110 replies to this topic

[chimp]

If I knew the answer to that from my own experience I would tell ya but alas, I do not...never used any type of artificial light for mine. Only indirect sunlight from a nearby window for me.

[windstarke]

ive read that light is used to initiate fruiting as well as make the shrooms grow upright.

so, does the direction of the light matter at all?

like...should the light be pointing downwards towards the shrooms so they grow upright or does it not matter if they are on the sides of the fruiting chamber?

[eastwood]

basicalley light makes pinning and gives the mushrooms direction to grow thats all

[goldenteacher1163]

I would have to say that the light direction is up to you but straight down would resemble a natural habitat the best and that is what we are always trying our best to achieve. We strive to copy the original environment to the best of our ability so that the fungi in return grows to the best of its ability. Hope this helps

[TVCasualty]

When I'm fruiting a cake in the traditional way (direct in a terrarium or FC and not crumbled into something or invitro) then I often get mushrooms pointing straight up and straight down on the same cake in the same flush, and sometimes looping in a circle back in on themselves as they chase the light coming from all directions.

As the light bounces off the interior surfaces of the FC, including the bottom (especially if it's perlite or white plastic), it makes them point any which way, which is not a big deal unless you are trying to make prints. In that case you want the mushrooms you print to be straight up so the gills always point down for a clean print.

When growing in plastic trays (not cakes), the plastic is often not totally opaque. Hold a tray up to a bright light and if there's any light making it through then you're going to have more mushrooms popping up from the sides and bottom of the substrate than from a tray that blocks all light. So although it's not really an issue of the light's direction, when light can penetrate a tray it can make harvesting a pain in the ass.

In any context, when the light is coming from a specific direction, like from through a window across the room, the mushrooms will all point at it. Makes for a neat look sometimes when a huge pinset is all leaning a little to one side, but it's nothing to be concerned about. In most FC 's, light coming from one side will likely be scattered and reflected off any reflective interior surfaces so the mushrooms more-or-less point up. In nature, the light only comes from above for a short period of the day, but the Sun's motion across the sky cancels the effects of the shallower angles of sunrise and sunset so they point up. I've read that air currents also play a role in helping a mushroom orient itself, but I don't know how that works.

[Hippie3]

grow towards the light

[windstarke]

thx everyone for the answers! :D

[lylos]

When growing invitro in jars, when do you add light? Also, when giving light, does it need 24 hour light or only a certain interval of light.

[lylos]

if doing invitro you will want to start exposing to light from day 1.. a few mins a day will be fine. i normaly take them out of the drawer once a day to check progress and to check for contams.. just be sure not to tip the jars when checking them.. try to keep them level as possible or you risk comprimising the verm barrier. the need suprisingly little light to initiate pinning.
lost

So just a couple minutes a day should be sufficient? And this starts from day one, right after inoculation?

[CoyoteMesc]

Yes, from day one.
You can expose em for longer periods if you like.
Just the typical daytime room light is sufficient.