7 replies to this topic

[Jrotten]

I have 11 quarts of WBS grain spawn of different species, varieties, cultures. I decided a sub of 1:1 coir:compost with a 1:1 spawn rate. That means I need 11 containers that will hold 2 quarts + casing and I need to fit them in a fruiting chamber. I’m leaning slightly towards shoebox totes, but if anyone has a great 2 quart tray solution they like I’d love to know about it. Of 5 species I’ve only ever fruited 2 so I’m really flying blind on this.

[coorsmikey]

I think you may have better yields and results if you considered Half Gallon containers instead of the 2 quarts. The mycelium seem to like the half gallons better than the the 2qts. It's IMhO, but then sometimes the 2 liter containers seem to have less condensation and a better pinsets. Buuuut then again like you know, most of my experience is with 6 qts so I prolly don't know what I'm talking about anyway. but the 6 qt tubs are really hard to beat when ya have a half gallon of colonized sub ready to fruit in them. Half gallons Trump's two quarts any day. Anything else you read is just Fake! You can actually leave the lid on until the mushrooms pop it off. I would bet if you did a 2:2 ratio though with two pints of spawn and two pints of sub mixed together you might have better luck with a 6 qt shoebox. 4 pints always seem like more than two quarts, maybe its the combination of metric and American measurements that give the myc that extra push! I know whatever size I go with I make sure that they stack well without collapsing. Its important too that you don't get cheap containers that leach undesirable hydrocarbons into your finished product so definitely look for containers made with 100% organic plastic.

Edited by coorsmikey, 31 December 2020 - 02:46 AM.

[Jrotten]

I’ve grown a lot in 6qt shoeboxes. That’s sort of my default plan, but I’m not sure I can get 11 in my FC. None of the species I’m going to put in them really need active FAE like pans which I grow in 4 cup trays at the moment. I really wish I could put a full Martha setup inside or even just a closet. Maybe it’s time to add that second rack of shelves in there...

[HrVanker]

What's your FC like? Maybe it's time to expand into something like this?

[Arathu]

I think I'm going to explore jar culturing....I'm hoping/waiting on the inevitable "over production and over stocking" of canning jars for several reasons.....

 

Trays and containers of all types placed into a 38 gallon aquarium lined with lava stones sitting in salt water fruit pretty well for me.....

 

For me it still comes down to researching the "native" conditions and using those as a baseline for growth and starting to fruit.....adjust by how the fungi react...

 

A

[coAsTal]

I have 11 quarts of WBS grain spawn of different species, varieties, cultures. I decided a sub of 1:1 coir:compost with a 1:1 spawn rate. That means I need 11 containers that will hold 2 quarts + casing and I need to fit them in a fruiting chamber. I’m leaning slightly towards shoebox totes, but if anyone has a great 2 quart tray solution they like I’d love to know about it. Of 5 species I’ve only ever fruited 2 so I’m really flying blind on this.

These are $19 for 30 of them.

 

https://www.walmart....-Pack/243236613

[YoshiTrainer]

@Coorsmikey, I'm in the 2 qt camp, 1/2 gallons are just wrong! , :)

JR, you can use bags, add your grains to sub after PC, seal and shape however you'd like. Maybe figure out the ideal size for your FC to run multiples? Then you could build cardboard forms or boxes to hold and shape your subs while they colonize. Then just cut, case and FC.

[Jrotten]

Well I got lucky and 4 quarts that were inoculated differently were a few days behind. The store had 7 6qt shoeboxes which cost $8 total and I spawned just a little lighter. Managed to have room for everything and with 3 of them being Semperviva I’ll probably fruit them in a different FC anyway. In the meantime the search continues!

@Coastal I used something like that with plastic lids to pasteurize in. I’ve had cubes seemingly eat aluminum pans so they’ll definitely need liners, but I think that’s what I’m doing my next cubes in. They wind up working like sealed dub tubs after a few hours in the oven, the plastic lid shrinks tight so I’m thinking of cutting a hole to add grain then use medical tape to make it like a mini mono/humidity dome.