Let's Grow Mushrooms - A Beginners Gigantic Bulk Attempt with PF Tek

researchkitty

researchkitty

Well-Known Member
asdf1 said:
Would an occilating fan just pointed at the drawers work out? After reading all the fanning conversation it seems like a simple solution....
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I dont know.

asdf1 said:
We need a mushrooms sub-forum. Enough said.
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^^^^

asdf1 said:
How are you drying the fruits?
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I'm going to use my OLD tubs from the first grow attempt and line them with screens. Under the screens are dessicant, and over the screens are the mushrooms. Put em in the tub with the lids on and they should be dry in a few days. I'll have pictures of them soon, going to start on them in a few minutes.

Question: Do I pick off the little bits of verm/perlite NOW or when they are dry before packaging?

Question: If I used a food dehydrator, would there be one that is big enough? How long does it take them to dry in a dehydrator? If its like 12-24 hours in a dehydrator, then I think I might buy a few to see how they work too.
 
DarthD3vl

DarthD3vl

Well-Known Member
I think its like 4-5 hours in a dehydrator but I never used one so I could be way off, I pick the verm and any extra fuzzy white off the base of the stem when there fresh its just easier and I pick the extra fuzzy mycelium off simply because it can have hidden verm inside of it
 
researchkitty

researchkitty

Well-Known Member
asdf1

asdf1

Active Member
For a large scale grow like the one you have going on I would invest in a dehydrator, hell why not its quicker, easier, and I'm sure you're gonna make your money back in the end so it makes sense.

As for me I'm wondering if I took regular computer paper and folded it over and over and over so it would be zig zagged... and lined the bottom with these then put dessicant in the cracks then layed the shrooms across the top then kept layering it like that would the be a proper drying arrangement. See the pic to figure out what I mean...

And as for dessicant, Can i find it in a store. Or are there natural alternatives that I could find locally.

drying tek.jpg
 
researchkitty

researchkitty

Well-Known Member
asdf1 said:
For a large scale grow like the one you have going on I would invest in a dehydrator, hell why not its quicker, easier, and I'm sure you're gonna make your money back in the end so it makes sense.

As for me I'm wondering if I took regular computer paper and folded it over and over and over so it would be zig zagged... and lined the bottom with these then put dessicant in the cracks then layed the shrooms across the top then kept layering it like that would the be a proper drying arrangement. See the pic to figure out what I mean...

And as for dessicant, Can i find it in a store. Or are there natural alternatives that I could find locally.

View attachment 1232244
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Dessicant can be bought by the pound on eBay. Or go to a shoe store and steal it from boxes of shoes. There's a packet in each one. :)

Computer paper isnt really porous. You'd be better off using a paper towel or a few layers of cheese cloth. Really though, you can buy the screen door mesh replacement kits from Walmart for $5 and a tub for $5 and then your done! The top layer of dessicant would be just unnecessary, as well as compress the shrooms because of the dessicant packets weight. A 4 unit bag is probably a quarter pound.

All and all, $5 tub, $5 mesh screen, $10-$20 of dessicant on eBay and your set! GL.
 
asdf1

asdf1

Active Member
researchkitty said:
Dessicant can be bought by the pound on eBay. Or go to a shoe store and steal it from boxes of shoes. There's a packet in each one. :)

Computer paper isnt really porous. You'd be better off using a paper towel or a few layers of cheese cloth. Really though, you can buy the screen door mesh replacement kits from Walmart for $5 and a tub for $5 and then your done! The top layer of dessicant would be just unnecessary, as well as compress the shrooms because of the dessicant packets weight. A 4 unit bag is probably a quarter pound.

All and all, $5 tub, $5 mesh screen, $10-$20 of dessicant on eBay and your set! GL.
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Im having a hard time picturing the drying chamber. If you posted a picture earlier and I missed it than what post was it. If not once you get it goin id like to see it
 
researchkitty

researchkitty

Well-Known Member
asdf1 said:
Im having a hard time picturing the drying chamber. If you posted a picture earlier and I missed it than what post was it. If not once you get it goin id like to see it
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I didnt post a pic because I hadnt made it yet.


| |
| |
| |
|----------------------------------|
| o o o o o o o o o o o o o |
|________________________|

^---- Plastic tub from walmart.

The ooo's are dessicant resting at the bottom of the tub.

The ----'s are a screen like you'd see on a screen door. Just prop it up with something or lay it over the dessicant.

The mushrooms lay on top of the screen. The dessicant under it absorbs all the moisture from the shrooms on the screen above.

Make sense?
 
asdf1

asdf1

Active Member
researchkitty said:
I didnt post a pic because I hadnt made it yet.


| |
| |
| |
|----------------------------------|
| o o o o o o o o o o o o o |
|________________________|

^---- Plastic tub from walmart.

The ooo's are dessicant resting at the bottom of the tub.

The ----'s are a screen like you'd see on a screen door. Just prop it up with something or lay it over the dessicant.

The mushrooms lay on top of the screen. The dessicant under it absorbs all the moisture from the shrooms on the screen above.

Make sense?
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Thanks that makes alot more sense now. But you only have enough room for one layer of mushrooms, it seems like you drying chamber wont be enough for your yeilds. OH wait nevermind i just remembered your getting a food dehydrator.
 
researchkitty

researchkitty

Well-Known Member
asdf1 said:
Im having a hard time picturing the drying chamber. If you posted a picture earlier and I missed it than what post was it. If not once you get it goin id like to see it
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asdf1 said:
Thanks that makes alot more sense now. But you only have enough room for one layer of mushrooms, it seems like you drying chamber wont be enough for your yeilds. OH wait nevermind i just remembered your getting a food dehydrator.
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I was going to use 8 tubs for drying. <G> Now, they can store excess clean Hydroton instead! :)
 
asdf1

asdf1

Active Member
I cant wait to see the finished dry product.. I image a huge pile that somebody could dive into if they so desired.
 
researchkitty

researchkitty

Well-Known Member
Another day another update.

Yesterday night I harvested a good bit, they were ready so they got picked. I also rolled 25 more cakes and put them in tubs.


001: Left side is what I picked last night at about midnight. The right side is the total harvest.




.......now fast forward another 12 hours to lunch time today............... (Its like two updates in one! Omg!)


For the two new tubs, one has holes on all six sides (the right side top one) and the one under it has holes on four sides. We'll see if it makes a difference. The strains are mix-n-match in the two new drawers, I didnt both keeping them sorted.

The small drop mister is definately making them grow better, no more random deformations and split caps.


008: Notice the two new drawers on the right side all full now.




009: Right side, bottom drawer. They are starting to pin more.




010: Next drawer up, 9 existing cakes and one new from the 25 I just rolled. The extra one out sits here.




011: Next drawer of new cakes. For some reason, I didnt take a picture of the other new drawer of cakes. Oops. They look the same, just blobs of vermiculite.




012: Left side, bottom. Finally pinning.




013: Left side, 5th down, more pinning.




014: Left side, 4th down, more pinning.




015: Left side, 3rd down from the top, The cakes you see that are "empty" are already harvested. Once the other ones here finish up in a few days, we'll dunk and roll the entire drawer and re-wet the perlite for flush #2.




016: Left side, 2nd down from the top. Same as above. Note some blue-green spots, that's from having picked other shrooms from the cakes already. Same with above, once harvested re-dunk/roll.




And the champion drawer, left side top drawer. Same with the last two, any un-fruiting cakes were already harvested. Today I took about 2 cakes worth from in here the rest still hadnt had the caps open up yet so another half to full day left on them.




Nom nom nom =)




So nice I showed ya twice!




See how the caps are open and you can see the gills of the shrooms? That's when its ready for me to harvest. Soon as that veil starts to split away from teh cap they are full potency, but now these are full potency and full size too. Why sell a pound when you can sell two for twice the price?




Todays lunchtime harvest.




The entire full harvest.

I wonder what it weighs dry?







The dehydrator arrives tomorrow, thank god. :)

Thanks everyone!
 

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dankillerbs

Active Member
The top totes are amazing! Sweet cakes! They MUST be getting better FAE on top... Im guessing any variety will do that good up top... Can you think of any reason they may be getting more air up there?? Does that toop tote for some reason have more holes than the others? ...ah, I bet for sure its your lighting! the tubs up top are getting a lot more light, arent they? That would explain the better preformance up top I think... also, how tight do the lids sit on the top? the top tote is getting no weight on the lid, that could explain better FAE?
 
researchkitty

researchkitty

Well-Known Member
dankillerbs said:
The top totes are amazing! Sweet cakes! They MUST be getting better FAE on top... Im guessing any variety will do that good up top... Can you think of any reason they may be getting more air up there?? Does that toop tote for some reason have more holes than the others? ...ah, I bet for sure its your lighting! the tubs up top are getting a lot more light, arent they? That would explain the better preformance up top I think... also, how tight do the lids sit on the top? the top tote is getting no weight on the lid, that could explain better FAE?
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There's two thoughts I have on this.............. Something I've been thinking about for a few days now.

The top drawers are different strains than the bottom, and the bottom are starting to pin like the tops. They all went into fruiting the same day, so I would THINK that some strains would grow harder better faster stronger (go daft punk!) than others. The top does exhaust the co2 and co2 goes down, so the lower tubs may be 'choking' on co2 to some extent. The lighting is the same, in fact the tops would get LESS light than the bottoms since the bottom are more exposed to sun longer than the tops by the angular movement of the sun (I know it helps to be a universe geek).

1.) Difference in strains

2.) Air exchange changes from tops to bottom.

However, I can fix and test both theories. When I do my second flush's dunk n roll, I'll put the TOP drawers on the bottom this time and the BOTTOM ones on the TOP this time. If the top (the old bottom) drawers fruit before the others, then we know its an air exchange or light issue. If they both fruit at the same time, we know the cakes were colonized fully already, and then it would be a difference in colonization times.

Thoughts?
 
AlaskanGrown84

AlaskanGrown84

Member
researchkitty said:
Equipment wise, pressure cooker was $80, then just $10 per dozen jars and $3/$4 for a bag of vermiculite or perlite (8 qt bags). Spores about $9/syringe shipped, drawer units $17.88 for one setup with 3 drawers. Equipment cost, I think I'd estimate it at about $400 worth in graaaaaaaaand total.

Its very inexpensive to try, and if you did it on a few jars at a time from eBay folks selling substrate then you can do a dozen jars for under $50 if you want.
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Nice stuff you have goin on!! What is the pressure cooker used for? And what is substrate from ebay?
 
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