Phantastica wrote:
that's just the 1st flush. 4-6 more to go wooohoo!!
Strain: PC Maza
Substrate: 50/50 manure coir
In regards to the number of flushes, this is hinged more on how even the pinset is, instead of a set number-- After a little experience you'll use your super-mycological skills and harvest 90% of your mushrooms in the first two flushes. Perhaps three flushes on a big tub.
After the first couple flushes, taking care of the now poorly-fruiting substrate, which is closer day-by-day to possible contamination, is a waste of effort. By tossing that substrate away and putting in its place a new tub/tray/bag you're going to see much, much more weight harvested over time.
In regards to your bulk substrate mix, it sounds good, but consider adding some gypsum (calcium sulfate). It can make up up to 10% of your bulk substrate. It adds calcium and sulfur. It is used in commercial mushroom farming. It improves the growth of the mushrooms.It helps hold the pH steady.
Here's what I like as a mix for a mulk substrate, in case you're interested: Coco-Coir (and/or local Horse Manure), Vermiculite, Gypsum (calcium sulfate), Composted Chicken Manure (3%-5%).
jbark wrote:
...I am interested in knowing if the fruit themselves are more robust - some of those mushrooms look thick and hearty indeed!!
Besides the obvious answer of "genetics" here's a few other things that effect fruit growth:
Cold-fruiting cubensis results in stout, beefy fruiting bodies with very, very thick stipes (stems). The mushrooms grow very slow this way and are
very heavy for their size.
There are few "unique" strains but clearly "Penis Envy" is one unique strain- besides its phallic look, the specimens tend to be hearty with thick, well-developed stipes.
Providing lots of air-exchange, such as in a good "greenhouse/Martha" setup or a "Shotgun terrarium" will produce mostly shorter specimens with well developed caps. Keeping CO2 levels
higher (by providing less air-exchange) will result in long, increasingly skinny stipes with increasingly smaller caps.
Adding gypsum (calcium sulfate) improves the growth of mushrooms. Fruiting bodies are better developed and you are less likely to see those super thin stipes that many new cultivators complain about.
As I mentioned above, actually slightly reducing air-exchange (like in a classic "mono tub tek"
will produce specimens with longer stipes and increasingly smaller caps, however, my favorite specimens to consume are specimens with short stipes and large caps that are picked young, before the veil thins. BUT the other trick, which I learned from old hands over on the shroomery like Agar, RR, Workman, is to add a handful of composted chicken manure to your bucket of substrate; there isn't any "secret" ingredient, but this is a lesser known addition that can help achieve some large specimens.
jbark wrote:
Another few questions - is your manure storebought or fresh? if fresh, how do you treat it before inoculating? pasteurize or sterilize? I tried to grow pan cyans with storebought cow manure but I never even got the tiniest spot of mycelium, so after 4 months and a ttear in my eye I threw them out...
It needs to be aged manure, and free of cedar shavings (like you see from horse stalls).
Bagged manure sometimes works and sometimes doesn't- a single brand uses different sources depending on the part of the country, so I can't say X-brand works because that same bag where you are may be a different source. Either find it locally for free or just give bagged manure a gamble. Best for cubensis is field-aged horse manure because it has a less muddy texture than cow manure, which is also good.
Pasteurize for cubensis and cyans, but some species do want a sterile bulk substrate. CaptFuture (who just joined the forums here as well) has experience with a lot of species and would know better than me.
Phantastica wrote:Astralking wrote:Forgot to mention as well. Nice haul mate
I'm a big fan of 50:50 coir
You been growing long?
i just started recently, and now i see how easy mushroom growing really is. started a month ago, and already feel like a gangsta
...but there's much to learn
Yes! Growing cubensis is way easier than many think- helps to live in a mold-free, clean house though. Cubensis is a beginner's species, but even easier is cultivating psychedelic sclerotia from p. mexicana in quart jars invitro.
Chronic wrote:
I thought you were supposed to prevent spores from dropping as they reduce later flushes?
I always picked mine before the caps opened & usually get a good few big flushes... whereas if i let one big cap open by accident overnight, it drops its spores & the later flushes would be full of aborts
With some species this is supposed to be a problem, but not with cubensis. Maybe, maybe a very, very heavy spore-depositing specimen could inhibit pin formation in a spot, but even that Iam not sure of.
Phantastica wrote:
.......i did have kinda small future flushes after my first one, which i blame on my wrong methods of going about dunking the substrate after the 1st flush. i think i put too much weight on top of the substrate to hold it under water..and i think that DRASTICALLY reduced the future flushes since the areas on the sub where the weight was applied almost had no growth for a long time...whereas there was healthy growth in other areas...but now, i'm seeing some growth in those damaged areas. On top of that, i accidentally cracked the cake at about 7 places when picking it out of the water after the dunk cuz it was so fragile due to not having enough depth.
That sure didn't help, BUT, once you're seeing very even pinsets where most of the mushrooms come from the first flush or two, this will be considered normal-- The substrate can only produce so much. After the bulk is harvested in the first flush or two, any later flushes generally produce very few, but often larger specimens.
arrive without traveling.