My Shroom Kit; 2nd Flush. Lots of Questions.
So I have a kit ... My mushies just started growing; I have some questions.
Here is what I did ...
I got a cheap throw away tin baking pan. I bent out the edges (lip) so it would fit perfectly in my shroom box (store bought kit). Under the backing pan (inside the grow box), I used a thin layer of perlite with water so I would not have to mist the kit. The perlite keeps the box at a constant 93% to 95% Humidity. I take the lid off daily to allow fresh air in the box. I used a reptile heater on the under belly of the box (not the inside of the box, on the outside). The heater is holding the temperature at a constant 79 to 80 degrees. I recently turned the heater off to lower the temp though. I read on "shroomery" pages that the mushies prefer temps around 70 to 75 degrees when growing & 75 to 80 degrees when fruiting; they even suggested using frozen ice packs to bring down the temp. So far everything seems to be working well.
I've also read that after your substrate has a fully developed mycelium pack, that it then needs light in order to produce mushrooms. Shrooms don't grow like plants through photosynthesis, but that mycelium needs light in order to fruit the shrooms. The light sends out the signals to the mycelium telling it that its time to start growing shrooms. Each day before I had shrooms, I would set the kit in my window seal for a couple of hours; giving it that required light. Now that this process has started and I'm getting mushrooms, the kit is in complete darkness under my bed. I have mushies popping up everywhere!! :dance:
I tried to take a picture, but my camera sucks and none of them came out.
During my first flush, I had about 20 pop up (80g wet - 12g dry), but their small. Most of this first flush grow at the same rate ... they deviated maybe a day apart. What's weird is my kit don't look like some of the kits I've seen online. I've seen pictures of kits from Europe, and such, with 100's of mushrooms popping up out of the top of the kit. Mine looks nothing like that ... neither did my brothers. My caps aren't very big either. There decent though. I'm picking them right as the vial pulls away from the stem. As I also read on "Shroomery."
I also read not to allow the mushies to drop their spores inside the grow box. True or False??
Another thing I noticed is my kit produced shroom which sporadically popped up and not all at the same time during the second flush (that its currently going through). As I said, most are fairly small shrooms in comparison to many I've seen. I might be picking them prematurely. As far as I know, the longer you let them grow the more nutrients they suck out of the compost and the fewer flushes you'll get. Maybe you more knowledgeable can shed some light on shroom size and maturity. I don't see how picking prematurely effects they're potency. Or can it?
Speaking of potency ... I've read some debate on this board about whether or not potency is effected during the drying process of cultivation. I've read that potency increases during the drying process in some literature. I've also noticed a huge difference in potency (depending on the species) between fresh (wet) and dry mushies; My brother has also experienced this. Yet, every piece of info I have read on this board suggests the mushies actually lose potency when dried. Coincident? What's really going on??
Anyhow, after my first flush (I guess I'll call it that), 100 little pin heads popped up (after I picked the first mushies). They're all growing at different rates. Some of them look like their dying before they really reach any decent size, while others are growing just fine. Some even appear to be dying out and then start to plumb and grow normal. Any ideas what's going on? To much humidity? Even though they look to be dying (i.e., wrinkling of the stem, funny looking cone shaped cap, discoloration (its not contaminants)) they still seem to be growing and getting bigger; as if they snap out of whatever is wrong with them. Or maybe that's just the way they grow, I don't know. Should I change the Temp? Some of the little pin heads are fat little critters with tiny heads and other are all head. Its really stranger to see how they develop.
Overall though, (like I said) they are small mushrooms. Probably 3" to 5" in length; all growing at different rates. None of them really get any bigger than that. Since I try to monitor them and pick them before the cap fully opens/vail pulls away from the stem, I have to pull them at the sizes mentioned. My brother's, which were a different species, got nice looong stems with decent sized caps. His friend's kit, on the other hand, only produced 10 mushrooms total, but he said they where the biggest mushrooms he had ever seen; like portabella size and bigger. So I guess its just my species huh?
Help me understand guys. Let me know if I should change anything.
Thanks,
Sprt
My Shroom Kit; 2nd Flush. Lots of Questions.
My Shroom Kit; 2nd Flush. Lots of Questions.
New Question:
What's up with the small black capped runts that never mature and almost look to be dead? Just wondering ... I have a few of these in my kit. I'm sure its normal.
Thanks,
Sprt
PS: I lowered the heat in my kit & all my mushies started to grow. All those little babies sprouts I was talking about are now nice big plump 5" to 8" tall mushrooms; Nice big meaty golden caps. There's easily a good 70 to 80 shrooms. I'm stoked. I'm making spore prints as we speak.
My Shroom Kit; 2nd Flush. Lots of Questions.
mycology is a very fun hobby...and very rewarding.
but you should read up on some tek's
try shroomery.org
its a great site for growers
My Shroom Kit; 2nd Flush. Lots of Questions.
so 5 different batches grow with one syringe ?
My Shroom Kit; 2nd Flush. Lots of Questions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by easton
mycology is a very fun hobby...and very rewarding.
but you should read up on some tek's
try shroomery.org
its a great site for growers
Been there ... done a little of that. Still have unanswered questions though. It's cool ... kit is really starting to produce now.
Thanks,
Sprt
My Shroom Kit; 2nd Flush. Lots of Questions.
OK so ill try and answer all of your questions the best i can, its my day off and i just woke up so bare with me....
They need light so they know which way is up, if you dont expose them to light you can get some retarted caps with will actually grow down INTO the mycelium/substrate.
It doesnt really matter if you let them open and drop their spores in the tank BUT if you want to collect a spore sample you need to take them out.
The potency is always up for debate. Some say that they are as potent as they are going to get when they are small and its just a waste of nutrition to let them grow big. Personally I pick them as soon as the veil breaks but i plan on doing an experiment to see the differences. Unless your going to eat your mushies right off the bat when you pick them, your better of drying them because when they are wet they are subseptable(sp?) to a bunch of nasty things. I dry them out with dessicant and store them in a cool dark place.
Go record your humidity and temp and try and describe your setup a bit more and ill try and help you root out your problem. The shrooms dont grow at the same rate usually, they are staggered. 75% of the time its just your humidity is off so lets hope its just that.
In the mean time, heress some eye candy for you
http://gallery.cannabis.com/thumbnails.php?album=943
My Shroom Kit; 2nd Flush. Lots of Questions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SprtNVolcoM00
So I have a kit ... My mushies just started growing; I have some questions.
Here is what I did ...
I got a cheap throw away tin baking pan. I bent out the edges (lip) so it would fit perfectly in my shroom box (store bought kit). Under the backing pan (inside the grow box), I used a thin layer of perlite with water so I would not have to mist the kit. The perlite keeps the box at a constant 93% to 95% Humidity. I take the lid off daily to allow fresh air in the box. I used a reptile heater on the under belly of the box (not the inside of the box, on the outside). The heater is holding the temperature at a constant 79 to 80 degrees. I recently turned the heater off to lower the temp though. I read on "shroomery" pages that the mushies prefer temps around 70 to 75 degrees when growing & 75 to 80 degrees when fruiting; they even suggested using frozen ice packs to bring down the temp. So far everything seems to be working well.
I've also read that after your substrate has a fully developed mycelium pack, that it then needs light in order to produce mushrooms. Shrooms don't grow like plants through photosynthesis, but that mycelium needs light in order to fruit the shrooms. The light sends out the signals to the mycelium telling it that its time to start growing shrooms. Each day before I had shrooms, I would set the kit in my window seal for a couple of hours; giving it that required light. Now that this process has started and I'm getting mushrooms, the kit is in complete darkness under my bed. I have mushies popping up everywhere!! :dance:
I tried to take a picture, but my camera sucks and none of them came out.
During my first flush, I had about 20 pop up (80g wet - 12g dry), but their small. Most of this first flush grow at the same rate ... they deviated maybe a day apart. What's weird is my kit don't look like some of the kits I've seen online. I've seen pictures of kits from Europe, and such, with 100's of mushrooms popping up out of the top of the kit. Mine looks nothing like that ... neither did my brothers. My caps aren't very big either. There decent though. I'm picking them right as the vial pulls away from the stem. As I also read on "Shroomery."
I also read not to allow the mushies to drop their spores inside the grow box. True or False??
Another thing I noticed is my kit produced shroom which sporadically popped up and not all at the same time during the second flush (that its currently going through). As I said, most are fairly small shrooms in comparison to many I've seen. I might be picking them prematurely. As far as I know, the longer you let them grow the more nutrients they suck out of the compost and the fewer flushes you'll get. Maybe you more knowledgeable can shed some light on shroom size and maturity. I don't see how picking prematurely effects they're potency. Or can it?
Speaking of potency ... I've read some debate on this board about whether or not potency is effected during the drying process of cultivation. I've read that potency increases during the drying process in some literature. I've also noticed a huge difference in potency (depending on the species) between fresh (wet) and dry mushies; My brother has also experienced this. Yet, every piece of info I have read on this board suggests the mushies actually lose potency when dried. Coincident? What's really going on??
Anyhow, after my first flush (I guess I'll call it that), 100 little pin heads popped up (after I picked the first mushies). They're all growing at different rates. Some of them look like their dying before they really reach any decent size, while others are growing just fine. Some even appear to be dying out and then start to plumb and grow normal. Any ideas what's going on? To much humidity? Even though they look to be dying (i.e., wrinkling of the stem, funny looking cone shaped cap, discoloration (its not contaminants)) they still seem to be growing and getting bigger; as if they snap out of whatever is wrong with them. Or maybe that's just the way they grow, I don't know. Should I change the Temp? Some of the little pin heads are fat little critters with tiny heads and other are all head. Its really stranger to see how they develop.
Overall though, (like I said) they are small mushrooms. Probably 3" to 5" in length; all growing at different rates. None of them really get any bigger than that. Since I try to monitor them and pick them before the cap fully opens/vail pulls away from the stem, I have to pull them at the sizes mentioned. My brother's, which were a different species, got nice looong stems with decent sized caps. His friend's kit, on the other hand, only produced 10 mushrooms total, but he said they where the biggest mushrooms he had ever seen; like portabella size and bigger. So I guess its just my species huh?
Help me understand guys. Let me know if I should change anything.
Thanks,
Sprt
These mushrooms (Psilocybine Cubensis) contain 2 active substances as far as I know. Psilocybine and psilocine. Both are vital for your trip. Now.. what happens is that when you're drying your shrooms quite a lot of the psilocin is destroyed (I think it has something to do with getting in contact with oxygen) so if you want to get the most of your shrooms I suggest you eat them fresh. One more thing to this matter: Psilocybine changes into psilocine when ingested. About the "discoloration": It's quite normal. That happens when you handle the shrooms. They might turn a bit blueish or greenish but don't worry. That's just normal.
About your "dead looking pins". If they don't grow anymore they're most certainly "aborts". Just pick them and dry them. They're potent aswell!!
Oh yeah.. one more thing: Psilocybine Semilanceata contains only psilocybine and no psilocine whatsoever. That's why they don't lose potency whether they're dried or fresh.
