First Time Shroom Grower PF-Tek

[jollygreengiant8]

shrooms are hard to come by for me...and ive never seen a oz of shrooms but id think it would be alot more than 80.

ive picked my own a few times but thats sketchy...but free

 

[archangel]

Ya and I can show you where you can buy a $30 half oz of pot... but it looks like shit, the point is its always better when you grow it. at least thats my thinking on it.

 

[dangreen]

Well here we have, closed cap red tops. Very abundant and cheap. But mushies are really not my thing except every once in a blue moon.


Cool grow btw ,i will be watching never seen it done.

 

[Thesandman420]

is there any way to start growing them without buying anything?

 

[dangreen]

go look into the wilderness!

thats about it.

 

[archangel]

depends on what u have availbe... pressure cooker? jars? spores? etc... there are BASIC items you need ie spores. etc see what u have and go from there

 

[Thesandman420]

depends on what u have availbe... pressure cooker? jars? spores? etc... there are BASIC items you need ie spores. etc see what u have and go from there

how can i get spores? i have no credit card or way of getting them off the web.

 

[massbaster]

how can i get spores? i have no credit card or way of getting them off the web.

most places accept money orders. if you can check the sites , look into payment methods.

otherwise wait until you have access to more technology.

you could try and find one in the wild in your area and then try to spore print it.

good luck

 

[acura27]

So when you pressure cook you put tops on jars and then the foil ? sorry I'm new to this when you shoot the jars up what is the processs there? take tops off or what fixing to grow ive 18 12cc syringes and all the other goods just kinda sketchey on the process! your grow is awsome buy! the way not trying to thread jack.

 

[massbaster]

So when you pressure cook you put tops on jars and then the foil ? sorry I'm new to this when you shoot the jars up what is the processs there? take tops off or what fixing to grow ive 18 12cc syringes and all the other goods just kinda sketchey on the process! your grow is awsome buy! the way not trying to thread jack.

please go to shroomery.org and look under basic cultivation.

find something called PF-TEK recipe and read for ten - fifteen minutes.

most if not all your questions will be answered.

if you still have questions after reading a little, you should post your own thread.

good luck

 

[jollygreengiant8]

its been 4 days and i just took a jar out to take a peek and we have the first signs of growth..im so fucking happy.

temps running at 83F

next weekend i will most likely be starting another 5 jars.
this time practicing more cleanliness.
im hoping no contams this run but we will soon see.

should i take the foil off the jars within the next few days?

 

[archangel]

I would remove the foil as soon as signs of grown are visible. The myc needs to breathe. maybe post pix in a few days, just to keep us up to speed...

 

[jollygreengiant8]

so i should take the foil off and leave the holes exposed?
if so, should i lysol the shit out of the cabinet again just for good measure?

i'll post pics in a few days, its just beginning to grow so theres not much to see right now.
all 5 jars have growth

 

[massbaster]

i have seen and have been told that i should remove tinfoil, and tape and blah blah blah while i have been waiting for the mycelium to grow.

here is the link of the shroomery.org recipe i have been following. i have seen a few different pf-tek recipes and feel this one is the best.

it is pretty clear with pictures and instructions.

Shroomery - PF Tek


now to answer your qeustion on foil, yes. in fact in order to inoculate you need to remove the foil and tape.

no need to replace foil. but here is an excerp from the recipe about the tape.

"After inoculation of the jars, tighten the lid bands and retape the needle holes. Place the jars in a safe place out of direct sunlight. Indirect light is all that is required. If the temperature is kept around 70 degrees, germination will begin within 3 to 5 days. Germinating spores appear as small white fuzzy spots, quickly growing and spreading with cottony white growth and strandy "rhizomorphs". Any room temperature is O.K. If it gets cold indoors, over head light shinning down on the tops of the jars is a perfect heating technique for this culturing stage. A clamping type light with a reflector works well for this. If this is done, keep the temperature around 70 degrees (don't overheat the jars - monitor the temperature with a thermometer). A warm overall house temperature is fine. But in the overall view, cool temperatures are never a problem. The rule is to not overheat. "

now i am only concerned about the info in red. you can find this info from the link posted above.

although i will say that FOR MY CONDITIONS AND SITUATION a higher temp closer to 85 has proven much better. i did not see results after 3-5 days at 70. but i have seen magnificent results in the past 4 days since i have increased temps.

anyhow, i have read this recipe mutiple times due to the enormous amount of info you need to remember throughout all stages of growth. you should too.

good luck and keep learning.

 

[jollygreengiant8]

thanks for the info massbaster.

i never used any tape, only a layer of tinfoil to cover the holes.
i'm still confused as to weather or not to remove the foil.
it seems like if i took the foil off and had to put tape over the holes that would defeat the purpose of removing the foil (letting mycelium breathe)

but leaving the holes exposed doesnt seem right to me.

remove foil? add tape? let them be?

 

[massbaster]

thanks for the info massbaster.

i never used any tape, only a layer of tinfoil to cover the holes.
i'm still confused as to weather or not to remove the foil.
it seems like if i took the foil off and had to put tape over the holes that would defeat the purpose of removing the foil (letting mycelium breathe)

but leaving the holes exposed doesnt seem right to me.

ok first off, in the pf tek way the upper layer of vermiculite(plain) is to provide a barrier for airbourne particles. so logically after inoculating there should be no need to cover the holes as the verm should fill back in and keep things good. yes mycelium will have chance to breathe.


BUT the recipe states to cover the holes after inoculation.

i have left the holes covered on the first grow and things were fine.

i have them covered on this grow and things did not go so well for the first two weeks. little to no white nycelium growth.

on sept. 7th i started to give them more heat.(still taped) and since then the jars are mostly completed.



IN YOUR CASE, you used tin foil instead of tape to protect your inoculation holes from getting wet during sterilization.

even though you have that top layer of vermiculite, your needle will disturb it at the side of the jar. that could be a potential point of contamination IF the vermiculite does not completely fill back in after you remove the needle.

1.) i would leave the foil on and worry more about air exchange and CO2 when you have them in the fruiting chamber.

2.) you could remove the foil off one of them and see if there is an increase in speed of growth.

personally, i used tape and after sterilization and cooling took seven jars, un-taped the holes (with my nifty little pull tabs) of each jar, then inoculated. each time i came out of the hole i folded the tape back into place and sealed it.

tried to expose for the smallest amount of time after i removed the needle.

before the needle goes in the verm is the seal.


here is a recent pic. you can see the tabs. and seven days ago, there was no white. these jars are just at 18 days with 90% in the last 5-6 days.

 

[jollygreengiant8]

damn thats some fast growth you got in the last couple of days.

is that masking tape youre using? ill be using tape next round..with tabs(thanks for the tip)

ill uncover 2 and leave the foil on the other 3 and see what happens

 

[cali-high]

hey whats up jolly green!!!

my shroom jars are almost to the bottom! i did 1 pint jars so it takes longer...its only been 4wks so far and by week 5 they will be ready to more into the fruiting chamber so im excited!!

i did notice one of my jars looks infected but im not sure.(1st time grower) its red with little egg looking things in it, they look the size of poppy seeds so idk... my eyes could be playing tricks on me or smoethin..but the mycelium is about 75% covered in the jar and that shit is towards the bottom so i think if it is a bacteria or whatever the mycelium might fight it off.....


also goodluck with your grow...

any help would be great


peace
cali-high

 

[massbaster]

a pic will help.

shroomery has a contamination section.

good luck

 

[massbaster]

damn thats some fast growth you got in the last couple of days.

is that masking tape youre using? ill be using tape next round..with tabs(thanks for the tip)

ill uncover 2 and leave the foil on the other 3 and see what happens

yeah its masking tape. it is what the recipe recommends.

it can be abitch to work with, but so far it works.

the covers of the jars are almost 3inchs across. so i use two pieces of tape. like 8 inches long. place 1piece across two of the holes and down side of cover.

i dont put the tape on the glass.

instead fold over the remaining tape onto itself and you have little tabs to help pull back the tape and inoculate the jar. place the other piece of 8inch or so tape on the other two holes.

when i inoculate, i take jars and peel back just enough to expose my hole.

it should remain stuck to the center of the lid and not interfere with holes.

inoculate and replace. very little time of exposure.

i work with latex gloves (lint free) and the tape sticks something fierce to it if i get stuck. this seems to be the easiest way to do it. putting on the tape i dont wear gloves soo its not a problem but during inoculation it sucks to get stuck on the tape.....

good luck i will post another update on my thread either tomorrow or tuesday.