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applestar
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Oh good. josh's mushroom don't sound like the ones I've tried growing... yet :wink: Hope you've the answer potatoes.

joshbuchan
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oh sorry forgot about this post :roll:

um how anouying it dose not acturly tell u what mushrooms just ses taylors bulbs mushroom growkit, the pic looks like button mushrooms if u ask me, on the side its got a complete grow giuld and to do and not to do.

inside theres a polistyreen tub lets say its 10 x 5 inc I cant find a ruler.
then inside the tube theres allready spawned compost, then on top theres a black lid, then inside the lide is your caseing layer in a packet, all u got to do is emptey the caseing layer on top of the spawned compost and keep moist with a spray bottle, then put the lid back on upside down.

I have not started it yet, but I will be sreralising my propergater then will be giving them a try inthere in my room, its way to cold to grow them in my garadge yet, but at ...£3.49 I am not complating.

Josh,

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applestar
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Post some photos josh. I'd love to see the mushrooms you're growing. :D

Here's a photo of that Oyster mushroom spawn in pint jar:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image6238.jpg[/img]

It seemed like they had possibilities in the beginning:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image6241.jpg[/img]
But the experts were right and shiitake bags have green mold "blooms" all over now, so they're going out into the compost pile. (Best not to bother trying to "save" contaminated substrates) It's just as well: Now that I've been perusing about different Shiitake strains, it appears that the ones sold as indoor kits are not necessarily suited for outdoor cultivation, so I'll get fresh spawns of a couple of strains that fruit at different times of the year. The Oysters are still doing well, however.

Here's another one that's still managing to grow. I've redefined the term "Hanging Pot" :lol:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image6265.jpg[/img]

Fungus gnats are a problem. They do seem to enjoy floral shampoo water to drown in :twisted: [img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image6267.jpg[/img]

I've collected more Oyster mushroom spores and will be making another attempt at agar culture soon. :bouncey:

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Glad to see you are still going with this.

I love the hanging pot photo those mushrooms look yummy.

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sorry for me really late reply,

the ones that did not get infected look grate! and the oysters look really yummy :D
how do u keep them warm? I got a propergater I am thinking of putting them in but I dnt know if that will be to hot, I will not put the top on.

I am planing to start them 2moz, got everything ready.

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I feel like a mad scientist....
And you look like one too! :lol:

I am most impressed AS; I have not tryed this yet but want to try some mushroom logs as a precursor to hugelkultur growing; think the combo just fits. Soil's oil sounds like a really easy and cool way to do that...

but you are actually doing it already. And don't be surprised at the occasional countercultured pathogen; my friend [url=https://www.wtic.com/pages/16256.php?]Len[/url] did this for years for a big commercial operation and says that's WAY more common than people know (he was a plant pathologist who knows fungal stuff as well as plants0 maybe I can suck him in here one of these days). But you have harvested and eaten and inspired others to do the same and THAT is something to be proud of...

HG

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applestar
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And you look like one too! :lol:
Why thank you, HG. :()

Sounds like a good number of us will be throwing around 'shroom jargons like PC's, teks, casings, etc. very soon, and adding the 8th layer to our Permaculture (or however you define it) gardens... and save the world or Earth.... :wink: (:oops: I think I'm babbling)

Peeked in the jars a little earlier (had just about given up on them and hadn't looked for a few days) -- one jar (Shiitake spores) had two patches of mold growing on them so I flushed it; another jar (Oyster spores) have fluffy white hyphae all over the surface and starting up the sides! :shock:

I wasn't as careful with the jars as I should've been, thinking they're probably toast. Anyway, tomorrow, I'll definitely prep the agar and culture samples out of them and see what happens, as well as try growing some more Oyster spores. I'll also post a photo of my new (as of today) Mushroom Grow Area set up as well.

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were r u getting your spores from?

I seen at cabrey garden center they are selling like 7 diffront types of dryed mushrooms sporses and 3 cardboard slabs to grow them in!
they have shiitake, orysters, pink oyster!, button and a good 5 6 more!
they are very cheap aswell, with a guide on the back telling u how to grow.

I am going to get some.

I was just woundering do u put any bleach in the water in the spray gun?

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Interesting! I imagine I could find some local myco enthusiasts/society/club but haven't yet. I originally got the SPAWN (not spores) from Fungi Perfecti but have been collecting my own spores since the mushrooms started to fruit.

I don't believe in bleach. I use hydrogen peroxide which mushrooms can digest but DOES hurt you (learned that the hard way -- if you don't rinse off right away, your skin starts to turn white and dry up) and rubbing alcohol (which seems to be better for rubbing all over your hands... duh! :roll: -- directed at myself, not you :wink: )

It turned out that 3 out of 5 agar cultures were growing something: 1 Oyster spore, 1 Oyster clone, and 1 Shiitake spore.
Here are 2 of them:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image6297.jpg[/img] [img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image6306.jpg[/img]
Aside from the one that I flushed earlier, there was one other Oyster clone culture that was doing nada:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image6309.jpg[/img]
so compared to this one, the other 3 seemed alive and well.

According to my notes, I
-Used a 50-qt clear storage tote as a "clean room" -- laid it on side, thoroughly wiped out with alcohol, kept the lid clamped on when not in use
(according to the full instruction for this box, you're supposed to cut a hole on the bottom of the box and silicone seal a small HEPA air cleaner outflow to it to make a clean airflow box -- oh well, one step at a time)
And on Monday 2/1, I made:
(1) Weck jars of Oyster spores, collected 1/30/10 on black construction paper <1> <2> <3> -- taped the lids closed.
(2) 1/15 PRSYA (Potato Rice Syrup Yeast Agar) cultured Shiitake spores <4> <5> and Oyster spores <6> and Oyster clone <7> mycelia. -- alcohol-wiped plastic bag/sheet+ring lids -- Cut a piece off the myceliated agar and placed it hyphae side down on block of RSEYA (mycelial sandwich)
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image6304.jpg[/img] [img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image6313.jpg[/img]
***
Filled a roasting bag with substrate and PC'd for 2 hrs.
Filled 1 pint jar. Boil/steamed remaining substrate in pasta pot for 2 hrs, placing the filled pint jar and an empty qt jar on top to steam pasteurize as well.
<1> Filled the pasteurized qt jar with PC sterilized substrate in 4 layers, sandwiching 3 Shiitake spore agar pcs between each layer (9 pcs total)
<2> Alcohol wiped, then Peroxide sprayed a squat jar, filled with PC sterilized substrate in 2 layers, sandwiching 3 Oyster clone agar pcs -- weaker growth than Oyster spore agar -- (3 pcs total)
<3> Buried 3 Oyster spore agar pcs in the Pint jar pasteurized substrate
<4> The pint jar "grain" spawn that was allowed to fruit 1x in December -- removed the top 1" of the substrate and used the remainder to inoculate 1/2 roasting bag. Alcohol wiped, then cut a hole in the bag -- taped closed with bandage tape
<5> Washed, alcohol sprayed, then peroxide sprayed the pint jar then mixed the top 1" spawn with substrate and filled the jar.
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image6316.jpg[/img]

Not boring you with these details, I hope. I *may* add some photos to this post later on, but no time now. Ta da. :wink:

ETA: My new Mushroom Room. (You like the new use I found for the room de-ordorizing doo-dad that was popular on TV infomercials last year?)
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image6295.jpg[/img]
Last edited by applestar on Sat Feb 06, 2010 8:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.

joshbuchan
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wow thank you so much for all that detail!!

so what did u use for your susbstrat?

I cant wait to get things going, I just need to make a cleen room with some gloves inthe side :)

I bought a msuhroom foriging book, it was the river cottage one acturly :D so when its time I want to go up the woods hunting some wield ones aswell :roll: :roll:

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Ozark Lady
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Apple, you are in big trouble! :D

I have more projects now than I can do! And I am so fascinated with mushroom growing, that I have been in You tube looking at the many ways of accomplishing this, all before Gixx pointed out this thread to me.

I saved alot of you tube links, to go back and view them again later.
They are fascinating. And in one, the farmer said, he just steams the mushroom growing medium when he is done with it, and puts in on his land. Hmmm... seems to me that the left over soil would be special for the garden. I wonder if you could put earth worms in it following the mushroom culture to turn it all into casings and have a real bonanza!

Here are some of the interesting mushroom videos that I was watching:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz6qgRCD0_I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9eE1hcA2t8&feature=fvw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGWjZXDstbc&feature=related

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pibnCO3HKHI&feature=related

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua-bAdvxEhg&feature=fvw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfpkPJw32f0&feature=related

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdNRJ_zt6vQ&feature=related

A wise man takes a multitude of counsel. Since this is new to me, I think if I try several different methods and compare them, then I should see which works best for me. I notice you also tried variations.

My issue and still not totally found, is how to get from a spore on mushroom to a new culture in a jar. I need to re-watch these...

I also found a place where you order mushrooms like they are garden seeds. https://m.italianseedandtool.com/results.cgis?catalog=ISATFULL&keywords=mushrooms

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Thanks Lady! I'll go watch them and come back for more. :wink:

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They're BAACCK! This is the one that used to be in the "hanging pot"
Little primordia starting to pop. Hopefully inside the new Mushroom Room, higher humidity can be maintained and a good % of them will grow out:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image6326-1.jpg[/img]

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I keep looking longingly at this thread and would love to give mushroom growing a go, I'd be thinking about doing it in the cave house in the back yard. Would that work do you think? How much light/warmth do you need?

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Ozark Lady
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I am not sure about the warmth, but the best time for me to find some mushrooms is ... as soon as this snow clears out.

Then others will pop up as the season gets warmer.

In this video they grew mushroom in a brick looking building, looks dark and they used a candle for light.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz6qgRCD0_I

I found many different ways of growing mushrooms, surely there is a way to fit every single one of us...

For me, it is just getting brave enough, and some spores, or plugs and trying it...

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lucky me we have no snow here!

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It all depends on what kind of mushrooms you're growing as well as which strain (which, I think of as myco-speak for "cultivar"). According to Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms by P. Stamets, Oyster P. ostreatus mushrooms (1000~1500 < 2000 lux) and Shiitake L. Edodes mushrooms (500~2000 lux at 370~420 nm.) require quite bit of light to fruit at 50~70ºF But they need higher 75~80ºF temp and no~minimal light to spawn. Other mushrooms fruit at 80~90ºF in 250~750 lux or 45~60ºF in 100~200 lux.

There are other critical parameters such as humidity, preferred/essential substrate, casing ("mulch") requirements, etc.

I think the Button Agaricus Bunnescens mushroom is the one typically thought of as growing in composted manure in dark caves with minimal light. But really, there are many others to choose from too.

On the whole though, indoor cultivation is said to be more difficult due to environmental issues and contamination issues. Outdoor cultivation is said to select for healthier/sturdier strain. I guess I'll find out.

For first time successful indoor experience, I think buying a spawn kit that is ready to fruit is the most enjoyable way to go, and as I stated before, P. ostreatus was as easy to grow as they said.

Look for a reputable source. I could sell you a bag of spawn right now (I have two, one is ready to go) but you can see my history and level of experience right here. :roll: No, I'm not selling mine, but my point is made. :wink:

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Apple, did you make your own spawn?
I get lost when they take the spore, and mix it with agar, I know some kind of seaweed, I see the ingredient occasionally on products. Beyond that I know nothing about agar. And one used raw potatoes with the agar.

I do agree that us beginners would do better to start with a kit, and then once we have a bit of experience, branch out.

But, I never do anything the easy way. I plan to use real mushrooms, found in the woods and try from there. So, when it fails, I can remember... take your own advice... use a kit next time, dummy!

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What kind of mushrooms are they? I can't wait for you to start!
Couple of things I've heard (and forgive me, I haven't had chance to check out the video links you've posted so these may be redundant)

- Morels take really well to burned out ground. Bonfire site was mentioned. Scattering hardwood ash and charcoal is definitely a plus. Scatter/burying whole morels in a prepared bed was mentioned somewhere too.
- Consider propagating the mycelium/spawn from stem butts - when you collect wild mushrooms, pull up some of the "roots" with the stem. Cut off the bottom 1/2"~1" of the stem with the attached mycelium and bury in layers of moistened substrate. Fresh stem butts of wild mushrooms are hardier than cloning from subcap cuttings and are less prone to succumb to contamination. Downside is that not all mushrooms grow well from stem butts. There's a list in Mycelium Running.
- It sounds like you have dry conditions there, so look for a bowl-like depression/swale that would collect water. In the bowl or downslope from the bowl would contain underground reservoir of water.
- Of course you have wetter area near the pond. If it's rather sunny and not enough wooded shade, look into field mushrooms that prefer grassy shade.
- I would consider possibly pumping some of the pond water up the slope
- Consider inoculating living tree stumps (something I couldn't possibly do, but it sound like a possibility for you)

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Ozark Lady
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The snow isn't gone yet. But, usually it will be corals, this early in the season. Then maybe bear paws..

Aren't morels more summer type? I didn't know morels could even be cultured, other than on sneakers..

In my neck of the woods, oysters are a rare find... and I honestly have found so few, I will need to review when to find them. But they are really tasty too.

I didn't think about living tree stumps... they don't send up limbs anymore, but I have tree stumps all over the garden, I use them to set stuff on all the time... they are dead, but strong and rooted... mostly oak, maybe a hickory or two.

In one you tube video the guy innoculated a log, it looked pretty strong, not sure how aged it was. But he used plugs and sealed it up with wax at each plug hole and the cut ends.

I don't think it is dry here... in August some years it is pretty dry...
It feels dry when hot dry air is blasting out of Texas and Oklahoma... but it isn't really so dry... humid is more appropriate...

Benton County, AR, gets 45 inches of rain per year. The US average is 37. Snowfall is 11 inches. The average US city gets 25 inches of snow per year. The number of days with any measurable precipitation is 93.

On average, there are 217 sunny days per year in Benton County, AR. The July high is around 90 degrees. The January low is 25. Our comfort index, which is based on humidity during the hot months, is a 33 out of 100, where higher is more comfortable. The US average on the comfort index is 44.

I like the suggestions... but first things first... I need to get ready to start some mushrooms... hmm. If I find some before I am ready, think I can freeze them... they freeze in nature.

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applestar wrote:(I have two, one is ready to go) but you can see my history and level of experience right here. Rolling Eyes No, I'm not selling mine, but my point is made. :wink:
Ozark Lady wrote:Apple, did you make your own spawn?


It turns out I have three bags. Two from 1/11, described in an earlier post, one of which is a Paper Towel substrate, that are ready to go, and one from the beginning of the month. These are all third generation leap-frogged spawn from the original spawn purchased back in November.
Last edited by applestar on Sat Feb 13, 2010 8:39 am, edited 1 time in total.

syntheticbutterfly
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Yesterday I tried to buy myself a oyster mushroom grow kit online and had a lot of issues. The UK seed suppliers who also have the mushroom kits won't deliver them to Spain. I can't bring myself to order one from the USA or further afield because that just seems silly....
And most irritating is I'm having great difficulty finding a supplier in Spain- I must have tried about 40 different search strings on google last night and didn't get anywhere. Anyone able to suggest anywhere online that I could buy these?

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Ozark Lady
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Necessity is the mother of invention.
If you can't find any in Spain. How about doing research on growing your own. Then just take a walk out in the country, at various seasons, and a good mushroom guidebook, lots of waxpaper, or brown paper bags, and get your own mushrooms. Once you get a positive id... the mushroom is a good one... start your own culture.
I know, for us beginners a kit would be the easiest way to go...
But, necessity does not always allow the easiest way...

I wonder if mushrooms from the grocers still have spores and can be induced to grow from them?

You may have to get "creative" and do-it-yourself!

Good luck!

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applestar
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A photo-update on my attempts to grow from spores:

Looks pretty good doesn't it? Things are definitely growing in there.
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image6376.jpg[/img]
Here are some close ups:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image6383.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image6384.jpg[/img]

But actually, there have been some mold contams. :evil: I have to prep more agar and see if I can manage to clean up the cultures. For the time being, I've excised the mold and wiped down with alcohol but I'm not entirely sure if that was enough. There are two that are still completely clean and showing vigorous growth (Happily, one of them is a Shiitake spore culture); another one is clean but is very slow growing and may indicate unseen (bacterial) contamination.

And the latest Oyster Mushroom crop:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image6396.jpg[/img]

---
@syntheticbutterfly

As much as I recommend the ready-to-grow spawn for first time set-yourself-up-to-succeed experience, as you can see, you *can* learn to grow them from spores, clone them, or propagate them from stem butts. If you decide to do this, get the freshest mushrooms you can -- from a farmer's market rather than a supermarket/grocery store. We're approaching the spring mushroom season, so you'll have plenty of chances to experiment.

Although it's entirely possible that my agar cultures could fail completely in the near future, at least I'm getting to practice. I'll figure it out yet. :wink:

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Ozark Lady
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Okay Apple, I have questions..
Where did you get the neat containers?
What is the cultures growing on? Is that what agar looks like? I thought agar was a gel type thing?

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applestar
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If you mean the ones with taped shut glass lids , they're Weck canning jars and Lehman's has them. They're used with rubber gaskets and come with plastic lids for storing opened jars. They're ridiculously expensive compared to Mason and Ball jars, but I really love the way they look and work and I get a few every so often. They are only good for Hot Water Bath and Steam canning. Pressure Canning skews the rubber gaskets off the rim.

The squat ones are Ball canning jars -- I think these are new designs. I used a piece of ziplock freezer bag with the ring.

Agar is made from seaweed. They come in flakes as well as powders -- looks just like gelatin powder. Basically works the same way except agar needs to be boiled to set and they set when cooled to room temperature. There are several agar media recipes that you can find on the internet, but I can post them tomorrow (it's past midnight here and I really should be in bed!) :wink:

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This is likely to be close to the last indoor mushroom fruiting, although I still have the bag of sawdust spawn I made and TP roll spawn, as well as 2 pt jars and 1 squat jar that are slowly growing. It's getting a bit too warm inside, plus the sun is starting to reach the WNW window where I set up the Mushroom Room:

[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image6540.jpg[/img]

I've put the large block of spawn originally growing in the pasta pot insert outside. Another experiment (of course! :wink: ) -- broke it up and packed it mixed with wet straw in a largish corrugated cardboard box, which was just the right dimension to fit stacked flakes of straw. Luckily it rained today so the CCBbox was also completely soaked, as was the pile of straw that I covered it with. It's sitting in an area of the garden that I'm pretty sure will remain mostly shady and relatively moist since there was a big puddle there already.

I have to figure out what to do with the spores and clones. I have one of the jars in front of me -- Oyster spores grown on Rice Syrup Yeast Agar -- that has been completely taken over by green mold. The others are still doing well -- some have thoroughly colonized the agar block -- in the original jars inside my "clean room" tub. They need to be "leaped off" to the next substrate.

Things are getting pretty busy around here with spring seed starting and all, but I should really try making some grain spawn, THEN figure out what to do after that. Grain spawn is fast growing and good for inoculating bran fortified sawdust substrate or wooden plugs. Sawdust spawn is good for inoculating logs and stumps (especially if the sawdust consisted of same wood species) though you need proper tools to inoculate logs. Plug spawn is the easy way to inoculate logs -- all you need is a drill and a rubber mallet with beeswax or cheesewax to seal them in.

I still really want to start some Shiitake on oak logs. I have to get those branches cut down and order some shiitake plug spawn. I emailed Field and Forest for strain recommendations and they said if I start them early spring this year, they should fruit next summer. I'm forced to make some budget cuts, so I'm foregoing the H. ulmarius/Garden Oysters this year, but will continue to experiment with the Pearl Oysters since I've got so much growing. (My concern is that the very aggressive nature of these Pearl Oysters that make them relatively easy for a beginner like me, might mean they'll "take over the garden".... or not. Maybe it'll mean they'll survive, despite me and all my bumbling :roll: and become a welcome addition to my garden edibles. :wink:

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Ozark Lady
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I am not familiar with growing mushrooms.

But, oyster mushrooms are not invasive in a woodland setting.

I find them once in a great while growing on a log, or dead tree.

Usually there is just a nice clump, and no more. And often when you return, nothing. So they do not take over when they are in the 'wild'.

I have walked and looked repeatedly, it must still be just a little too early for mushrooms here yet.

I know that coral mushrooms come out early, but they are not so common here.

If you ever find them though, they are tasty. They literally look like corals growing, many small fingers all pointing upward. You don't really want the brown looking ones, they are past their prime, the whiter the better taste.

I just can't wait for oyster and morel season here, and I am seriously considering ordering some. But, Apple, you are probably right, with my garden kicking into full gear. I got that peach tree pruned today, whew, just in time, the apricot tree already has leaf tufts showing!

And my daffodils are in bloom! Hey granddaughter is 6 and turning into a gardner... she saw something growing, said, "grandma, garlic is growing in the path". It was egyptian onion that had escaped, but she was close!

How do mushrooms do in summer? If we hold off while in garden frenzy, during the lull, when they are all growing, we might find some time for mushrooms.

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:cry: Last year I planted winecap and blewitt mushrooms in the woods behind my house in wood chips. I did see the mycillium gwing but I never got a mushroom...I suppose the deer prints tell the tale or tail. this year I am trying again with plugs in a shaded bed against the house with onions and garlic in it. That way I'll be able to keep a better eye on it and keep it moist easier.

Mudflap
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I will be using dowel plug spawn on some stumps and logs. I fall trees across the slope- to make 'dead wood swales'. This ist first season trying it, so I don't know how well it works. But I have oyster , and lion's mane dowels. Spreading 'king stropheria' spawn on straw too. Its some ideas I got from the book 'Mycelium Running.'

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applestar
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Ooh! SoundS great! That book is so inspiring, isn't it?

I hit a snag in my plans last year when I realized I couldn't cut the necessary myself without considerable effort and difficulty. :roll:

Best time to cut them as I understand it is (for me) right about now, when Sugar Maples are running. Hmmmm..... 8)

Good luck with your project! Maybe start a thread and keep us posted of your progress? I'm sure I'm not the only one intrigued and hungry for more details. :wink:

John K
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Geat thread Applestar! Have you had any more success with your own spawn? I think I am going to try some plug spawn from fungi perfecti and go from there. From all I've read the plug spawn in logs takes quite a long time to actually fruit, so I'm hoping to maybe have some shiitake's by november or so when the weather around here starts getting cooler again.

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!potatoes!
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getting the first dribbles of this years' log-grown shiitakes in the last few days, finding it interesting how in the dryish cooler air this time of year the caps a tend to crack on top as they grow, nothing that affects eatability, just makes 'em a bit prettier...I'll load a photo before too long...

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applestar
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!potatoes! Looking forward to the photos. I have not been able to they the outdoor cultivation, so I'll have to enjoy the others' vicariously.

JohnK - I have admit that I was unable to repeat the experiment this winter.

HOWEVER! It was incredibly interesting to note that all my spawn in bags and jars in various substrate/media started to grow some time in late fall, despite a full year of complete neglect and no added moisture.

I have a jar with perforated canning lid sealed with medical tape -- a tiny oyster mushroom pushed the tape aside and grew out. A block of spawn that I thought was completely dehydrated grew some mushrooms underneath, unnoticed. ...and the examples go on and on.

Had I been able to leapfrog them and cultivate them in freshly prepared substrates as they started to grow, I think I might have been able to renew these samples that I had assumed were long dead. 8)

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!potatoes!
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cracked caps
[img]https://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j248/khoomeizhi/IMG_7104.jpg[/img]
these were really crustily dry on the dark part of the upper surface until they'd sat in the greenhouse equalizing for a couple hours.

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Ozark Lady
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So, was mushroom growing worth repeating?
I just ordered some spores from Amazon.
They are on "inert" seed carriers... It looks like they are on birdseed.
I don't know if I want to start them with summer coming up, so I am wondering about storing them. Is it better to store them in the fridge, freezer, or just a cool drawer?
Where does one find agar to gather that up for when I am ready to start mushroom attempts?
Did you invent a sterile box for inoculating the agar?
I got 3 different kinds:
Golden Mushroom
Italian Popular
Oyster Mushroom
Something to play with this coming winter?

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applestar
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Wow Ozark Lady, you come back and ask difficult questions! I'm out of practice but not for want of wanting to experiment. I'm going to think about how to answer, but there have been several members posting about growing mushrooms so they might have suggestions for you too.

Off hand though, I'm thinking this is a good time to inoculate with oyster mushroom spawn outside. I wish I had the energy. For me, the biggest hurdle is getting fresh wood chips or relatively freshly cut logs or trunk rounds. You want to cut them just before they strt to leaf out.

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PunkRotten
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Nice. Thanks fr sharing all the pics/info. Fungi are really cool.

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applestar
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When I was trying all this back in 2009, I also tried to propagate the spores and stems using the moist cardboard medium, but had little success.

Yesterday, I discovered this in my vermcompost bin :shock: :D
Image
Image
I think the mycelia may have grown from the brown paper bag I had portabella mushrooms in in the fridge. Either that or they are from the shiitake or portabella stem ends with extra substrate attached to them I tossed in there. 8)

MObeek
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Cool! I hope you get some mushrooms out of that. :)



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