So since I got a lot of questions on how I grow my mushrooms I thought I would show you all how I do it.
I was going to reupload the pics to this site but there is no way to resize them so I am just going to include the original links.
Step 1.
Rinsing and Soaking of grains
(I'll be using WBS)
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108956399-DSC_0590.jpg
So first you need to rinse off your grains with hot water. I use a colander in the bathtub. You'll know when the grains are ready when it runs clear.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108956515-DSC_0592.jpg
After that you'll need to soak the grains in water for 12-24 hrs. I also like to add a cup of brewed caffeinated coffee.
Step 2.
Boiling the grains
Next you'll be boiling the grains. So pour your grains and water into your PC or large pot.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108956673-DSC_0595.jpg
Turn on the burner and let the water heat up. You are not trying to get a full boil going. Just hot enough that you see bubbles starting to form. You'll heat the grains for about 10-15 minutes (shorter amount of time for smaller pots). Keep an eye on the grains making sure to look for popped grains.
Next you'll rinse off the grains with hot running water. The point of this is that sometimes WBS seems to have a slimy residue left over after boiling so we need to remove this stuff.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108956744-DSC_0599.jpg
Step 3
Drying the grain
After you have rinse the grain you will need to dry it out. I like to dry my grains on a table with towels on the bottom and newspapers on top.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108956805-DSC_0600.jpg
I also have a fan blowing from the sides and a ceiling fan going on top. If you don't have a ceiling fan the side fan will work just might take a bit longer.You will 'turn' the grains about every 20 minutes. My grains are usually done drying in an hour. You'll know when the grains are dry when you pick up a handful and only a few stick to your hand.
In this picture you can see that the grains are still to wet to jar up.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/109047359-H1.jpg
Step 4
Sterilizing
So after the grains are dry enough it's time to jar them up. You are only going to need to fill them up 3/4 of the way. And don't worry if you get some newspaper in the jar ime the mycelium will just colonize it without any adverse effect.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108956934-DSC_0602.jpg
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108956992-DSC_0604.jpg
Remember if you are not using Synthetic Filter Discs and/or Self Healing Injection Ports you will need to cover the jars with foil. I personally would go the SFD and SHIP route. So simple and effective.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108956871-DSC_0601.jpg
Okay so now that your jars are ready to sterilize put them in the PC and bring up the PSI to 15. Once you have reached 15 PSI set your timer for 90 minutes. After the jars are done let them cool for at least 10 hours (I usually do it at night so by the time I wake up they are cooled).
Step 5.
Inoculation
Now that your jars are cooled its time to inoculate them with your choice of LC,spores,etc. Heat up the syringe needle until red hot. Stick the needle in the injection port (or hole) at first letting a little to cool the needle then about 1-4 ml per jar. I like using 3 ml personally. Be sure to heat up the needle red hot every time you inoculate to prevent cross contamination. I can not stress this enough. Once the jars are about 20-30 percent colonized you are gonna want to break it up by hitting the jar on a roll of duct tape being careful not to break the jar. The point of this is to redistribute the mycleium for a faster colonization rate.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108957053-DSC_0651.jpg
After about 3 weeks your jars should be colonized. Now its time to pasteurize the substrate.
Step 6.
Pasteurization
For this you'll need
1 650 gram Coir brick
2 quarts of Vermiculite
4.5 quarts of water
1 Meat Thermometer
1 5 gal. bucket with lid
1 Towel
1 Trash Bag
1. Heat the water up in a PC or large pot to 170°
2. Toss in the coir and let it expand for 5-8 minutes
3.Toss in Vermiculite, mix very well
4.Close lid on PC or pot,put burner on high for 5 minutes, Substrate should now be 200°
5.Put the towel in the bucket followed by the trash bag, then put the substrate mix in the bucket.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108957117-DSC_0706.jpg
5.Twist the bag with the thermometer in the middle so heat doesn't escape. You can use a one of those big black binder clips to make sure it doesn't come undone.
6.Cover with lid and wait 75 minutes. By doing it this way you can easily keep the temp at 170°
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108957183-DSC_0707.jpg
7.After the 75 minutes you need to let the substrate cool for a few hours.
Step 7
Spawning
Alright so now that your substrate is cool we can now spawn our colonized jars. First tape up the holes on your monotub. Next get a trashbag, cut it to size and tape it like I have done.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108957244-DSC_0713.jpg
Next put in 80 percent of the substrate (you need to save some for the top) in the tub and then your spawn. Mix it up so there are no big chunks of spawn or substrate. After you have mixed it well put the substrate you were saving on top being sure to cover up any exposed grains. Once you have done that remove the tape and any extra trash bag. You want the bag to stick to the substrate as it shrinks over time. This is to prevent side pins from forming.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108957307-DSC_0715.jpg
After that you can put the tub somewhere where it is getting ambient light. Your tub should be fully colonized in 7-10 days.
I ran into a problem where one of my tubs where fruiting before it was fully colonized. In some cases it can be a contamination and this is the myceliums last ditch effort to "spread itself via sproes". In my case it wasn't a contamination but some tape started falling off and let in Fresh Air Exchange. if you run into this fruit it and it should be okay. If you see any sign of a contamination then TOSS IT.
Step 8
Fruiting
Alright so now that your tub is colonized it's time to fruit it. Open your tub remove any excess moisture on your colonized substrate with a paper towel. By "excess moisture" I mean any standing water you see. So now that you have done that remove the tape on the holes and get out your polyfil. Refer to this LINK on how to dial in your tubs.
Now your tub is ready to go. Put a bulb (preferably 26 watt soft white CFL) on top and on a 12/12 light schedule. You will need a rotating fan on low about 6-10 feet away. If you feel the tub isn't getting enough Fresh Air Exchange then turn it on medium.
After about 2-4 days you should see some pins starting to form.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-004/204078329-DSC_0774.jpg
And after about 5 or 6 days you'll see fruit bodies forming.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-004/204078455-DSC_0780.jpg
Step 8
Harvesting
If using Multispore you will be harvesting your mushrooms at different times. Once the veil starts to open thats the time to harvest. You want to avoid the mushroom spreading its spores on the colonized substrate as this tells the mycelium to stop producing mushrooms.
So when it comes to harvesting you want to either 1.) Use scissors or garden pruners and cut at the base of the mushroom or 2.) Twist the mushroom at the base until it pulls free. The point of this is that if you just rip out clusters of mushrooms you will leave a crater. This crater can and most likely will lead to a contamination.
Step 9
Drying
Well this is the moment you have been waiting for. I personally just invested in a dehydrator. You can have a ton of mushrooms dried in 12 hrs. If you don't own a dehydrator you can fan dry them. Turning them every 6 hrs or so. You can also make a desiccant and dry them that way. THIS write up tells you how to make your own desiccant from epsom salt. I have tried this and found it works pretty well.
I was going to reupload the pics to this site but there is no way to resize them so I am just going to include the original links.
Step 1.
Rinsing and Soaking of grains
(I'll be using WBS)
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108956399-DSC_0590.jpg
So first you need to rinse off your grains with hot water. I use a colander in the bathtub. You'll know when the grains are ready when it runs clear.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108956515-DSC_0592.jpg
After that you'll need to soak the grains in water for 12-24 hrs. I also like to add a cup of brewed caffeinated coffee.
Step 2.
Boiling the grains
Next you'll be boiling the grains. So pour your grains and water into your PC or large pot.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108956673-DSC_0595.jpg
Turn on the burner and let the water heat up. You are not trying to get a full boil going. Just hot enough that you see bubbles starting to form. You'll heat the grains for about 10-15 minutes (shorter amount of time for smaller pots). Keep an eye on the grains making sure to look for popped grains.
Next you'll rinse off the grains with hot running water. The point of this is that sometimes WBS seems to have a slimy residue left over after boiling so we need to remove this stuff.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108956744-DSC_0599.jpg
Step 3
Drying the grain
After you have rinse the grain you will need to dry it out. I like to dry my grains on a table with towels on the bottom and newspapers on top.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108956805-DSC_0600.jpg
I also have a fan blowing from the sides and a ceiling fan going on top. If you don't have a ceiling fan the side fan will work just might take a bit longer.You will 'turn' the grains about every 20 minutes. My grains are usually done drying in an hour. You'll know when the grains are dry when you pick up a handful and only a few stick to your hand.
In this picture you can see that the grains are still to wet to jar up.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/109047359-H1.jpg
Step 4
Sterilizing
So after the grains are dry enough it's time to jar them up. You are only going to need to fill them up 3/4 of the way. And don't worry if you get some newspaper in the jar ime the mycelium will just colonize it without any adverse effect.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108956934-DSC_0602.jpg
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108956992-DSC_0604.jpg
Remember if you are not using Synthetic Filter Discs and/or Self Healing Injection Ports you will need to cover the jars with foil. I personally would go the SFD and SHIP route. So simple and effective.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108956871-DSC_0601.jpg
Okay so now that your jars are ready to sterilize put them in the PC and bring up the PSI to 15. Once you have reached 15 PSI set your timer for 90 minutes. After the jars are done let them cool for at least 10 hours (I usually do it at night so by the time I wake up they are cooled).
Step 5.
Inoculation
Now that your jars are cooled its time to inoculate them with your choice of LC,spores,etc. Heat up the syringe needle until red hot. Stick the needle in the injection port (or hole) at first letting a little to cool the needle then about 1-4 ml per jar. I like using 3 ml personally. Be sure to heat up the needle red hot every time you inoculate to prevent cross contamination. I can not stress this enough. Once the jars are about 20-30 percent colonized you are gonna want to break it up by hitting the jar on a roll of duct tape being careful not to break the jar. The point of this is to redistribute the mycleium for a faster colonization rate.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108957053-DSC_0651.jpg
After about 3 weeks your jars should be colonized. Now its time to pasteurize the substrate.
Step 6.
Pasteurization
For this you'll need
1 650 gram Coir brick
2 quarts of Vermiculite
4.5 quarts of water
1 Meat Thermometer
1 5 gal. bucket with lid
1 Towel
1 Trash Bag
1. Heat the water up in a PC or large pot to 170°
2. Toss in the coir and let it expand for 5-8 minutes
3.Toss in Vermiculite, mix very well
4.Close lid on PC or pot,put burner on high for 5 minutes, Substrate should now be 200°
5.Put the towel in the bucket followed by the trash bag, then put the substrate mix in the bucket.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108957117-DSC_0706.jpg
5.Twist the bag with the thermometer in the middle so heat doesn't escape. You can use a one of those big black binder clips to make sure it doesn't come undone.
6.Cover with lid and wait 75 minutes. By doing it this way you can easily keep the temp at 170°
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108957183-DSC_0707.jpg
7.After the 75 minutes you need to let the substrate cool for a few hours.
Step 7
Spawning
Alright so now that your substrate is cool we can now spawn our colonized jars. First tape up the holes on your monotub. Next get a trashbag, cut it to size and tape it like I have done.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108957244-DSC_0713.jpg
Next put in 80 percent of the substrate (you need to save some for the top) in the tub and then your spawn. Mix it up so there are no big chunks of spawn or substrate. After you have mixed it well put the substrate you were saving on top being sure to cover up any exposed grains. Once you have done that remove the tape and any extra trash bag. You want the bag to stick to the substrate as it shrinks over time. This is to prevent side pins from forming.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-003/108957307-DSC_0715.jpg
After that you can put the tub somewhere where it is getting ambient light. Your tub should be fully colonized in 7-10 days.
I ran into a problem where one of my tubs where fruiting before it was fully colonized. In some cases it can be a contamination and this is the myceliums last ditch effort to "spread itself via sproes". In my case it wasn't a contamination but some tape started falling off and let in Fresh Air Exchange. if you run into this fruit it and it should be okay. If you see any sign of a contamination then TOSS IT.
Step 8
Fruiting
Alright so now that your tub is colonized it's time to fruit it. Open your tub remove any excess moisture on your colonized substrate with a paper towel. By "excess moisture" I mean any standing water you see. So now that you have done that remove the tape on the holes and get out your polyfil. Refer to this LINK on how to dial in your tubs.
Now your tub is ready to go. Put a bulb (preferably 26 watt soft white CFL) on top and on a 12/12 light schedule. You will need a rotating fan on low about 6-10 feet away. If you feel the tub isn't getting enough Fresh Air Exchange then turn it on medium.
After about 2-4 days you should see some pins starting to form.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-004/204078329-DSC_0774.jpg
And after about 5 or 6 days you'll see fruit bodies forming.
http://files.growery.org/files/g15-004/204078455-DSC_0780.jpg
Step 8
Harvesting
If using Multispore you will be harvesting your mushrooms at different times. Once the veil starts to open thats the time to harvest. You want to avoid the mushroom spreading its spores on the colonized substrate as this tells the mycelium to stop producing mushrooms.
So when it comes to harvesting you want to either 1.) Use scissors or garden pruners and cut at the base of the mushroom or 2.) Twist the mushroom at the base until it pulls free. The point of this is that if you just rip out clusters of mushrooms you will leave a crater. This crater can and most likely will lead to a contamination.
Step 9
Drying
Well this is the moment you have been waiting for. I personally just invested in a dehydrator. You can have a ton of mushrooms dried in 12 hrs. If you don't own a dehydrator you can fan dry them. Turning them every 6 hrs or so. You can also make a desiccant and dry them that way. THIS write up tells you how to make your own desiccant from epsom salt. I have tried this and found it works pretty well.
