Well, as to the myc being blue too, they probably got bruised when the fruits were harvested as those little guys can't handle as much stress as the fruits (so it takes less to bruise 'em). There seems to be debate or at least a split opinion as to what blue color indicates. I have heard it is both oxidation and bruising from various reputable sources and have not yet come to my own conclusion as to what it is and how much it really effects anything. Pre-harvest you can't do anything about it (I haven't heard too many people talk of problems with oxidation in general, and definitely havent heard anything about pre-harvest oxidation or oxidation prevention).

Post-harvest oxidation IS something I have heard people say they have issues with. What I do to avoid oxidation after harvest is to completely dry my mushrooms using a computer fan and large packs of desiccant. Once the mushrooms are cracker dry, I put them in a large mason jar and fill it with CO2. To do this just mix vinegar and baking soda in a bottle (milk jug works great) and as it starts to fizz, imagine that the bottle is full (it is full of C02) and pour out the CO2, as though it were water, into your jar. Be careful not to pour any vinegar/baking soda onto your mushrooms. To check and make sure all the O2 is gone, try lighting a match/lighter at the mouth of the jar and sticking it into the jar, it should go out due to oxygen deprivation. Now cap your jar and you've got well preserved mushrooms, keep em in a dark closet or something cool and dark. This whole thing works because CO2 is heavier than O2 and displaces the O2 that was in the jar.

As to harvesting time, yes, it's best if you can harvest an entire flush at the same time, but if theres one or two mushrooms well ahead of the others, i tend to pick those first and let the rest of the flush continue to mature for larger overall yield...As with any organism, mushrooms grow as they grow, not according to anyone's guidelines or "rules" and as such, it's ok to bend the "rules" at various stages. In your case, I would have picked the one or two wit the torn veil and given the others another 8-12 hours or so, but that's just me and it's not gonna do anything other than increase your yield by a dried gram or two. Again, those look great for a third flush, enjoy your Fun Guys!

SB

Elpo - You're doing great. Like you said, that blue around the base is just from a little bruising on the mushrooms & mycelium. It's nothing to worry about. The one on the left looks like it got "water logged". You will get this from time to time in high humidity environments, where the mushroom just takes on too much water and starts to get soggy. When you see this happening, just harvest it before it starts to decay. Everything else looks great!

Like Snozz said, the fuzz on the base is just mycelium, and nothing to worry about. I think the spots are the same thing, but I'm not sure of that. In any case they are nothing to worry about. I'm just regurgitating what you've already been told, but wanted to let you know we're all in agreement.

You're a great fungi-father. You're mushrooms should be proud! You're next run will be much less stressful. Your just riding a very steep learning curve right now.

Keep up the great work! Peace!
-idt

Thanks for all the help guys. The mycelium is disappearing after I harvested like you predicted. It looks great.

I really wanna express my gratitude to the Nexus people for helping me as quickly as you do.


Peace

It's really through helping others that you can truly perfect and expand your own methods and knowledge. Plus, imo, it's the best way to give back to a community that has given me so much. Glad to help out and excited for you to try your fruits.

peace

SB