Mushrooms - Pf Tek Supply list, Questions, Other Teks

What is FAE?

JP

justparanoid said:

What is FAE?

JP

Click to expand...

Fresh Air Exchange

Sweet, you rock! With the myco 101 kit i i will have to fan them daily until i get something to do that for me. ive been wondering about the fresh air exchanger for reptiles. anyone use one?

JP

With cakes do the tek with hand mist and fan, unless you are doing a bunch.

Awesome i will not deviate from the tek then. No reason to mess with success.

JP

sonar said:

I just posted this on my thread, but I thought I would post the example here as well on what happens when you pack the jars too tight. Notice the areas of patchy growth toward the bottom of the jars. This is due to packing the substrate too densely. It will eventually colonize, but is significantly slowing down colonization. As a matter of fact, a batch of jars I started exactly one week later have caught up to this batch.

When filling jars for PF Tek, it is best to leave the substrate loose and fluffy. A little pressure at the top just to level it out before adding the dry verm layer is fine, but other than that do not press or tap down the substrate.

This isn't anything new, but I thought I would add it since it is easy to overlook. Especially if you are distracted or not paying close attention like I was when I filled these jars.

Click to expand...

very important for BRF tek, do not pack into the jars, light and loose. Myc likes to move and spread, if you pack it is like a roadblock.

Why would I ever mess with such a simple and highly productive tek? The whole I idea is max yield and no daily maintainance, something that no other tek offers. Set and forget...

Click to expand...

Guess I was just pushing the envelope for companion planting in an indoor garden. Mycelium puts off a bunch of co2, why not put it to use.... I'm not always the most efficient communicator. I believe they actually sell spawn bags for just this purpose.

I am slowly learning to follow the tek's the way they were written until i have the experience to try new things.

one major question i have is on misting. once in the FC, I know your supposed to mist several times over the first 24 hours in PF tek. to get the casing layer moist. but do you mist each day when you fan them or just let the perilite do its thing?

JP

you mist and fan every time you do a FAE.
it'd get too dry if you didn't mist.

its like a trial and error type deal...
just like growing marijuana.
get to know what you did right AND wrong. and learn from it.

ive turned to find out with the PF tek.
once inserting cakes into FC for initiating a pinset after dunk and roll.
this is where FAE is crucial!!!!
you need to mist before you fan.
because too much moisture on the cakes will stall pin formation, yield less pins, and cause more aborts.

once a pinset is formed and starts gaining girth a few days after pinset is formed.
fruit bodies mature.
this is where the misting is turned up a notch (not too much though)
mushrooms are around 90% water.
so once pins are bigger, they need more water.
just make sure you're FAE is enough to evaporate unwanted moisture.

FAE is THE most important part of cultivating mushrooms.

the thing is learning how to moderate the fresh air exchange and amount of moisture misted onto the cakes.
too much moisture will lead to problems.
like i said above....
trial and error my friends, trial and error.

hint: i use a hair drier at the cool setting for a minute or two on the cakes if things get too wet.

How many times a day do you suggest i mist then fan? I will try to find out as much as i can about FAE and misting while i wait for my gear to show up.

PLUS REP for a good reply!

JP

whats the best way to get spores from a shiitake? would a store bought mushroom still have its spores? or would i have to clone them on agar?

JP

Store bought mushrooms are hit and miss when it comes to genetics. It IS possible to clone onto agar if the mushrooms are very fresh, but the likelihood of it producing fruits or growing at all. This is mostly because commercial farms run their spawn as far as they safely can before fruiting. For example, they would take one quart of spawn and use it to inoculate 10 quarts, which in turn would each inoculate 10 more. This transferring normally would be safe and problem free if restrained to 3 or 4 generations from spores, but industries really push the limits for commercial reasons. Stretching mushroom genetics that far has often resulted in mycelial growth, but sparse to no fruit production, or mutant looking fruits. I have yet to be able to successfully clone a button mushroom through fruiting, and have had very limited success with oyster mushrooms. Your best bet would be to purchase live cultures and go from there. At least that way you could take your own spores or clone mushrooms that you know are within safe, stable genetic lines. Sorry for the speech, hope it helped some...

thanks so much! I really appreciate the reply!

I really love experiments, so i was thinking of growing one shiitake prepared log, then if thats successful then clone or print them myself.
Think im going to rewatch lets grow mushrooms!

JP

you can even purchase inoculated dowels, and just soak a log, drill holes, and hammer them in. then half bury the log in a semi shaded place and keep wet. It will fruit for a few years if you take care of it. Happy shrooming!

Awesome! the more i learn about this hobby the more I like it. I get to play mad scientist which is killer!

I was thinking about picking up a tote and making a shotgun terrarium for a larger setup once i grow my money outta the myco 101 kit.

the myco 101 kit comes with a clear container with a filter patch which should help with gas exchange. that combined with daily misting and fanning should provide a good RH. atleast thats the plan. I really like the shotgun design more but I am thinking i should not try to improve on things my first time out.

JP

Check out choempi's bulk mono tub setup. Super easy design and really low maintenance. I grow in tubs as well, but he's perfected the K.I.S.S. ( keep it simple stupid ) design. Only whats absolutely necessary to acheive success. I like tinkering, so I mess around with all sorts of methods, but I gotta say his way is really superior by way of simplicity and effectiveness.

wow just read the mono tek and see it doesnt need a PC which makes it my next substrate for sure!!



JP

I want to learn from this one

justparanoid said:

wow just read the mono tek and see it doesnt need a PC which makes it my next substrate for sure!!



JP

Click to expand...

I might be wrong JP, but I think you need a pressure cooker to make the wild bird seed jars of spawn. I thought I remember reading that somewhere? Or maybe it was from one of the videos I watched recently...Let me look that up!

yes for grains and seeds i will need a PC

I ordered a sterilized rye quart jar that i will knock up, then layer into the mono tek.


JP