So who here is growing in true organic living soil?

Javadog

Well-Known Member
Now that is an interesting question...fungi do need air.

There might be anaerobic processes deeper in.

Interesting stuff.

JD
 

Mad Hamish

Well-Known Member
How much soil is ENOUGH? Apparently I have a new addiction. The guys selling me my coco offered me bulk on credit... And it is getting a bit tricky moving around certain areas thanks to the huge Hessian bags all over the show. My wife is getting a little annoyed I think, the scullery has the perfect temps to cook batches in. I might need to build a Wendy-House outside somewhere shady lol.
 

Mad Hamish

Well-Known Member
You all enjoyed the Agaricus blazei-merrill, so I thought that I would post these here...

I was checking an outdoor garden/mushroom bed (much like your buried logs are Mad...
...but with colonized sawdust blocks instead of plain wood) when I found that an amazing
flush of Gymnopilus purpuratus.:

View attachment 2879462
View attachment 2879463

I moved the cluster to take this shot:
View attachment 2879464

It is really too bad that I did not catch these early...the spore color is lovely,
but the purpuratus is an amazingly colored mushroom. You can begin to see
the coloration (though thoroughly aged) on the un-spored cap:
View attachment 2879467

Take care all,

JD

P.S. Yes, these are ethenogenic, but I have never tried them.
Very cool Java! Amazing is more appropriate. I am very inspired by this. I am going to make different kinds of spawn part of different soil mixes myself now. I like the idea a lot! Going to start with my beloved Blue Oysters :) Maaaaybe some cubensis too, but I will have to make some spawn first...
 

Javadog

Well-Known Member
LOL, well, it is funny, but P. cubensis is one of the easiest species to grow.

...but I recommend burying all species that you can get your hands on.
Fungi are mysterious, and you will be surprised how they can find a way.

I even got the very-cold-loving P. cyanescens to fruit in Southern California.

....it took the rare frost to make it happen, but fungi are patient. :0)

JF

P-cyans-outdoors5.jpg
 

Rrog

Well-Known Member
Beautiful!!!

Tree chippings are dumped in landfills. Paid to be dumped. We've been missing out of free soil humus, while raising mushrooms for food.

My eyes are opening wider
 

Mad Hamish

Well-Known Member
LOL, well, it is funny, but P. cubensis is one of the easiest species to grow.

...but I recommend burying all species that you can get your hands on.
Fungi are mysterious, and you will be surprised how they can find a way.

I even got the very-cold-loving P. cyanescens to fruit in Southern California.

....it took the rare frost to make it happen, but fungi are patient. :0)

JF

View attachment 2880747
Yeah once cubes get going there's no stopping them :) Been a long time since I was interested but your pics changed the game for me a bit again. Now I am pretty amped lol
 

HGK420

Well-Known Member
you guys have had me reading all over the place about fungus and i came across this page http://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/intropp/pathogengroups/pages/introfungi.aspx

For rrog and java it will prolly feel a bit redundant but for me the beginner this was the best resource ive found so far that is willing to pile on the info. ive spent alot of time googling the shit its talking about just to be able to keep up but at the same time it feels like a beginners intro to fungus. any nubs that have been lurking would prolly love it.
 

Rrog

Well-Known Member
Great Article! Thanks for that! I'm still thinking it's such a waste to toss truckloads of wood chips in the dump. What an eye opener.
 

Mad Hamish

Well-Known Member
Now that is an interesting question...fungi do need air.

There might be anaerobic processes deeper in.

Interesting stuff.

JD
Wouldn't the fungi simply grab the air close to the surface and then still push the hyphae deeeeep into a pile of any size pretty much? Just wondering out loud, but if it is not going to be turned/tilled I can see them taking over a pile of any size easily. They can grow strands many many yards long after all right?...
 

Rrog

Well-Known Member
OK Reporting back- I contacted the fine folks at Fungi Perfecti and received this response:

We have tubs of Stropharia woodchip spawn for remediation purposes that are fully colonized at about 4 ft. I would go with that species.

So 4' seems OK, at least for that Stropharia, and maybe it would even go deeper?

Maybe others would go that deep as well?
 

Rrog

Well-Known Member
This is a whole new aspect of composting. Sure it takes a while, but there's like an inexhaustible supply of tree chippings...
 

NickNasty

Well-Known Member
I don't know if any of you guys have seen this but I thought it was cool.
[video]http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50152269n[/video]
 

Rrog

Well-Known Member
That's cool NN! The only problem these types of folks face is the mega companies.

Note- The video shows using Straw + Fungus = molded packaging. It's a shame that if there's not a petroleum / plastic involved, your chances of survival as a business are reduced.
 

Rrog

Well-Known Member
Sale on Chapin Sprayers! 30% off starting at noon Use promo code 30NOW **

Chapin Sprayer

Best sprayer on the market

$61 delivered!!!!!!! I just ordered a second one.

** EDIT: 3 hour sale is over. Try that code still, otherwise 15NOW works for 15%
 

NickNasty

Well-Known Member
Got my sprayer in and it is by far the best sprayer I have ever used, nothing even has come close. Thanks for the heads up Rrog I always wanted one but just couldn't justify paying close to 100$. I just had my 4th cheap sprayer stop working for me so it is nice to know I should never have to buy another.
 

Mad Hamish

Well-Known Member
That's cool NN! The only problem these types of folks face is the mega companies.

Note- The video shows using Straw + Fungus = molded packaging. It's a shame that if there's not a petroleum / plastic involved, your chances of survival as a business are reduced.
Good point. This thread is getting really damn interesting now... I like fungi.
 

Mad Hamish

Well-Known Member
I would like to share a little something I discovered completely by accident. I ran out of EWC while top-dressing a while ago, and made do with some very well composted horse manure as a top dressing instead. A little while later, some fungus gnats came to visit. They are Public Enemy no1 here on the farm. Impossible to do a whole season without seeing them.
So, the pots with the horse manure top-dress are CLEAN. Not a single flyer in sight. It does dry to a crisp, though. They don't like dry soil. Seems that one little mulching was enough to deter them completely. Might come in useful for somebody else to know. My ladies now get EWC and then the horse manure compost on top of that.
 
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