Popcorn Spawn to Monotub Soon

[AGAMA]

Attached are some pics of my G2G(rye berries to popcorn), just shaken for last time today. Will combine with HPoo and verm tomorrow. May try to get straw too. Any opinions??? strain is unknown(had three different strains- don't know what I have left). Popcorn was soaked overnight then simmered for two hours. 1/4 cup Perlite in bottom of each of four quart mason jars then divide Popcorn between them. Lids each have a 1/2 inch hole drilled and stuffed with polyfill. Entire top quarter of jar covered with al foil. PC @ 15 PSI for 90 minutes. Left in PC till next day. Took a pint jar of rye berries that was fully colonized and divided it up between the four jars of Popcorn . Shook Popcorn at 40% colonized, and again today. Wish me luck!!!

[junior1]

Looking GOOD, that's some nice growth/colonization there....Good Luck!

[AGAMA]

Thanx, and thanx!
Originally started with 8 pint w/ms. PC'd rye, H2O, and 1/4 c perlite(in bottom) for 1 hour @15 PSI. Inoculated with sporeprint scrapings and ignored until 3 were 30 to 50% colonized. By then 3 were removed d/t contamination, one for no growth, and one for <3% growth.
One pint was used for G2G with 4 popcorn qts(shown earlier in this thread). The other two were cased with some sterilized seed starting mix. 23 days from dry innoculation to pins. WOW!
Still got to get that pcorn monotub going. One thing after another. Opinions regarding photos would be greatly appreciated.

[BuckarooBanzai]

Congrats on yer pins.

This thread belongs in Fungi...hold on tight while I move it...

[AGAMA]

Thanx. In time I will get with the program around here. Just need a lot more practice posting first.

[Scratch]

Nice looking jars.

Never would have thought about adding perlite to a popcorn jar.
Appears that works very well.

Did you use miracle grow perlite?

[AGAMA]

Sure enough. Wonderful(?) Wallyworld.

[AGAMA]

I only used perlite bc that's all I had. Just learned what vermiculite was when I bought my first bag a few days ago. Let the learning begin!!!

[BuckarooBanzai]

Anything that absorbs extra moisture will work with popcorn. Just don't add too much - dry corn won't run nearly as fast.

[coconut1225]

great grow. hard work and some patience really pays off. what was the name of the seed starter mix you used to case. did you bring it to field capacity and then pc it.

[AGAMA]

Seed Starter Mix by American Seed. 2 quarts. Ingredients:Sphagnum peat, horticultural vermiculite, perlite, wetting agent, and lime for pH balance. Came from The Wonderful(?) Wallyworld last fall for clearance price of $0.50 each. I took all 15!!
Yes, and Yes. 15 PSI for 1 hr in qt wm mason jars with seal inverted.
Will post update tomorrow. Am feeling sleep deprived. Gotta go for now.

[AGAMA]

Well, continuing pics of the two rye jars. Also got my hpoo yesterday but am running out of time again today. Did get some sheep shit oven pasteurized this eve. Already has straw composted in it(stable litter). I rinsed it twice(hope that's enough), let it drain 24 Hrs, and baked in turkey roasting pan covered in foil at ~175 deg for 2.5 Hrs. Will let cool overnight and mix with pcorn spawn into monotub in AM.
Onward through the fog.

[GadgetGuy]

My recommendation is that when you spawn you make sure there is no exposed grain on the top of the substrate, make sure the last layer is completely poo and covers all the popcorn. I made the mistake of having some grains (popcorn) on the top of my substrate and it has me a littlle worried as there were some spots on it that looked bare. I hope it doesn't contam, they are all pretty white now but I can still see that little hint of yellow and it makes me cringe. I could be wrong but this is my first popcorn run.

[AGAMA]

My first popcorn spawn AND my first monotub. Love rye berries and mason jars. That's where my experience, such as it is, lies. Several upcoming experiments planned to stretch wings, so to speak. Wish I'd found this place years ago. But things happen because they happen. Am enjoying going forward from here.

[AGAMA]

Built my first monotub this morn. 2 qts pcorn spawn and just under 4 qts sheep shit composted with straw. We'll have to see how this works. Also took a LQ of the same strain(whatever it is) and inoculated again three qts that were already shot with a different print of a different strain that showed no signs of growth aftera couple of weeks. Was going to pitch, but decided re-inoculating this would do no harm and may just teach me something. Hpoo monotub gets made this evening.
Geez, it seems the more interesting this stuff gets, the less time I have to work on it!!!!!!! Must be some inversely proportional stuff going on here.
Will also get more pics up this eve.
Goodday!!

[AGAMA]

The hpoo/verm monotub is colonizing much faster than the sheep shit/straw. Got first flush from the two rye jars. No dunk. Second flush had one much larger guy in each jar, one at a time. Am taking multiple sporeprints from the first one now. Second bigun' hasn't popped it's top yet. Am also innoculating 8-pt and 4-1/2 pt w/m jars with mycowater made from the stem of the cap I'm printing. Am looking for more size and uniformity. Also made extra mycosyringes to see how long they stay useable in the fringe. the 24.4g was the first flush of the two pt rye jars. First jar has been dunked after 2nd flush. A couple inches of field capacity PC'd verm was put in the bottom of a clean pt jar and the cake placed inside with a ziplock fit over the top. Curious if this will fruit adequately. The colonizing pt of BRF is from another print from the same MS colony(gathered at an earlier date). Will continue to post developments.

[AGAMA]

When I picked this hobby back up a few weeks ago, I decided to use what I had first, then source known genetics later. Unfortunately I don't know what strain I have. Is there any reasomable way to determine this, ie appearance, growth habits, etc...? Would appreciate any imput.

[koldjgdaro]

Don't bother with that. It's some kinda 'standard' cubie. Play with isolates if you wanna achieve better results. Honestly there's little difference between the usual cubes. Growth parameters can change their appearance so much that they can no longer look like the "mother" mushrooms.

I've just grown a B+ isolate and there were two kinds of veils on them - the first kind was just normally left on the stem and the other kind of veil used to rip almost like on your shrooms. Since it was an isolate they should be identical, apparently they weren't.

[MLBjammer]

Most cubensis looks a whole lot alike, unless it is very distinct-- something like PE or PF Albino. That is a tough call.

I would caution you about using damp vermiculite in your jar grows. I did it a couple times, seemed to encourange contams.

As far as the mycelium/water syringes, you should use those immediately, as they will degenerate.

Good luck!

[Sidestreet Getaway]

Good stuff AGAMA. Unique grows.

[AGAMA]

Originally Posted by koldjgdaro

Play with isolates if you wanna achieve better results.

Very good suggestion. Am doing that right now with two of the largest cubes I've ever seen come out of my own 1/2 pt jars. One is hollow, though. Can I still split it in half and scrape something outa there? I'm sure I'll try if it's hollow all the way down(haven't found out yet). Either way, a copy will be made.

[GadgetGuy]

Good job man!

[AGAMA]

Thanx for all the good vibes, guys and gals. Will post more pics later. Until then, here's a couple of random shots:

[MLBjammer]

You should definitely clone a big one--or better yet something from a cluster of fruits.

This is a kick-ass cloning, isolate, storage tek: http://forums.mycotopia.net/liquid-c...k-revised.html (-Fahtty Isolation/Mycelium syringe tek- *REVISED*)

Peace.

[AGAMA]

Thanx for the pointer MLBjammer. Will get on this later today. Got to go put my time in first.

The pcorn/hpoo/verm aluminum turkey pans are almost colonized. Pics this eve.

May everyone's day be just as wonderful as they want it to be!

[MLBjammer]

It is an easy tek. Heck, you don't even need a GB if you are using a syringe. The coolest thing about it is you can store a isolate of a strain for future use.

Look forward to seeing your pics. Peace.

[AGAMA]

Pcorn/hpoo/verm turkey tin monotub photo update. Yes that is water accumulating on the surface. Blotted it off with paper towels. Kept in 66 qt Sterilite storage tub, lid loose on top. FAE once a day until full colo. We're gettin' there! Tub created 8/14. Otherwise no extra help except pulling back the top plastic bag each day to check colo status.

[MLBjammer]

It appears to be ready to fruit--lots of fresh air would aid your cause. Just don't let the water pool up anywhere.

Hopefully your next pics will show pins !

[AGAMA]

Thanx for the vote of confidence. There is still a little bit of substrate uncolonized. Will probably wait 1-3 days, then re-evaluate, unless someone convinces me to do it sooner.

[MLBjammer]

I guess there are a couple spots uncolonized. Still it looks ready to pop. Maybe give it a day or two, I suppose. Those areas should fill in quickly.

[BuckarooBanzai]

I would go ahead and put that into fruiting conditions. Strike while the iron is hot as they say.

The myc will keep running for 2-4 days as it shifts gears to start fruiting.

Also, a bulk sub will frequently not go totally snow white on top for an extended period of time. I have fruited a lot of projects that still had a little substrate peeking out like in your pics.

That sub looks good, but be careful covering with plastic. If it is tight, cobweb can invade very quickly. You clearly kept the plastic nice and loose...

[AGAMA]

I'm convinced. Needed some 'been there before' words of experience. Hpoo kicks ass compared to composted, leached sheep shit. Should probably use this in the garden. then I can use the bleached containers for an even more interesting bulk grow.
I think it's time to scrap the sheep tub too. Go with what works best at the time.
Anyway, thanx. Pics to continue. Change-over in A.M.


Any special tricks for innoculating pcorn with syringe?
Was not successful first time(did not use polyfill either). Polyfill and pcorn go together IMO, with a qt w/m jar. Rye-to-pcorn was very easy(see above). Later.

[BuckarooBanzai]

I have never worked with sheep poo, so I can't really comment.

I can say I agree - once you find something that works, stick with that thing until you master it. If the hpoo works better (and you can get it cheap and easy) stay with the hpoo.

The only trick with popcorn is don't get it too wet and have some fresh air exchange. Popcorn won't finish in a sealed jar, you need a Tyvek or polyfill vent.

And it is easy to add too much LC to popcorn and get it overly moist. If you have water pooling on the bottom of the container it will almost always contaminate.

Putting a spoonful of dry vermiculite on the bottom of popcorn jars is very helpful.

[MLBjammer]

I have read reports of sheep poo working with cubies, but I have only used cow, horse, and about to use some donkey doo.

I have seen so many posters try something once, then give up--or so they say. I am obssessed with a technique until I master it, and I have screwed many grows up--but I improved my methods till I got it. I guess that is the trick, huh?

A little bit of vermiculite has really helped many a popcorn jar of mine.

[BuckarooBanzai]

Originally Posted by MLBjammer

I have seen so many posters try something once, then give up--or so they say. I am obssessed with a technique until I master it, and I have screwed many grows up--but I improved my methods till I got it. I guess that is the trick, huh?

Pick a process and stick to it until you get it perfect. You almost never get anything perfect the first time, even with great instructions. That is why it is so important to pick one Tek (any tek that works) and follow it to the letter for your first few grows. Too many folks start juggling variables without knowing how/why those variables are there in the first place.

A huge number of people had success with PF Tek in the early years partially because there WASN'T any other information out there to distract and confuse them! All you had was those mimeographed sheets and ya followed 'em to the letter...

And after you master a process and have repeatable success - don't get all preachy and yell about how your way is the best/only way. I friggin' hate that. Not a diss at you, MLB, just a general observation.

[AGAMA]

Originally Posted by Sidestreet Getaway

Good stuff AGAMA. Unique grows.

Just curious, unique in what way?

[AGAMA]

Originally Posted by BuckarooBanzai

I have never worked with sheep poo, so I can't really comment.

I can say I agree - once you find something that works, stick with that thing until you master it. If the hpoo works better (and you can get it cheap and easy) stay with the hpoo.

The only trick with popcorn is don't get it too wet and have some fresh air exchange. Popcorn won't finish in a sealed jar, you need a Tyvek or polyfill vent.

And it is easy to add too much LC to popcorn and get it overly moist. If you have water pooling on the bottom of the container it will almost always contaminate.

Putting a spoonful of dry vermiculite on the bottom of popcorn jars is very helpful.

Thanx for the ideas. Got to go to the vaults for more reference. Back later.

[AGAMA]

Innoculated some pcorn with PE today.
Will see what kind of monotub comes next!
Any definite opinions out there regarding monotubs with larger, polyfill filled holes verses smaller, open holes. I've read versions of both teks and was just wondering if polyfill was much more commonly used, as it appears to be these days(and is it better for FAE?).
Or just manually fan it, several times a day, without putting any holes in tub at all? This is currently what I do.

[BuckarooBanzai]

Manual fanning is the most reliable - if you remember to do it.

Polyfill is good because it allows FAE but keeps humidity high. Lots of little holes can make for a tub that is very hard to keep humid.

Another good thing about manual fanning is you see the substrate a few times each day. You can spot contams quickly before they start dumping spores everywhere.

[MLBjammer]

Originally Posted by BuckarooBanzai

And after you master a process and have repeatable success - don't get all preachy and yell about how your way is the best/only way. I friggin' hate that. Not a diss at you, MLB, just a general observation.

No offense taken. I didn't mean to sound preachy, just to encourage folks to keep trying something until they get it. Don't give up. Life is about failures and how we can improve upon them.

[BuckarooBanzai]

Nah, you ain't preachy at all, man. Yer good peeps.

I've seen some folks though...jeesh...some people get a little bit of knowledge and become utterly insufferable Cliff Claven types.

Kind of like that old t-shirt, "Instant asshole - just add beer."

It would be like, "Instant know it all, just add 2 semi-successful PF cakes."

These people are frequently heard using variations on the phrase, "The BEST way to do it is to do it exactly like me..."

[MLBjammer]

Cliff Claven! LMAO. Some of the youngsters around here have no idea who that is. "Cheers" was the best.

[AGAMA]

Pins on first(successful) bulk substrate. Noticed three at last FAE, four more little fellers just now. Too small to stick a camera in for. Will photograph and post photos tomorrow. Got a good feelin' 'buot this 'un.

[BuckarooBanzai]

Happy pin dance!!!

Keep doing exactly what you are doing now and wait for 'em to mature!

Have you thought about printing and drying the harvest?

[AGAMA]

Originally Posted by BuckarooBanzai

Have you thought about printing and drying the harvest?

Actually, yes. Been reading about ways to print. Have successfully printed to nonstick al foil. Do you have a preferred method for either process(printing or drying)?
Thanx in advance.

[BuckarooBanzai]

I print on squares of PO Tyvek or aluminum foil. No special process other than keep 'em covered while they print. When a cap dries out, it doesn't drop as many spores. You can easily get 3 dark prints from a cubensis cap over the course of 24 hours.

I dry with a food dehydrator. The heating element is disabled when drying cubies.

[AGAMA]

Once printed, how do you store your spores? Ziploc, laminator(w/o heat), seal-a-meal, etc...Been printing under jar, edge slightly propped up, then let fresh print dry about 4 to 8 hours. then I cut the corner out of a non-pleated baggie, insert printed foil, and sandwich between two layers of contact paper and COLD laminate. Looks good so far, buy will make rehydrating spores more difficult.

I have a couple of dehydrators just sitting there. Will have to figure out how to disable heating element. About 1 1/2 years ago, I was working all alone(nothing but Homestead to work with. Tried the dehydrator. Loss of potency to 1/2 strength! Not cool. Had some real monsters, too. Never thought to photograph, though.
Otherwise, just been air-drying. Need to check out epsom salts as a drying agent. Think I saw something on it in the vaults.
After the dehydrator, do they go right in freezer ziploc for storage, or do you do anything else to prepare them first(like a desiccant)?

I'm just full of questions today.

[Sidestreet Getaway]

Originally Posted by BuckarooBanzai

I've seen some folks though...jeesh...some people get a little bit of knowledge and become utterly insufferable Cliff Claven types.

These people are frequently heard using variations on the phrase, "The BEST way to do it is to do it exactly like me..."

This is a little off topic but THANK YOU for saying that. I can't stand that crap. It's the same with some people in music scenes, cooks (especially chefs) in restaurants... some people just can't handle being talented without being arrogant dicks, it seems.

Sorry, I know, I kinda flipped there but DAMN!

[BuckarooBanzai]

I store prints in freezer weight Ziploc bags. If you have an Impulse heat sealer, turn it down to about 2.5 and you can heat seal those bags quite effectively.

The cool thing about Ziploc bags is that it is easy to make syringes when you need them. Just stab a needle through the bag, scrape most of the spores loose, squirt in a little sterile water and then suck the spore water up.

I played with the cold/adhesive lamination. Pain in the ass to get the spores back out.

Pull the unit off the bottom of the dehydrator – very simple wiring. If you can’t figure it out, take a couple good close up pics and I’ll tell you what is what. Dehydrating with heat does reduce the magic content.

I leave ‘em in the dehydrator until they are cracker dry, then they go into a quart jar or a freezer weight Ziploc with an envelope of silica gel dessicant. The dessicant isn’t required for storage, but it makes certain everything stays completely dry.

I store all my mushrooms in the freezer and the cold mushies can get a little condensation on them when I open the jar to remove a sample. The dessicant envelope makes certain that little bit of condensation doesn’t wreck the rest of them.

You can buy silica gel envelopes, get them out of pill bottles, or make your own with Drierite and PO Tyvek.

[AGAMA]

First off- Sorry about the quality of photos, was in a hurry.
Next- Thanx again BB for taking the time to spell things out for me.
And finally- WOW! This is so cool. Don't want to count the chickens and all that, but I can taste these guys already!
More photos to come in the next few days.

Mycotopia Rocks!