21 Aralık 2011 Çarşamba

How To Grow Magic Mushrooms From Spore Prints On Rice

The Joys Of Mushroom Gardening

More articles about mushrooms are located here.
This is one of many ways to grow mushrooms, before trying to grow them
yourself, check a few different methods to see which one suits your needs.
The original copy of this document can be found at the Lycaeum,
along with many others about all types of drugs, and other methods of growing
mushrooms.
Well, here it is, just about all I know about growing psychedelic mushrooms.
Most of this information was taken from a book entitled Magic
Mushroom Cultivation written by Stephen H. Pollock. Anyway, I have
used the rice-cake method described below, and am currently growing my third
batch, which has produced some pretty potent mushrooms!

I feel the need to mention that I'm giving you this information for
INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, and I don't expect you or anyone else to actually
undertake any of the techniques I will describe below, for to do so may violate
certain laws, and I wouldn't give you this information if I thought you might do
something illegal.
Before I describe the technique I use, I'd like to say that there are many
methods of growing 'shrooms, some more difficult than others, and I am simply
presenting the method which has worked well for me: I've never had a dud batch,
they've always fruited readily, and I've never poisoned myself or others with
contaminated 'shrooms.
I should mention, however, that the procedure I describe is not one which
will give maximum yields of mushrooms, but it does have the advantage that the
growing medium itself can be ingested for psychedelic effects (see section on
Storage and Methods of Ingestion).
Another point I'd like to make is that I STRONGLY recommend getting other
information on mushroom cultivation before starting your own batch. Perhaps the
best book I have seen on the subject is The
Mushroom Cultivator by Paul Stamets. It gives extremely detailed information
on the cultivation of psychedelic mushrooms. I highly recommend that you read
this book before following any cultivation procedure.

Materials Needed To Grow Magic Mushrooms

A sporeprint from a strain of psychedelic mushrooms.
(make sure it's
the real thing, and that it's not contaminated with anything! Dust, for
example.)
A pressure cooker, any size, but preferably one with 17 qt. (liquid)
capacity.
(this is the most expensive item, but it's a necessity. Borrow,
rent, buy, or steal one.)
12 (or more) new canning jars, 1 quart size, pref. wide mouthed, with
lids.
A box/bag of brown rice -- NOT white rice. Long grain/wild rice might also
be a good growing medium -- maybe even better than regular brown rice,
although I'm not positive about this. I once used a half-and-half mix of brown
rice and Long grain wild rice which worked fine. However, a possible
disadvantage to using the long grain/wild rice is that any contaminants such
as dark-colored molds will be more difficult to spot in the growing medium.
Something to scrape the spores off the print into the jar.
You want
something like a stiff metal wire with a handle, so you can heat the end red
hot in a flame to sterilize it without burning your fingers. I find that a
probe from a Biology dissection kit works wonderfully.
A flame source. An alcohol lamp is not hard to make out of a small jar
filled with rubbing alcohol, with a cotton ball as a wick. I suppose you could
just use a lighter, but i prefer making an alcohol lamp -- just make sure you
don't burn your place down!!
A clean place to store your jars -- should have a relatively constant
temp.
(the optimum temperature for starting the 'shrooms is 86 F, but I
have found room temperature to work fairly well). Closet shelves are fine, in
my experience. You want a place that's pretty dust/bug free, but you don't
want the storage area to be airtight, as shrooms do have to breathe just like
any other living organism. Many books recommend making some kind of superclean
box to store the jars in, but I've never bothered with that. Most sources of
information on growing 'shrooms (this one, too) stress that everything be AS
STERILE AS POSSIBLE. However, if you do have to cut a few corners you should
still be successful if you just USE YOUR HEAD!

which leads me to
the....

optional materials: germ-killing soap for washing hands, alcohol for
sterilizing hands, etc., surgical gloves, dust masks, hair-nets, an
air-filtering machine (Pollenex?), a couple 1 gallon jugs of distilled water,
a spray bottle, bleach. (As you can see, this is all stuff which will help to
make things a bit more sterile -- definitely recommended!)

Procedure For Growing Magic Mushrooms

This is the procedure I follow for the rice-cake method of propagating
psychedelic mushrooms. I use this method for a number of reasons. One is that my
first ever batch consisted of 6 jars of manure medium and 6 of the brown rice
medium, I found the rice cakes produced more 'shrooms, and for a longer period
of time than did the manure-filled jars. Rice has obvious advantages in that
it's easy to obtain -- no trekking through a pasture looking for fresh
cow-shit!
Also, the manure stinks like hell when cooked in the pressure cooker! Perhaps
the biggest advantage to the rice cake method is that when the rice cake no
longer produces crops of 'shrooms (about 2 mos.), you can actually CONSUME THE
RICE CAKE ITSELF!! Given, of course, that you detect no contaminants on the rice
cake (molds or bacteria). When mushroom growth stops, the rice cake can provide
a trip for 2-4 people. See the end of this article for methods of ingesting
mushrooms/rice cakes.

Turn off the air-conditioner in the place you're going to do this. It is
very important to work in a draft-free area. Turning the A/C off will allow
the dust in the room to settle (including the heavier mold spores which can
contaminate your rice-cake medium.)
Set up the pressure cooker, make sure you read the manual if you have one.
You don't want the damn pressure cooker exploding, or anything like that. Wash
out the pressure cooker for good measure, and also wash the jars and lids. I
wouldn't use a towel to dry them out, though, you'll just wipe germs &
dust back on 'em.
Wash yourself, too. It's recommended that you wear a long sleeved shirt,
and to pull your hair back or wear a cap or hair-net. I don't think that the
dust mask would be necessary at this point, maybe later, though.
For each quart-size canning jar, add 1/4 cup brown rice and 1/3 - 1/2 cup
water.
I use the distilled water that you can buy in any grocery store --
I don't trust tap water. Fill 6 or 7 jars with this mixture, or as many as
will fit into your pressure cooker without stacking or jamming them in there.
Place the lids on the jars, with the rubber UP, and leave the lids very loose.
Place the jars on the bottom rack of the pressure cooker. I recommend
using the rack, that way the jars won't tip and spill as the water boils
around them. Using the rack also keeps them from breaking from the heat of the
burner directly below them. For a 17 quart pressure cooker, add about 3 quarts
of water, but not so much that the jars start to float and tip over. Again, I
use distilled water for this.
Now, follow the directions for sealing the pressure cooker. Some recommend
that you rub a dab of cooking oil on the seal, so that it seals properly and
is easier to close and open. Do it right. Do it by the book. Turn the stove on
its highest setting and allow the pressure inside the cooker to build up to 15
lbs. Once the pressure inside the cooker has reached 15 lbs., you want to
maintain it at that level for one complete hour. You may have to turn down the
stove for brief periods so that the pressure doesn't rise to unsafe levels
above 15 lbs. When the hour has passed, turn off the stove and LET THE
PRESSURE COOKER COOL BEFORE OPENING! Also, don't try to rush the cooling
process, as the jars may crack.
Just before opening the pressure cooker, wash up again, maybe use rubbing
alcohol or put on surgical gloves. Now is the time for dust masks (although I
usually use my shirt to keep from breathing germs on the jars). Long sleeves
and a hat or whatever is recommended because literally millions of germs are
falling off your body at any given moment. Sterility and the absence of drafts
are of utmost importance from here on out... (some books recommend filling a
spray bottle with a 10% bleach / 90 % water solution and using it to mist the
air in the room to further reduce airborne contaminants.)
Open the pressure cooker and let the jars cool until they're pretty close
to room temp. If you remove the jars too soon, they will crack and you will
have to start over with new jars, so it pays to be a little patient. You may
want to tighten the lids a bit so air/germs can't contaminate the rice cakes.
When the jars cool off, you're ready to go.
Heat your wire loop/probe/whatever until it is GLOWING RED. Put on your
dust mask or pull your shirt up over your nose and mouth.
Lift the lid off the jar and set it down on a sterile surface, with the
inside face down. OR let a friend hold the lid for you. Make sure the person
has washed/sterilized his/her hands as well as you have.
Get out your sporeprint and hold it over the open jar at an acute angle.
Use the sterilized wire loop/probe to gently scrape and tap the sporeprint to
get the spores down onto the rice cake. If you can see dark specks fall onto
the rice, you've done it sufficiently -- anything you can see is probably
several thousand spores. A sporeprint the size of a nickel can EASILY
inoculate a dozen jars.
Screw the jar's lid on tightly and shake the jar until the rice cake
breaks up. This will allow the spores to spread throughout the rice medium,
thus increasing the chances for success. A good way to start the process is to
inspect the jars carefully for cracks, invert the jar, and strike the lid
against the heel of your hand. Next, unscrew the lid until it almost comes off
-- this allows for air to get into the jar. I usually just screw the lid on
about 3/4 of a turn -- just enough where it won't fall off easily.
When you've done this for all your jars, put the jars in a safe, clean
place with a fairly constant temp., a dark place is best. In 3 days - 2 weeks
you should see white, fluffy mycelia appear -- looks like white fuzz. Any
other color of fuzz (green, black, etc.) is mold, and the jar should be
disposed of. I'm not kidding about this! Certain contaminants, molds in
particular, can cause illness or even death if you ingest the contaminated
'shrooms. It's better to be safe than sorry, believe me. Also be on the
lookout for bacterial infections of the rice medium. These will often appear
as colored (orange or pink) runny or clammy looking gunk in with the rice.
These should be thrown out immediately as well. Bacterial infections may also
give off a kind of putrid odor, but of course you should not be taking the
lids off the jars at all during this stage. Now, the rice itself will get very
soft as a result of the pressure cooking, and the initial shaking of the jar
may smear gel-looking gunk all over the insides of the jar. But by comparing
with the rest of the jars you should be able to tell the difference between
this gunk and a bacterial infection. Like I said before, JUST USE YOUR HEAD!
This is not actually another step because you're done! Just sit back and
wait for nature to take its course! Shrooms are pretty much maintenance-free
until fruiting starts to occur. It should take anywhere from 2 weeks to 1
month for the mycelia to completely permeate the rice medium, then it will
start getting these stringy looking or fan shaped runners in the white fuzzy
growth. Mushroom formation is not far off, and the jars should be getting a
couple of hours of light per day -- fluorescent is OK, and natural sunlight is
superb, just make sure the jars don't get too warm. Of course at all stages be
on the lookout for any possible contaminants in the mycelia. By the way, as
the mycelia mature, they may start staining blue in spots, due to bruising, I
think -- so don't mistake this for a mold infection, but keep a close eye on
any change in color from the white coloring. The 'shrooms first appear as tiny
white pinheads and then the caps will darken (in P. cubensis) to a
lovely reddish brown. When the 'shrooms are growing the lids on the jars
should be very loose to allow for air exchange.
Also, mushrooms grow best in an environment with a humidity of over 90%, so
if you think that your 'shrooms may need a more moist environment, one thing
to do is to simply use a spray bottle to spray boiled or distilled water
directly onto the lids of the jars. I find that the moisture condenses inside
the jars and runs down the inside of the jars, moisturizing the mycelia. You
could also VERY LIGHTLY mist the surface of the rice cake if it looks dry. You
don't want things TOO wet, however, as this will promote mold/bacteria growth
and actually inhibit mushroom formation. Another possible method is to replace
the lids with a double layer of paper towel which is misted daily -- although
I would think that not having an actual lid on the jar would invite
contamination. Just my personal opinion. It is important that air exchange
takes place in the storage area -- this becomes more important as fruiting
occurs, as the mycelia gives off CO 2 and needs O 2 . Remember that CO 2 is heavier than
normal air, so it might be good to tip the jars a few times a day to let the
CO 2 dissipate out of the jar.

Harvesting Magic Mushrooms

'Shrooms are "ripe" as soon as the white membrane connecting the cap to the
stem has broken somewhat, although you don't want to pick them before they have
reached their full size! To harvest an individual mushroom, wash your hands
well, I use rubbing alcohol, too. Then take the lid off the jar and grasp the
mushroom firmly near the base. You may need to use a pair of sterilized tweezers
to do this, which is what I usually do, I avoid placing germy hands inside the
jars. A brisk twisting motion will help to free the 'shroom from the mycelia. If
it is too difficult to harvest them using those methods, you can clean you
hands, wash a small knife (preferably with anti-bacterial soap), dip the blade
in alcohol, flame it for several seconds, then use the tip of the sterilized
knife to cut the mushroom as close to the rice cake as possible.

Storing And Eating Magic Mushrooms

Avoid crushing fresh mushrooms before storing them. The blue staining that is
common in psychedelic mushrooms is evidence of oxidation, meaning that the
active ingredients (psilocin and psilocybin) are being oxidized, too, rendering
the 'shrooms inactive. While refrigeration is recommended, freezing fresh
mushrooms should be avoided, since the expansion of the freezing water in the
cells ruptures the cell walls and thus opens them up for oxidation. Mushrooms
that were frozen while fresh may be an attractive blue color, but they are
inactive.
Storage of fresh mushrooms should be in a breathable container such as a
paper bag stored in a refrigerator, avoid putting fresh 'shrooms in a ziploc
bag, as they may become slimy or moldy. I have heard of people also storing
fresh shrooms by chopping them up and mixing them into honey, The 'shroom honey
is then spread on bread or whatever and eaten.
There are a few methods of drying mushrooms, although I have found dried
shrooms to be MUCH weaker than fresh ones. One way to dry them is by placing
them on a cookie sheet in an oven on the lowest temp. with the door slightly
open. Simply drying them in sunlight is said to work also.
My main problem with dried shrooms is that in my experience they are not
anywhere near as potent as fresh 'shrooms. I believe the reason for this is that
the two psychoactive ingredients (psilocin and psilocybin) are present in equal
amounts in fresh shrooms. BUT, psilocin is an unstable compound compared to
psilocybin, and breaks down readily when exposed to heat and oxygen. The normal
dosage for dried shrooms is 1 - 5 grams. But I have never had a "trip" from
dried shrooms only with the fresh stuff. I ate 4 grams of dried 'shrooms once
and only got a buzz like being stoned or drunk.
So, I like my shrooms fresh, and of course, I have that luxury since I grow
my own. Whether they are dried or fresh, there are many interesting ways to
ingest them. My current favorite method is to blend 3-4 fresh ones in a blender
with orange juice, the effects are fantastic and the taste is tolerable.
I believe this is due in part to the fact that the shrooms are almost
completely liquefied by the blending process, releasing the "good stuff" into
the orange juice and making it more readily absorbed by the stomach. Some people
may say that the vitamin C in the OJ also enhances the effects, but this may be
just a myth. Another good method, one which I have used to eat the rice cakes,
was to chop the rice cake (or shrooms), and brown them for JUST a few seconds in
butter or margarine before pouring in an omelet mixture. Mushroom omelets. Not
only a meal, but a good trip, and a tasty way to ingest the shrooms, (I happen
to dislike the taste of shrooms by themselves).

Yet another method of taking shrooms is to make a milkshake in a blender, and
add the shrooms, you can make kind of a "strawberry smoothie" in this way.
Remember though, that dairy products may delay/block the absorption of certain
substances. Another method of ingestion is to boil the shrooms, fresh or dried
(or a rice cake) in a couple cups of water for about 5 minutes (until they have
sunk, one source says), and then either add a tea bag for hot tea, or make
Kool-Aid with the cooled water (straining out the shrooms, of course).
Sprinkling fresh or dried shrooms (chopped) onto pizza, or into spaghetti
sauce is another treat, fun for a "shroom party". Since psilocin and psilocybin
are soluble in both water and alcohol, soaking shrooms in any liquor will
release these active ingredients into the liquor, making for a powerfully
intoxicating liquor a la' the way an "Emerald Dragon" is made with marijuana...
I have tried smoking a couple dried shroom caps, but only got the slightest buzz
from the VERY harsh smoke, no real effects to tell the truth.
I should mention again that once shroom production has really tapered off
(and you'll be able to tell) after 2 - 3 months, the rice cake can be
eaten/used, if you closely examine it and decide that there is no green or black
mold contaminant present.
I should note that the rice cake will probably be all kinds of funky colors
-- a mix of white, steel blue, gray, maybe even purple in places from spores
falling on it! I have ingested several scary-looking rice cakes, however, with
no ill effects. Again, USE YOUR HEAD! If in doubt, toss it out -- it's not worth
a trip (no pun intended) to the hospital. A single rice cake is enough for 2 - 4
people to trip on, although 2 is probably the better figure. Some of my best
trips were on half a rice cake chopped up and cooked in an omelet!
That's what I love about the rice-cake method, when the shrooms stop growing
there's no waste. Speaking of no waste, if I ever had a rice cake that I didn't
want to risk eating I might use it to inoculate a compost pile or a pasture full
of cow shit by inserting a small piece into each cow-pie or into the compost
pile. Just think of the idea of starting a culture of wild mushrooms in your
area. :-)

Making Spore Prints Of Magic Mushrooms

This is really easy, just wash your hands well, then take a fresh shroom and
gently twist the cap off away from the stem ( OR, I usually use a sterilized
knife blade to cut the stem off as close to the cap as I can without touching it
too much). Then place the cap, gills down, on a sterile card or piece of
glass.
Cover the cap and card with a clean, small container to keep drafts from
blowing the spores away, and to prevent dust/contaminants from settling on the
card/glass. I usually use a small juice glass for this purpose. Leave the
covered 'shroom cap on the card/glass overnight and, voila! I suggest folding
the card the next day and keeping it in an airtight container (small ziploc bag)
in a refrigerator.

I have been told that spore prints will keep for up to a year in an airtight
refrigerated (not frozen) environment. From personal experience I know that they
are still viable after 3 months. Oh, by the way, try to find some use for the
'shroom cap after you've collected the spores from it, it's still psychoactive,
so I'm sure you can think of something to do with it. :-)

APPENDIX: Additional tips for more optimal yields

Here are some additional tips, based on what I have learned from The
Mushroom Cultivator. One thing which comes to mind is that 86 F is the best
temp. for starting the growth process. Something to remember though, is that the
temp.
INSIDE the jars will be several degrees higher than the surrounding air temp.
Growth of the mycelia generates small amounts of heat. The
Mushroom Cultivator tells all about decreasing the temperature at various
stages of growth to promote fruiting (the term they use for mushroom growth).
After reading The
Mushroom Cultivator, I would also advise building a simple growth chamber.
This will serve a number of purposes:

it will create a more sterile environment, guarding against contamination.
it will help keep the temp. high and more constant.
it will help keep the humidity high and more constant.
it will provide a place to hide the jars, rather than just having them out
on a shelf in your closet or wherever.

Here's what I recommend: get a Styrofoam ice chest, one that's large enough
to hold the 12 jars you've got. I used one I got at Circle K for less than $5
bucks. You may want to line the inside with aluminum foil, to increase the
reflection of light within the chamber, which will be good when you're ready to
expose the cultures to light.
At some point you'll need to cut a large hole in the lid -- cut out as much
of the lid as you can, but make sure that you leave enough of a margin on it so
that it still functions as a lid. Then use some kind of tape to tape Saran Wrap
over the hole. Now you have a lid which allows light into the grow-box, but
helps to keep out dust, mold, and other contaminants.
You don't have to mess around with the lid right away, though. The
Mushroom Cultivator suggests leaving the jars in TOTAL darkness for the
first week or two -- even to the point that they suggest using only a red light
to examine the jars for growth and/or contaminants. The book also suggests NO
air exchanges during this initial growth phase. I guess you could leave the lids
loose like I suggested, but leave the lid on the box.
Oh, by the way, in The
Botany and Chemistry of Hallucinogens by Schultes and Hoffman, they say that
the medium adult oral dose is 4-8 mg psilocybin. And that dried 'shrooms contain
2 to 4 percent psilocybin -- but this was from a sample of Psilocybe mexicana,
and i think P. cubensis may be more potent.

They also mention something else that's interesting. They say that psilocybin
and psilocin are present in equal amounts in fresh 'shrooms, AND that psilocin
is something like 1.4 times as psychoactive as psilocybin. Given the fact that
psilocin is sensitive to oxidation, and breaks down upon drying (i suppose),
this seems like a probable reason that fresh ones are so much more potent than
dried ones.
I have recently discovered a method of drying 'shrooms without heat, which
may help them to retain a potency level similar to fresh ones, although I
haven't tried any of the 'shrooms which I have dried by this method so I don't
know for sure that this is true. What I do is cover the bottom of a shallow
baking dish with a layer of uncooked (dry) rice, usually the rice that was left
over in the bag from the initial start-up of the procedure. Then I place a clean
paper towel over this layer of rice and place freshly harvested mushrooms on top
of the paper towel. Then I cover the dish with another clean paper towel and
place the dish in my refrigerator.
I find that the rice absorbs all the moisture from the 'shrooms, and they are
completely dried within a week. Be careful not to pile the fresh mushrooms on
top of one another in the dish, spread them out directly on the paper towel or
they may not dry, this creates the possibility of them getting moldy, which will
RUIN them! Of course, if your refrigerator is unusually humid, the 'shrooms may
take longer to dry out, if at all.
Here is something else which may be helpful. Taken without permission from
Paul Stamets' book, The
Mushroom Cultivator. [Brackets] indicate comments from the author of this
file.

Parameters for Optimal Growth of Magic Mushrooms

[Adhere to these as much as you feel comfortable with. Like I said before,
I have obtained satisfactory results by keeping the jars on a closet shelf from
start to finish. But trying to follow these guide-lines will certainly lead to
better crop yields.]

SPAWN RUN: [1st stage of growth]
Relative Humidity	90%
Substrate Temp.	84-86 F. [Thermal death limits at 106 F.]
Duration	10-14 days.
CO 2	5000-10000 ppm
Fresh Air Exchanges	0 per hour.
Light	Incubation in total darkness.
PRIMORDIA FORMATION: [pinhead formation]
Relative Humidity	90+%
Air Temperature	74-78 F.
Duration	6-10 days.
CO 2	less than 5000 ppm.
Fresh Air Exchanges	1-3 per hour. [but remember this air MUST be free of contaminants such as dust.]
Light	Diffuse natural or exposure for 12-16 hours/day of grow-lux type fluorescent high in blue spectra at the 480 nanometer wavelength. [I find that a regular fluorescent works fine, but I do try to let my jars get some natural sunlight whenever possible -- making sure, of course, that the jars don't get too warm.]
CROPPING:
Relative Humidity	85-92%
Air Temperature	74-78 F.
CO 2	less than 5000 ppm.
Fresh Air Exchanges	1-3 per hour. [but be careful not to contaminate 'em!]
Flushing Pattern	Every 5-8 days. [this means a new crop or "flush" of shrooms should appear every 5 -8 days.]
Harvest Stage	When the cap becomes convex and soon after the partial veil ruptures.
Light	Indirect natural or same as above. [hint: use same as above.]
Moisture Content of Mushrooms:
92% water 8% dry matter P. cubensis have up to 1% psilocin and/or psilocybin per dried gram. [I would estimate approx. double that for fresh 'shrooms]

Notes

A quote I recently saw from the Oss & Oeric book reported that a 10 - 12
milligram dose of psilocybin is contained in about .5 grams of dried shrooms (
approx. 50 grams fresh weight). However, 10-12 mg is a HEAVY dose, and it's
ALWAYS best to start with smaller doses -- you can always take more the next
time you trip.
I would recommend then, that you cut this dose in half. The Oss & Oeric
book reports that 2 - 3 dried mushrooms contains approx. 4 mg of psilocybin. For
fresh 'shrooms, I think a good dose to start with would be 3 medium-sized
shrooms. What's "medium-sized"? Well, I don't know, but let's say it's one with
a stem that's about 3 inches long and almost as thick as a drinking straw, with
a cap that's about the same diameter as a penny. Remember when experimenting
with dosages, esp. if you haven't tried fresh ones before, that it usually takes
at least 15 minutes before you notice any effects at all.
If the effects don't seem to be very strong, even after 30 minutes or an
hour, I would still advise against taking more. I think one of the dumbest
things trippers do is to try and strengthen their current trip by taking more.
That's just asking for trouble in the form of an overwhelming/bad trip. Besides,
your judgment probably isn't that great in that buzzed state.
I wish good journeys to you all.

Books

Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms

This is not a book exclusively about magic mushrooms, it is about growing
mushrooms in general. It provides a detailed growth parameters for 25 mushrooms
species, mycological landscaping, state-of-the-art production techniques for
home and commercial cultivation, plus more.
Growing
Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms Home Page

Invisible Marijuana and Psychedelic Mushroom Gardens

Get this book if you are interested in growing mushrooms marijuana, and/or
both. Set out so it is very easy to read, and follow the techniques used.
Besides that it is funny. It explains how to grow marijuana and mushrooms, so
they are not easily discovered. And gives you other interesting information for
growing a good crop, and not getting caught. The final chapter is a
cookbook.
Invisible
Marijuana and Home Page

Magic Mushrooms Around the World

Lavishly illustrated, well-organized and enriched by numerous accounts of
mushroom experiences, this book explores the psychoactive mycoflora on five
continents and reconstructs a continuity of psychoactive mushroom use throughout
history, from as early as 10,000 years ago to the present day.
You will also find detailed chapters on mushroom cultivation techniques,
psychotherapy applications, the bluing phenomenon, the dangers of accidental
poisonings caused by misidentification of species, and more. A treasure trove of
information, illustrations and magnificent color photography, the book contains
much novel information as well, such as the first report on the psycho activity
of baeocystin and up-to-date findings on the use of plant growth hormones to
accelerate growth.
Magic
Mushrooms Around the World Home Page

Mushrooms and Mankind:
The Impact of Mushrooms on
Human
Consciousness and Religion

Fascinating book about the impact magic mushrooms have had on the history of
the human race.
Mushrooms
and Mankind Home Page

Mushrooms:
Psychedelic Fungi

Examines the uses and hallucinogenic properties of psychedelic mushrooms, one
of nature's oldest and most misunderstood drugs.
The book tells you about all mushrooms and their effects. Fully illustrated,
so it's handy to have if your looking to pick mushrooms.
Mushrooms:
Psychedelic Fungi Home Page

Psilocybin:
Magic Mushroom Grower's Guide:
A Handbook for Psilocybin
Enthusiasts

A valuable and fun source of information on the cultivation of the psilocybe
cubensis mushroom. The step by step 1,2,3 format makes it a useful enough
reference even for the lay person not completely familiar with the methods of
sterilization and aseptic technique which is the main obstruction to cultivation
of mushrooms in general.
Psilocybin:
Magic Mushroom Grower's Guide Home Page

Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World:
An Identification Guide

From the author of Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms comes an
identification guide exclusively devoted to the world's psilocybin-containing
mushrooms (the ones that produce a high).
Detailed descriptions and color photos for over 100 species are provided.
With an exploration of their long-standing use by ancients and their continued
significant to modern-day culture.
Psilocybin
Mushrooms of the World Home Page

The Mushroom Cultivator:
A Practical Guide to Growing Mushrooms at
Home

This book excellently describes exact details for mushroom cultivation in a
very understandable fashion. It gives precise parameters for several commonly
cultivated mushrooms and a lengthy list of common contaminants and their cure.
The book gives methods for small time cultivation as well as professional
large-scale production. In general, it is a great primer on the subject of
mushroom cultivation.
The
Mushroom Cultivator Home Page

The Psilocybin Production:
Producing Organic Psilocybin in a Small
Room

Includes closet production and explains small and large scale production. How
to locate magic mushrooms, develop stock for inoculation, cultivate, harvest,
and dry 'shrooms.
Explains how mycelium can be grown in inexpensive jars and methods of
extracting and using existing cultures to seed new one to create an ongoing farm
yielding a regular crop of hallucinogenic mycelium.
The
Psilocybin Production Home Page

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12 Aralık 2011 Pazartesi

Oldtimer's Straw Tek

A method I use might prove useful to you. I simply start 1/2 pint jars using traditional PF Tek. Once jars are fully colonized I get ready for straw inoculation. I soak regular old straw (which I get from a Feed & Seed) for 24 hours. After soaking I chop the straw and place in a large pasta pot. Bring to 160F for 1 hour. After pasteurization I allow straw to cool, drain and place in pans with clear "greenhouse" type lids. Take the "cake" and grind it to powder in a food processor/blender. Believe it or not the grinding does not harm the mycelium. Sprinkle the cake powder all over the straw and mix in throughly. Every minute particle of PF cake dust will become a growth point giving super fast colonization of the straw. Allow spawn to run through and case. You will get really good flushes (much more than fruiting individual cakes) and produce many more carpophores for your enjoyment. Of course optimum humidity must be maintained throughout the entire growing cycle from inoculation to fruiting. For years I started cultures using petri dishes, replated several times, transferred to grain and fruited strictly on manure/straw compost. Now, thanks to PF I have learned a much easier and quicker method for growing our fungi friends using straw and cakes with no lab time at all. See, you can teach an old head new tricks.

summary by Kaijan

Materials:

· Straw
· Miracle Grow / Potting soil (peat based mix)
· Lime (Mineral)
· Pans with clear lids.

Procedure:

1. Soak straw in water for 24 hours
2. Chop the straw and place in pasta pot, boil for an hour at 160F
3. Drain Excess water in colander and allow it to cool off.
4. Place straw in pans with clear lids.
5. Take a ½ pint PF style cake and crumble or grind up into small particles.
6. Sprinkle powder over the straw and mix thoroughly.
7. Allow spawn to run through and case.
8. Maintain optimum humidity through growing cycle.

For Casing:

7. Obtain good potting soil (miracle grow, or a peat based mix.)
8. Add a small amount of lime (mineral) to raise Ph
9. Place soil mix in a pan and heat in an oven to 160F for 1 hour.
10. Allow soil to cool off completely.
11. Mix soil with water until damp. (No water drips when squeezed)
12. Spread a layer of moist soil ¾�s of an inch deep over the straw.
13. Mist 2-3 times a day to keep soil moist
14. Keep humidity high, but do not over water.
15. Fruiting should occur within a week.

Quote:

more...
========================================
I use a good potting soil such as "Miracle Grow" or any peat based mix. Take dry soil and mix in a little lime (mineral, not fruit!) to raise the Ph slightly. A little will do the trick. Place the soil mix in a pan and heat it in an oven to 160F for about 1-2 hours. Allow soil to cool and mix with some water (preferably sterile) until you get an overall moistening. You want it to be damp, but not soaking wet. A good rule of thumb is to wet until it forms a good ball when you squeeze it in your hand but no water drips out. Just good and moist. Spread a layer of moistened soil about 3/4 inch thick over the spawn-run straw, keep moist and mist the casing lightly with water 2-3 times a day. You should begin to see pinning within several days. Keep the humidity high but do not overwater. You want it moist, not dripping wet. Think like a mushroom... Ahhh, this feels just right... and you'll get a good crop. I can turn you on to a really fast manure/straw compost method that produces compost in seven days if you want to try it, but the straw alone will work fine.

yet more...
==============================================

Geez Quote.... Where do I start?!

Q: Is it more effective to pasteurize wet rather than dry materials?
A: Hell if I know. I do know it's a lot easier to stir a pan of 160 degree dry soil in the oven. In short, the heat is doing its job wet or dry and it's much easier to work with dry. An additional plus is the fact that you can store the dry stuff for later use. Wet soil is much less convenient to store and is more likely to be infested with bacteria if you tried to use it later. I like being able to sterilize a batch of dry soil, use what I need and put the rest in a clean zip-loc freezer bag for later use.

Q: Why do I prefer a peat based mixture that requires the Ph to be adjusted?
A: Well to be honest... I've always used peat based soils for casing because that's what Bob Harris and Paul Staments taught me to use about 25 years ago! Actually though, I really like the "consistency" of these soils. They hold moisture nicely, stay fluffy and are easy to spread over the spawn. I assume vermiculite would work but may be hard to wet evenly if spread on dry. You could probably wet it in a bowl (like you do when fixing up PF jars) and it would do okay. It's just a matter of what works for me as well as ease of use. As for Ph, well it's no problem to throw in a pinch of lime. It's not like you have to get a Ph pen and really adjust the medium to an exact Ph. The lime just pulls the Ph up a little and takes the acidic edge off. I have used peat soils with no lime, but I do seem to get faster/better pinning with a little lime.

Q: If one did use a 3/4th inch thick casing, what depth of substrate would you recommend?
A: Depends on how deep your container is! Seriously, I usually place about 3-4 inches of straw in the pan and case with 1/2 to 3/4 inches of soil. You don't want your straw too deep since you're wanting the spawn to colonize rapidly. A really deep container of straw tends to compact reducing spawn run plus it can get so dense it can actually mat allowing anaerobic bacteria to crop up ruining your bed. You don't need a thick layer of straw to grow an abundance of shrooms.

Q: Have you fruited directly from straw, without casing?
A: Yes.

Q: I'm told that straw doesn't need to be cased, why do you prefer to case it?
A: Open straw will pin and fruit, as will PF cakes, compost or whatever else you find to grow on. The reason for casing is easier moisture control. Pure and simple. The casing layer acts as a buffer between the air and the spawn effectively creating a micro-environment just under the casing. This protects primordia that are forming and prevents aborts due to excessive drying. Plus you can mist the casing layer without applying water directly to your spawn. The shrooms will thank you for this. By using a casing layer you can eliminate a lot of the stress involved in trying to keep bare cakes or whatever from drying. The casing makes your mushrooms a little more "forgiving", plus you don't need as wet an environment thereby helping to reduce the growth of unwanted fungi and bacteria in your beds.

Now for Infoseeker:
Q: How many PF cakes to use?
A: I normally grind up and spread one 1/2 pint jar per square foot of bed. My beds are generally about 3-4 inches deep but one jar should handle beds of 6 inches in depth. Be sure not to get to deep are you'll have unwanted guests from the anaerobic bacteria community. By the way, while we're discussing bacteria, please be really careful handling spawn or anything else that has become contaminated. Some of the critters you might find growing in your jars can make you quite sick if you happen to breath them in or inadvertently ingest them. Dispose of any and all contaminated cultures immediately.

As for the hydrogen peroxide process for bulk spawn preparation I have to refer you to the resident expert on the subject, R. Rush Wayne, Ph.D. His booklets titled "Growing Mushrooms the Easy Way" "Cultivation with Hydrogen Peroxide" Volume I and II can be purchased from him at mycomasters.com. I have read both volumes and find that problems related to peroxide-decomposing enzymes in organic substrates can limit your choices. He spells out ways to work around this but I have found hot water pasteurization to be an easier route. If you can swing it set up a clean 55 gallon drum on concrete blocks and place a gas "fish cooker" under it. Make a basket out of metal hardware cloth and heat bulk quantities of straw this way. I have never needed that much straw for psilocybes but I do pasteurize straw this way for Pleutotus (oyster mushrooms), Portobellos and other gourmet shrooms that I grow.

Q: Does anybody sell ready to use compost?
A: Check with MushroomPeople and Fungi Perfecti but don't mention psychedelics as they probably won't deal with you if you do. Personally, I would suggest making your own compost if you have access to cow manure and straw. It's very simple and I know a super quick trick to get usable compost in 7 days. I'll post the method when the "writers cramp" moves out of my fingers! Later.

and...
==============================================

Infoseeker,

If you are placing perlite under your straw it probably IS more trouble than it's worth. A good, properly prepared straw bed 3-4 inches deep shouldn't need any additional humidity or moisture retaining additives. The straw itself is moist and should hold more than enough water to produce plentiful mushrooms. My beds stay moist (especially after casing} and the mycelium grows fast and furious. You should strive for a light and airy bed with ample (but not stifling) moisture content. Beds that I inoculate with ground up PF cakes fully colonize in 2 days to the point where you can literally lift the entire bed out as a block or brick of mycelium. Inspection under the straw reveals a moist, healthy environment with no contaminants at all. I think folks are getting too involved with environment control and missing the point (to produce carpophores). Mushroom farming is like any any other growing project. Sometimes folks get so wrapped up in creating environments they overlook the simple, common sense things. Trust me, pasteurize some straw, drain it and place in a shallow pan with some type of lid. Inoculate this straw with a jar or two of ground up PF cake powder as spawn and watch what happens. Let go of all the processes and procedures you've read about and let nature take its course. Please don't think I'm trying to sound like some mushroom guru or something, I'm not, I'm just relaying knowledge to you that has accumulated around me over the years. Simple methods work and simple is always better if you achieve the desired results.

If you plant a bed in the method described above you should have no need for hydrogen peroxide or any other sterilants.

I will post hydrogen peroxide substrate preparation steps as explained by R. Rush Wayne, Ph.D. for straw since you seem to be interested in trying this method. I still say hot water pasteurization is easier and less of a hassle, but this forum is for the dissemination of information and on that note...

The following excerpt is from...
GROWING MUSHROOMS THE EASY WAY - Home Mushroom Cultivation with Hydrogen Peroxide
VOLUME I by R. Rush Wayne, Ph.D. Copyright 2000
Complete copies are available at www.mycomasters.com

In Volume I he suggests using Calcium Hydroxide to pasteurize straw.

Growing Mushrooms on Straw Using Hydrated Lime --

A number of mushrooms will grow on straw, and straw is the traditional substrate for oyster mushroom cultivation. The standard way to prepare straw for mushroom growing is to steep it in water heated to 180 degrees F for an hour, then drain cool it down and inoculate. However, without some specialized equipment, it can be rather awkward to heat any significant amount of straw in hot water, and it is often difficult to tell whether the straw has cooled sufficiently for inoculation unless you have a compost thermometer. So, I prefer to use a cold water hydrated lime soak. Hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide or Mason's lime, available at builder's supply stores) is a caustic powder which creates a strongly alkaline solution in water. The alkali both pasteurizes the straw and wets it by penetrating the waxy coating on the straw. When the solution is drained off, the liquid that remains behind on the straw gets converted by carbon dioxide in the air to ordinary calcium carbonate lime, which is alkaline but no longer caustic.

I have a large plastic tub that will take a quarter of a bale of straw. With the straw in place, the tub then takes 25 gallons of water to fill to the rim. I use a one half percent solution of hydrated lime, which means one pound of lime in 25 gallons of water. I mix a slurry of hydrated lime in a separate bucket, then pour it into the tub in stages as the tub is filling with water, to assure thorough mixing. (Caution: hydrated lime will burn skin and eyes. Be sure to wear gloves and eye protection when handling the powder or the solution. Also store the powder in an airtight container to maintain its potency). I let the straw soak for about 16 hours, then drain it for 2 hours. You can probably get away with using half as much lime, but then it may prove wise to soak the straw somewhat longer, say 24 hours instead of 16.

I inoculate the straw by filling a plastic trash bag, draped inside a large cardboard apple box. I put a layer of straw, then a sprinkling of spawn, then another layer of straw, then more spawn, and so forth. Finally I close up the bag and compress the straw by pushing the bag and its contents down into the box as far as I can get it to go. A quarter of a bale of straw fills three apple boxes worth. The bags get loosely twisted closed and covered with old bed sheets to incubate for about a month.

In Volume II he suggests using Hydrogen Peroxide to pasteurize straw.

Bulk Substrate - Preparing straw with peroxide at room temperature--

Next we come to a method for using peroxide to prepare straw for use as a mushroom substrate. This method can be carried out entirely at room temperature, with no heating and cooling step, and no caustic solution required.

Here I have to admit that my previous publications all argued that straw could not be usefully pasteurized by treatment with hydrogen peroxide solution. I reasoned that straw contains high levels of peroxide-decomposing enzymes (as do other similar substrates), and these enzymes would both destroy the peroxide in short order and protect the numerous mold spores in the straw from the peroxide. Now it turns out that straw nevertheless CAN be pasteurized with hydrogen peroxide. Yes, the peroxide is indeed destroyed by the enzymes in the straw in a relatively short time. But if we raise the peroxide concentration and we tweak the chemistry of the peroxide solution slightly, the peroxide can still have a beneficial effect even in the brief time it survives contact with the straw. And although the peroxide itself does not linger to protect the straw from subsequent contamination, it nevertheless seems to transform the straw into a substrate that is favorable for the growth of mushroom mycelium, one that resists contamination even when the peroxide itself is gone. The peroxide apparently does this at least partly by way of a chemical reaction with the straw.

Despite this complicated explanation, the protocol for preparing straw with peroxide is extremely simple. It goes like this:

1. Place your straw in a large soak vessel.

2. Fill the vessel with a hydrogen peroxide concentration of at least 0.15%, combined with 10 mls. of vinegar per liter of soaking solution (about 2.5 tablespoons per gallon).

3. For chopped straw, soak about 4 hours at room temperature. For unchopped straw, soak for at least 28 hours, or until the leachate takes on the color of a good tea.

4. Drain the straw throughly, until it is no longer drippy.

5. Remove the straw to your culture containers, mixing in spawn as you go.

I recommend chopping the straw for best results. Chopping the straw promotes more efficient absorption of water, and the smaller particle size encourages faster mycelial growth upon inoculation.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

By Fungusflipper (Fungusflipper) on Saturday, May 05, 2001 - 06:14 pm

So, guys, my FOAF wants to try the straw tek Old T talks about, but I am curious.... being a first timer should he use the plastic layer over the spawn while it germinates? I know another straw tek mentioned this.... Do you guys feel this step is important or no?

FF

By Quote (Quote) on Saturday, May 05, 2001 - 11:46 pm

i would, it keeps moisture right.

By Oldtimer (Oldtimer) on Sunday, May 06, 2001 - 03:18 pm

Yeah, you need something to keep the humidity in. I use growing trays with a clear top that creates a kind of "greenhouse" environment inside the tray.

Let us know how it goes...

OT

By Fishy1 (Fishy1) on Sunday, May 06, 2001 - 03:42 pm

Hey OT,

Are you referring to the black plastic garden flats that have the clear plastic top? These are avail. at local "mart" stores...

And what is the scoop on perlite. Yrs ago I visited a shroom farm in the SW. The growers had 3 huge greenhouses going. Birdseed, onto straw, cased with peat, vermic, and perlite. The caps were like hamburger buns! People on this site seem to have an aversion to perlite, it seems...what gives? fishy1

By Oldtimer (Oldtimer) on Sunday, May 06, 2001 - 05:10 pm

Those are the ones, I use 'em all the time for starting straw beds... Perlite bugs me due to its habit of being hard to get rid of... trashes up the place and is really noticable in beds. Makes a nice additive for casing mixes in limited amounts.

By Quote (Quote) on Monday, May 07, 2001 - 02:03 pm

we luv perlite, really

-------------------------------------------

I hope this answers some of your questions - Nan

Shroom Glossary

6 Aralık 2011 Salı

Simple Bulk Spawn Production Tek

PSiLO187's Simple Bulk Spawn Production Tek

Ok before you say "Oh my God, another stolen idea tek" don't... I am fully cognizant that everyone is aware that there are many bulk growing styles and that they vary as well. The (sole) purpose of this TEK is to help newbies that wish to take this hobby a step further as far as production and beauty is concerned. The way this tek is intended to help by overcoming the fear of crossing the bridge between "familiarizing" themselves with growing principles via the PF-Tek and all its affiliates (Neglect Tek, Sea-Monkey Tek, or even the "Dunking for Cakes" Tek). We all agree that the community would definitely not be where it is today without these valuable contributions to helping others learn the magic art of mushroom cultivation. The only thing that I did was actually took the time to write this. After years of growing I have found this to do mushroom cultivating justice. Enjoy.

Jar Preparation and Assembly:

Ok assuming you have already learned how to cultivate via the PF Tek, lets talk a little bit about jars. The ½ pint will no longer do for production if you are planning on using spawn. The best jars I have found are the ½ gallon wide mouth jars that you can purchase from many different sites on the internet or go to a local hardware store (Ace Hardware has been known to have them). You will be able to fit 4 ½ gallon jars in most 22quart and larger p/cookers, that is 2 gallons of grain per cook (think about it). Another thing you will be using is either Poly-Fill (synthetic cottony stuffing for pillows) which is available at almost any Wal-Mart or wide mouth filter disks that are sold from Fungi Perfecti (www.fungi.com) or The Mushroom People (www.mushroompeople.com). Many people prefer to buy the plastic lids available at fungi.com versus the metal lids, either will be fine though. The first step in creating a new shake jar is to drill a hole in the mason jar lid. Make the hole about the size of the end of your pinky finger (maybe about .4 of an inch). Next you will pull out a hand-full of Poly-Fill and pull it TIGHTLY through the hole. It is a good idea to pull of too much excess Poly-Fill, the only reason it is there is to keep out contams, not fill the whole jar. If you are using filter disks simply make the hole a little larger and put the disk under the mason lid.

Grain Preparation (to be used as spawn)

Now that your jar lids are fully assembled you are now ready to see the beauty of grain spawn. First and foremost you must realize that various grains usually work fine so you will be able to mix and experiment with this as you start growing in this fashion, but to make this tek simple lets just say we are using Rye or Barley. Ok some people prefer boiling (or steeping rather) their grain, some prefer to soak for a day or more, and some even prefer to just add a given amount of water straight into the jar and pressure cook with the grain. The reason this is done is to hydrate the grain and release endospores that are known to cause contam problems. All of these methods seem to work, but I prefer to use the soak 24-48 way. I do this because it is so simple and requires no thought. Basically you want the grains to have water in them and not have them explode or burst or get too soggy. Using the pressure cooker with no lid or even a bucket does this fine. Whether you put the grains in hot water (not quite boiling) or soak overnight the main thing you will have to watch out for is starch. After I have prepared the grain bye steeping or soaking I ALWAYS THOROUGHLY RINSE all the slimy carbohydrates/starch and funk off of your grains and DRAIN *VERY* THOROUGHLY before you pressure sterilize your grains. The reason for this is because you will have a fatty caramelized mess in the bottom of your jars when they cool, which prevents the nifty shaking feature of grains jars and slows rhizomorphic Mycelial networking.

Filling the Jars

This is pretty simple. Fill the jars between 3/5 and 3/4 full. The grains will expand as they are sterilized somewhat, depending on how water logged they are. Screw the lids on of course. Put foil over the lids the same way you would in the PF TEK to keep water out during the pressure sterilization. I recommend using masking tape to hold the foil on, but this may not be necessary, I do it out of habit though.

Sterilizing the Grain

After you have filled the jars you are ready to sterilize the grain. I am sure you have heard about many different times being uses to sterilize grain. I have only used one cook time as far as I can remember and I have had success with it so I had no reason to try any other. 70 minutes at 15psi, but when I say 70 minutes I am speaking of AFTER I hear the first small hiss coming out of the pressure cooker. After the 70 minutes is up I take the cooker off the burner and let it cool down (as much as possible) and then take the lid is off the pressure cooker. I prefer to take the jars out of the pressure cooker warm or even HOT to make sure the grains are not sticky and are shakable before the jar cools down. The grains tend to break up easier if the jars are still warm. Let jars cool 100% before going to the next step of course...

Creating Liquid Inoculant

I have read that allot of people use honey and sugar water to grow mycelium for inoculations. I find this to be more time consuming than I prefer. I actually prefer to clone strains I like from mushroom tissue, but as this is a simple tek I am leaving all that out (you can do research if interested in cloning with agar, that is a whole other project all together.) When I had no petri dishes or cloned mushroom tissue all I did was make water out of pre-existing colonized substrate. The easiest way to do this is to is to put some pebbles, coins, and/or small objects of any sort that are able to sink to the bottom and tear the mycelium once shaken aggressively) into a 1 quart jar full of spring water and sterilize. I poke 1 hole in the side of the lid to draw the water out into the syringes and cover lid with foil as usual. Wrap 1 spoon, 1 fork, and 1knife (100% metal, no wood) in foil. Most canners come with another rack that can go on top of jars; this is where the wrapped fork n knife will go, out of direct contact with the water. These sterilized eating utensils are what you will be using to scrape mycelium and drop it into the cool sterilized water. Once everything is cooled down 100% select a good jar of colonized grain, PF-TEK BRF cake, or even birdseed and make sure it is not contamed at all. Turn off your AC/ Heater in your house and spray Lysol EVERYWHERE around where you will be working. And wipe all surfaces as usual. Take the lid of and with the sterilized tool of your preference scrape the layer of vermiculite off if necessary, as it is trash and not colonized. Scoop a healthy few scoops of mycelium colonized substrate into the sterilized water (I use the spoon), and re-attach the lid. The foil I originally covered the lid with in the pcooker I put back on the jar. I place my finger over where the hole is (the foil separates my finger from the water) and I shake like a sick puppy. Never failed me once! The thing to watch out for, though, is using the same strain over and over, generation after generation, and not doing it from a master; this causes the strain to degrade after 3 or so times.

Inoculating with Liquid Inoculant

This is the easiest part. In a very clean environment draw water out of the quart jar containing the liquid inoculant. I pretty much use 1 whole syringe per ½ gallon jar. But make sure that you don?t add TOO much water, or your risks of bacterial contams are higher. If using Poly-Fill insert the needle between the side of the lid in the hole and the actual Poly-Fill (Don?t insert it smack dab in the middle of all the polyfill material). If using filter disks crack the lid open barely (don't breath in there!) and squirt, squirt, squirt. Viola!

Inoculating with Grain/Substrate Transfer

Simply take sterile colonized substance and transfer it into the virgin spawn. Must be very sterile conditions, use the tools you sterilized. There are teks out on this in detail as well.

Colonizing and Shaking of the Jars

The more you shake the jars is not necessarily the better they will do. Shake the jar once every 2 days or so. Once the grain has mycelium pretty evenly distributed it is time to stop touching the jars all together. They should be colonized within 2 weeks (give or take a little).

Creation of Bulk Substrate with Straw and Worm Casting Compost

Okay, this is where all the fun really begins. I have experimented with different types of growing medium and found both wheat straw and worm casting compost to be the best. Both do fine by themselves but worm castings seems to do better than straw. But the straw is so incredibly cheap per bail and the casting compost from mushroompeople.com costs a bit more because of shipping. So to this my recommendation would be to mix the 2 together. It is very simple.

Pasteurizing the Straw

First cut the straw as small as you can get it 1?-2? is fine; Shears, scissors, whatever. Get an old pillow case and put straw in it and tie a string around the top of the pillow case to hold it all in. Put this pillowcase in the base of a large pressure cooker or some other large metal container that can withstand the stove-top. Fill this with water and set a weight on top of it to prevent it from floating. You will need to keep the temperature close to (***but definitely less than***) 200f. If you go over this you are destined to failure. Let it cook in this for 2 hours and make sure there is always a good amount of water in it so it will not burn. A candy thermometer is a good way to tell what temperature it is in the pot, you can buy these at Wal-Mart. After it has been 2 hours take this out and let it cool off *100%* and make sure that is THOROUGHLY DRAINED.

Pasteurizing the Worm Dung

This is pretty simple. The hardest part is getting the water ratio right. Basically use good judgment and make sure you don?t make muddy sludge just wet it good but not to where it is dripping and shit. Some recommend putting lime in your worm compost, but it is not a very big deal. Put this wet worm shit into large pie tins, put foil over the tins, and preheat the oven to 175f. Leave the tins in the oven around about 2 hours. Let cool off completely, 100%.

Mixing Spawn into the Substrate

Ok this is another cool part. Take a sterile Rubbermaid clothing bin (again from Wal-Mart) and duct-tape the bottom 6 inches of it to block out light from hitting the substrate from the sides. I recommend 1 full pillowcase to a 10 pound bag of compost (they sell them by the 10lb bag at mushroompeople.com) Mix both of these pasteurized substrates into the Rubbermaid Sterilite container. Next Get 2 (or 3 even) 1/2 gallon-sized jars (a total of 1 gallon of spawn) and mix the substrate from the jars into the dung/straw mixture. Make sure you compress the straw/dung mixture as much as possible, if it is TOO fluffed out it is not a good thing. Another adaptation is to take an additional third ½ gallon spawn jar and mix it into 100% worm dung/compost and make a pseudo-casing out of the mixture, this keeps the straw from sticking through the casing layer. Let ALL of this colonize 100%, it wont take long AT ALL. After it is colonized 100% case normally with 50/50 or even coco-fiber. Put a light on the sterilite lid and soup the tank up however floats your boat. Growing parameters are the same of course. Expect a VERY, VERY high yield.

http://www.shroomery.org/9029/PSiLO187s-Simple-Bulk-Spawn-Production-Tek

Growing Bulk: Part 1: Birdseed

This is the first part of a two part grow guide teaching you how to grow mushrooms in bulk (on straw).

Step 1

First of all, you’ll have to do some shopping. Go to your local supermarket and buy the following (if you haven’t got it yet):

Birdseed without sunflower seeds or corn
Tin foil
A cooking pot
A couple of pint glass jars with metal lids
Micropore tape
Rubbing alcohol
Latex gloves
Mouth mask

Also, buy a spore syringe online. Click here for a list of suppliers of edible mushrooms.

Step 2

Take your birdseed and soak it in hot water for 24 hours. Take out any floating seeds. Yes, every single floating seed has to be taken out. These often are hollow seeds and can contain contaminants. Next, put the birdseeds in a colander and let them drain until the seed shells look dry.
The seeds should still contain their moisture, but when put on a paper towel they can’t leave any wet spots.

Step 3

Now it’s time to take out your glass jars. Unscrew the lids and puncture 4 small holes in them using a nail and a hammer. The holes should be about half an inch from the side.
Grind down any metal that’s sticking out. You can seriously hurt your fingers with that.

Step 4

Fill the jars with the drained birdseeds. Leave about two inches of space from the top of the jar. Put the lids on. Stick micropore tape over the holes. Wrap your lids and jars with tin foil. Make sure you don’t make any holes or tears in it, that is crucial.

Step 5

Put your jars in the cooking pot. Fill the cooking pot with water until the jars are halfway under. Put the water to a boil for about 2 hours with the lid on the pot. Make sure there’s always some water present in the cooking pot.
After this, take the jars out and let them cool down to room temperature. The simplest method is to leave them to cool over night. Remember that the inside of the jar is hotter than the outside. So it’s better to wait a bit longer. 12 hours should be sufficient. Leave the tinfoil on the jars!

Step 6

Take the rubbing alcohol and wipe your entire work area clean. Your work area should be under a flow hood. If this is impossible, work in a chamber where there’s no moving air or drag.
Take your jars into your work area, take the tinfoil off and rub the outside down with rubbing alcohol. Put on your latex gloves and mouth mask and rub your gloves with the alcohol. Now your completely sterile and ready to work.
Take the spore syringe you ordered online and hold the needle into a flame until it’s red hot. Then wipe it with some rubbing alcohol to completely sterilize and cool down. Now gently stick the needle inside one of the holes in the lid, through the micropore tape in one fluid motion. Tilt the syringe so that the needle touches the side of the jar. Gently insert 1cc of spore solution into the jar. Repeat this process for all holes of all jars.
Always take your needle through a flame and clean it with some rubbing alcohol in between two jars.

Step 7

Now place your jars somewhere where it’s not too bright. The jars should stay at a constant temperature. For most fungi room temperature should be fine. The jars should stay there for about 21 days. Until you see that the birdseed is fully colonized by the fungus.

Sadly, growing mushrooms on birdseed isn’t profitable, so we’re just using these colonized birdseeds to spawn (=fungi mycelium used to inoculate other substrates) some straw in part 2 of this bulk grow guide.

Growing Bulk: Part 2: Straw

This is the second part of a two part guide on how to grow your own mushrooms in bulk. You already have your halfway colonized jars from part 1. Now we’re going to grow on straw. In this part we’re actually growing the mushroom.