on the raw materials alone, not including the equipment costs that I've sunk into this endeavor so far.

will post up pics of the plates in a bit. just waiting for the flow hood to scrub the air in the work area now. Need to get out there and make more plates tonight, too as I've got pink oysters and lion's mane that need transferred again.

 

[SpectrumFarms]

Albino Lizard Kings and Golden Teachers going in the dehydrator.

 

[tobh]

View attachment 64617

Albino Lizard Kings and Golden Teachers going in the dehydrator.

what kind of substrate are you using for these guys?

 

[tobh]

Quick dump of the test plates. Disregard the bad pour, rushed the process on those last plates.

 

[SpectrumFarms]

what kind of substrate are you using for these guys?

I use just straight coco coir. I’ve tried messing around with recipes adding gypsum and vermiculite but I really see no difference.

I just put spores to plate last night, Got some Melmac Reverts and PE#6 started.

 

[Aqua Man]

View attachment 64617

Albino Lizard Kings and Golden Teachers going in the dehydrator.

Perfect timing on that harvest

 

[Aqua Man]

I use just straight coco coir. I’ve tried messing around with recipes adding gypsum and vermiculite but I really see no difference.

I just put spores to plate last night, Got some Melmac Reverts and PE#6 started.

Im doing coco verm. The verm lowers the cost a bit. Small tubs atm but probably get back into the bigger monos soon.

200g coco
1 quart verm
5 cups water

Perfect field capacity everytime.

 

[SpectrumFarms]

Im doing coco verm. The verm lowers the cost a bit. Small tubs atm but probably get back into the bigger monos soon.

200g coco
1 quart verm
5 cups water

Perfect field capacity everytime.

I usually run 6, 12qts at a time. I learn with straight coco a 650g brick and 3.5 quarts of water hits field capacity perfect for the whole brick.

 

[Aqua Man]

Some Amazon just starting to fruit.

 

[Aqua Man]

I usually run 6, 12qts at a time. I learn with straight coco a 650g brick and 3.5 quarts of water hits field capacity perfect for the whole brick.

Yeah i have dropped down to about 3 quarts spawn to the mix i listed about probably 3-4 quarts as i never measured. So you are running pretty much what i used to.

The PE i have is so contam prone i dropped down. But this Amazon and B+ Im just starting seem super easy and very contam resistant so i will probably jump back up after a couple tubs

 

[tobh]

Yeah i have dropped down to about 3 quarts spawn to the mix i listed about probably 3-4 quarts as i never measured. So you are running pretty much what i used to.

The PE i have is so contam prone i dropped down. But this Amazon and B+ Im just starting seem super easy and very contam resistant so i will probably jump back up after a couple tubs

i remember back in circa 2001 when I started, B+ was the most recommended strain for beginners to start with. Granted, the PF Tek was also the recommended method and people that did bulk casings were super close lipped about their methods and techniques. However, anything that's technically a mutation is gonna be more susceptible to contams just by the nature of being a mutation.

still have some APE that I need to get into some grains, it's just such a slow colonizer I haven't bothered to fuck with it beyond getting a clean culture on agar.

 

[Aqua Man]

i remember back in circa 2001 when I started, B+ was the most recommended strain for beginners to start with. Granted, the PF Tek was also the recommended method and people that did bulk casings were super close lipped about their methods and techniques. However, anything that's technically a mutation is gonna be more susceptible to contams just by the nature of being a mutation.

still have some APE that I need to get into some grains, it's just such a slow colonizer I haven't bothered to fuck with it beyond getting a clean culture on agar.

Yeah that PE takes 3 times as long to colonize and 3x as long to fruit…. At min. But its very fucking potent. And I can’t keep it around more than a day or 2.

I will save that for certain people but its such a pita its almost not worth it.

The next atep i am going to do for just knowledge will be a stain called holy grail its an enigma that takes about 6 months.

But i need to build up some patience before i go there lol

 

[tobh]

Yeah that PE takes 3 times as long to colonize and 3x as long to fruit…. At min. But its very fucking potent. And I can’t keep it around more than a day or 2.

I will save that for certain people but its such a pita its almost not worth it.

The next atep i am going to do for just knowledge will be a stain called holy grail its an enigma that takes about 6 months.

But i need to build up some patience before i go there lol

jeez lol that's almost as bad as psilocybe cyanescens. which, reminds me. i need to move forward with getting the spawn expanded on those and get em out to some outdoor beds. maybe by next year will end up with a crop of wood lovers.

 

[tobh]

Figured I'd show how i go about making agar plates. This recipe is about as simple as it can get and works effectively for most fungal cultures.



To start, measure 500ml warm water (cold will make the agar agar powder and the light malt extract clump together and not mix as effectively) in your chosen flask. I use a borosilica high-temp rated Erlenmeyer flask; some use whisky bottles, or even jars. Place a magnetic stir stick in the water.


Now, into the flask weigh out 10g LME (light malt extract) and 9g agar agar powder. You can do a 1:1 ratio of LME:agar agar or other variations. I find 10g of agar agar with this particular brand to harden up a bit too much once poured so I vary between 8g and 9g most of the time now. Add the two powders and set on your magnetic stirrer for a few minutes. I don't really measure this time as each batch is different, you just want to ensure the LME and agar agar powder are thoroughly mixed in the solution.

^ agar agar powder


^ Light Malt Extract. It's worth noting that LME is hygroscopic. If you even THINK about moisture at all, it will clump and get super sticky -- like kinetic sand that becomes glue.



Place your cap or cover on your container and tighten to closed position, then back off a 1/4 turn. This ensures that pressure build up doesn't turn your container into a bomb inside the PC. I cover mine with foil as a force of habit; not sure it's really necessary though.

Place your container in the PC and fill with water to the same height as the agar solution in your container. This is to help reduce the chances of boiling over as the solution cools off after sterilization.


^ Flask in water bath. The empty, no-lid jars are there to prevent the flask from tipping over while cooking.

Place the PC on your burner (if using one that requires external heat sources) and crank the heat as high as you can. You want to bring temps up as quickly as possible at this point so reduce the chances of caramelizing the sugars in the LME. Once you see steam coming out of the weight vent, set a timer for ten minutes. The idea is to purge all the air in the PC with steam.



When the 10m timer goes off, set your weight on the vent, and keep the heat up to get to 15psi as quickly as possible. Once the weight wobbles, reduce the heat and set a timer for 20 minutes. You want the heat to be high enough to maintain pressure but only so high to cause the weight to jiggle once or twice per minute. Any more than that and you're running too high of temperatures, and caramelizing sugars, any lower and you're not maintaining 15psi for adequate sterilization.



When the 20m timer goes off, shut off the heat. If you have a flow hood now is a good time to move the PC into that clean stream of air. As the PC cools, it creates a vacuum and has the potential of pulling in contaminates -- contaminates right into the sterile environment you just created.


Allow the PC to cool until the pressure lock drops, and carefully (using a silicon oven mitt) remove the container of agar solution from the cooker and set in your clean stream of air. At this point you should start monitoring the temperature of the agar solution with an infrared thermometer. Agar begins to solidify at approximately 122F (50C), and ideal pouring temperature is 131F (55C).



You will have to move quickly when the agar reaches that target temperature because the temperature really starts to drop at that point. I like to separate my stack of plates into two stacks of ten (500ml makes ~20 plates), and starting at the bottom of one stack, lift the lid and the entire stack, pour just enough to cover the entire bottom of the plate, replace the lid and move up the stack. With practice you'll get pretty good at this.


^ plates poured. The jars have hot water in them which helps prevent condensation from forming on the lids of the plates.

Allow the plates to cool for a few hours before wrapping with parafilm or inoculating with your chosen culture (spores, mycelium, fruit body, etc). Made plates can be stored in open air if wrapped with parafilm for up to a month, and even longer (I've kept some as long as six months) in refrigeration.

It's worth noting I did not cover additional sterile procedures. I assume if you're doing this, you know how to practice aseptic techniques and have all the appropriate equipment and supplies to successfully perform this process.

Happy mushrooming!

 

[Sex Thrillerson]

Can you run cyanescens indoor?

 

[tobh]

Can you run cyanescens indoor?

Depends if you're refering to panaeleous or psilocybe. Pan Cyan's -- yes. Psilocybe Cyanescens, maybe but not likely. I've only seen one individual run Ps. Cyan. indoors and the flushes were lackluster. Woodlovers like that do best outdoors.

 

[Sex Thrillerson]

how similar are the pan vs psi with end use? I lived in the pnw for a while and the psilocybe cyanescens were everywhere.

 

[tobh]

how similar are the pan vs psi with end use? I lived in the pnw for a while and the psilocybe cyanescens were everywhere.

psilocybe cyanescens is a wood lover, and only slightly more potent than cubensis. However -- it has this wonderful side effect called Wood Lover's Paralysis. Medical and mycological science doesn't quite understand why they cause temporary paralysis but it is a known side effect. Some independent research has shown benadryl can help alleviate or prevent the symptoms from presenting themselves but there hasn't been any academic or otherwise research done (or at least published) to determine exactly what causes the paralysis.

pan cyans are dung lovers, and are substantially more potent than psilocybe cubensis. The quantities of psilocin and psilocybin are exceedingly high per volume in the fruit bodies. However, they're also much smaller fruits. Typical dosing recommendations are ~1g pan cyan is equivalent to 4-5g cubensis. They're also reported to cause less body load and offer a more enjoyable experience than cubensis as the common gut issues inherent to cubensis aren't present. Some schools of thougth say this is due to the user consuming less material, and thus being exposed to less of the alkaloids and other compounds that negatively impact the gut by way of consuming raw mushrooms. My thinking is there is likely some type of hystamine that causes much of the stomach upset typically experienced with cubensis and other edible mushrooms when eaten raw.

 

[Observer]

Some Amazon just starting to fruit.

I just can't sterilize w/o equipment

Still have some syringes, been procrastinating trying some already sterilize ready 2go bags

 

[Observer]

Yeah that PE takes 3 times as long to colonize and 3x as long to fruit…. At min. But its very fucking potent. And I can’t keep it around more than a day or 2.

I will save that for certain people but its such a pita its almost not worth it.

The next atep i am going to do for just knowledge will be a stain called holy grail its an enigma that takes about 6 months.

But i need to build up some patience before i go there lol

Man I'd love to try those potent ones....

 

[Aqua Man]

Man I'd love to try those potent ones....

They are pretty dam good but again such a pain in the ass. At least this specific strain is.

 

[Sex Thrillerson]

Is that true with APE as well?

 

[SpectrumFarms]

i remember back in circa 2001 when I started, B+ was the most recommended strain for beginners to start with. Granted, the PF Tek was also the recommended method and people that did bulk casings were super close lipped about their methods and techniques. However, anything that's technically a mutation is gonna be more susceptible to contams just by the nature of being a mutation.

still have some APE that I need to get into some grains, it's just such a slow colonizer I haven't bothered to fuck with it beyond getting a clean culture on agar.

APEs they are a fun novelty grow is how I see them, I have noticed one things about them they do tend to colonize faster on potato dextrose agar plates instead of LME. Last run I did the Yeti mutation and damn they are finicky little things.

 

[SpectrumFarms]

Man I'd love to try those potent ones....

Try some TAT from SporeNite, I’ve yet to have any of my APE compare in potency to their genetics. 2 grams and you’re frying hard!!

 

[tobh]

APEs they are a fun novelty grow is how I see them, I have noticed one things about them they do tend to colonize faster on potato dextrose agar plates instead of LME. Last run I did the Yeti mutation and damn they are finicky little things.

ah good call out. i haven't ran em on PDA yet, just LMEA and nutrient yeast LMEA. They seemed move a little faster with the nutrient yeast but not enough to be excited about.

 

[Aqua Man]

Is that true with APE as well?

Mine are PE not APE