General WTF? sorta thing

[gravit8]

Ok, first time poster, longtime reader.

Frustrated hobbiest.

One day many months ago I ordered a triple of the panama from TGS. It took nearly two weeks to get my delivery but that allowed me to check my BRF jars for contams before I innoculated. I had no contams (phew). But when I finally inoculated it took more than 5 weeks to get even halfway colonized. I put this down as just a slow strain, I had read and re-read so many threads on myco that I knew I had prepared my jars correctly, even doing a test-batch before I had ordered my first spores.

When I spawned to a WS bulk (yes, using the BRF, I decided to go 'big' after much debate) it took another full month to colonize a 10 gallon tub packed and prepped according to the compiled info of several threads. And then another 3 weeks to fruit, by which time I had a nice colony of spiderweb mold infesting my verm. I got a small handful of fruits for that labor.

While (very) patiently waiting for all this to come to completion I ordered 3 B+ and 3 Golden teacher syringes from SporeStore.com. I had not one single jar take the innoculation (using a mix of rye berries and quinioa, doing several test-runs to get the mix right). After waiting nearly two months for some action (even re-hitting the jars with the single syringe I had leftover from Sporestore.com) AND a cross-country move I finally tossed the uncontaminated sub in the yard, where I noticed several boomers (not the edible kind) poking up through the wood mulch several days later (Yes, I prepped the lids with tyvek and H3's much-loved silicone
. Still can't figure it out).


Ok, so I finally gave in and sent away for the July special at Ralphsters' (10 units, 5 varities). I made up some 'dank-ass karo' following the same titled thread and managed to get 1 single jar showing growth out of 11. I did up 2 jars for each strain, with amazon the only one showing any action after two weeks. I also knocked up a batch of rye/quinioa with a syringe of mexi-cube, getting 3 contam'd jars out of 8 (but FINALLY getting some results, YAY!).

And now, I can't find wheat straw for the life of me, here in north eastern florida (*SIGH*). I actually ran all over town just to find the flippin rye, only 2 stores in town sell bulk grain (WTF?). So after this long rant (and beating my head against the wall repeatedly) I've got a few very simple questions I couldn't find elsewhere in the vaults. Yes, I've looked.

1. Aside from ordering from mycrotopia (only thing stopping me is a lack of $$) is there anyone in the NE Florida area who might know where to find simple wheat straw? I've called around. The answer I've gotten is NO. I must, by the laws of chance, be missing something (crosses fingers). Also, it would be great to have a contact around here that I could share info with. I feel like I'm committing the perfect crime and I can't tell anyone.

2. Failing to find WS, what other reliable options might one have? I read up on 'Timothy hay' and frankly I want to get a solid...err...working foundation for my future plans on expanded 'mycological studies'(heh) and I need something reliable that won't explode with contams after teh 1st flush. I like using the monotub method and don't have a space to build a proper fruiting chamber for the volume I'm intending to study so bulk is the way to go.

3. Sorta off-topic for this thread but... Is there a better mix for LC that doesn't involve standing in my kitchen for 3 hours filtering potato water? Talk about tedious.


All this frustration aside, it was worth it when I saw those first pins (eventually aborted) of panama Sadly they were very, very weak fruit upon investigation. Obviously I must be doing something wrong, somewhere. This was the most recent thread I found with a combination of these topics so if ya gotta move my ?'s go right ahead, and thanks in advance.

[TastyBeverage]

You may be out of luck if your heart is really set on straw but you've not been able to find it. Have you tried feed stores for livestock? You might try calling a stable and asking where they get theirs.

Luckily, there are plenty of other materials that are cheap and easy to find. Bagged, composted manure cut with coconut coir works great for a lot of growers.

Your colonization times are pretty slow... do you have pics of your setup? Hard to guess what the problem is without more specifics.

As for LC, plenty of good tek right here: http://forums.mycotopia.net/liquid-c...ey-dextrose-q/

[livewire420]

check lowes sometime they carry straw. mine does.

[Hippie3]

wrong time of year for straw but not much longer until crop comes in.

[Beastmaster]

Any feed store should have a variety of straw bales, maybe they're out til harvest but at least they'll know that they carry it. $5 a bale is expensive.

You'll find, as we have, that there are many many ways to skin this cat. The cubensis mushroom is not a finicky eater, and as such, a wide variety of combinations of coco coir (shredded coconut husks), manure, worm castings, wood chips, etc have been used successfully.

To speed up your colonization times, besides environmental considerations such as air exchange and humidity, increasing the spawn to substrate ratio will help.

Karo with a few nutrients seems simple and easy to make. I messed with the potatoes once and it was a big pain. Like substrates, liquid cultures can be made from a variety of substances. Remember to keep things simple though, things can get overly complexified fast. Then you have too many factors to work with when troubleshooting or trying to replicate down the line...

[gravit8]

*sigh

I left 3/4 of a bale of WS sitting behind my old house in Iowa. g'dammit. None of the feed stores sell straw - it's all hey, and I'm not entirely excited at the prospects of going through a bale bit by bit to clean it of seeds and crap >:[

Frankly, the other mixes and stuff I could use seem pretty complicated compared to WS - just prep it and cook it up, stuff it in. Before my recent attempts this year it was what I was using with decent results. Looks like someone might be getting an order for some bags shortly (after finding work and the resulting cash). H3, you need to offer a bigger solution than 2 gallons, good sir. You should probably start prepping an entire bale w/poo. I'll need it...

...If I can get my LC's to work properly. It just now occured to me that I used tap water for my last batch (D'oh! We have incredibly hard water here) and the ones showing growth are from an earlier round I did w/distilled. I also used a lid I'd made for grain with a tyvek breather and silicon injection port on the ones showing growth. The rest are versions w/2 sealed injection ports...

<---dumbass

Thing is, in reading through the numerous threads on each of these topics, it's been at least as much work digging through the crap to find the nuggets of wisdom, and even those nuggets don't seem connected to comprehensive answers.

For instance, Buckaroo has some marvelous(ly complicated) TEKs that probably produce amazing results...but nothing to really tie them together.

I'm thinking of something much like a flow chart/tree. Something like the vaults but it'd be pretty straightforward to pick a starting TEK and flow through to the end, with branches where an enterprising hobbiest could choose between, say, fruiting in a chamber vs. going bulk in a tub. It could get pretty complicated BUT, on the other hand, getting an idea of the different options before you even start a certain TEK could do wonders for someone looking into the various methods available.

So this has gone from questions to ideas...my brain is all over the place today.

When I first started this hobby I had a friend with experience and I wasn't left wondering what I should do next out of all my choices - he simply told me what had worked for him and thats what I used.

Then I finally broke down and started trawling the 'net for ideas, and the next thing I knew I was a babbling, confused SOB. WBS? BRF? RYE? SPAWN BAGS? BULK SUBS? SHOULD I INCUBATE? CAN I GO BULK FROM BRF?

You get the idea. Not confused by the process or terms, but I'm still trying to decide if, lacking a proper source for WS, I should switch back to BRF and build myself a fruiting chamber, knowing full well I don't want to b/c I would either have to build several (all that effort has me feeling overwhelmed already) OR if I should try another bulk sub, and if I do (another sub) will it be as reliable as the tub? I'm not asking for specific answers here, just illustrating my jumbled thinking (I think I might cry soon).


This is where a flow chart sorta thing would be very handy. Something with links to the actual info, buried under thousands of threads and usually halfway down after a dozen or more two word comments (mostly useless, often sending me back through the archives to to figure out WTF they're talking about or if it's even worth it).

I'm either going to start a riot or be completely ignored... But I know there are many others out there who've spent hours and hours just researching until they finally stumble onto the answer they're looking for, usually with watery eyes and after clicking inadvertently on the right thread.

Oh, and a WHY? section would be like the holy grail for those of us who like to know why and not just how - for instance, why you should use the RTV silicone over anything else. I made a set of lids with high-temp bathroom/sauna type sealer, and the shit refused to cure and stayed tacky to the point of grain sticking to it - thats why I use the RTV stuff now. In the threads, it's obvious H3 likes the stuff, and why (specifically that particular mixs benefits) but not why you wouldn't even bother with the crap I used. Obviously there are disagreements but certain answers will be _THE_ answer, de facto, shut up and accept it.


OR


H3 could just compile all his best bits of wisdom and threads (like Buckaroo) in a tasty bite-sized stickied thread. Yeah. I hereby motion....any seconds?

[oibchip]

I really don't want to offend you cuz you seem like a nice person But I don't think a reorganization of the board is gonna happen. We (people that have been here a long time and new folks too) seem to be able to access and apply the knowledge located her. Your just gonna have to make do with what we have here and what we have here is one of if not the best online sources.

Get some horse shit and pastuerize it ..I'm sure that there are horses somewhere near you and if there are horses then I'll bet theres straw too.

[gravit8]

I didn't say anything about re-organizing (but I did mention a riot).

Much like a new thread, this idea I speak of would seriously cut the time it takes for a n00b to find the actual info relating to the course of action they intend on taking.

This will not, of course, remove the waiting and trial and error associated with doing something new, at least not in the strictest sense.

It will, however, allow for an easier gameplan to develop when deciding to go invitro, bulk, stealth, or whatever.

Maybe you're starting from an LC.

Maybe you want to get to the point where you make your own LC after you've had a successful...research session.

Maybe you want to go big right out of the gate (practice be damned) and want to know the quickest way to get setup - materials wise, at any rate.

I can't even count the trips I've made to the store b/c after starting I found I wanted to proceed with a different TEK that I hadn't found in the MONTHS of reading I did before getting started (keeping in mind I had some past experience with this hobby before I ever checked Myco).

The main reason for this idea is that the whole process can seem rather abstract until you've gone through the motions a couple of times. I've found myself sitting here, staring at my screen, fighting with myself over the merits of a certain process over another, and it's only worsened when I stumble upon another (maybe better) process after I finally commit.

It's like trying to teach yourself how to fix a car one step at a time, having to go get a new tool with each new step, instead of having the list right there from start to finish.

And, in the end, thats what this whole thing is missing. A comprehensive, start to finish, UPDATED process for the avid hobbiest on a limited budget.

None of this PF TEK crap(respectfully) with open holes in the lid for first timers...Which, BTW, should not be allowed to continue being the 'newbie' method (with all due respect to PF and the innovators). While the TEK is solid, leaving it to chance that someone will read, and read, and read some more until they discover that open holes in the tops of your jars will almost always lead to contams, is wasting time and effort for hundreds of people.

Hell, my entire first practice batch of BRF/PF went yellow and green b/c there wasn't a whole lot of cross-linked info about the simplicity of sealant and tyvek, and what was there quickly got confusing, with missing bits here and there. I know, whine, right? At least I was still waiting for my syringes at that point and could do it over again without wasting money on my spores.

Thing is, enough people have done the work that it shouldn't happen like this anymore. Unless, of course, you believe that there should be a steep learning curve because you had to go through all that, too, so why shouldn't everyone else? That surely isn't what you're getting at with "We (people that have been here a long time and new folks too) seem to be able to access and apply the knowledge located her".

It took me several months to pull the info I needed together, and I've been wired since before Gore invented this here 'net. I can't imagine the number of people who've moved on to somewhere else or given up completely b/c they got so frustrated tracking down simple answers. Answers which are there, for sure, just...not easy to find.

Boning up on my PHP5 so I might be able to whip up something that'll work pretty slick. Might be a minute, though, the last PHP site I put together was 5 years ago...

All this said, I wouldn't have a chance starting with no previous experience without this site, so hats off to all the hard work and dedication and TIME spent developing the methods buried throughout this site.

You all deserve a cookie. covered in honey

[mycobri]

seek and you will find your answers.
asking questions is welcomed here.
and yes, most likely no one will hand-deliver answers to you.

or experiment a little,
and maybe you can show us something new

[Foster]

If you want easy to access, straight forward info, check out the myco DVD for $25 Great interactive guide on there for quick info and answers. Plus much, much more!

http://forums.mycotopia.net/market-p...available.html (why now is a good time to buy a myco-DVD-R NOW AVAILABLE])

[TastyBeverage]

Different strokes for different folks. A flow chart type of setup wouldn't work here because there are way too many parameters to include and what one grower loves to do another won't. Case in point, you're dedicated to straw but i find it way too messy and cumbersome. I realize that as a fairly new grower you have a certain tek that you like and want to stick with, but there's nothing wrong with experimenting and trying out new things too. Maybe in a few months you'll be posting pics of your awesome grow that you learned how to do by reading through our archives.

[Hippie3]

the pf tek works fine 90% of the time,
even with its open holes in the lid.

as for the issue of WHY-
because i said so.
that should be good enough.
not going to debate the merits of various sealants
with the ten thousand newbs that come thru here year.
if i say
use rtv silicon adhesive
then use it.
don't blame me when you ignore good advice.

which brings up the last point-
a flow-chart would never satisfy the variety of growers out there.
we can't chew your food for you.
we expect and require those who come here
to have enough intelligence and basic research skills
to crawl the archives and vaults
and figure out their own path.
and we're here to help answer questions.
but not to tell you what to do,
that's your job, to choose, to decide.

[rambi]

Originally Posted by TastyBeverage

As for LC, plenty of good tek right here: http://forums.mycotopia.net/liquid-c...ey-dextrose-q/

you can also try the second method in
pareil's (humble beginnings - eq lc, whole grain rice, straw pellets, no verm)thread which worked well.
a year later and the lc is still very strong.
but it's very easy to do.

all you need is a factory sealed bottle of water,
a bottle of vanilla, the airport tek
and a spore syringe.

ramb

[TVCasualty]

Originally Posted by gravit8

The main reason for this idea is that the whole process can seem rather abstract until you've gone through the motions a couple of times. I've found myself sitting here, staring at my screen, fighting with myself over the merits of a certain process over another, and it's only worsened when I stumble upon another (maybe better) process after I finally commit.

Bingo.

All processes are abstract until we get our hands dirty and actually do them. Many different teks from many different people represent many different situations, and most are not going to be suitable to your own. I kept on reading until I found one that used materials I had access to in a context similar to my own. One looked like it was perfect for my situation, and that's the one I followed. Once I chose a tek I followed it to the letter from beginning to end, and second-guessing part of the way through is a proven method for failing. As an example, I just skip over all the teks related to super-stealthy growing since I don't need to be very stealthy. I carefully read all the teks about preparing WBS since I use WBS and want to find easier ways to prep than I use. But what I skip over and what I read is determined by experience, and if I have no experience I just get lost in the vast info-overload.

The search feature makes the archives/vaults useful, but that's only if you know what you're looking for. You know what you're looking for by getting your hands dirty doing the basics. The PF Tek is one of the most reliable basic teks there is, which is why it's so highly recommended (the goal here being to help anyone who wants to grow mushrooms find success, so the recommendations need to be broad in scope). Helping someone grow shitloads on bulk subs is not that high of a priority since success is highly unlikely until someone knows how to grow small amounts first. Everybody wants to jump right into bulk, but they almost all learn how to grow huge amounts of contamination instead.

It's the classic crawl-before-you-can-walk kind of thing, and it makes no sense to go shopping for running shoes during the crawling phase. It's not hard to understand the basic teks in an abstract sense; technically speaking the PF Tek is dirt-simple and people think "I know I can handle more complex teks than that!" so they try straw for their first few grows, and fail.

Some BRF, some half-pints, some vermiculite and water are simple, but what doing the PF tek teaches is how the mycelium grows, what it's supposed to look like when it's happy or under stress, the proper smell it's supposed to have (and the 'uh-oh' kind too), and all the other stuff that can't be taught- only experienced. Once enough actual hand's-on time has been invested by a grower, the huge amount of info available here becomes easy and straightforward to navigate, although because there's so much it can seem overwhelming. It's all about focus, and knowing what to ignore during your searches.

Good Luck!

[gravit8]

You're all missing my point by miles.

I'm not basing this off my own difficulties in finding the info.

It's the way all this information is scattered across:

Threads: 29,258
Posts: 438,162

YOU may have the time and patience to sit and look through the several thousand relevant threads to find that little nugget. Others may not.

Even with the vaults and forums under general thread topics you're still sifting through massive amounts of information to get answers unless you get lucky (or after having read everything, you can actually remember the specific thread for the right info).

I'm curious as to why anyone would object to making it easier to deal with all this experience and information on a fundamental level. It's like keeping track of everything in code- only you know what to look for.

For all of you with more than 300 posts, pretend you have to go back and start over. Look around with fresh eyes. Remember the overwhelming sense of "where do I even start, and where will it end?"

If you still think that trying to compile this info into a faq or a series of simple trees isn't a reasonable idea I'd suggest you might examine how much you desire to share the details of your hobby with others. Over time a certain elitism can develop. "I had to do it this way, and now so do you" sort of attitude seems to be popping up. If, in the end, self-examination and improvement are a part of this whole hobby...you could look at this as a friendly suggestion about changing how you share information.

And please, I'm not looking for specific answers anymore. I never really was. I used examples to try illustrate my point. If ya'll want to keep answering questions (usually including links to the answer) that's cool. I'd prefer to help others find the answers themselves before giving up in frustration by simplifying the process. Leave the questions for more obscure problems and experiments.


And, once again, I'm not trying to re-write every last element and take away the site you all covet. I'm trying to help others find the same value in it that you do. It is an open community, right?

[rambi]

Originally Posted by Hippie3

we can't chew your food for you.
we expect and require those who come here
to have enough intelligence and basic research skills
to crawl the archives and vaults
and figure out their own path.
and we're here to help answer questions.
but not to tell you what to do,
that's your job, to choose, to decide.

it's not easy for a reason.

[duaut]

@Grav
forget the straw, go to PetCo and buy some Critter Country pellets, they are pasteurized straw pellets and mix it with some coco coir and worm castings, then make your substrates. The stuff works wonders.
Mix = 60/40/10
pellets/coco/castings

Works much better, and is less bulk than a huge bail of hay.
Critter Country is the way to go if you want to use hay products.
keep your head up, things will swing your way soon.

Peace

[Hippie3]

YOU may have the time and patience to sit and look through the several thousand relevant threads to find that little nugget. Others may not.

and that would be
their problem.

you either spend time or you spend money-
you can sift, sort, scheme your way to a DIY grow
or you can buy everything pre-made, ready to go.
still you must choose.

as for a faq there are a few here already,
i guess you haven't yet stumbled across them.

feel free to create what you feel is needed
then post it and if it's quality
we'll be happy to host it here.
but if you don't really care enough to do it yourself
then you can't blame others for acting the same way.
i have more pressing issues to attend than to
custom craft a Plan Of Action for you.

[TVCasualty]

Ok, so of the thousand or so how-to-grow-mushrooms teks, which one do you show the rookies? How is a middle ground found between being spoon-fed the specifics (which will, of course, piss off all the people who wrote up beautiful teks not chosen to be the "Mushrooms 101" tek) vs. a wide-open free for all of information overload?

The numbers you posted are somewhat misleading, btw. Those are ALL the threads, and the threads are not cast out in random order. They are categorized in forums, and if you want to learn how to grow, you go to the appropriate forum which immediately eliminates thousands and thousands of threads not related to growing. Then, you can search within the individual forum for the specifics you require.

A lot of people have an unrealistic approach to learning this hobby, I've found. Some folks register and their first posts are things like "I'm having a party at the end of the month and I need to grow some boomers by then. I've never ever done it before and I need a bunch so what do I do?" Seriously, I see a lot of that, and that approach is doomed to failure.

Learning to grow is learning the basics of microbiology and management. Those are a very broad subjects, and not everyone's needs or goals are the same (or based on reality for that matter), so how best to establish priorities within such a vast spectrum of information? We have complete newbies hanging out alongside industry and underground experts, and that's a unique situation not even found at major universities (and one that's very conducive to learning). The way it is is the best compromise found so far, born of long experience extending way back before I ever arrived. It's no different with chemistry or physics or any other skill set; it is jargon-infested and arcane and baffling to outsiders and everywhere we start learning feels like the middle, but what matters is sticking to it and the pieces do begin to fall into place at some point.

Posting "help I'm a rookie I searched the archives but I'm lost in the info-glut! I want to grow so what's the best way and the best strain and stuff?" will result in helpful replies that point out possible starting points. If not, someone should post their questions again (threads get missed along the way) and then take the advice offered, which people don't do a lot more often than you'd think, especially when the advice is "learn how to determine realistic goals for this hobby."

I learned to grow entirely off-line, but got good at it thanks to what I found on-line. If you think wading through 10,000 threads about how to grow is a hard way to learn it, I suggest trying it using nothing more than three books published in the early 80's (one of which was completely bogus) and a few xeroxed pages detailing something called the "PF Tek." Getting lost in the info-tsunami of 'Topia was a genuine relief after that bumpy road...

[gravit8]

*thumps head against the wall

Okay, go back and make sure you have an idea about what I'm talking about. Seems like the people who keep suggesting things missed the part where I wasn't asking for advice anymore.

Many people who would be great members and eventually contributors have probably, at best, stopped trying out of frustration.

Many people, after spending a lot of time and money on spores, have ended up with a moldy mess when they didn't have to for lack of info (or time to dig through and find it).

You've all walked the baby walk. Taken the baby steps. Tons of gratitude.

Ask yourself, though, if you'd be alright standing by and watching someone on a limited budget but full of passion burn through their resources and patience simply b/c nobody bothered to tell them
some tiny little detail, even though they could have? I get the feeling a lot of you have forgotten that frustration. I'm probably wrong but thats what it sounds like.

Neither have many of you read my entire post, selectively picking the part you'd like to discredit. I may be new on this site, by my post count, but I've got more years perched behind a computer screen than I care to count and I'm used to helping people find information using tools available, improving upon those tools when I saw the need.

There is a definite need for some streamlining. This tool is great, but for some, it could be better.

THIS HOBBY DOESN'T HAVE TO BE HARD. All I'm hearing is that, because it's how you all learned, it's how it is and that's how it's going to stay.

Sorry, but thats...FUCKING SELFISH AND SELF-CENTERED.

I'm thinking of those people who might not ever make a post, grinding through the hours of the night looking for an answer when so many of you could contribute to their efforts without hardly any effort on your part (what, some typing?)

What you're saying, in effect, is that you'd like to keep an elite circle of people in the know, and anyone who can't spare the days and days you did shouldn't be allowed to be a part of this hobby.

Instead of taking my ideas and suggestions you'd rather argue that it's fine as it is and anyone who hasn't invested hundreds of hours or hundreds of dollars or both isn't worthy of your concern.

I've already started something so fucking simple it astounds me that such an educated group of people hasn't put the tiniest bit of effort into something similar already.

Heaven forbid you make this information accessible to anyone without tons of free time. Surely, they haven't the need, the RIGHT to play mushrooms if they don't have the time to find out things everyone else already knows.

Thing is, this site is entirely user-generated content. Unless you're all profiting from the knowledge you already have, why not make it easier for others to share in that knowledge? Instead it's one reason after another why it should stay just the way it is.

Astonishing. As a teacher this pains me greatly. Nothing keeps a hobby out of the mainstream like elitists and old die-hards clinging to the 'way I did, so will you' mindset.

Imagine if those learned monks, so many years ago, felt the same about teaching peasants to read (they should devote their entire lives to god just for the priviledge of education). It seems a joke to think of the same thought process today and yet here I am trying to break through the thing.

On one side: learned monks
On the other side: illiterate peasants

I'm speaking for the people who could be helped but don't even know it yet.

I'm acting for them too, because I remember what it feels like to grope around the the dark for answers to questions I haven't even thought of yet.

Do you all really want to keep people out of this hobby? No.
Do I want to change everything? No.

The middle ground involves a community effort to refine and distill the immense knowledge contained herein and make it practical for the most users to access and utilize that information. The best people to help in that effort also have the most experience and information to offer. Otherwise why even bother posting this information on a public forum?

Another teacher just put it thus: Do you want to help them, or just wait for the questions when they could already have the answers?

I know I'm being very clear in both word and thought. Hope you can understand what I'm aiming for...

[the_heretic]

perhaps a 2nd or 3rd job?
you could use the cash from side jobs to buy mycrotopia supplies.
serve tables for a month...plenty of investment cash...and its easy.

[grok]

Being a total newb who has yet to see a pin in.. oh.. it feels like forever. I think I'm qualified to say:

What is so hard about this? There is no secret doctrine.

I found a -lot- of conflicting information until I came here. And I know why.
There are a ton of people that haven't even grown jack before and are giving advice. Sure it's one thing to relay learned information, but at least admit to it. A pleasant "I read this here and here's the link" would be nice.

I know this from experience already:

Impatience is death

Sterility is 'godly' - Always take the extra step to ensure it (e.g. get a PC - don't just boil things).

Research & ask questions.

It didn't take me long at all to learn 2 basic newb things. PF & B+ is a good way to go for a newb.


And in closing. Theory is only theory until put into practice. Only through practice can anyone learn anything. I think there far are too many real-life variables in play for -any- one to write a global how-to.

[gravit8]

heretic, that is part of the problem I'm facing.

I've limited time to invest anymore since the school year has started. I simply don't have the time to sift through any more info anytime I change my TEK. I already did the research for Rye to bulk straw tek and that took a lot of searching and compiling. At one point I was even stealing wifi from an open access point after I couldn't afford my internet anymore, saving page after page to view at home instead of in my car in front of someone's house.

I can't afford another job for time, and my classroom kids (none of my own, no thanks, I've got 30 of other people's kids to warp) and putting this together.

You might sense my frustration here. I felt the same when we tried to introduce a new exploration-based math program at my old school.

Some of the teachers resisted so strongly to new methods they flat out ignored the proven benefits of the new program, and made every effort to undermine the results of the program.

"It was done this way when I started, why change it?" The people who stand in that position rarely recognize the need. Everyone who's tried the new program stands there scratching their head, wondering why.

Its not that something is wrong with it now.

It's that it could be better.

Taking pride out of the equation is often the dealbreaker. You didn't do anything wrong, it's what you haven't done right.

At the very least I've started the discussion and planted some different ideas. Run with it. No yelling, though, indoor voices people

[Hippie3]

lol
where is your website ?
i'd like to see if you're qualified
to tell me
what i didn't do right.

[hyphaenation]

Regarding magic mushrooms ...

They're called magic because they are elusive, and so is the information surrounding them. Its a mystery for most , and well it should be imo .

Those who earnestly seek information about their cultivation will be rewarded, especially here. We have to dig a little.

Those who have a hard time finding the information here , or those who don't know how to apply it either need to rethink their search & deployment techniques or consider another hobby.

All will be revealed for those truly seeking ...

best of luck

[Freaky]

Seems Gravit8 you are concentrating the small amount of time you expressed you had debating your thoughts on a website you are new to with concerns of how the organization of information doesn't suit you, rather than trying to learn and actually see how easy the information is to find.

[eatyualive]

im not reading all that but from what i read. man just try the tek and get it down before you dis it. until you prove it wrong, or do it yourself, judging is in the eye of the beholder. for instance, i wouldn't sit here and read lets say fahtsters thread and immediately discredit anything it says because its not tied together. or even insult it. hell even if it doesn't work for me, doesn't mean it won't work. i would first try it out till i have it down. i would try it 400 times till i got it right then i would have something to say.

there is no reason to insult any information. and diggin. is what its all about. its not like building a car by yourself. its nothing like that. you have active members here that illustrate everything and simply put, do the work for you. all you got to do is buy some supplies(boohoo) and follow directions. its not that difficult.

there are some great things hiding in the cracks. and the more work you put into it, the more reward you get out. i don't ask for help. its all there. you just have to read it yourself and put in the time to figure it out.
might seem easy, maybe mislead and not connected as you say, but let it be known. that doing them and tying them together are two different things. you think when mycotopia was first around in its infancy that anyone was very attune to what the internet was?

dude, the internet was like click and wait 15 minutes then... no one hand fed any of this info. i just read it all. every bit of it. thats how you learn. luckily now, its more organized, well thought out, and there are many on this site that can help you but by coming here and automatically spitting out insults is not the proper way to start out. or shall i say, grading our homework. show me something you have done? please...

and there are very good illustrations that you can print and have right in front of you when your doing the tek.


thats where the gold is. in the archives.

this site is very well organized. look in the new vaults there is a wealth of info. you have to start somewhere first. and the easiest thing to do is pf tek. then move up to bulk substrates. everything you need to know is there. in fact, there is so much there that it will take years to learn it all. and hours and days of trial and error, f