Im growing my first batch using the PF Tek. Ive got five 1/2pint mason jars and wanted to know how much I could expect from each cake on the first flush Im growing B+s using 100% vermiculite and organic brown rice flower
there is no guaranteeing with any flush.. humidity, temps are many factors.. grain bags of my own yielded light on the first flush, maybe over an OZ by now.. been a couple months.. Some damage to flushes due to impatiens. .
Im hoping that living in Florida will prove to be an advantage. I am not using a full on incubator. I will have about 2cm of water on the base of a giant tub, those rectangular storage deals; heavy duty plastic... whatever. It is going to be in an outside closet where from 3 to sundown the sun shines directly on. Thats for the start of it, once they start fruiting full on mushrooms Ill be using the same case but at the bottom Im thinking about putting vermiculite since itll hold more water and keep it humid longer (in theory)
this will not work. Verm isnt all that sterile and soon it gets wet its begging for contamination .. FC With Perlite, soak it good.. I like to dampen mine with boiling water, this kills little bit the germs.. the vermiculite should be used for your dunk and rolls, not as a base for your FC..
Thank you! Saved me from making a BAD mistake in the future. A little update: The first chamber set up is working GREAT. Ive got that 2-3cm water at the bottom and leave it out late evening/night then put it in the closet during the day. The humidity seems to be at the perfect level with some water already accumulating on the sides inside the Rubbermaid container. Im feeling really good about all of it
if your just starting out... please watch these videos.... http://www.mushroomvideos.com/ they will show you how to build an FC the right way... you should though learn some Liquid culture Tek. then inoc/col dont take so long.. like snapping fingers fast /really... good luck.
You shouldn't have pooling water in the bottom of your FC. That will breed bacteria every time. Look into a shotgun FC for cakes. You should be using perlite for humidification.
I certainly will. Theyve been developing VERY slowly since Im using "natural" humidity. Ive found it best to leave the Rubbermaid tub in the sun (lid on). I was wondering why its been taking so long then came to the conclusion that I should stop checking them every day... releasing humidity (rook mistake). Ill be checking weekly until 80%+ is colonized in every jar, then as needed (check every three days, two, whatever)
Just a little photo update. I think about two more weeks and Ill be seeing some fruiting action, maybe three weeks.
Looks good thus far man, however I'm a bit confused, perhaps misread; but you say you have a fruiting chamber with "natural humidity" already...however your cakes are still in foil covered jars. Assuming that you followed classic PF tek you have a verm layer on top of those jars...IE putting verm+foil covered jars in a fruiting chamber isn't going to do anything at this point...you need to keep the jars in an incubator at 80-85 degrees until mycelium fully colonizes the rice+verm mix THEN you take the cakes out and place into a humidified fruiting chamber...
Edit: you can make an extremely simple incubator with a fish tank heater and a couple rubber mades, just google DIY mushroom incubator, also you wanna incubate in darkness, no need for sun at this point
I knew people were getting confused. My incubator is what theyre in right now, the Rubbermade with "natural" humidity. I was thinking of using the same tub as a fruiting chamber when I needed it but didnt know what to put at the bottom
