I'm in the planning stages of a grow and was hoping someone with more experience could make sure I'm not screwing up in some disastrous way. Forgive me for any newbish mistakes/lack of grasp of technical jargon.
Colonization:
For my first grow I figured to start off small. I ordered two of these containers (http://www.universityscientific.com/product.php?xProd=21&xSec=5) (which I'm now regretting that I didn't start with the PF-trek, also there are some reports that the website may be a scam/false advertising). These jars are purportedly self sufficient, has anyone had any experience with them? My main concern with this stage is heat. The ambient temp of my house could very easily drop below 70 in the coming months, but should be ~72 most of the time. Is that sufficient or would a heater be necessary?
EDIT:
Well I think I'm going to ditch the jars and go with the PF tek (http://www.fungifun.org/English/Pftek). My colleague in this endeavor believes that the tin foil/inoculation technique "screams" contamination, does anyone have any assurances to offer, and more importantly what are our chances for contam if we follow the guide exactly? Also is there any substitute for the pressure cooker?
Problem 1 . universityscientific
Another well known scam artitist.
Here man read this http://www.fungifun.org/forum/index.php?topic=747.0
I gave links that will help improve you :)
Baph
Yeahhh I kinda figured. I actually bought their three plant hydro kit as a present a couple years back. It was basically a gutter with some rock wool stuck in, but at 30(40?) something bucks I didn't mind. Don't know if it ever produced a crop though.
So I guess I'm definitely going for the pf-tek. If one follows the guide exactly what are the chances of contamination in any given grow? Also would you recommend casing for a first timer? The yields are so very tempting, but I don't want to get in over my head.
Ah, one final thing. Is there any alternative to the pressure cooker? I remember reading somewhere that one could substitute two hours in a double boiler for one hour in the pressure cooker?
"If one follows the guide exactly what are the chances of contamination in any given grow?"
Depends on how sterile you practice to be :)
Start off with what makes you feel comfortable.
Ya there is alternative to a PC.
read this http://www.fungifun.org/English/Pftek
it doesn't call for a PC.
Baph
Thanks for all the advice Baph, I'm excited to get this grow going and it looks like I'm almost there. Just one more question:
How much light do the mushrooms need during the fruiting stage? I've seen it reported differently in a few different places. One site I read said as little as 15 minutes of indirect light is fine (the place I would be putting them would have a very low level of light seeping in during daylight hours, just enough that I could barely see the cakes), but a guide on schroomery was talking about 4 hours a day of direct light, six hours apart each time.
My grow sits in my closet in a basement room. It gets some indirect light about 5 hours or less (if I close the closet door) a day. They don't need much light as mushrooms don't use light to grow, only to start the fruiting stage. Plus if you put them in direct light I think it would dry out you cakes or casing.
My FC is in my bedroom so it gets indirect sunlight through the blinds during the day other than that, that's all that's needed.
Baph
Thanks trips that's almost exactly what I'm going to do. My worry is that the closet is a strange shape. It is a rectangle about 8 feet long 4 ft wide with the door in the bottom leftmost corner (if you were looking at the blueprint from above). It also has a bunch of stuff in the doorway so in reality very little light gets in. I can just barely see the back of the closet when I look to the right from the door. Still ok?
I think I may throw some long lasting battery operated light back there to help out a bit (something like this, http://www.landfallnavigation.com/mcitl.html)
I there a light in the closet?
If not run a light in there on a extension cord or somthing.
Baph
If possible try and get your hands on a full spectrum light bulb. But florescent, incandescent light bulbs work too.
Never have noticed a differance in flushes or anything from using full spectrum compared to any other light source.
Light is only needed as a trigger to cause mycelium to produce fruits.
Baph
hey do u no a good site to get spores thats not a fake site
that will really work
In my experience light is needed for more than a trigger. Not much light is needed but I had some trays of wbs that had started pinning and I had to go away suddenly for 4 days and had to leave the lights in my closet off while gone. The fruits continued to grow but they were everywhere. Up and down and twisted around an growing at odd angles with lots of mc fuzz. Light helps to keep them growing up and uniform so u have a good looking product with maximum yeild. I go 4-6 hours a day with a double wall mounted light in natural light spectrum and it works great.