9 replies to this topic

[GrowinGrowinGone]

Hi all, I'm new to this website but have prowled looking for growing tips for a while.

 

I came here seeking advice/solutions...

 

I have been trying to grow since end of July.

 

I've so far created 4 rounds of jars, 18 jars total, and only one has any growth in it (very slow - going on 2.5 weeks and just barely the top of the jar is colonized).

 

 

Round 1: Prepped 4 jars at end of July, using 2 year old syringes. After a month, jars showed no growth, so I dumped them into compost and bought new syringes. Few weeks later, compost had mycelium (now totally contaminated), so I know at least one of the old syringes still has viable spores even though they did not grow in my jars.

 

Round 2: Prepped 6 jars first week of September, using 6 brand new syringes. Only one of these is growing anything, very slowly.

 

Round 3: Prepped 6 more jars second week of september, using same 6 syringes. No growth yet (~ 12 days in).

 

Round 4: 2 more jars last Friday: nothing.

 

 

I have no idea what I am doing wrong. I am using WBS, and have followed various tek's to the T. I take my time and complete each step thoroughly.

 

I've altered variables: moisture content in jars - wetter/dryer; breathability - polyfill in holes, layer of dry vermiculite, porous tape over holes; temperature - consistent 80 degrees...

 

In round 4, I tried shaking the jars after inoculating.

 

I am fairly confident I don't have contamination in my jars. They're all breathable. None of the jars have sludge or pooling water and they vary in wetness from dry to the touch to condensation on the walls of the jars.

 

 

I've just never had this much trouble getting growth started. My only thought is the syringes were super cheap, and maybe I didn't get enough spores or got unviable ones. But even still...the fact there is some growth seems to indicate I should get more than 1/18.....and why is the one going so slow? What might I be doing wrong?

 

Has anyone else had trouble like this?

 

Let me know if any more info might help.

 

Thanks in advance.

[TVCasualty]

Sounds like there might be an issue with the spores.

 

That can include killing them as you shoot them into a jar by not allowing the needle to cool after flaming it, or otherwise doing something to the syringes that kills them off, assuming that there were any actual spores in them in the first place. Some "spore" vendors are just opportunistic scammers selling syringes full of water.

 

The mycelium you saw in the compost could have been any number of things and not necessarily cubensis mycelium. It's difficult to impossible to accurately identify what species vegetative mycelium is most of the time (or even the genus for that matter).

 

Have you ever tried creating a liquid culture from your spore syringes? Have you ever tried BRF jars (aka PF Tek), and if so did they fruit?

 

And welcome to Mycotopia! You'll get the advice and info you need here to be growing more mushrooms than you can handle before you know it so long as you keep at it.

[GrowinGrowinGone]

Sounds like there might be an issue with the spores.

 

That can include killing them as you shoot them into a jar by not allowing the needle to cool after flaming it, or otherwise doing something to the syringes that kills them off, assuming that there were any actual spores in them in the first place. Some "spore" vendors are just opportunistic scammers selling syringes full of water.

 

The mycelium you saw in the compost could have been any number of things and not necessarily cubensis mycelium. It's difficult to impossible to accurately identify what species vegetative mycelium is most of the time (or even the genus for that matter).

 

Have you ever tried creating a liquid culture from your spore syringes? Have you ever tried BRF jars (aka PF Tek), and if so did they fruit?

 

And welcome to Mycotopia! You'll get the advice and info you need here to be growing more mushrooms than you can handle before you know it so long as you keep at it.

Thank you for the reply.

 

I believe I cooled the needles enough before injections (clamped them in alcohol soaked paper towel). And I don't think I've done anything to harm spores in syringes otherwise.

 

I have never made a liquid culture (is that an agar plate?), and don't have any idea how. But I'd eventually like to learn if it will improve the process, because someday I'd like to cultivate large quantities.

 

I have only ever fruited on a blend of shredded cardboard, wood dust, and cooked wild rice.

 

But just today I prepped 5 more jars following PF Tek method. Instead of BRF, I ground birdseed and some coffee beans to powder then made jars with that and vermiculite. If nothing grows in these, I will buy new syringes because then I think bad spores are the culprit.

 

Question about PF Tek: how wet should the substrate be? I mixed 2:1:1, vermiculite : powder : water.

Is that really enough water? It just seems like it's still mostly dry.

[coorsmikey]

The neophytes that usually frequent us are usually starting off with active cubensis mushrooms, or at the very least another psilocybe. With cardboard and sawdust would suggest that you are doing a medicinal/edible species. Did I miss something? The species you are growing will definitely effect the quality of advice we tend to offer.

[TVCasualty]

It will probably be easier to back up and start from the beginning and proceed from there rather than try to untangle what's been going on up to this point.

 

So... What species are you trying to grow?

[GrowinGrowinGone]

The neophytes that usually frequent us are usually starting off with active cubensis mushrooms, or at the very least another psilocybe. With cardboard and sawdust would suggest that you are doing a medicinal/edible species. Did I miss something? The species you are growing will definitely effect the quality of advice we tend to offer.

I fruited Golden Teachers on a blend of cardboard, sawdust, and a little wild rice. Don't ask me why it worked, but that's the only success I've ever had!

 

I am currently trying to grow cubensis mushrooms.

 

I have B+, Golden Teachers, Lipa Yai, African Transkei, Gulf Coast, and Koh Samui.

[TVCasualty]

Okay, that helps. Next time you can skip the cardboard, sawdust, and coffee beans.

 

Have you read this guide yet?

[GrowinGrowinGone]

Okay, that helps. Next time you can skip the cardboard, sawdust, and coffee beans.

 

Have you read this guide yet?

Thanks! Until now I have not read that guide and have relied on various other teks/info I've found and pieced together. That guide is very clear and I will save it for reference - might even print a copy. Thank you to whoever created it, too. It's obvious a lot of work went into it. Is there a version with white pages/black text?

 

That's basically what I did preparing my jars yesterday (except with powderized wbs and coffee beans). Assuming shrooms will grow on wbs/coffee powder and vermiculite, and that the 2:1:1 ratio is adequate, if nothing grows now I will assume my spores/syringes are bunk.

[FunG]

What brand name of wbs are you using?

The expensive stuff I hear gets treated with fungicides. I recently purchased a bag of wbs other then my regular brand and I too had Zero germination of golden teachers and the print I used was made recently and I know there was more then enough spores in the syringe....

When I thought it was fungicides the gwm germinated on it so I ruled out the fungicides and it will remain a mystery as to why fresh spores of one cubensis failed while the other strain worked.

Sometimes there is no explanation for why they fail to germinate.

But look into it if your brand treats with a mold inhibitor or fungicide cause that's what it sounds like to me.

[pobrecito]

What brand name of wbs are you using?

The expensive stuff I hear gets treated with fungicides. I recently purchased a bag of wbs other then my regular brand and I too had Zero germination of golden teachers and the print I used was made recently and I know there was more then enough spores in the syringe....

When I thought it was fungicides the gwm germinated on it so I ruled out the fungicides and it will remain a mystery as to why fresh spores of one cubensis failed while the other strain worked.

Sometimes there is no explanation for why they fail to germinate.

But look into it if your brand treats with a mold inhibitor or fungicide cause that's what it sounds like to me.

 

i think the brand of wbs may play a part if both spore sources were resulting in contam. OP, what sterility measures have you taken?