30 replies to this topic

[TastyBeverage]

Quick little update... checked the bags this morning and they are doing very well. :) I made sure that some grains were on the outside, against the plastic so that i could easily tell how things were progressing. They are fuzzing up very nicely this morning and seem to have recovered from the spawning process. I didn't have room in my incubator for either bag (i really need to build another one) so they have been sitting on my dining room table. Temps fluctuate between 50 and 70 degrees but they seem to be ok with it.

I tried to take some pics, but my camera would only focus on the condensation on the inside of the bag and they didn't come out.

[TastyBeverage]

Got some better pics yesterday.





This morning the mycelium looks twice as big as yesterday! But i'm too lazy to take pics, lol.

[Myc]

Nice job!
Looks like you're out of the woods now.
Once Shiitake gets that well established it can pretty much fight off any kind of infection - mold or bacterial.

Can't wait to see the results.
Good Luck!

[TastyBeverage]

Thanks, Myc! That's great to hear. They are really taking off now... no doubt in my mind that these are woodlovers. :) I'll get new pics up today. I wonder how much better they'd be doing if i had room to put them in the incubator? Oh well, they seem to be pretty happy on my dining room table.

[Myc]

I found that "incubation" always promoted mold and bacteria. I've done a lot of experiments with these and I've found:
They colonize best in an un-used closet between 75*F and 78*F
I wait 'til they form visible pins
Place them in the 'fridge for at least a week
Submerge them in ice water for 72 hrs
Place in the greenhouse @ room temp. - introduce regular FAE - maintain rh @ 95-99%
Fruiting usually begins within 72 hrs
First harvest in about 5 days

You'll be eating your own Shiitake before you know it!!

All photos were taken today for reference purposes.

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[TastyBeverage]

You're the man, Myc! I'll be hitting you up for tips as my grow progresses. :thumbup:

After the substrate fully colonizes, about how long do you usually wait for the 'crusting over' to happen? I've read that pinning doesn't usually occur in shiitakes until the sub block gets that crust, but yours only look a little bit crusted over?

[Myc]

Some blocks never form that dusky color until the second flush.
The first flush turns out with some irregular fruits but they appear consistently "normal" from the second flush on as the browning slowly sets in.
I allow the blocks to dry slightly in the greenhouse and then dunk 'em again for 72 hrs. The time-table is consistent:
72 hr. dunk - 72 hrs to fruit - 5 days to harvest

I'm experimenting with a "chunkier" substrate - no sawdust - just wood chunks. I'm interested to see if a more stable food supply effects number of flushes and yeild.

Will be watching this project with great interest. Plz keep us posted.

[TastyBeverage]

Will do, thanks again for the help!

My substrate has no sawdust in it as i was not able to find hardwood sawdust anywhere. I just used aspen shavings from the pet store and a couple of handfuls of apple wood chips i had leftover from BBQ'ing this summer. The aspen shavings are pretty small, so the mix is light and fluffy and the mycelium is moving through it very quickly.

[hyphaenation]

This is my all-time favorite Shitake link:

http://mycotopia.net...hworld-com.html

Thanks to Spacecowboy and mushworld !

[TastyBeverage]

I've got that bookmarked already. ;)

That's where i got the idea to try the the SF seeds, actually. One of the PDFs in that outline talks about using the seed hulls. :thumbup:

Glad to see ya around again, Hyph! You're missed.

[TastyBeverage]

Alrighty, i have a bunch of updating to do. The shiitake bags continue to look and do well, despite the temps fluctuating between 45 at night and 65 - 70 during the day.

Took these pics on Sunday, 12-14.



These are from this morning.



I noc'd up 4 more jars of popcorn with wooden dowels on Saturday, they are in the incubator now.
I envision my home completely covered with bags of growing mushrooms. :)