69 replies to this topic

[Jrotten]

I’ll be the first to admit I’m flying a bit blind. I have two varieties currently: a print labeled from Western Australia which has been painfully slow, but I finally have two maybe 3 cups ready to spawn. The substrate is a grab bag: coir with coffee, oak sawdust, wheat bran, a very healthy mix of sand and a healthy dose of straw. I have low hopes for these honestly just because they took so long to grow on grain. One of the jars was knocked with three different cultures just to see if it would move faster and it did. I’m pasteurizing sub now. My hope is that it explodes on a complex substrate.

The second culture is flying on agar and it is from a member here. I have to make T2’s and figure out what I’m doing f because that culture is just too pretty.

So if you are, have, or will be growing these mushrooms, please join me. Or lead me.

[smellitstinknot]

Print from WA should actually be labelled as NSW. It's the new aussie species in sect.zap. It's closely related to P.semperviva and grows in the same habitats so you could just follow successful P.semperviva grow logs and have similar success with this species.

[Jrotten]

Thank you for that response. I read a lot of people talking about sand and straw for Zaps. Neither did I use for Semperviva . It was the easiest sub ever! Coir+compost+gypsum done.... except for the 100 or so days it took to fruit! This Zap has not grown anything like Semperviva up to this point for me. The Mexican variety I have on agar is, but the Aussie cultures that germinated. Are all a much a thinner fainter mycelium with seemingly slower growth. I should know in a week or so how they’ll take to sub. I know I was using experimental agar recipe and I think my grain was just a bit dry which I know Semperviva took some exception to also.

[DrepsiLocybe]

i got some zapo samples from a memeber here aswell, tissues were obtain from chicon nido. have some on agar, lc and just inoculated grain 2 gays ago.
so far im having trouble with the sempervivas i got. im running mini tubs (4x5 tupperware) inside a shadowbox, they have been there for about a month and nothing so far.
i also got a monotub with enriched coir that seems to be doing better than any of the mini tubs... i think it could be genetics.. as im working with an old tissue sample. it colonizes grain pretty quick but im yet to see a semperviva fruit.
ill add pictures later on.
my plan is to start them on a mycobag with enriched coir and later on break it into a monotub for fruiting. the room temp is on the low 70s/ high 60s as im in the pnw.

[Jrotten]

Semperviva May take 60+ days to fruit. Mine were like 101 days from spawning

[smellitstinknot]

Could be your recipe or genetics. Was your print on coloured foil (gold or green?)

I'm working with this species too and growth is thick and fast on agar much like P.semperviva I've worked with.

[Jrotten]

My slow Zapo was. I just spawned the two most consolidated jars last night. We’ll see what they do on substrate. The culture I got from a member is very cottony and seems fast.

[Celestialexplorer1]

I innoculated a sterile bulk tub 2.5 months ago and it's almost done

[newmoon]

Since this Australian mushroom is likely (?) a different species from Psilocybe zapotecorum should we discuss it separately to avoid confusing the issue? From what smellitstinknot says the growth parameters might not be the same.

[Jrotten]

I'm not sure what to make of it.  I'm working or trying to work with both currently, but I have no problems with whatever yall want to do.  I'm just trying to fruit and print... maybe eat a few... lol

 

EDIT; It seems the Aussie/NSW species is the same mushroom going under the name Auklandiae.  For the Australian species I will just refer to Yoshi's existing thread on the matter and we will focus on the Mexican species here.  I'm in over my head with the taxonomy here to be honest.

 

https://mycotopia.ne...-2#entry1475658

Edited by Jrotten, 28 January 2021 - 11:12 PM.

[YoshiTrainer]

I think technically Aucklandiae is separate from Zapotecorum on the microscopic level. For later search purposes we should consider keeping this thread or I could try to modify the Auck thread to include Zap in the title?

"NOTES: This species has been found only in the Auckland region, where it appears to be quite common on soil and litter in native forest and in pine plantations. As noted by Guzman et al. (1991), P. aucklandii is very similar to P. zapotecorum R. Heim emend. Guzman, which is common in Mexico and known from South America. The two species are barely distinguishable microscopically, although comparison with published descriptions (Guzman 1983) show that P. aucklandii may have slightly narrower pleurocystidia and slightly wider spores. Published illustrations of P. zapotecorum (Guzman 1983) appear to show that P. aucklandii is a less robust species."

https://mushroomobse...show_name/20176

[Jrotten]

Yeah I'm looking at this, and I'm confused as hell honestly, DNA has been sequenced it seems, but it's way over my head.  My Aussie is a light grey myc.  My Mexican is bright white and cottony.

 

https://mushroomobse...ervation/361911

[YoshiTrainer]

I had to restart my Zap, along with many others, because of a contamination outbreak. Thankfully I had a back up jar in the fridge. Here is a small piece of agar with mycelium reaching out and starting on the new agar. I'll take a transfer in another day or two.

Attached Thumbnails

• 

[Jrotten]

Is that Mexican?

[smellitstinknot]

It is not P.aucklandiae though the species has also been reported to occur in Australia. This new species has been DNA sequenced placing it in section zapotecorum and is most closely related to P.semperviva. It is yet to be officially named. Heyowana first brought this species to light a couple years ago when he found it growing in the mountainous tropical rainforests of Northern NSW. Since then there have been several finds including my own. I've personally made 3 expeditions to the region in search of the species and have found it growing in many habitats from open grasslands to dense beech forest. Most prolific finds at high altitude but it has also been found at sea level.

I collected hundreds of prints from the wild last season and sent them abroad. Many went out in giveaways and some to vendors. I've also cultivated the species alongside P.semperviva and can say all growth parameters and characteristics are the same. Mycelium is tomentose and fast growing both on agar and grain. If your cultures are slow it's likely you haven't won the genetic lottery. Wild spores are always a crap shoot.

[Jrotten]

Any chance you collected Subs on green or gold foil? Any tips to get them to germinate?

[YoshiTrainer]

JR, the pic is Australian Zap.

Thank you for the great info and for distributing genetics Stinknot! To clarify, you are saying the Australian zapotecorum is zapotecorum and Auckladiae is a separate species or that they are the same?

Edited by YoshiTrainer, 29 January 2021 - 10:36 AM.

[Celestialexplorer1]

This tub was innoculated on 11/12/20. Still looks clean and it's getting there but I was wondering if everyone else had the experience of this being an ungodly slow species. I've put it on everything as far as substrate and grain and everything has been so slow and I've used multiple cultures. I was also wondering if you are getting quicker colonization times what are your temps

[YoshiTrainer]

I put one on rice 12/16 and another on bulk I made for cubensis 12/23.

Cool containers BTW!

Attached Thumbnails

• 
• 

[Jrotten]

If this tells you anything I put the aussie zapos, some pans, mexicana, tampanesis, semperviva, and cubes on agar at the same time.  I then expanded the first grain for several of those.  Then spawned.  I have had 2 flushes of mexicana, the cubes sat in jars fully colonized for a month, they are about ready to case, the pans have fruited 2-4 times depending on tray, I even have 2 semperviva pins in only 29 days since spawning.  I just spawned the aussie zapos 2 days ago and never even expanded them. 

 

While on grain they were happier at 70 than 75 which tells me maybe the grain was dry for their liking, but it was all the same grain.  They are fuzzing out quickly on the sub, but I can't say they have grabbed the sub yet.  So yeah, definitely slow.