Woodlovers 08"

[waylitjim]

Getting ready for the Fall woodlover season. I was happy to find a huge pile of woodchips at the local dog park.
I brought a bunch home to my awaiting azure and friscosa spawn. Here's the method I used.

4 Jars of popcorn spawn.


Preferred woodchips (nice and small)


Pressure cooked filter patch bags. (One jar per bag)


A peek inside one of the bags.

[waylitjim]

Finished azure block


Place the block in a tub, and cover with woodchips.


Photos from a couple weeks later...




Mmm... hungry mycelium!


A touch of trich...but no problem.


Almost fully colonized.

[Mermaidia]

oohhh waylit i'm so excited to see this grow.

The mycelium in the bag looks fantastic!

[hyphaenation]

A Waylitjim thread is on-par with the best Christmas present you ever got.

[the_chosen_one]

[dice]

Wow man thats awesome, looks beautiful.

[camMyco]

Love some waylit woodlovers threads!

[spacecake]

Looks like the mycelium is grabbing that woodstick !



Great pics as always Waylitjim...

[eatyualive]

cool pics waylit!

[shroom_seeker]

Yess!

[CoyoteMesc]

From the pictures you posted it appears that you like to keep the spawn 'together'? Looks like you poured the corn in a concentrated area and the colonized wooded block wasn't broken up?

Do you think that leaving the mycel like that speeds things up?

[waylitjim]

Originally Posted by CoyoteMesc

From the pictures you posted it appears that you like to keep the spawn 'together'? Looks like you poured the corn in a concentrated area and the colonized wooded block wasn't broken up? Do you think that leaving the mycel like that speeds things up?

Exactly CM. I didn't break up the corn or the wood blocks. From my experience, the overall colonization speed increases since there's no recovery time. There's just a core mycelium nucleus which expands outward at great speed. I remember Workman referring to this as the island effect.

[Myc]

Nice project Waylit! (even thought you've beat me to the punch)

Of course, all of the ideas I have about woodlovers were borrowed from your experiments.

Did you supplement the woodchip bags?
My plan is to try 10% and 20% supplementation with wheat bran.
Then, as your thread suggests, use the colonized block as a "starter block" (pun intended......mycelium running) for an outdoor colony.
This idea based upon some comments by Workman regarding the "island effect" and spawning or expanding outdoor beds. Paraphrased, it seems that a large mycelial colony is stronger and more aggressive than one which has been broken up and mixed with substrate.

edit: I just saw where you credited Workman with the idea.

Nice to see my idea will work.

[bugs]

Way cool, Waylit. Thanks again for the inspiration.

[waylitjim]

Originally Posted by Myc

Did you supplement the woodchip bags?
My plan is to try 10% and 20% supplementation with wheat bran.

That should work well Myc. I used some bran in these bags as well.
It can boost colonization, but it also increases the risk of contamination.
I've done it both ways, with and without. Either way will work.

These are the tubs I'm using. They have a hole in the lid covered with a tyvek patch.

[Freaky]

All Hail Waylit Woodlover's 08!!!!!!


Do you ever find the bags of woodchips dries out before full colonization from the initial popcorn spawning?


Also, I notice you use Alder Chips - those must be available only in certain geographic regions. In my area, all that is usually available is Hickory chips or Oak chips in the stores. Both of which won't do too well with magic woodloving species. So I guess a chipper might have to be a piece of equipment to look into purchasing.

Thanks for treating us to a WaylitJim woodlover extravaganza!!!!!!!

[CoyoteMesc]

Sportsman's Warehouse.

Alder chips are great for smoking fish.

[Hippie3]

[feralronin]

Waylit you never cease to amaze me with your grows. I hope this one turns out well.

[Godflesh]

Nice to see yoou keepin busy Lit!
Just wondered what you mixed in with your bulk chips? Just dirty or did you add the dirt for a purpose?

[waylitjim]

Originally Posted by Godflesh

Just wondered what you mixed in with your bulk chips? Just dirty or did you add the dirt for a purpose?

Absolutely nothing. The bulk woodchips used to fill the tubs are all natural, collected from the wild. They're a lovely mixture of various hardwoods and humus. (composted organic matter) To prepare the chips, I bring water to a rapid boil, then turn the stove off and let the chips steep for an hour. After they cool they're ready to go, so far I haven't had any contamination. http://forums.mycotopia.net/attachme...8-dscn4072.jpg

[mycobri]

truly inspirational work Thanks Waylit

[Godflesh]

Originally Posted by waylitjim

Absolutely nothing. The bulk woodchips used to fill the tubs are all natural, collected from the wild. They're a lovely mixture of various hardwoods and humus. (composted organic matter) To prepare the chips, I bring water to a rapid boil, then turn the stove off and let the chips steep for an hour. After they cool they're ready to go, so far I haven't had any contamination. http://forums.mycotopia.net/attachme...8-dscn4072.jpg

Lookin good!

[waylitjim]

I'm working with three species this season. All the tubs look alike.
P. cyanofriscosa picture one (new species or cyanescens subspecies from the SF Bay Area)
P. subaeruginascens (Japanese Ringed Psilocybe) - New to North America. (Found in the Bay Area 2006)
P. azurescens (good ol' azures)

[golly]

Love the Azure pic..Have fun with those projects Jim - looking good...

[nightflyer]

Hello, I am a newbie on this forum from central Europe and I am working with
Ps. cyanofriscosa and Ps. "subaeruginascens" SF (the species found by auweia and waylitjim in San Francisco). I have done some tests using different agar
nutrient media. The best and fastest growth was on oat flake agar. The growth
on MEA and PDA was much more slower.
Pic: left Ps. "subaeruginascens" SF, right Ps. cyanofriscosa
OAT FLAKE AGAR:
Oat flakes 30 gr.
Agar powder 20 gr.
Water 1 L
Boil oat flakes in water for 10 min, strain through a sieve, fill up to 1L and add
agar, adjust pH to 4,5, autoclave at 121 C for 20 min. Shake before pouring.

[waylitjim]

Good tip on the Oat Flakes Nightflyer. Glad to see you have healthy cultures started!

[Santiago]

waylitjim, is the P. subaeruginascens fruited out completely indoors? What are the growing parameters, if so? How is the trip compared to cubes, pans, and azures?

[waylitjim]

waylitjim, is the P. subaeruginascens fruited out completely indoors? What are the growing parameters, if so? How is the trip compared to cubes, pans, and azures?

The vase was left in an outdoor shed to fruit. Growth parameters and potency are very similar to Psilocybe cyanescens & azurescens.

[koldjgdaro]

I saw the name of the thread and I got excited. I saw the name of the author and I was like...

Go waylit, go waylit, go, go, go!! ^^

[floppypeter]

BOOKMARKED ! So, waylit, what did you do with the trich on the stick ? Will it spread ? When Cube projects go green usually its the beginning of the end so to speak, Is this the same with woodlovers ? Thanks Great job, very insperational

[waylitjim]

Originally Posted by floppypeter

So, waylit, what did you do with the trich on the stick ? Will it spread ? When Cube projects go green usually its the beginning of the end so to speak, Is this the same with woodlovers ?

This is one of the benefits of wood loers. Trichoderma doesn't grow very well on wood. You might get a touch of it here and there, but it's usually nothing to worry about. Of course if you spawn woodchips with contaminated grain, you'll have to scrap the project. Creating healthy grain spawn is the hardest part, but from there it's easy going. Working with agar to clean up prints will save you time with alot less heartache.

Great thread. Looking really good so far. I'm about to start an azurescens project myself. I have more colonised petri dishes than I know what to do with and some colonised grains, but I'm having difficulty finding the right wood chips here in Australia. Do you think chunky coir would work? Or pine wood chips?

I'm also not too sure how I'm going to go about fruiting, I don't think it gets cold enough here. What temps do azures and other cold weather woodlovers in America fruit in?

[nightflyer]

A very rhizomorphic strain of Psilocybe subaeruginascens.

[nightflyer]

Mycelium of Psilocybe subaeruginascens after touching it.

[Lazlo]

Originally Posted by nightflyer

Hello, I am a newbie on this forum from central Europe and I am working with
Ps. cyanofriscosa and Ps. "subaeruginascens" SF (the species found by auweia and waylitjim in San Francisco). I have done some tests using different agar
nutrient media. The best and fastest growth was on oat flake agar. The growth
on MEA and PDA was much more slower.
Pic: left Ps. "subaeruginascens" SF, right Ps. cyanofriscosa
OAT FLAKE AGAR:
Oat flakes 30 gr.
Agar powder 20 gr.
Water 1 L
Boil oat flakes in water for 10 min, strain through a sieve, fill up to 1L and add
agar, adjust pH to 4,5, autoclave at 121 C for 20 min. Shake before pouring.

Quick question NF. Does boiling the oats help the medium from foaming up really bad during sterilization? I've been using oats myself, but I only soak a 1/2cup of them in water for a few minutes prior to straining them. Enough for 300mills of medium. But the medium will foam up quite a bit causing me to have to use a low power setting on the microwave after the medium starts to simmer. So the medium doesn't foam up into the polyfil.

[nightflyer]

Hello Lazlo, I am using old fashioned glass-made petri dishes and sterilize them in a normal oven in my kitchen. I have no problem with foaming. I guess
the heating process in the microwaver is too fast. I don't think that the oat flakes are the problem.
Link: many agar media recipes
http://www.cect.org/listmed.php

[Lazlo]

It's the oats. I use a micro for all of my agar recipes.

[nightflyer]

After boiling the oat flakes for 10 min. there is a big white foam on the surface. This is pure protein. The mushrooms don't need it. I remove always the foam with a spoon before straining. Maybe it's the protein that is foaming up in your agar plates during sterilization.

[Lazlo]

Ok, maybe i'll do that then. So far no problems really. Just annoying sort of.

Good luck Jim! Hope they work out nicely.

[waylitjim]

I've gotten a a bit behind on these tubs. They're all completely colonized and ready for a casing layer. I plan to use a 50/50 mix of cactus soil and vermiculite. I love the summer, but I really love the Fall. Growing mushrooms with the Seasons is a beautiful thing.

[Myc]

Lookin' good Waylit.
Always love to see the woodlover threads.
I have yet to try them.
Maybe I'll get lucky this fall.

I plan on casing with compost and see what happens.
Already microbially active.
Good source of nutrition leaching down into the bed with watering.
We'll see.

[nightflyer]

Did you ever see such an aggressive mycelium? Psilocybe subaeruginascens is clearly more aggressive than Ps. azurescens. Wonderful species! Thanks to auweia and waylitjim!

[Godflesh]

Well done NF and WJ!

[nightflyer]

Thanks godflesh, hope they will fruit during fall.

[psililamp]

Excellent post waylit!!! One day I hope to have a project like this one. Good luck with fruiting, although i think mother nature will be kind to you.

[joluvs2gro]

I recently recieved an azure print and I am wondering, can I innoculate my jars anytime I want, like now? If I do, will they colonize in warm temps, just not fruit, right?

[Foster]

Nice Waylit! What is the optimal temps for spawning brf to woodchips for azures? If choosing between outside temps of 75-90f, or inside 68-75f, which would be best?

[waylitjim]

Originally Posted by joluvs2gro

I recently recieved an azure print and I am wondering, can I innoculate my jars anytime I want, like now? If I do, will they colonize in warm temps, just not fruit, right?

Exactly, it's never to early to start building woodlover spawn. Keep your colonization temps in the 70's and build as much healthy spawn as possible. Soon enough you'll have a beautiful outdoor garden.

Originally Posted by Foster

What is the optimal temps for spawning brf to woodchips for azures? If choosing between outside temps of 75-90f, or inside 68-75f, which would be best?

I'd go with the indoor range of 68-75f.

[joluvs2gro]

Sweet!! I was actually under the impression that I wouldn't be able to get them to fruit until next year. That doesn't seem right though, if I can innoculate my jars now, I should have a shitload of spawn ready for the nice cool fall weather. I'm in Michigan and we have a decently lengthy fall, usually around 50 degrees F for over a month and plenty of humidity. In your proffessional opinion, can I get them to fruit on an outdoor bed this fall? I sure hope so, I actually just started my first grow from a B+ print 3 days ago and it has already started to colonize so I am really happy. I did a shit load of research before I even got any spores. I don't yet have a pressure cooker so I am stuck with the p.f. tek for now, should I use that to start my azures or wait for a p.c. so I can do popcorn or wbs safely? Thanks in advance.