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Yes.
During incubation they don't necessarily need complete darkness, but they don't need any light at that stage.

>do you have to put into the refrigerator for a cold shock

No.

>or do you only do that if there is no pinning.

Yes, sometimes this hels if there is no pinning, but not always.


>after fully colonized do you just put the cakes in a 24 hour soak then dunk and roll in verm.

This is optional, but works out well.

what a newbie such as myself should use of the top of my head my options are from what Ive read is to
-simply crumble and case with verm (seems alot like dunk and roll tho)
-or 70/20/10 i think peat/verm/calcium
-or coco coir
-or straw
-or dung hell maybe both

I would suggest 90% peat or peat based potting soil, 10% calcium carbonate or 60%  peat  or peat based potting soil, 30% vermiculite and 10% calcium carbonate.

Straw and dung are not casings, they are substrates, which have to be pasteurized first, then thoroughly mixed with spawn(such as crumbled pf cakes or any colonized grain), and after colonized, cased.

For any more serious mycological work you are going to need a pressure cooker.

There is a way of using grains without a pressure cooker, but it is impractical, see http://www.shroomery.org/5248/What-is-fractional-sterilization-or-tyndallization .


>maybe I can sterilize a bag of pf substrate  and put my colonized cake in another bag crumbled ant put them both in a 3rd sterilized bag
>and mix it up if so how can I ensure that my bags are clean inside

This is very unlikely to be pulled off without contamination, but of course you can try.

See also http://www.fungifun.org/English/Mycelium

I don't use a bottom casing layer.

No, this is unnecessary.

Yes, you can do that, use 90% peat and 10% calcium carbonate.

Read
http://www.fungifun.org/English/Pftek
http://www.shroomery.org/start

Field capacity is you pick up a small handful and squeeze it not your hardest. A few drops should drop. When you squeeze your hardest a small stream should start and them stop after only a few seconds.

This is not field capacity. The above describes the correct casing moisture.

Field capacity is MUCH wetter, nearly dripping wet.

I wouldn't recommend that method as look how sticky the starches of the grain made it. Best to soak for 24 hours. Boil for 5-10 min NO LONGER. The excess steam will evaporate all the moisture off the rye berries. PC and their will be no sticking. Wait till they cool to room temperature. Make sure you know how to pressure cook lolololol. Anno I Love You. You've made mycologists mycologists. One of them is agar and i'm now reading through his posts. He praises you like a god.

I am far from this status, BUT: The method I decribe WORKS. The grain is not sticky. Try it before dismissing it.

I can't see the picture....What are the specifications of the fan, the technical data? What filter do you want to use it with?

when casing can you use rubbing alchol in the water instead of peroxide

What do you want to use it for?

[For a quart jar, double the amounts."]

2 pints equal one quart, just do the math.

Exactly, or as the above link says "For a quart jar, double the amounts."

>Where and how do you get spores? how does it work just off the net?

See http://www.shroomery.org/sponsors.php

>Also the correct spores are Psilocybe Cubensis right?

Yes.

>and one last question where do you get the syringe again on the net or what?

Yes, see above.

Read http://www.fungifun.org/English/Grain-For-Simple-Minds

i didn't see the spores running on the side of the jar.. did that ruin my shrooms?

The reason you want to have the spores running down the jar is to inoculate the substrate from top to bottom, so the mycelium starts to grow uniformly.
If you don't see the spore suspension run down, chances are that you didn't stick the needle deep enough and that you inoculated the dry vermiculite layer. In this case you won't get any growth.

Yes, it works, the tea can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days, or even frozen.

I prefer http://www.sporeworks.com and http://www.thehawkseye.com .

Old spores would be more than 2 years old if on print, or more than 6 months if in syringe.

>if i dont see anything after 7-9 days then should i try again

Well, using the same spores wouldn't make much sense in that case, but give it at least 14 days before calling it quits.

You say the temperature is perfect, how warm is it?

If the spores were rather old, it can take longer to germinate.
Did you take care to inoculate in a way that the spore drops ran down the side of glass?