just ordered a mushroom grow kit.

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How many flushes are You getting out of one of those woodcakes, @JPCyan?

I got one more decent flush and then the block continued to produce randomly but constantly, 5-10 at a time, for the next couple months. Totally dependent on temperature and humidity of my basement / floor. (Fall -Winter).
It fruited each of the next two years around the same time without much assistance from me.

Sorry Voodu, not trying to hijack your thread . I'll start my own. FME, and barring a catastrophe, you will have great success very soon. Impressive first go at it, you're showing patience like a pro.

I kept the grow kit in the dark and undisturbed for 5 days. According to the instructions I am now in the fruiting phase. I turn on the 25 watt lightbulb at 2000 hours and give the surface a light spray of distilled water. I turn off the lights at 0800. I maintain the temperature between 26 and 27 deg C. After the 5 days of "casing" I observed that the mycelium had started to grow through the layer of dirt, and in one spot it has already started to form a little "spike" of mycelium. I assume this is pinning?

JPCyan said:

I got one more decent flush and then the block continued to produce randomly but constantly, 5-10 at a time, for the next couple months. Totally dependent on temperature and humidity of my basement / floor. (Fall -Winter).
It fruited each of the next two years around the same time without much assistance from me.

Sorry Voodu, not trying to hijack your thread . I'll start my own. FME, and barring a catastrophe, you will have great success very soon. Impressive first go at it, you're showing patience like a pro.

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No worrys bro. I love to hear from other growers. Thank you for the kind words!

Voodu said:

I kept the grow kit in the dark and undisturbed for 5 days. According to the instructions I am now in the fruiting phase. I turn on the 25 watt lightbulb at 2000 hours and give the surface a light spray of distilled water. I turn off the lights at 0800. I maintain the temperature between 26 and 27 deg C. After the 5 days of "casing" I observed that the mycelium had started to grow through the layer of dirt, and in one spot it has already started to form a little "spike" of mycelium. I assume this is pinning?

View attachment 4352577 View attachment 4352578

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Woohoo, looking awesome dude!

It looks like it might be a pin. You will start seeing the color of the cap if so.
Its actually not quite ready for fruiting. But that's ok. Its close enough.
Optimally, you want the myc to be showing through casing evenly, but not to the point of covering the casing. Just visible within. This provides the correct environment for an even pin set over the entire casing. Not a big deal. You are doing fine.
As pins begin they will appear as tiny beads/ balls of myc. Known as hyphael knotting/primordia. I think i see that already.
Almost there! Be patient. Loving it!

Hell yeah lookin good mang..

So I figured out what the little "spike" of mycelium is. The fungus has managed to push a small piece of straw up through the dirt and grow around it. I notice that the dirt is a tiny bit dried out in one corner when I turn on the lights and spray it with distilled water in the evening. I started spraying it lightly with distilled water twice a day now, once in the morning when I turn the lights out, and once in the evening when I turn them on. The instructions mention not to overwater them, and if I see water pooling I should immediately stop watering for a day or two. So I watch closely for these signs and try my best to keep the top soil damp but not soaked.

Im actually impressed with the instructions as you've relayed them. They keep it simple, and dont give so much info as to make it more confusing. Some, like me, get a bit long winded and often add too much info.
Once you start seeing pins form its best to reduce or stop misting the pins directly. A gentle overhead light misting is okay. As well as the inner lid. Continue to mist the uncolonized casing as you have been .
Good job! im getting really excited for you hehe. Love when someone has an awesome grow first time out.

Love to see a close up of your casing as it pins.

yo what the fuck are you talking about

Voodu said:

Perhaps you could suggest some items for 50$ or under that would make a good home mushroom kit? (excluding spores or spawn)

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Pressure cooker and some glass canning jars...once you have the ability to sterilize...the rest is easy...
JD

PS nothing wrong with buying a kit...you have to start somewhere

A couple more pictures as things progress.

Looking fast and webby, Mate.

Well done.

Definitely got some pins now Only a couple in the corner, but all the same, I'm pretty excited about it!

I just finished rigging up a drying chamber for the completed mushrooms. I took a large plastic tote I have and cleaned it up with Alcohol and distilled water. I propped a drying rack up on some glass canning jars and put down a layer of silica gel crystals. I'm going to keep the top of the tote off for the first couple days (when I have some mushrooms to put on it) and keep a direct flow of air from a fan over them. Once I have fan dried them for 48 hours or so, I will keep the tote lid on and let the desiccant do it's thing, before I place them in jars and ultimately the freezer for my consumption.

Hell yeah the first pins are sooo exciting! Make sure you try eating some fresh!! There is definitely a diffrence, I believe from my research they have a secondary drug in them when they are wet, that isn't still active when they are dried.

Pin dance. Congrats!!!! Looks like tons of primordia/ pre-pins all over as well!
Wow nice drying chamber! Dry white rice also works well and is much cheaper. Mushrooms can be placed directly in/on it. Lots of ways to do things that will work.
Some say harvesting before the caps open are more potent, i find it negligible, minor to unnoticeable. I've seen them double in size after the veil breaks. Its kinda a give and take. Matured and sporulating caps do taste worse . Its the spores.
I print every cap myself regardless. If it's gonna give me free genetics for the future, I'll gladly take it

JPCyan said:

Pin dance. Congrats!!!! Looks like tons of primordia/ pre-pins all over as well!
Wow nice drying chamber! Dry white rice also works well and is much cheaper. Mushrooms can be placed directly in/on it. Lots of ways to do things that will work.
Some say harvesting before the caps open are more potent, i find it negligible, minor to unnoticeable. I've seen them double in size after the veil breaks. Its kinda a give and take. Matured and sporulating caps do taste worse . Its the spores.
I print every cap myself regardless. If it's gonna give me free genetics for the future, I'll gladly take it

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Do you have references or instructions on how to create my own spore syringes for future use? If I like these mushrooms, I'd very much like to try to grow a batch of them from scratch.

Good job man I know when I got my first flush I was super pumped... Like Thundercat said try em fresh they do give you a different experience.

Meh.
A cube is a cube. Wet or dry.