27 replies to this topic

[oakchild]

Hey Topia,

I know I should use hardwood for good yields of this species, but I had some extra straw laying around and wanted to get a few spore prints for long term storage of the species in my collection. I pasturized some straw with a small handful of gypsum and worm castings for added nutrition, and loaded it into a dishpan. I knocked up the straw with about 40cc of King Trumpet Clone PD LC. The myc really ran through the straw fast, full colonization in about a week.

I then put the tray in my FC and hoped for pins.

http://mycotopia.net...=1&d=1230861910

http://mycotopia.net...=1&d=1230861910

About a month passed, and my patience gave way to frustration. The temp in my house is about 10oF higher than the fruiting temp listed in GG&MM (Stamets), so this was to be expected. I was just being overly optimistic. Winter came around and two weeks ago I decided to put them outside try to induce pinning in the cool weather. I cased the tray with verm to keep humitity up at the surface of the substrate, and I cut a square of plasitc from a clear trash bag and covered the dish pan with the plastic. I secured the plastic to the tub with a rubber band and poked a few small holes in the plastic for gas exchange. I placed the tray outside next to a wall, and as It had been raining, I leaned a piece of plywood against the wall to give the tray shelter from the rain.

http://mycotopia.net...=1&d=1230861910


Today I went to go check on it, and I this is what I saw:

http://mycotopia.net...=1&d=1230861910


http://mycotopia.net...=1&d=1230861910


Most of the pins seem to be at the edge, but there are a few interspersed in the center of the substrate (It is kinda hard to see in the pic though).

Well anyways, I just thought I would share my excitement with you all.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Blessings,
Oakchild

8-)

Attached Thumbnails

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

[golly]

Congrats...!!
Hopefully it's the start of something good..They do like cool temps..
Straw maybe inclined to dry out and limit potential, so that would be my main concern at this point.. Gluk...

[Lazlo]

Once it starts pinning, you can put the project back in warmer temperatures so they mature quicker. Looks good!

[oakchild]

Congrats...!!
Hopefully it's the start of something good..They do like cool temps..
Straw maybe inclined to dry out and limit potential, so that would be my main concern at this point.. Gluk...

Yeah, I hear you about the straw. I have it cased in very moist verm and have it wrapped in plastic such that moister isn't going to escape easily. I have had straw projects dry out before, so I am keeping a close eye on it.

Blessings,
Oakchild

8-)

[oakchild]

Once it starts pinning, you can put the project back in warmer temperatures so they mature quicker. Looks good!

Thanks Lazlo!

There are still clusters of pins popping up so I will leave it outside for the time being. I have a question about warm verses cold fruiting for these. I have heard (Don't remember where) that the fruits develop a richer fuller flavor when fruited in cold temps. Is that true? If so, well I have learned patience with this hobby...

BTW: The plastic moister barrier I had on the tray kept on sagging down and I wanted to keep the plastic (and it's condensation) from resting on the developing fruit bodies, so I made a reusable tent for the tub. The filter patches are a double layer of Tyvek, to give FAE but prevent moister from escaping.

http://mycotopia.net...=1&d=1231017778

Also, here is a new pic of the tray today. There are a lot of little tiny pin clusters forming in the center of the tray now. Hopefully they all mature!

http://mycotopia.net...=1&d=1231017778

Blessings,
Oakchild

8-)

Attached Thumbnails

• 
• 

[oakchild]

Oh, one other thing. I am starting a large project with these. I can get about a truck load of hardwood chips per week (Free), and I was wondering whether I should cultivate them in beds or make logs by mixing the wood chips with straw (to fill in the gaps). I would use a 2:1 wood:straw ratio, and stuff them in long plastic air ducting. I have plenty of construction experience, so I could build an outdoor frame for propping the logs up vertically.

Beds would obviously be easier, but I am hesitant to do beds of this size for fear of contamination spreading.

What do you think?

Blessings,
Oakchild

8-)

[Lazlo]

Hmmm, I don't know about that on the temperature thing, but I have heard they taste blander on paper and wheat straw than they do on wood. We grow ours on compost and the flavor is excellent. It's pretty much my favorite edible! They grow fantastic on compost and on weathered horse manure.

Here's a tiny little wipe box we use to grow them in. The pic stinks. When in good sized bags, they can really go off. I'm growing some more in big bags right now and will show you just how nuts these doggies can get.

http://mycotopia.net...=1&d=1231018320

Attached Thumbnails

• 

[oakchild]

Nice pic Lazlo!

I will post more pics when I have further progress. Things got a little bit bigger today. :eusa_droo

Blessings,
Oakchild

8-)

[wildburr]

Definitely got a seat pulled up for this one. :)

[August West]

They grow fantastic on compost and on weathered horse manure.

lazlo,

what kind of 'compost' do you use?
and, do you mix whatever it is with the manure or just use one or the other?

thanks in advance.

[oakchild]

Hey Topia,

Here is an update. I have had some pics that I haven't uploaded yet due to busy schedule.

http://mycotopia.net...=1&d=1231657615


http://mycotopia.net...=1&d=1231657615


http://mycotopia.net...=1&d=1231657615


http://mycotopia.net...=1&d=1231657615


Also First harvest this morning.


http://mycotopia.net...=1&d=1231657615


http://mycotopia.net...=1&d=1231657615

Sorry the last pic is a bit blurry, and I didn't notice until just now. No chance of taking another pic of that biggin, because I cut the stem off and have the cap in the Glove Box making a spore print.

I harvested the other 2 mature fruits as well, and they were only a little bit smaller than this one.

Blessings,
Oakchild

8-)

Attached Thumbnails

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

[hyphaenation]

Excellent information kind sir or madam ...

I have to bump any thread regarding the wonderful KTO King Trumpet Oysters !

[Fresh Brewed]

Great thread Oakchild...I've really been enjoying it. I'm in the process of getting some edibles going here as well(I've just cut 10 oak logs, and have shitake and lions mane plug spawn on the way to me). Lazlo's comment about KTO liking compost has really got me thinking about the compost bin I have that's full of fully composted leaves, kitchen scraps, yard waste and horse manure.

[mycowarrier]

Wow i think I'm gonna try the cooler weather strains now too. That's a monster compared to my "cluster type" warm weather strain [sajor-caju]

[Fresh Brewed]

We grow ours on compost and the flavor is excellent. It's pretty much my favorite edible! They grow fantastic on compost and on weathered horse manure.

Lazlo, do you pasteurize or sterilize your compost before spawning to it?

Oakchild, did you pasteurize or sterilize your straw?

[Hippie3]

archive material .
:bow:

[Myc]

LOL! You beat me to it Hip!
~ archive material ~
Very nice job Oakchild. Impressive.

In regards to the outdoor project, several ideas come to mind.
Make your own "cold frames" and fill with woodchips?

Maybe you could adapt the spawnbuilding method used here to make your own "starter blocks" for bulk innoculation.

Good luck and nice work!

[oakchild]

Oakchild, did you pasteurize or sterilize your straw?

Pasteurized straw with some worm castings and gypsum added to the mix.

Blessings,
Oakchild

8-)

[oakchild]

LOL! You beat me to it Hip!
~ archive material ~
Very nice job Oakchild. Impressive.

Thanks Myc and Hippie! :bow:

In regards to the outdoor project, several ideas come to mind.
Make your own "cold frames" and fill with woodchips?

What do you mean by "cold frames"?

Maybe you could adapt the spawnbuilding method used here to make your own "starter blocks" for bulk innoculation.

Good luck and nice work!

Thanks, I will give that a try. Waylit's threads are always an inspiration!

Oh, and we are having stir fry tonight. Ohh Yeah! :eusa_droo

Blessings,
Oakchild

8-)

[oakchild]

Hey Lazlo,

One thing I noticed when harvesting these beauties is that they are deeply rooted in the substrate. I used the twist and pull method to harvest and they tore up a lot of substrate with them.

Do you cut them with a sharp knife to harvest, or is that going to be an unacceptable contamination vector (leaving the root).

Blessings,
Oakchild

8-)