Amsterdam Mexican Spores Fruiting

[FieldofShrooms]

Ok, to start, I purchased a spore print when I was last in Amsterdam back in February(I live in one of those unfortunate states where I can not purchase or own locally). All the spore print says is 'Mexican'. I purchased it at one of the better known Smart Shops there. Fast forward to April 24 when I finally got around to utilizing it. Using the tek method here: www.shroomery.org/index.php/par/7919

After inoculating 23 jars and incubating at 85 F, I waited. I eventually lost one to green mold around day 10, but all the others were fine. Around May 12th I took out 11 jars that were fully colonized and birthed them(I waited a few extra days after 100% colonization). We'll call them group A. The other 11(group B) seemed to stall. The bottoms weren't colonized on a few and so I flipped them upside down to see if that would help. After waiting several more days for group B to catch up I finally just birthed them and DEC thinking that with the damp verm on the uncolonized parts(just the bottoms now) it would be ok. I dunked 3 of the cakes in group B after birthing as a test run since ALL of this is my first venture into growing shrooms, and set them apart from the others.

May 18th--there is no sign of growth on Group A, but I didn't DEC them until 3 days after they were birthed. All cakes are sitting on lids on top of perlite at a depth of 1 1/2 - 2 inches with fanning and misting 4-6 times a day. Group B has white fuzzy stuff growing into top verm layer(which was the uncolonized bottoms on a few) and bright fuzzy protrusions on the sides of a few others, but no pinning.

Today--There are multiple pins and small shrooms on about half of Group A's cakes. There did not appear to be ANY growth or pins yesterday when I checked them. Group B still has white fuzzy stuff, but no pins. Here is where I am slightly confused. ALL pins and ALL shrooms are growing out of bottom verm layer on every cake that has action. No pins or shrooms on top verm layer or the sides. I've never seen this in any photos on this site or others. Is this normal?? Should I keep watering the top verm layer? The white fuzzy stuff doesn't seem to be cobweb mold as it hasn't rapidly consumed any cakes.

Why is there no white fuzzy stuff on Group A's cakes, but they pinned, and a lot of white fuzzy on Group B's? Any insights would be helpful, after all, I am in unchartered territory for myself. I thought I read somewhere that I should let the CO2 build up slightly to get the cakes to pin(I only fanned once for group A in a 24 hour period a few days ago).

Oh, the temp is a steady 72 F, with the humidity between 96-100%(gotta love borrowing equipment from the lab ya work at). Here are some pics, please tell me what you think! BTW, each cake pictured is a different cake. The first four shots are of group A, the last 3 are group B.

[MLBjammer]

The cakes look good. You will see more pins in time. Mycelium will often grow through the top casing layer. Are you giving them enough light?

[roc]

Give them 3-4 more days and you will be suprised!

Nice job!

[encapsulated]

Keep us apdated on that shit man i would like to see how your first try goes

[FieldofShrooms]

Originally Posted by MLBjammer

The cakes look good. You will see more pins in time. Mycelium will often grow through the top casing layer. Are you giving them enough light?

Until Group A pinned, they were in 12 hours of natural indirect sunlight and then 12 hours darkness. Now group A has a covering wrapped around the outside so shrooms grow up rather than out due to darkness and about 2 inches is left uncovered at top of bin to let a little light in. I think I got that right. It's hard for me to think after smoking all day. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. Group B is still under the 12/12 rule. Is there an average number of aborts per flush? Like 10% or something under ideal conditions or is it totally random?

So should I still water top casing if myc is growing through it? I don't want to damage it by waterlogging the myc.

You should not have to water if the humidity is appropriate. If things are looking a bit dry bring the water content back up slowly by misting lightly several times a day. Do not soak it all at once.

There is no average number of aborts especially with multi spore projects. Some strains produce more aborts than others. If you want to minimize aborts then cloning or strain selection using agar is the next logical step.

[FieldofShrooms]

Originally Posted by dial8

There is no average number of aborts especially with multi spore projects. Some strains produce more aborts than others. If you want to minimize aborts then cloning or strain selection using agar is the next logical step.

Wow...that sounds complex and time consuming, and I'm pretty lazy! Sounds like I'll be doing a lot more reading. Upon inspection today, all cakes in group A are pinning nicely, albeit ONLY out of the bottom verm layer. Am I the only one that thinks this is odd or is it completely normal? I can't find any writings on it. Group B is still growing nice white fluffy stuff with no pins, BUT 2 of the 3 pre-flush dunked cakes(15 hours) are actually pinning...out of the bottom verm layer. I can live with it, as long as those babies keep popping out!

[cap]

Wow...that sounds complex and time consuming, and I'm pretty lazy!

touche.
agar work = flowhood = $investment = fastest way to work. hassle free culturing
if money is an object,
tissue cloning/liquid culture is just as easy and less time cosuming then printing/drawing syringes

Am I the only one that thinks this is odd or is it completely normal?

normal.

[FieldofShrooms]

Ok, it's been awhile since they fruited out, so I'll try to write up a quick summary.

About a week after my last post, I had fruiting galore in both chambers. Chamber A was doing slightly better than B, but they both looked great. I had to pawn off the daily duties of fanning and misting to a friend because I had company in town for 2 weeks that wouldn't appreciate my new found blue-thumb education. This had an unfortunate side effect as my friend who was helpful in a sense that he took 'care' of my cakes also didn't seem to follow the distinct directions I painstakingly laid out.

After we harvested enough fresh (as well as dry that he prepared in a no-heat dessicator) for four people to try we digested. My friend and his wife who have never tried them before didn't take a large a dose as me and another friend who travels to Amsterdam frequently with me. For us, it was about 35 grams fresh, the newbs got about 2g dry. We marked the time and waited. I had eaten about an hour beforehand and no one else had eaten for several hours. We had all hung with Mary earlier that day. I was the first one to notice some effects which was about 45 minutes in. I felt a little drunk and a little high, but nothing like the hammering I would get when downing 1.8g of Hawaiians in Amsterdam.

An hour goes by and one of the newbs(female) is having extreme nausea discomfort. We had told her to expect this before hand and that it usually passes in less than 45 mins or so, but it had hold of her for about 2 hours. We all head to the porch and revisit with MJ. I notice through the screened in porch that there is a path of light and a path of darkness through the woods. It's clear as day to me and I know it's a trick of the sunlight setting in the evening, but no one else sees it, yet I remain fascinated nonetheless.

75 minutes pass and I am starting to get a little bummed. I've never had to wait this long and no one else is feeling as 'good' as I am yet. I converse with my AMS friend and we decide to eat about 15g more fresh as these are Mexican, my experience has been that they just haven't been as strong visually as others I have tried (Eq and Hawaiians) and that is what we really want. The other newb chomps down 10g because he's experienced with Cid and various other mind expanders and believes he can handle whatever may happen.

90 minutes and I can't tell if it's the shrooms or the mj that's the cause of our discussions. We ramble on about if the earth stopped rotating instantly how fast we would fly off into space and what not. More philosophical discussion follows.

120 minutes and I crack first. I am looking at my AMS friend and know I want to talk to him but can't open my mouth. When I eventually do, all that comes out is bouts of laughter. FINALLY. Everyone rejoices and they follow soon after. I'm relieved that I arrive at where I want to be and start to enjoy the music on a Sirius channel playing from inside. I forgot the channel, but it's total mellow music, lot of instrumental stuff.

As I walk inside to refresh myself with a beer, the living room takes on a warm glow, but it is very cool inside. I am now in a rainforest and there are rainbows coming down the walls. I feel a fine rain on my skin and see miniature rainbows in every raindrop. As quickly as the scene hits me it fades. That was the best it got. The rest of the night was just interesting colors and fits of laughter watching tv. BTW, Fuse has some warped shit on late in the evenings for you cable/dish watchers out there..especially a show called Munchies as well as G4 tv's Tuesday night's "peepshow" with various skits and short films. We all had a great time watching.

Unholy side effect...gas...and LOTS of it. I haven't had that much gas in a long....hell...EVER. Next time I'm eating some Beano with those mushies. Never had that issue before, but everyone who enjoyed that night had same feeling. All in all, I am a little dissapointed in the amount I had to consume for the effects received and in the slow onset. I wouldn't recommend the particular print I purchased from that Smart Shop either.

Now for the latest. After my company finally left the house, my newb friend brings the chambers back to my house. Holy crap. They look TERRIBLE. I try to contain my disappointment. One cake has become contaminated and it is immediately tossed. The others have some of the most sickly shrooms I've ever seen. Thin stems at the base to about half way up followed by fuzzy myc growth and others that just plain don't look healthy are on every cake. All this work to have it go down like this. Sad really. So I pick off EVERYTHING and decide to dunk and DEC, which I'm about 4 hours into dunking presently. I should have taken pics of the great 1st flush followed by how sickly the shrooms looked when he brought them back. I just hope I can pull out a better flush than what he left me with. Also, the humidity was reading high 80's to low 90's and I don't think they were fanned as often as I told him to. Needless to say, I'm working on automation for the future.

Has anyone in Amsterdam had that experience with the Mexican shrooms over there? I'm just amazed that 1.8g dry of Hawaiians kicked my butt on numerous occasions and I had to double up on fresh Mexicans to get just a fraction of the visuals I did with them or the Eq's. I hate living in a state where I can't order ANY supplies!!!!! ARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

[BuckarooBanzai]

Sounds like you got there on your own product, man, and that is a most sweet and wonderful and unique feeling.

Total congratulations, man!

[I_am_me]

I believe the hawaiians in Amsterdam are actually a different species, not just a different strain. What is sold as hawaiian at the smart shops I went to were pan. cyan species. The Mexican you are growing are psilocybe cubensis. Usually pans are about twice as strong or maybe a little more since they are fresh.

[FieldofShrooms]

Originally Posted by I_am_me

I believe the hawaiians in Amsterdam are actually a different species, not just a different strain. What is sold as hawaiian at the smart shops I went to were pan. cyan species. The Mexican you are growing are psilocybe cubensis. Usually pans are about twice as strong or maybe a little more since they are fresh.

That would explain a lot to me. Now to see if I can get that strain locally will be interesting. A couple of the Smart Shops I went to that sold spore prints alone were all Mexican variety. However, if you bought their in-house grow kit, it came with either Hawaiian or EQ prints(or syringes I think), but I didn't have near the understanding or nerves as I do now back then. The kits were a bit higher priced if I remember correctly, around 50-60 Euro(the print I purchased was 20 Euro), and with the U.S. dollar getting it's ass kicked all over the globe...I passed. I'm planning another trip this summer and will look into it more, but if anyone else is over there or travels over there, I would appreciate any info you can pass on as well!

[FieldofShrooms]

Originally Posted by BuckarooBanzai

Sounds like you got there on your own product, man, and that is a most sweet and wonderful and unique feeling.

Total congratulations, man!

Ya know...I was quite proud after nursing those babies for 4 weeks. It did feel great knowing it all paid off. Now I kinda understand what a new parent feels like. I'll never know that feeling because...well...I can't stand kids!

[Hippie3]

me, neither.

[MNL]

Originally Posted by I_am_me

I believe the hawaiians in Amsterdam are actually a different species, not just a different strain. What is sold as hawaiian at the smart shops I went to were pan. cyan species.

That is correct. There are generally 2 cubies sold in smartshops, EQ and Mexican.

I grew out clones of a smartshop mexican on straw (there should be pictures around here somewhere....). It was a mixed bag on cakes, but the straw was ok.