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ScienceGeek
Geek
Registered: 01/20/12
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A Science Geeks grow journal
#15692341 - 01/20/12 11:04 AM (12 years, 2 months ago) |
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Hi guys, This is my first post on the shroomery. I've been reading through the forums for the past couple of weeks and I decided to journal my development of my own tek. Growing mushrooms is a little outside of my field of experiences I'm a computer science & physics double major here at a university (that shall remain nameless. XD). I'm getting fairly close to completing my Bachelors in both of these fields and will be pursuing my doctorates in both. Also, I'm in four different honor societies one of which as two presidents on so, I'm a pretty legit Geek.
My goal for this journal is to apply the same scientific rigger as I would for any other research endeavor. I already completed a review of what material I could get a hold of on mushroom cultivation namely Magic Mushroom Grow Bible If you guys have any other material covering mushroom cultivation please let me know!
I'll be using the already established BRF(Brown rice flour) cakes outlined and using the PF tek method (*) I will be using a lightly modified approach due to the nonavailability of 1/2 pint jars in my area. I hope to establish some sort of baseline to which I can approve.
I'll be quantifying success based on the following metrics:
YPA - Yield per area (g/m^3) YPT - Yield per time (g/days) CPY - Cost per yield (dollars($)/g)
Also, I'll be trying to make the eventual tek as simple as possible so it could be easily repeated.
I've only tried growing mushrooms once using PF tek and pint jars. I orders the spores through spores101 and I think I got a dud syringe as 2 weeks in and I have no sign of myc(mycelium) growth and no sign of infection so, that sucks...
I reordered 2 syringes of spores though sporeworks and they are coming today so I will post again today outlining my procedure and what not. hope all goes well!!
**Also, all spore aren't Psilocybin mushrooms. Any resemblance is purely one hell of a circumstance. XD
- SicenceGeek
Edited by ScienceGeek (01/20/12 12:31 PM)
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UnnamedGrower
The AMUiest
Registered: 04/17/11
Posts: 7,146
Loc: I'll be where I'm at
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Re: A Science Geeks grow journal [Re: ScienceGeek]
#15692418 - 01/20/12 11:29 AM (12 years, 2 months ago) |
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Everyone likes pics. Cakes can take anywhere from 7-8 days upto 2 months. So your YPT can drastically change. How many cakes are you going to do? 2 syringes is about enough for 24 cakes at .75ml per cake. It would also be easy to make your CPY close to 0 by making an LC. They only real expensive thing for cakes is the spores. 1ml of spore solution can be turned into an infinite amount of inoculant. Then the only thing you would have to pay for is the verm and rice. Its dirt cheap to grow shrooms. I can easily grow 3/4 lb for under $5.
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Treefeeler
Skill Collector
Registered: 02/13/11
Posts: 889
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Re: A Science Geeks grow journal [Re: ScienceGeek]
#15692451 - 01/20/12 11:39 AM (12 years, 2 months ago) |
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Great to see the promise of a highly detailed grow log! I'll be sure to follow and see what you get. In the interest of adding information (specifically information that I wish I knew on my first couple ventures) here's a couple of great tips that I missed on my first attempts:
1) Since moving to LC's, I have had consistently better outcomes with inoculation times and deterring infection. The time and effort it takes to make a couple of half pint LCs is completely worth the security it offers to the project. Plus, you're maximizing the syringe's yeild potential, as it only takes 1cc to propagate an abundance of LC (which in itself can propagate additional LCs). Just remember they only need 20min @ 15psi for sterilization, otherwise you caramelize the nutrient sugars, and that's bad news bears.
2) After loading in your brf mix, wipe the interior rim of the jar above the brf clean before adding the vermiculite barrier (I usually go 1/2in of verm on the top). Your growth cannot colonize up there and it may become a haven for infection.
3) Make sure your cakes have some means of air exchange while in the colonization phase. I have two holes on each jar lid stuffed with a little bit of poly fill. Keep the polyfill loose enough so that you can slide your syringe through for inoculation. If there isn't some air exchange, you risk stalling your cakes.
4) Although you're super excited and anxious by the time 100% colonization is reached, be sure to allow at least 1 additional week beyond this point for consolidation. Better 1st and 2nd flushes along with higher potency.
Again, these are some basics, but despite my months of initial shroomery reading I missed them. Since adding these improvements I've had much more positive results.
5) (And this is just a friendly suggestion) I've often wanted to talk about my place and nature of education on these boards. But because both are small and specific I have refrained in the name of maintaining anonymity. Some may think I'm paranoid, but by naming your college in conjunction with the area(s) of study, it makes it that much easier for an interested party to find out who you are. Do not forget that are schedule 1, and although I completely disagree with their legality status, that disagreement does not protect me from "The Man" sending my to butt rape camp (aka prison). Grow well, expand your mind, be careful!
-------------------- With the exception of grammatical corrections, everything I say is completely false and without foundation.
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ScienceGeek
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Re: A Science Geeks grow journal [Re: Treefeeler]
#15692671 - 01/20/12 12:33 PM (12 years, 2 months ago) |
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Thanks all your suggestions have been taken into account! There will be plenty of detail and pictures to come.
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ScienceGeek
Geek
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Re: A Science Geeks grow journal [Re: ScienceGeek]
#15693029 - 01/20/12 01:55 PM (12 years, 2 months ago) |
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-- Sanatization Tek -- I used the steam sterilization teqniuqe as I don't have a pressure cooker. I'm using the standard one hour steam time.
-- Future modification to Steam Tek --- I mesured the tempature of the steam and it didn't reach 100 c unitll 20 minutes after the cakes were put in. 100c is not hot enough to kill most spores. I think this steam tek could be modified using to the classic Tyndallization approahce. where you steam the cakes for 15 minutes then let them sit for a day then resteam them for 15 minutes to kill spores that would have germinated then wait one more day and steam them again to kill any remaining spores. I think this would be a much better aproach to steam sterilizing.
after sterilization the cakes where put into the fridge to let cool for an hour before inoculation.
-- Cakes Tek -- I'm making 6 cakes. 3 cakes will get 1cc of inoculant while the remaining 3 will get 2.33cc I like to see if there is any variation of grow time using more inculcant.
the BRF cakes where made using 2.25 cups of vermiculite 1.125 cups of water(filtered ) and 1.125 cups brown rice flour.
I ground the brown rice myself as I thought it would be cheaper todo so. It's a little bit of a pain in the ass. It took a fair bit to get it down to flour consistency. I used a fine mesh sive to enusre parical consistency of the flour.
The cakes are made using the PF Tek recipe and then were put into 8oz ziplock container. The lid was kept on to try and preserve the moister ratio inside the cake during the steaming process. it will be removed for inoculation. The coffefilter will remain on throughout the inital growth phase. and the entier cake is going to be kept inside a partially open ziplock to preserve humidity within the cake. The coffe filter should keep all spores 20 microns or large out while still allowing air circulation.
Should evaporiation loss becomes a problem I plan on rehydrating the cakes using a syringe and sterilized water.
-- Inoculation Tek -- I'm going to inoculate the cakes in the most draft free place in my house. I will flame sterilize the needel once pre cake and alchole swab per inoculation point. after that I'm putting them in my desk cabnet to incubate at around room temp(25c 77f).
-ScienceGeek
Edited by ScienceGeek (01/20/12 01:58 PM)
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ScienceGeek
Geek
Registered: 01/20/12
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Re: A Science Geeks grow journal [Re: ScienceGeek]
#15696562 - 01/21/12 08:32 AM (12 years, 2 months ago) |
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After some reading I realized that lowering the C02 concentration was counter productive in almost every way. I removed the coffee filters and sanitized the lids, and put them back on the containers. Increased CO2 levels will speed up mycelium growth to a point of about 30% concentration.(1) This also has the added benefit of preserving moister content.
I plan on airing the jars once during the growth cycle at around 50% colonization. I staked the containers on top of each other to conserve space and too keep them warm
(1) Influence of CO2 Concentrationon the Mycelium Growth of Three Pleurotus Species
Edited by ScienceGeek (01/21/12 08:36 AM)
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k00laid
NEMO
Registered: 05/03/10
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Re: A Science Geeks grow journal [Re: ScienceGeek]
#15696676 - 01/21/12 09:17 AM (12 years, 2 months ago) |
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the consistency of the flour actually isnt a huge deal
but props on being very thorough
-------------------- AMU - AMU Q & A - MyVideo Teks!
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rohr
silly cybin
Registered: 08/08/11
Posts: 384
Loc: TX
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Re: A Science Geeks grow journal [Re: ScienceGeek]
#15696694 - 01/21/12 09:24 AM (12 years, 2 months ago) |
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Opening a jar after inoculation (or tupperware in this case) is a pretty bad idea, unless you're in front of a flow hood. Contaminants are a very serious concern, and they are no fun at all. Air exchange and inoculation are more effective when holes are poked in the lids, with proper contaminant filtration and/or self-healing inoculation ports in place.
I wish you the best of luck
Please keep updating.
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ScienceGeek
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Re: A Science Geeks grow journal [Re: rohr]
#15696990 - 01/21/12 11:00 AM (12 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
rohr said: Opening a jar after inoculation (or tupperware in this case) is a pretty bad idea, unless you're in front of a flow hood. Contaminants are a very serious concern, and they are no fun at all. Air exchange and inoculation are more effective when holes are poked in the lids, with proper contaminant filtration and/or self-healing inoculation ports in place.
I wish you the best of luck
Please keep updating.
I'm thinking at 50% colonization it would be less likely. Also, I think the way i'm going to air them out will be pretty clean as well. I'm just going to undo the lid but leave it on then turn the container upside down. the CO2 being denser then air will flow out the bottom. I'll leave it like that over night then reseal and flip it over in the morning.
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UnnamedGrower
The AMUiest
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Re: A Science Geeks grow journal [Re: ScienceGeek]
#15697009 - 01/21/12 11:05 AM (12 years, 2 months ago) |
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If you do that you make your dry verm Layer which is your filter ineffective. You shouldnt flip your jars over for any reason. When you flip your jars back over you are disturbing your filter and letting contams into your jar
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EvilMushroom666
Heretic
Registered: 11/18/09
Posts: 10,289
Loc: Canada
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Quote:
UnnamedGrower said: If you do that you make your dry verm Layer which is your filter ineffective. You shouldnt flip your jars over for any reason. When you flip your jars back over you are disturbing your filter and letting contams into your jar
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ScienceGeek
Geek
Registered: 01/20/12
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Last seen: 12 years, 30 days
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Okay, you guys win this time. I'll see if I can get 100% colonization in a reasonable amount of time without removing the lid. I'll keep track of contamination rates as well now though after all the lids don't seem to be 100% air tight anyway.
I'm going to try making some liquid culture today. I'm going to try and use a microwave method of sterilization based on the Tyndallization approach. I'm going to nuke to culter let is sit for a day and renuke again, let it sit one and nuke one last time then just store it until i need it which will probably be almost a month so this will be a good test .
Scratch that I forgot about the metal lids.
Edited by ScienceGeek (01/21/12 01:11 PM)
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Javadog
Continuing along
Registered: 05/03/10
Posts: 7,385
Loc: USA
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Re: A Science Geeks grow journal [Re: k00laid]
#15697542 - 01/21/12 01:35 PM (12 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
k00laid said: the consistency of the flour actually isnt a huge deal
but props on being very thorough
TL's comment on expanding inoculant is spot-on too.
JD
-------------------- Boyd Rice told my brother that life is a corny pack of freesakes Myco-tek.org
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UnnamedGrower
The AMUiest
Registered: 04/17/11
Posts: 7,146
Loc: I'll be where I'm at
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Re: A Science Geeks grow journal [Re: Javadog]
#15697564 - 01/21/12 01:39 PM (12 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
Javadog said:
TL's comment on expanding inoculant is spot-on too.
JD
TL doesnt participate in this thread
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Javadog
Continuing along
Registered: 05/03/10
Posts: 7,385
Loc: USA
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Quote:
UnnamedGrower said:
Quote:
Javadog said:
TL's comment on expanding inoculant is spot-on too.
JD
TL doesnt participate in this thread
Shit. Well, you two are interchangeable, from my perspective.
Sorry UG.
JD
-------------------- Boyd Rice told my brother that life is a corny pack of freesakes Myco-tek.org
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UnnamedGrower
The AMUiest
Registered: 04/17/11
Posts: 7,146
Loc: I'll be where I'm at
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Re: A Science Geeks grow journal [Re: Javadog]
#15697603 - 01/21/12 01:51 PM (12 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
Javadog said:
Quote:
UnnamedGrower said:
Quote:
Javadog said:
TL's comment on expanding inoculant is spot-on too.
JD
TL doesnt participate in this thread
Shit. Well, you two are interchangeable, from my perspective.
Sorry UG.
JD
Not the first time we have been mistaken for each other
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TranscendingLife
I Don't Need a Life to Live
Registered: 06/09/10
Posts: 21,627
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See, now I have to go through this whole thread & read everything. Damn it JD
-------------------- AMU: We Quickly Answer Questions Here "One must accept the probability of failure to experience the elation of success." - TranscendingLife “A man of genius makes no mistakes; his errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.” - James Joyce How I Do EVERYTHING "Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart…. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes."- Carl Jung "Anything that can be done chemically can be done by other means."- William S. Burroughs "You are as dead now as you will ever be" - Seth
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Barakanaten
Ama-gi
Registered: 04/14/10
Posts: 6,163
Loc: PNW Mycosphere( Blessed C...
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whats all the hubbub?...ohhhhhh good thread and I see friends in here
good thread op i will be watching you!
-------------------- New to cultivation? Have a Question? Because AMU We Q&A Know AMU Genetic Library Easy Felt AMU Official PNW Mushroom Hunting Season 2011"...Though in all else he may be as Saintly as St. Francis, in the pursuit of these ends he is more Satanic than Satan. He will betray his nearest and dearest without the slightest twitch of flesh or spirit. He is amoral." -Definition of a mushroom hunter by ~Angelo Pellegrini
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Javadog
Continuing along
Registered: 05/03/10
Posts: 7,385
Loc: USA
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Re: A Science Geeks grow journal [Re: Barakanaten]
#15697833 - 01/21/12 02:52 PM (12 years, 2 months ago) |
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Can I just start to refer to you all as "AMU"?
Sorry OP, last time!
JD
-------------------- Boyd Rice told my brother that life is a corny pack of freesakes Myco-tek.org
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Barakanaten
Ama-gi
Registered: 04/14/10
Posts: 6,163
Loc: PNW Mycosphere( Blessed C...
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Re: A Science Geeks grow journal [Re: Javadog]
#15698092 - 01/21/12 03:57 PM (12 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
Javadog said: Can I just start to refer to you all as "AMU"?
Sorry OP, last time!
JD
"I am the AMU"
-------------------- New to cultivation? Have a Question? Because AMU We Q&A Know AMU Genetic Library Easy Felt AMU Official PNW Mushroom Hunting Season 2011"...Though in all else he may be as Saintly as St. Francis, in the pursuit of these ends he is more Satanic than Satan. He will betray his nearest and dearest without the slightest twitch of flesh or spirit. He is amoral." -Definition of a mushroom hunter by ~Angelo Pellegrini
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