XPost: alt.drugs.psychedelics, alt.drugs.mushrooms   
   From: muskylure@hotmail.com   
      
   In article ,   
    Vlassic Pickle  wrote:   
      
   > On Wed, 13 Dec 2006 01:42:38 -0700, Musky Lure wrote:   
   >   
   > > Pasteurize (170-180F for an hour is sufficient) and drain (in a large   
   > > wire basket until dripping stops) your straw and immediately transfer it   
   > > into plastic trash bags perforated with a few hundred pencil holes.   
   > [...]   
   > > Full colonization can be expected in 1-3 weeks.  Any taking longer than   
   > > 3 weeks probably have occult contaminants.   
   >   
   > Have you tried this method using grow-log bags? I mean, this is the same   
   > technique but using trash bags instead of grow log bags.  The advantage I   
   > think that grow log bags would have is that you get more surface area for   
   > the amount of weight of your material whereas with the trash bags you get   
   > a lot of surface area but you also have a lot more in the center.  Now a   
   > good deal for this might be to colonize in the trash bags, fruit, then   
   > since what you're left with is a pretty big f*ckin' cake-ball, carve off   
   > the outside layer, maybe roll in a tub of casing material and place into a   
   > new trash bag for a new flush?  Just a thought...   
   >   
   Sure.  I'm not familiar with grow-log bags, though.  Sounds like wood   
   substrate and substrates, of course, are species specific.  If you   
   incubate the straw or dung or wood by just pouring crumbled grain spawn   
   or spawn from uncontaminated spent bulk substrate in the bag and shaking   
   vigorously, the cake will permeate with mycelium superfast if you   
   incubate at the species' preferred temperature.  Only use deeply   
   colonized spawn with absolutely no uncolonized regions.   
      
   > > Casing is another story.  50:50 vermiculite to clean potting soil, 2-3"   
   > > deep and kept evenly moist at all times via daily misting, is a fine   
   > > casing substrate.   
   >   
   > I have never used potting soil, personally.  I've thought about it but   
   > never hard enough to where I tried using it.  Isn't the point of a good   
   > casing to be non-nutritive? Isn't potting soil nutritive?   
   >   
   The primary purpose of the casing layer is as a water reservoir that   
   interfaces with the mycelial colony without getting soggy and promoting   
   contaminants, keeping the bulk colony from dehydrating and furnishing   
   lots of water for rapidly expanding carpophores.  In deep casings which   
   often support 4 or more heavy flushes, potting soil encourages early,   
   rapid casing permeation if you are careful to exclude contaminants.  The   
   available nutrients in potting soil are negligible compared to those in   
   the bulk substrate the mycelium is migrating into, and fruiting is   
   promoted just fine.  Plus, the 50% added vermiculite eliminates excess   
   richness.   
      
   > > Keep the cultures in tubs with the casing applied   
   > > on top with plenty of room around the uncased sides of the cakes for   
   > > mushrooms to develop there, too.  Keep the cakes on top of an   
   > > inch-or-two layer of pea gravel or lava rock to allow for good drainage.   
   > > Mist as needed; don't overdo it.  Let CO2 accumulate as the casing   
   > > permeates.   
   >   
   > I thought you want to do your best to rid the CO2 from the equation since   
   > the fruit breathes oxygen, expels CO2?   
   >   
   Right.  Relatively high CO2 promotes pinning.  Once the carpophores are   
   growing, give them lots more O2.   
      
   > > Cool the cultures down when the casing is nearly grown   
   > > through, give them several hours of horticultural artificial light or   
   > > indirect sunlight each day, and allow for more air circulation as the   
   > > mushrooms grow.  Try to resist rescuing contaminated cultures.  It's   
   > > always worth it to get clean and start all over, methodically.   
   >   
   > I have had stellar results with 15 minutes of direct fluorescent light in   
   > 6 hour intervals.  They don't need much light, it just tells them which   
   > direction to grow into.  They are not photosynthetic, after all.   
   > Abundance of light may promote other growth you DON'T want.   
      
   Some species like more light than others.  A little UV might be   
   beneficial for some and also hold down contaminant levels.  I agree that   
   more light than necessary may be trouble.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)