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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2002 >> Why am I the crummiest shroom farmer around?
        
(Message started by: Mattso on May 9^th, 2002, 1:40am)

Title: Why am I the crummiest shroom farmer around?
Post by Mattso on May 9^th, 2002, 1:40am

Let's say that I, uh, theoretically injected some reputable psilocybe cubenis spores into a myco environment bag, then stored the bag away in it's box, and thought I'd see some therapeutic shrooms develop. Would any successful shroom farmers have some insight as to why it would just turn into a bunch of solid white fungus at the bottom of the bag, with no shroom development? Can "peeking" at it too early (2 weeks) or not having it in a warm enough room cause this sorta failure?

I'm curious about this as I'd like to theoretically be prepared for my next expected episode sometime off in the hopefully distant future.

Thankya :P.

Title: Re: Why am I the crummiest shroom farmer around?
Post by nancyc on May 9^th, 2002, 1:43am

someone i know,( wont mention any names ofcourse.)..messed their bags up too. It has taken them about 2 months to produce one or two shrooms LOL. they call them idiot proof but you cant prove that by me.(.i mean my friend.). ::)

Title: Re: Why am I the crummiest shroom farmer around?
Post by susan on May 9^th, 2002, 1:52am

man, ::) I won't even go there.... :P

Title: Re: Why am I the crummiest shroom farmer around?
Post by Not4Hire on May 9^th, 2002, 1:57am

By garsh. it's funny, but this guy told ME about a guy who did the same thing except HIS mycobag was as barren as Afghanistan after a good ol' carpet bombing.....must be an epi-damn-demic....and this other guy was so embarassed by his failure to bear fruit from something that was UNfuckUpable, that he just kept it to himself....what a loser!!

Title: Re: Why am I the crummiest shroom farmer around?
Post by pinksharkmark on May 9^th, 2002, 10:16am

Quote:

Would any successful shroom farmers have some insight as to why it would just turn into a bunch of solid white fungus at the bottom of the bag, with no shroom development?

Congratulations!!!

That's EXACTLY what you want to see, Mattso. That means the first stage of the the process has been completed successfully: the substrate (mushroom "food") has been completely colonized by the mycelium (fungal equivalent of a root system), and the "vegetative growth" stage has been accomplished. Normally that takes about two weeks or so, depending on temperature, so it sounds like everything (theoretically speaking) is proceeding right on schedule.

Now, you must change the environmental conditions a bit to signal the mycelium that it is time to switch over to the "reproductive growth" stage of its life cycle, where it develops fruiting bodies (mushrooms) in order to spread its spores and start the cycle all over again.

This is done by exposing the mycelium to light for several hours a day, and dropping the temperature to somewhere between 70 and 78 degrees. Any light will do except direct sunlight falling directly on the bags. It doesn't have to be very strong light: enough to read by is sufficient. Anywhere from 1 hour to 16 hours of light per day is fine. The mushrooms aren't too fussy about that part.

Somewhere around two weeks after the bag has been completely colonized (turned solid white) you will start to see some small white bumps forming on the top surface of the mycelium, and maybe a few on the sides, too, between the substrate and the walls of the plastic bag. In a matter of days these bumps will develop a dot in the center that is a brown or a brick red color, and the bumps will start to elongate and resemble matchsticks. These are the immature mushrooms, called "pins". Once they reach that size, they mature VERY rapidly... sometimes doubling their mass each day, until they are recognizable as mushrooms.

The very best time to harvest them is just as the cap starts to expand and break away from the stem, but before the cap opens fully. Once the cap opens all the way the spores will develop and drop. The spores resemble a very dark purplish powder... almost black. It is okay if you wait too long, but the spores tend to make the inside of the bag look messy, and mushrooms that have developed spores will taste more bitter. They still work fine, though.

Please note that this two week time frame for the "pinning"stage is approximate. Sometimes the pins will develop less than a week after complete colonization, sometimes it takes a month. But they WILL develop, as long as the mycelium remains free of contaminants, receives light, and is kept in the correct temperature range. Amateur mycologists learn the virtue of patience.

The mature mushrooms will appear in a series of successive crops, called "flushes". When the first flush is ready to harvest, slit the bag as near to the top as you can manage, then pick all the mushrooms from the first flush at the same time. Make sure to wash your hands all the way to the elbows first, and try not to breathe into the open bag. After harvesting, use a plant mister to mist a little bit of water into the open bag (not a lot, just a squirt or two) then reseal the bag carefully with tape, making sure there is as much moist air trapped inside the bag as possible.

In another week or so, another set of pins will appear, and you will be on your way to a second flush. Most strains of psilocybe cubensis will produce at least three flushes, but I have heard of as many as six from a bag. Usually the second flush produces both the biggest specimens and the largest fruits, but that is not cast in stone.

Bottom line: You done good! Theoretically speaking, of course.

pinky

Title: Re: Why am I the crummiest shroom farmer around?
Post by Bob_P on May 9^th, 2002, 11:27am

Cutting throught the 3rd party stuff, my cakes sat for about 4 weeks, fully colonized before they started to fruit. But once they started, man they produced!

Patience is virtue for fugus afectionados.

Title: Re: Why am I the crummiest shroom farmer around?
Post by Peter on May 9^th, 2002, 4:55pm

And you must keep us informed of your progress !!

Peter ( 2nd crummiest shroom grower )

Title: Re: Why am I the crummiest shroom farmer around?
Post by Elizabeth on May 9^th, 2002, 5:54pm

and I (theoretically) have fucked up TWO mycobags!

harumph!

Title: Afghani shroom farmer
Post by Not4Hire on May 9^th, 2002, 6:01pm

Just an update: Sporeworks was contacted by that poor farmer who had ZERO results with the myco bags and they are sending him two new bags and a new spore syringe FREE of CHARGE (!!!)......how rare is that?

That stupid farmer will certainly recommend Sporeworks for backing their product, just like Pinky said they would.....

Shut UP Pink!!!!.........It's my favorite COLOR........

Title: Re: Why am I the crummiest shroom farmer around?
Post by Bob_P on May 9^th, 2002, 8:41pm

Here are some pictures of my efforts:

http://www.pahlow.net/albums/shrooms/index.html

Note that it took 9 weeks before they started to pin.

Title: Re: Why am I the crummiest shroom farmer around?
Post by Mattso on May 10^th, 2002, 2:12am

Ohhh! Doh! Doh! DOH!

White hunks and chunks at the bottom of the bag are a GOOD thing....

Thanks for all the responses everyone, and Pinky, major thanks to you for your usual generous insights/instructions on this subject. Believe me, I've saved them for critical future reference.

I know a certain guy who threw out his myco bags when they grew the white fungus clumps. This um, guy, is now picturing the bags sitting at the city dump, sprouting all kinds of shrooms in the light.

Fortunately for me , I seem to be at the end of a cycle, so of course I really actually have nothing to complain about.

Title: Re: Why am I the crummiest shroom farmer around?
Post by Peter on May 11^th, 2002, 4:29am

Wow Bob P, I thought I had done well but your pictures are impressive.

Peter