# Mushroom Grow Journal - PF-tek, Casing



## MonkeeMan (Aug 10, 2008)

Hey everyone, used to grow a lot of mushrooms a while ago and stopped to grow weed... but now im back and I thought id make a grow journal for anyone new or thinking about growing mushrooms

Im attempting to grow as many as I can as cheap as possible, Ill be using the pk-tek to make the base and then case to get the most from them

I'll go into as much detail as possible to help out anyone who wants to follow along... and please feel free to post or ask questions

Making The Jars

First thing you have to do is make some jars to intially grow the mushrooms in, this is a super important step to get right because it determines how successful you are

One thing which I will stress this entire grow is BEING CLEAN... there is high risk of contaimination which causes people to get very sick, so every step I take I usually clean my hands with rubbing a, and all the surfaces and the jars

What you'll need:

*1) 12 - 1/2 Pint Jars*

I use 1 pint jars usually because you get more but theres a lot more risk and it takes a lot longer, so for this grow i went and picked up some 1/2 pint jars... you want them to be wide lid so you can take out the substrate easy when its done... this will cost you around 7 bucks







*2) Brown Rice*

I use any brown rice you can find at the store, I find organic works better... alot of people use brown rice flour but I can't find it around here so I make it myself... also I find the flour is to fine and doesn't work as well... put brown rice into a coffee grinder... below is the before and after product... you'll need a fair size bag, which should put you back 3 bucks







*3) Vermiculite *

Get vermiculite, dont get really fine stuff







*4) Water
5) Tin Foil
6) Big Pot*


Putting the Jars Together

First take a nail and pop 2 holes in the lids of the 1/2 pint jars, this is where you will be putting in the mushroom spores later on... then put your jars to the side







Next mix the vermiculite (6 cups) with around 3 cups of water, if you find that there is water pooling at the bottom of the bowl you mix it in then drain that part out because there is to much.... Next add 3 cups of brown rice flour to that wet vermiculite mix

You will get something that looks like this:







Next fill the 1/2 pint jars to about 1/2 inch from the top of the jar... clean this rim of the jar so that its dry and perfectly clean

Then fill this top 1/2 inch part with DRY vermiculite, this will stop the muchrooms from growing to the top of the jars, and keep contaimination out












Finally, cover the top of the jars with win foil so it looks like the jar below... this is to keep water out of them for the next step







Cleaning the Jars

You'll want to make sure the jars are 100% contaimination free before you fuck with them anymore

Put as many jars as you can fit into your big pot... put lids or something at the bottom so the bottom of the jars does not touch the bottom of the pot... fill water in the pot till around half way up the jars







A lot of people swear by pressure cookers but for this style of mushroom growing I tend not to be bothered with it... one thing to note is that when you use a big pot this white shit _may_ be all over the jars, this is just calcium build up and shouldn't be concerned with, this happens a lot with old or not 100% clean pots

Bring the pot to a boil for 90 MIN!!!! this is very important

However you will want to cheak now and then to make sure there is enough water in the pot lol so it doesn't burn

After 90 min turn off the stove and DONT open the pot, leave them overnight to cool... 6 hours min time needed for this... if you have to use the pot again for more jars make sure you put the ones you take out in a very very sterile place while you wait

_*Tomorrow ill show ya how to knock up the jars with shrooms*_


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## jazz98 (Aug 10, 2008)

omg thats so sweet im so gonna b following this


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## Chewwy1234 (Aug 10, 2008)

I will definitely be following thisright after harvest I will be starting my own shroom grow hopefully on a large scale.I would like to get a few pounds a year any suggestions?


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## MonkeeMan (Aug 11, 2008)

Chewwy1234 said:


> I will definitely be following thisright after harvest I will be starting my own shroom grow hopefully on a large scale.I would like to get a few pounds a year any suggestions?


well in a year its possible to get a few pounds with the way i do it, but it makes a lot more sense to use a bulk production way... and thats a lot more expensive and complex

also if you've never done it before dont expect pounds in a year lol, because ive seen people work very hard on it and get an ounce from 12 jars, whereas ive gotten a half pound from 12 lol

theres a layer of chance with pf-tek


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## Dabu (Aug 11, 2008)

I am interested in this too. I ordered a 10mL syringe of Amazon spores from spores101.com


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## MonkeeMan (Aug 11, 2008)

Dabu said:


> I am interested in this too. I ordered a 10mL syringe of Amazon spores from spores101.com


the jars will be shot up with Z strain, the pint jars which you may see as well in the process are Golden Teacher

its all the same shit though


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## MetalSmelter (Aug 11, 2008)

Monkee what kinda time are you looking at for them, not familiar with spore and flowering times, Z strain are good, and you can't go wrong with golden teachers. Cubes are most prevelent though.


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## MonkeeMan (Aug 11, 2008)

MetalSmelter said:


> Monkee what kinda time are you looking at for them, not familiar with spore and flowering times, Z strain are good, and you can't go wrong with golden teachers. Cubes are most prevelent though.


both are types of cubes, and truthfully i've done a lot of mushrooms and they really have no difference between then, just what you expect the mushrooms to look like... the potencey really comes from how you grow them... but again this method to the best methods is very little difference in how strong I personally find (and other people i know)

Z are amazing for 1/2 pints becasue they will grow small and very close together when cased... and golden teachers are good starter strains and are good for casing

the spore and flowering times are very very random but ill try to break it down for you for the difference size jars

*1/2 pint jars*
Growth in jars: 1-3 weeks (but can max at 2 months but super rare)
Casing Before Flower - 3-4 days
"Flower" - 3-5 weeks

all and all expect to take 6 - 8 weeks... for the first flush (which is a picking of mushrooms) then you can grow from them 2-3 more times which only take a few more days

the only difference between 1/2 pint and 1 pint is that the bigger jars take 3-5 weeks to grow in jars but you get twice as much, everything else is the same

im expecting to pick mushrooms from the end of sep to the end of oct, max mid nov


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## MonkeeMan (Aug 11, 2008)

Knocking Up The Jars

This entire process it is so important to be CLEAN! and thats all im really going to say but you should really really really be clean

*What you'll need:*

1) The 12 - 1/2 pint jars which were sterilized yesturday (still in the pot or wherever they were kept)

2) Spore Needle

You'll need to have at least 10 CC of spores for 12 jars, this means that you put about .4 cc in each hole you made. These can be made from fresh mushroom prints or bought from retailers online. I'll show how to make one from a fresh mushroom at the end of the grow







3) Cleaning Materials

You'll need disinfectant for sure, a lighter and some gloves... I make sure I clean the area and shower before I do this process

I steal cleaners gloves from the cleaning crew around here, just dip them in 100% rubbing a. before I use them







4) Big Tupperware Box

*What to do:*

Its hard to take pictures for this step because you are very sterile but ill do my best to explain and if you have any questions I will respond

First take out all your jars and put them together so you can easily access them







Next light the end of the needle with the lighter... do this for a while until the needle looks really clean, this should be done again every 4 jars to make sure the inside of the needle is clean... some people do it between each jar but I tend not to because it takes time lol

Then take off the tin foil and throw it away, you wont be putting it back on because it cuts of gas exchange







Put the needle in one of the holes and push it towards the sizes of the jar, then press around 0.4 CC of spores into the hole, you should see the side of the jar get a bit wet, this is more then enough spores for it to start growing

Here is a picture of how to put in the needle







Once you have all the jars done clean them off with some paper towel and spray them and the inside of the tupperware with your cleaning solution

These are the pint jars in there tupperware, i put the 1/2 pints in above them







Put the lid on the tupperware (MAKE SURE IT IS A NON SEE THROUGH TYPE OF CONTAINER)

Put into a closet or somewhere the temperature is around 25 C

For the next 3-4 days the jars shouldn't look any different then when you cooked them, thats fine... however open the box twice a day for gas exchange with one time to inspect them, looking for anything that isn't white growing in them or anything that looks weird... if you find something then toss it out... When you check your jars you dont have to be super clean, the jars should be ok against most contaminations unless you fuck up and put something really bad in them, almost all problems come from the needle stage

I'll post again once I see some growth in them, with what to look for and what not to look for... also how to gauge how long you have before its done


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## MetalSmelter (Aug 11, 2008)

Havn't looked into mushrooms in awhile, but always had heard that golden teachers are a little more visual and introspective than some of the other strains, i may be completely wrong, 4-5yrs ago lol. But should be a good experience, have never tried myself, i trip very rarely, and when i do it dosent take very much to go VERY far, i'm highly reactive, i'm talking 1g in lemon, and becoming completely disconected with reality, i've always been highly sensitive to psychadellics and i mean in a good way


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## Dabu (Aug 11, 2008)

Just a question MonkeeMan... you said half pint jars, correct? When I think of half-pint jars, I think of the short and fat ones, like these:






Is there an advantage to using taller/skinnier half pint jars? Or are you using 1 pint jars?


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## MonkeeMan (Aug 11, 2008)

Metal - the reason you experience that kind of high from golden teacher is because usually the caps are very big on them... eating the caps give you more of that kind of high wereas the rest of the shroom gives you a different more subtile high

Dabu - yes the short ones which you have pictures of are 1/2 pints just like mine, i use the taller ones because of personal preference, i tend to find them easier to do stuff with, but both are good to use


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## FlipDV (Aug 11, 2008)

Thanks man, I'm planning to grow some soon as it's basically impossible to get mush where I'm from, I could probably make mad profit off it too.

Just want to know though, can you only buy them online or can you at headshops or something. Because I live in an apartment and I'd be worried that someone else would pick up my mail, it's happened before then they've come knocking on my door giving me my mail.


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## Dabu (Aug 11, 2008)

My friend is getting in on this with me. He's the organized engineer-type, and I'm typing up a bill of materials for him right now on Google Docs (spreadsheet thingy). He texted me "Make a bom of eqipment and one for consumables (bought each cycle)"

I'm excited!

Monkee, do you recommend buying multiple syringes in case one messes up? Or just stick with one. Also, how long do the spore syringes last?


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## MonkeeMan (Aug 11, 2008)

FlipDV said:


> Thanks man, I'm planning to grow some soon as it's basically impossible to get mush where I'm from, I could probably make mad profit off it too.
> 
> Just want to know though, can you only buy them online or can you at headshops or something. Because I live in an apartment and I'd be worried that someone else would pick up my mail, it's happened before then they've come knocking on my door giving me my mail.


you can get spores in 2 different ways, but only online

1) you can get them in a needle which i have to say when i got them i didn't think the package was stealth

2) you can get them as a spore print which would be almost impossible to detect, and i only think they are illegal in 3 states and the rest they are not bad in (this could be wrong but i live in a place that isn't bad for them)... they only look like black cirlces... and you make needles from them, but ill go into that later

they look like this (mushroom on the left, print on the right)










Dabu said:


> My friend is getting in on this with me. He's the organized engineer-type, and I'm typing up a bill of materials for him right now on Google Docs (spreadsheet thingy). He texted me "Make a bom of eqipment and one for consumables (bought each cycle)"
> 
> I'm excited!
> 
> Monkee, do you recommend buying multiple syringes in case one messes up? Or just stick with one. Also, how long do the spore syringes last?


buying multiple gets a bit to much, i got 2 and im making 24 jars worth of stuff, which is a lot... also you can not case with mutliple difference kinds of mushooms, so you'd need to get the same types... i'd say stick with 2 because they can get expensive

if you keep them at room temperature id say they are good 1-2 months, if you put them in the fridge i think they are good for 8-12 months... prints last 1-5 years I believe


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## Chewwy1234 (Aug 11, 2008)

I just ordered some B+ from Hawk Eye,I should have it by the end of the week


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## MonkeeMan (Aug 11, 2008)

Chewwy1234 said:


> I just ordered some B+ from Hawk Eye,I should have it by the end of the week


i find those tend to grow so you dont get to many on cakes, rather case them and youll see tons more


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## jackonthebox (Aug 11, 2008)

I'm real excited about this! good thread monkee. maybe by the time your grow is done, I will have decided to get one going myself!


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## Chewwy1234 (Aug 11, 2008)

MonkeeMan said:


> i find those tend to grow so you dont get to many on cakes, rather case them and youll see tons more


 I'm sorry i'm new at this shroom thing,what do you mean by case them?


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## MonkeeMan (Aug 11, 2008)

Chewwy1234 said:


> I'm sorry i'm new at this shroom thing,what do you mean by case them?


its a process where you break the cakes into pieces and put them in like cake dishes, ill be doing it and since youre a few weeks behind me just watch and ill show ya how in a few weeks


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## Chewwy1234 (Aug 11, 2008)

MonkeeMan said:


> its a process where you break the cakes into pieces and put them in like cake dishes, ill be doing it and since youre a few weeks behind me just watch and ill show ya how in a few weeks


 Thanks,I think i'll do that,this is a test run for me i'll be doing 10 jars this time.If i'm successful the next run will be 20 or 30


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## nashbar (Aug 11, 2008)

www.shroomery.org

all the questions and answers are there

read up, it takes some knowledge and the right materials to get a good result. i can't stress enough, read www.shroomery.org

it's all there, everything is super easy and almost foolproof.. almost

don't try to half ass anything, don't try to experiment or make your own method... it won't work.

don't skimp on buying materials and supplies, most of the bits are reusable ad nauseum.

did i mention www.shoomery.org

that's all www.shroomery.org

 how's that for promotion <---


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## Chewwy1234 (Aug 11, 2008)

That is a great site


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## MonkeeMan (Aug 11, 2008)

nashbar said:


> www.shroomery.org
> 
> all the questions and answers are there
> 
> ...


yeah i use that site tons, amazing information there 

just trying to add to this site as well

however, i found the site very intemidating at first, and hard to find the specific process i wanted with pictures, kind of just setting up this grow journal as i wanted to find one there


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## nashbar (Aug 11, 2008)

shroomery is intimidating to new people just like RIU is for new people...

read the grow guides, it's all there, post when you really have a question that you haven't search for... post when you have something to contribute...

regulars on RIU/shroomery get burnt out answering the same questions...

i gave up posting on shroomery, haven't been posting much there for a year or so...

i met, befriended and stay in contact with some very cool folk from the shroomery, none of us post on there anymore. i went to gatherings, i went to festivals, i've travelled extensively with shroomery folk...

if RIU treats me like the shroomery did, i'll be very happy


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## MonkeeMan (Aug 11, 2008)

nashbar said:


> shroomery is intimidating to new people just like RIU is for new people...
> 
> read the grow guides, it's all there, post when you really have a question that you haven't search for... post when you have something to contribute...
> 
> ...


cool? i guess


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## cali-high (Aug 11, 2008)

hey monkeeman 

i love ur journal its great! 

i will be starting my shroom grow on the weekend and your journal gave me alot more confidence. i will also be doing the PF-Tek Method as well.

i could not find Brown Rice Flour either so i had to order it from online.

i bought 1 spore syringe and got one free.

so i have the ecudorian and golden teacher that i plan on growing.


also i would like to learn more about casin because i was just gonna do it the regular way but if your way produces more mushies im very interested.


i will be following your grow from start to finish 


thanks for sharing


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## MonkeeMan (Aug 11, 2008)

cali-high said:


> hey monkeeman
> 
> i love ur journal its great!
> 
> ...


you ordered from ralph didn't you lol

dont order brown rice flour lol, make it yourself its so easy just a grinder and brown rice

keep us updated on your grow as well, i wanted this to be a rollitup discussion on shrooms and them growing


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## MonkeeMan (Aug 12, 2008)

Hey everyone

something i always forget to do is when you boil the jars you should make sure that the lids are not on tightly... or it causes the glass to crack:







3 of my 12 were like this, they are ok for this grow but i'll toss them for the next one

i always forget lol, got a few more jars this time then i wanted haha


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## gobears4eva (Aug 12, 2008)

hey monkeeman im back and watching this grow bro,my bud grow is growing great


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## craca102 (Aug 13, 2008)

Well first off I'd like to say that this is just about the most awesome thread ever! 

Always wondered about growing mushrooms domestically and here I found what I was intrigued about.

My luck at finding shrooms in cow dung here where I live (Maui, HI  ) has been quite a difficult task. can't to seem to find the dung that has been in the right conditions.

I was looking at getting spores from The Hawks Eye and was wondering if any of those spores will work in the conditions available in the PF-tek method?

I was looking at just getting the Psilocybe Cubensis B+ because it seems the easiest and others in this tread will be trying it also. But if any spores are possible then I may be looking at trying something different.*http://www.thehawkseye.com/b+/b+.html

*I will be following this thread with much interest and will love to see the final product at the end.


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## MonkeeMan (Aug 13, 2008)

yeah any spores that are Cubes will work in pf-tek, just to varying degrees

B+ is good when you done 'case' but you put the cakes into like a tuperware to sprout. If you want to follow this grow step by step look into mushrooms like Golden Teacher, Z, pf classic, penis envy

they are good to case


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## craca102 (Aug 13, 2008)

Sounds good. might look into getting some Golden Teacher spores or Penis Envy. I was lookig at them last night and seem like good choices.


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## nashbar (Aug 13, 2008)

just a hint about strains... marijuana or cubensis

THEY'RE ALL THE SAME

i encourage someone to test it and prove me wrong. i don't have photos, but i've grown multiple strains in the same grow and couldn't tell them apart, aside from the labelling that i made...

penis envy might be an exception, i haven't grown it myself so i don't have any proof. i've seen conflicting information on whether PE is a function of genetics or environment. there's pictures on www.shroomery.org of penis envy that look just like every every cubensis...


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## MonkeeMan (Aug 13, 2008)

nashbar said:


> just a hint about strains... marijuana or cubensis
> 
> THEY'RE ALL THE SAME
> 
> ...


i agree they are all the same in potencey but they do grow differently, and ive grown a lot of different kinds a lot of different ways

and your comments about weed strains all being the same... i have a bag of really white weed, a bag of blue and a bag of light green... and they are all different

truthfully you've been negative on this grow since i started, i get it you can get the information from other sources... this is 100% written based on my own experiences... so relax and go talk at the shroomery since you love it so much... just go start your own grow journal and put whatever you want in it


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## cheese (Aug 13, 2008)

i've grown mushrooms once before and would love to do it again....but like weed i carnt due to new career but anyway i grew golden teachers for my first and it was realy fun and a new learning curve i made lots of mistakes but oh well lol 

my end product was very small mushrooms (due to the huge amount of mistakes i made!) but very very powerful! i underestimated the little buggers! lol i tripped realy heavy after scofing a masive handful of dry shrooms. the experiens was amazing at first lots of colours and intense visions but it turned nasty i couldnt control it i didnt have the experiense i triped my balls off and ended up in hospital! i trip so heavy i thought i was dead  its so hard to explain the best i seen it explained is on this site: Shroomery - Trip Reports (level 5) its horrible it gets to the point you dont belive the world is real! you think normal things like hands and legs r a pile of bull and the universe is one big dream one big fake! and you are so convinsed you wont come out of it....i even said to myself: well you fucked up a few times in your short life but this is it you done it now! dickhead!....i honnestly thought i was dead!

BUT!!! once the trip had calmed down and i got bk into control it was sort of ok but i honslty wish i had taken more care!!!!

so please everyone before you go rushing off and growing loads of shrroms and scoffing them as fast as my fat nan sitting down just read this and think before you fly lol 


i got my starter kit form Starters growkit - Azarius


another great link!! Shroomery - Magic Mushroom Dosage Calculator


i am also thinking of writing a trip report for everyone to read and understand how quickly shrooms can turn for good to bad....

yes it was my own fault but please dont do what i did look after yourselfs!

take care


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## MonkeeMan (Aug 13, 2008)

ive been doing mushrooms for a long time, i dont think i need help dosing

but thank you i guess?


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## Chewwy1234 (Aug 13, 2008)

Hey Monkee what are you using for a fruiting chamber?


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## craca102 (Aug 13, 2008)

cheese said:


> i've grown mushrooms once before and would love to do it again....but like weed i carnt due to new career but anyway i grew golden teachers for my first and it was realy fun and a new learning curve i made lots of mistakes but oh well lol
> 
> my end product was very small mushrooms (due to the huge amount of mistakes i made!) but very very powerful! i underestimated the little buggers! lol i tripped realy heavy after scofing a masive handful of dry shrooms. the experiens was amazing at first lots of colours and intense visions but it turned nasty i couldnt control it i didnt have the experiense i triped my balls off and ended up in hospital! i trip so heavy i thought i was dead  its so hard to explain the best i seen it explained is on this site: Shroomery - Trip Reports (level 5) its horrible it gets to the point you dont belive the world is real! you think normal things like hands and legs r a pile of bull and the universe is one big dream one big fake! and you are so convinsed you wont come out of it....i even said to myself: well you fucked up a few times in your short life but this is it you done it now! dickhead!....i honnestly thought i was dead!
> 
> ...



I would have to agree that maybe not everyone posting or looking at this grow journal has done shrooms before, so yes people should take caution.

I've tripeed about three times, with the last being quite intense. I reached a point where I wanted the trip to stop because it was so intense. But I cooled it off and kept grip with reality and came out fine. I think shrooms are great, just the ability to have a truly open mind and feeling about everything.

Hopefully I can get a grow started before this journal gets too far along.


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## MonkeeMan (Aug 13, 2008)

Chewwy1234 said:


> Hey Monkee what are you using for a fruiting chamber?


ill be casing them in various 9 gallon jugs i have around the house, so i wont need a fruiting chamber , fill the bucket, put rap over the top and it makes its own fruiting chamber


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## Chewwy1234 (Aug 13, 2008)

MonkeeMan said:


> ill be casing them in various 9 gallon jugs i have around the house, so i wont need a fruiting chamber , fill the bucket, put rap over the top and it makes its own fruiting chamber


 Thanks,Any pics?


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## MonkeeMan (Aug 13, 2008)

Chewwy1234 said:


> Thanks,Any pics?


no sorry man when i do it there will be pics, currently using all of the buckets around the house lol

i figure for my 1/2 pints ill need 2 - 9 gallons, and for the 1 pints ill need another 3 more... so 5 buckets at once


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## surferbum6900 (Aug 14, 2008)

MonkeeMan said:


> i agree they are all the same in potencey but they do grow differently, and ive grown a lot of different kinds a lot of different ways
> 
> and your comments about weed strains all being the same... i have a bag of really white weed, a bag of blue and a bag of light green... and they are all different
> 
> truthfully you've been negative on this grow since i started, i get it you can get the information from other sources... this is 100% written based on my own experiences... so relax and go talk at the shroomery since you love it so much... just go start your own grow journal and put whatever you want in it


i agree im trying to put what he says aside. looks good monkey.ill be returning to check up. gj


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## surferbum6900 (Aug 14, 2008)

damn... i live in cali...thehawkeye.com doesnt send to cali.. anyone know were i can get some


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## MonkeeMan (Aug 14, 2008)

> damn... i live in cali...thehawkeye.com doesnt send to cali.. anyone know were i can get some


you can find some in the wild and print them. 

If you used agar plates, you might be able to grow from some dried mushrooms that you bought- but it would be a lot of work, and there'd be a high failure rate. Really, the easiest way is to get an out-of-state friend to help you. 

another possibility is use an out of state mail forwarding service. Have whatever you want sent to the forwarding service's location - out of state of course. Ten they send it to you.

also i'll pm you with a link that might help ya


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## surferbum6900 (Aug 14, 2008)

MonkeeMan said:


> you can find some in the wild and print them.
> 
> If you used agar plates, you might be able to grow from some dried mushrooms that you bought- but it would be a lot of work, and there'd be a high failure rate. Really, the easiest way is to get an out-of-state friend to help you.
> 
> ...


 thank you very help full. i got a huge salt water fish tank that im going to use.. like huge 6ft long


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## MonkeeMan (Aug 15, 2008)

surferbum6900 said:


> thank you very help full. i got a huge salt water fish tank that im going to use.. like huge 6ft long


thats cool, id case them in pans in that if you could 

UPDATE: there are some strands starting to grow but nothing to post about... some of the pint jars are close to being done so you might see some casing next week at some point


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## cheese (Aug 15, 2008)

craca102 said:


> I would have to agree that maybe not everyone posting or looking at this grow journal has done shrooms before, so yes people should take caution.
> 
> I've tripeed about three times, with the last being quite intense. I reached a point where I wanted the trip to stop because it was so intense. But I cooled it off and kept grip with reality and came out fine. I think shrooms are great, just the ability to have a truly open mind and feeling about everything.
> 
> Hopefully I can get a grow started before this journal gets too far along.


 

yes this is the message im trying to give people looking at this thread and thinking wow omg i want to do this they should remember that it can be quite intense and not nice at all i just want people to enjoy these wonderful mushrooms and not have a bad impression or seriously hurt themselfs from stupidity

anyway as for the thread im loving it! im going to keep track of this thread as i love shrooms 

but just please be carefull i your new to mushrooms and i would say talk to someone who has done shrooms before and do as much reaserch as possible ALSO!!! have a sober siter for your first trip just to keep and eye on you

stay safe!


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## General Anesthetic (Aug 15, 2008)

MonkeeMan said:


> well in a year its possible to get a few pounds with the way i do it, but it makes a lot more sense to use a bulk production way... and thats a lot more expensive and complex
> 
> I beg to differ. I used "Doc's Wild Bird Seed Tek"http://www.shroomery.org/9030/Docs-Wild-Bird-Seed-Tek and will never do a BRF cake ever again. The colonization time is quicker and the risk of contamination is less with WBS style jars in my opinion. I think this is due to the use of Tyvek as a filter instead of dry vermiculite. I already had most of the supplies needed for WBS as I had tried the PF Tek before. The only extra supplies I needed were 1 quart jars(which actually cost less than those 1/2 pint jars because I needed less of them), Tyvek(which is free from the post office), and Peat(for the casing layer I'm going to use the 50/50+ Casing Tek Shroomery - 50/50+ Casing Tek). Plus, you cannot use BRF cakes to colonize other jars. With the WBS and other grain Teks(like popcorn and rye) you can. Sort of like cloning with marijuana.


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## MonkeeMan (Aug 15, 2008)

General Anesthetic said:


> MonkeeMan said:
> 
> 
> > well in a year its possible to get a few pounds with the way i do it, but it makes a lot more sense to use a bulk production way... and thats a lot more expensive and complex
> ...


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## General Anesthetic (Aug 15, 2008)

Gotcha...I am a beginner pretty much and was just adding my two cents. Although I have to admit I did start with BRF cakes. I am just so pleased with the results of I am having with WBS and was just waving the banner for the Tek.


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## jackonthebox (Aug 19, 2008)

so how are those shrooms looking monkee?


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## craca102 (Aug 21, 2008)

jackonthebox said:


> so how are those shrooms looking monkee?


Yes I was wondering that too.


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## cali-high (Aug 24, 2008)

hey sup monkee

my jars that i iniclutated(cant spell) are showing white mold like substance around the lid. my shrooms are on their way LOL!

Please post pics on the casing...

also i watch the mushroom growing vids and their vary helpful but first hand exsperiences are always better.

the vid is "Lets Grow Mushrooms!"


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## smoke so thick (Aug 25, 2008)

i like this idea a lot. is there any way to get spores without leaving a paper trail?


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## jackonthebox (Aug 25, 2008)

smoke so thick said:


> i like this idea a lot. is there any way to get spores without leaving a paper trail?


you can buy visa card type things at some stores. like you can pay the store cash and they will credit that card with however much cash you want. thats the best way I can think of for paying for spores.


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## cali-high (Aug 25, 2008)

you send the spore bank cash most of them are legit because they want your service


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## wkbdliquidforce (Oct 21, 2008)

Could anyone here that lives in the U.S. help me out with some shroom spores? I Can't get them shipped to Georgia where I live and I'd really like to experiment with mushroom cultivation. PLEASE shoot me a message if you can help me or know someone else who could.


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## balzac420 (Oct 22, 2008)

i smell bacon
kiss-assdea


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## Miracle Smoke (Oct 27, 2008)

MonkeeMan said:


> Put the lid on the tupperware (MAKE SURE IT IS A NON SEE THROUGH TYPE OF CONTAINER)


May i ask why not to use a clear rubbermaid/tubberware container?


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## ballo (Oct 29, 2008)

you don't want light getting in...indirect sunlight is supposedly good but too much will hurt.


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## JinxedSoul (Dec 4, 2008)

light doesn't hurt your shrooms or the mycilum. You want to use a non transparent tub to *prevent side pinning*. A black garbage bag works great as a liner. 

Side pinning is when the mushroom starts to grow on sides of your substrate and they get all squished up against the side of the tub.


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## RNH (Jan 15, 2009)

why no more updates?


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## potheadsmoker (Jan 16, 2009)

MonkeeMan said:


> Hey everyone, used to grow a lot of mushrooms a while ago and stopped to grow weed... but now im back and I thought id make a grow journal for anyone new or thinking about growing mushrooms
> 
> Im attempting to grow as many as I can as cheap as possible, Ill be using the pk-tek to make the base and then case to get the most from them
> 
> ...


*
first of all its call sterilizing not "cleaning" second of all id recommend you to use a pressure cooker until you have more experience using alternative methods of sterilization thirdly that calcium build up is from your water you have hard water so add vinegar to bring the ph down*


MonkeeMan said:


> Hey everyone
> 
> something i always forget to do is when you boil the jars you should make sure that the lids are not on tightly... or it causes the glass to crack:
> 
> ...


*that is not from putting the lids on tight that is from putting the jars directly on the bottom of a pot and it getting to much heat put directly in on spot on the glass, to prevent that put some ball jar lids on the bottom of the pan and sit the jars on those*


MonkeeMan said:


> General Anesthetic said:
> 
> 
> > sorry i think you took the post the wrong way, i meant for someone who has never grown before, the bigger bulk ways are more expensive and complex... it costs me literally 10-15 dollars every 3-4 months with what i do (i make the spore prints)... and for people who have never grown or dont know the procedure i think this is the easiest way...
> ...


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## ANC (Jan 16, 2009)

Which is fine if you only intend to pasturise, but not for sterlisation...
Sometimes one is prefered to the other depending on the method to be followed from there on.

If you want to see a realy cheap TEK, look at this...
all you need is straw!

http://archives.mycotopia.net/discus/messages/5/6714.html


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## DankBudds (Jan 25, 2009)

What happened here? nothing else?


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## Coop25 (Jan 28, 2009)

i agree with Potheadsmoker, iv been reading up on the PF Tek method for about a month, and in no way did i ever hear boiling a pot of water would work, YOU NEED A PRESSURE COOKER


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## Thompson3600 (Jan 30, 2009)

Dabu said:


> I am interested in this too. I ordered a 10mL syringe of Amazon spores from spores101.com


Just for your information spores101 has been getting a bad name with all the bad spores they've been sending out. More than 10 people I've talked to said there spores didn't germinate, not even a contaminant. When they looked under the microscope it was nothing but distilled water.
If you want a reliable source that is #1 and has been for quiet some time.... www.sporeworks.com and www.ralphstersspores.com






MonkeeMan said:


> both are types of cubes, and truthfully i've done a lot of mushrooms and they really have no difference between then, just what you expect the mushrooms to look like... the potency really comes from how you grow them... but again this method to the best methods is very little difference in how strong I personally find (and other people i know)
> 
> *1/2 pint jars*
> Growth in jars: 1-3 weeks (but can max at 2 months but super rare)
> ...


Potency is 95% genetic. If you want consistant potency learn agar and isolate.
People have repeadedly found that 'room temperature' colonzing mycelium is by far better than an incubator which can and has caused mass amounts of metabolites(and stalled jars which mushroom mycelium will die at 108F+) which is secreted by the mycelium due to stress. They show up by temperature fluctuations or bacteria contamination. Anyways, what they have repeadedly found out is that regardless of strain of cubensis is Growth slows down tromendously below 69F where it speeds up quiet a bit until about 75F where it goes flat until 81F(When I say flat it means that there is no increase/decrease in growth due to temperature), where it goes flat again until 83F where it falls of sharply. At 86F growth has slowed down nearly 50% of what it was at 75-81F so definatly don't go over 80-81F if you want maximum amount of growth. These tests were conducted on petri dishes that produced little to no heat due to the thin layer of mycelium. In jars up to several degrees are higher when mycelium is colonizing(a process called thermogenesis when mushroom mycelium generates its own heat). I've personally seen a 30F increase from the ambient room temperature to the substrate temperature. Once the mushroom mycelium is reaching full colonization that heat drops off tromendously.

Closests make for horrible incubation and fruiting chambers which hold in old stale air, often have elevated temperatures, high humidity which is more likely to grow trichoderma(the common green mold) than mushroom mycelium. 

Put them at room temperature at ambient room lighting. Light does not affect colonizing jars at all. They don't simulate pinning(Fresh Air Exchange, Bacterial Contamination, Temperature Fluctuations, Early Pinning Strains cause early pinning). That's another thing in The Mushroom Cultivator that needs to go away. That was said 20 years ago and Paul Stamets doesn't even say that bogus incubate in darkness anymore. He later changed that in Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms. If you visit fungi perfect(his mushroom farm) you'll see 10,000 square feet of incubation area under high spectrum 8' shoplights 10-12 hours a day.

Don't toss contaminated cakes, if there is mushroom mycelium too. Go outside and take the substrate out and bury it 6 inches under in some well nutrient compost, grass clippings, etc....anything organic. If conditions are good they'll fruit again.






MonkeeMan said:


> Metal - the reason you experience that kind of high from golden teacher is because usually the caps are very big on them... eating the caps give you more of that kind of high wereas the rest of the shroom gives you a different more subtile high
> 
> Dabu - yes the short ones which you have pictures of are 1/2 pints just like mine, i use the taller ones because of personal preference, i tend to find them easier to do stuff with, but both are good to use


Caps are no more potent than the stems. That's a myth. The best half pint jars are the short fat wide mouth half pint canning jars.

Cakes can get just as good as yields as bulk. Bulk will always get more. http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/5940197#5940197

Jars should be on tight as possible. The glass won't break at all. You ever heard of canning? Those jar lids are tight as hell. What causes glass shattering in your face is putting the jars from room temperature into boiling water or from boiling water straight into room temperature. I don't know the science behind it but it's true.

A good ratio for spawning with manure based substrates is 1:2 ...you 'can' do 1:4 but it's not advised. For straw you can do 1:10. 1 qt of spawn to 2,4,10 qts of substrate.






Coop25 said:


> i agree with Potheadsmoker, iv been reading up on the PF Tek method for about a month, and in no way did i ever hear boiling a pot of water would work, YOU NEED A PRESSURE COOKER


Wrong. Brown Rice doesn't harbor bacterial endospores that grains do. Boiling at 90 minutes will work fine. For grains you NEED a pressure cooker.


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## Young Macdonald (Mar 22, 2009)

Thompson3600 said:


> Wrong. Brown Rice doesn't harbor bacterial endospores that grains do. Boiling at 90 minutes will work fine. For grains you NEED a pressure cooker.


Uhh you just got done chewing him out for boiling his jars with brown rice flour in them and now your saying that only grains need to to be cooked at a higher temp and boiling brown rice is fine to boil? Maybe i misunderstood you.. (not trying to argue and shit)


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## Young Macdonald (Mar 22, 2009)

also check this out


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## Vapemasta! (Apr 9, 2011)

Yea whoever thinks you need a pressure cooker is wrong. I use a regular fitting lid pot, stack about 12 jars in it and have the water boil for about two hours. Mind you, i am inexperianced, but i"ve harvested about 9 ounces from this, and have about another pound on the way. Brf and a regular pot is cheapest and works fine.


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## Steve French (Apr 9, 2011)

Yeah, no need for a pressure cooker with brown rice flour. Ask any pro mycologist and they will tell you the same thing. Using other growing methods like rye and wild bird seed however you need to use a pressure cooker, as water in a pot doesn't reach a high enough temperature, or maintain that temperature consistently.


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## DarthD3vl (Apr 10, 2011)

Vapemasta! said:


> Yea whoever thinks you need a pressure cooker is wrong. I use a regular fitting lid pot, stack about 12 jars in it and have the water boil for about two hours. Mind you, i am inexperianced, but i"ve harvested about 9 ounces from this, and have about another pound on the way. Brf and a regular pot is cheapest and works fine.


dragged up an old thread to say that huh lol, 12 cakes gives me an _*average*_ of only 6 ounces. thats with out contams and about 4-8 flushes per cake.


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## BlazedMonkey (Apr 10, 2011)

Vapemasta! said:


> Yea whoever thinks you need a pressure cooker is wrong. I use a regular fitting lid pot, stack about 12 jars in it and have the water boil for about two hours. Mind you, i am inexperianced, but i"ve harvested about 9 ounces from this, and have about another pound on the way. Brf and a regular pot is cheapest and works fine.


The thread necromancer strikes again... 
But yah depending on what materials you are using you dont HAVE to PC, however... It will only help. PC kills more nasty things than just boiling does and in regards to shroom sterility you can never be to careful


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## canndo (Apr 11, 2011)

You can probably do without a pressure cooker but your local target sells them for what? 15 bucks?


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## Vapemasta! (Apr 25, 2011)

I meant in general not in just those 12 jars. Specifically it was about 48.


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## jljar5 (Jun 17, 2012)

Hey I realize this thread hasn't been posted on in like a year, but it came up in my google search so I just wanted to update a few things. I currently have a grow guide, including some pictures (and lots of newbie questions ) here https://mycotopia.net/forums/fungi-magic-mushrooms/91864-first-timer-looking-input-brf-pf-tek-bulk-2.html

First of all, its 212 degrees F not C ( not a big deal unless you really converted 212f to c)

Also with Wild Bird Seed you DO need a pressure cooker (I'm not sure about other types of sub) and with Brown Rice Flower you do NOT need a pressure cooker. I know from experience, all the pics you see were done by simply boiling for 2 hours (they recommend 90 mins but I wanted to be on the safe side). Also you jars DID crack from having them directly on metal or something too hot. I used layers of hand towels and big pieces of foil (about 4 layers of each) with the water coming up about an inch to the bottom row of jars.

Peace


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## mikegosse3 (Feb 19, 2013)

MonkeeMan said:


> Hey everyone, used to grow a lot of mushrooms a while ago and stopped to grow weed... but now im back and I thought id make a grow journal for anyone new or thinking about growing mushrooms
> 
> Im attempting to grow as many as I can as cheap as possible, Ill be using the pk-tek to make the base and then case to get the most from them
> 
> ...






first of all, you suck, second of all i hate people who dont finish what they started. people like you is why i hate searching the internet and reading for an hour just to find out that its a big fat lie and a complete hopeless thread that some quiter thought he would make a joke out of i hope this thread gets delieted for this


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## mikegosse3 (Feb 19, 2013)

thank you, thank you very much


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## canndo (Feb 19, 2013)

MonkeeMan said:


> its a process where you break the cakes into pieces and put them in like cake dishes, ill be doing it and since youre a few weeks behind me just watch and ill show ya how in a few weeks



that is not the traditional definition of casing. Casing is the proceedure of placing a low nutrient value substrate on top of a fully colonized high nutrient substrate. There are many valid reasons for casing and only a few drawbacks, including extra cost, extra time and an possible increase in the likelihood of contamination.


In my opinion after having worked with cased and uncased substrates in a variety of different mushrooms and environments, casing will increase yield in P. Cubensis.


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## canndo (Feb 19, 2013)

nashbar said:


> just a hint about strains... marijuana or cubensis
> 
> THEY'RE ALL THE SAME
> 
> ...



All of the P. Cubensis "strains" are actually "land races" - I hesitate even to use that hence the quotation marks. There are distinct differences in the shape of the fruit, the growing characteristics, the propensity for the mycelium to become rhyzomorphic and to a tiny degree - potency. If you chose for strength you will be dissapointed. There are differing ratios of psilocybin, psilocin and baeocyctine in each "land race" there is also another compound that is very poorly understood. It can be found in the rare mushroom that stains green rather than blue but I have yet to find anyone - including myself that has detected a noticeable difference between this chemical an the other two. The baeocyctine is a very long story, to me it seems that it has an "upper" or jittery effect and I opt for mushrooms with as little of this chemical in it as possible.

All that being said - aside from Penis Envy which is an anomoly, any spores you get will be just about the same - only the most experienced conesure of p. Cubensis mushrooms will be able to detect a difference.

If one opts for other types, such as Concybe, P. Mexicana and the like then they will find an enormous difference in potency but these are completely different organisms. Some are very difficult to grow, some demand entirely different temperatures and substrates (some of the most potent species fruit only on wood with high sugar content).

Aside from those, most of the others are of small stature and their yield even taking into consideration their increased potency are never equal to p. cubensis in terms of raw mg of active chemicals.

I encourage anyone who has managed to get half a dozen good grows under their belt to try some of the more exotic species - it is very gratifying to get one of them to fruit and the highs are quite different from that of cubensis. I find that the P. Mexicana is one of the purest, most crystaline, least confusing, least introspective highs in the group.


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## canndo (Feb 19, 2013)

Coop25 said:


> i agree with Potheadsmoker, iv been reading up on the PF Tek method for about a month, and in no way did i ever hear boiling a pot of water would work, YOU NEED A PRESSURE COOKER



Let us put this to rest. You do not need a pressure cooker in order to grow mushrooms. Neither does a hydroponics grower of pot need a PH meter or strips. You don't need a hammer to build a house either.

There are methods of sterilizing grain and other substrates that don't require 1 hour of 15 lbs per square inch of pressure or 250 degrees. You can use progressive sterilization and you can get lucky.


Progressive sterilization involves allowing the endospores of nasties to germinate. Germinated spores are most vulnerable to 212 degrees of wet heat.


If you take your grain and soak it, or boil the grain until it is at the correct moisture throughout you can then allow that grain to "incubate" for a day or two and then boil the jars you have placed the grain in for an hour. Wait a day or two, Then do that process over again for two or three hours, what you will have done is to allow the spores to germinate, killed that germinated organism and then allowed any surviving spores the chance to germinate whereupon you will have killed those as well.

That coupled with a perfect willingness to toss any contaminated jars you encounter through diligence will get you a finally sucessful grow. But this involves a total understanding of what it is you are doing and an ability to spot contamination at an early stage, something that newbies have endless trouble with.

Your implements must be sterile as well and this pesents another problem as spores on instruments will not germinate as they are not resting on a wet and nutritious surface. In this case you can imerse your instruments in pure alcohol or high concentrations of bleach for extended periods.


Now wouldn't it be a better use of your time to save up your money for a good, under $100 pressure cooker?


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## kamdo (Mar 25, 2013)

a lotta good info in this thread


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