Thinking about my first foray into mycology. Some edibles and some B+ cubensis to boot. A question and general musing about the process as I currently understand it. I really dig the sustainable aspect of this btw.

I have:
-the jars, the wild bird seed and soon spore prints for a grain inoculation.
-a 16 qt pressure cooker.
-a large clear tub to make a glove box
-polyfill for air exchange

I will be getting:
-coir/vermiculite/worm castings(or other suitable nutrient) for bulk grow. Probably foil baking pans (see below)
-misc lysol and/or other alcohol disinfectants
-another clear, large tub for pinning/fruiting chamber

My main procedural question:

Pressure cook the jars, cool, put into glove box and inoc. with scraped spores. Wait til propagated then transfer to bulk substrate tub... in non sterile conditions???

Wouldn't it be better to pasteurize the substrate, make sure pan is covered with foil, disinfect the outside of substrate pan entirely IN the glovebox with alcohol... and THEN inoc. in totally sterile environment?

This would decrease risk of harmful bacterial introduction at the grain inoculation of substrate phase, no?

Then take inoculated pans, allow mycelial propagation, case with sterile vermiculite/coir mix, allow pinning->fruiting in clean/clear tub (with polyfil breather holes).

My secondary questions and thoughts:

The casing phase, with opening it in a non-sterile container seems to be the weak link in the chain, all things considered. Am I missing something?

Any opinions on using only isopropyl as the only sterilizing agent vs adding Lysol? I don't like how Lysol can retard good growth.

I was considering using isopropyl in a spray bottle to heavily mist the air in my clean work room, and as the contact/wipe sterilizing agent.

Any questions, comments, concerns would be appreciated my fellow Nexians. Peace.

Sure, the more sterile your environment, the better. I always try to work quickly and use gloves to mix the spawn/bulk mix. The cleaner you work, the higher your success percentage. Good way to start this hobby, looking for sterility.

I was under the impression that once the mycelium had colonized it was relatively resistant to contams. Am I wrong?

From what I read, it is the least dangerous phase re: contam, but I will be using a "let it sit without opening, fanning etc" approach, and I wanted to minimize harmful critter exposure.


Once it's cased, if I case it at all... it should be safe. I think.


Another question that will be added to the above. Any opinions on using only isopropyl as the only sterilizing agent vs adding Lysol? I don't like how Lysol can supposedly retard good growth.

I was considering using isopropyl in a spray bottle to heavily mist the air in my clean work room, and as the contact/wipe sterilizing agent. The top post will be edited to reflect this btw.

Bulk substrate can also contaminate. But i have to say from experience, that coir is very resistant to mold.

yea I use about a 30% IPA %70 water mix in a spray bottle. Also I strongly suggest you spend the extra $5 and get yourself the plastic canning jar lids and a roll of micropore tape instead of polyfill. use one layer of tape when cooking then poke it with the needle and cover with secondlayer.

I am also going to pressure sterilize the following in a stainless bowl in the PC, wrapped in foil. This outside of this foil wrapped bowl will be heavily wiped down with alcohol before being placed in the (hopefully) clean glovebox with my (hopefully) clean spore prints:

-syringes for making a spore solution, filled with now sterilized water
-shot glass
-scalpel for scraping spores
-smallish jar with cardboard & some as yet undetermined nutrients as a way to generate mycelium for propagation in lieu of agar.


I plan on wearing longer gloves, wiped down heavily with alcohol, wiping the outside of the foil & stainless "holding bowl" and putting it all in the glove box.

Wait patiently for several minutes until most/all of the alcohol evaps from the gloves and foil/bowl outsides.

Peel off foil, lay with inside up as new super-clean work surface inside glove box.

Place spore print, syringes, shot glass, cardboard propagation jar and scalpel on said foil surface.

Go to work!

How does that sound? Pretty good right?