iluvpills

Hey Eikel, i think i have found your mushroom theif?

Eikel, just got in from a club so im all loved up mate. Hey don't take any of what is written personal, i am sure everyone here has enjoyed reading about your friends little experience. I most certainly have. Keep the posts coming and i look forward to hearing the final results. :D :D

Hi i have got myself a Hawkins 14 litre 'Big Boy', its great and i am extremely happy with it. Got the sterilising thing down pat, no probs there. Just wondering if anyone who has one of these knows how you go about pasteurising substrate using it? I would have thought that maybe cooking at a lower temperature or lower pressure for a shorter period of time would be the answer. The only thing is it only cooks at 15PSI so this is not adjustable, unless you leave off the special weight but then you have to guess what pressure it is cooking at? Alternatively, i can turn the electric stove down very low but i can only think this will still end up sterilising my mix because the unit is designed to build pressure even if the temp. is low? I am confused................please advise

Or these sites, it was on landline last weekend that i saw it, with a dog like yours you could make a packet........... http://www.smallfarms.net/farmingtruffles.htm http://www.tastruffles.com.au/ http://www.perigord.com.au/ http://www.abc.net.au/landline/content/2004/s1250667.htm http://www.theage.com.au/news/epicure/the-...1539031264.html Just remeber who your mates are when you start digging them up :D

There was a program all about it last weekend.......... Check out this link it should set you along the right path http://www.wineandtruffle.com.au/news.asp

Maybe you just need to harness this dogs fungal instincts and put them to good instead of evil, maybe her great, great grandfather was a truffle sniffer and the genes have been passed down the line and she is just acting on instinct. With no truffles around what other choice does she have but to consume the next most valuble fungi available? Alternatively, you could take her to the nearest dog obedience school and explain the problems you are having, although, i'm not certain they will be familiar with 'Cube' eaters. Its probably a specialists area. Possibly one of those doggy Phycologists but i can only think they must be a tad more bonkers than the dogs they treat.................. Or, just simply make a few extra rice grain cakes next time you innoculate and put a few aside for her, that should save her munching the valuable ones. I mean you can't really blame the dog, crikey, we all know how good they are and maybe she's just got the taste for them. I shouldn't joke, i'm feel'n the pain, good luck with it Eikel!!!!

O.k. guys, so in order to find this 'Ultimate' recipe i have started to think a bit deeper about this whole thing. I was wondering what and how mycelium actually feed? I found this at http://www.anbg.gov.au/fungi/mycelium.html It states....... 'In order to feed, the mycelium releases enzymes into the surrounding environment and these enzymes break down complex organic polymers into simpler compounds (generally various sorts of sugars) which are then absorbed through the hyphal walls. All this also happens near the growing hyphal apices, generally just behind the region where fresh material is being added to the hyphal wall. While this discussion uses a common mushroom as a simple example, it’s important to note that this method of feeding - enzyme release into the surrounding environment and absorption of the resulting products through the cell walls - is a fundamental characteristic of all fungi, whether macrofungi or microfungi.' So, does anyone know what sugars the mycelium prefers or produces using these enzymes? Maybe different species of mushroom or even different strains prefer different sugars? I am figuring that the artificial Poop must consist of two major components. 1. Nutrients - the sugars and other foods the mycelium prefer. Emphasis on 'prefer', i understand they will breakdown most organic matter using the enzymes they release to turn it into sugars. Why not put these sugars straight into the mix in liquid form to begin with. I have read about honey being put into substrate as well, anyone tried this? 2. Structure - i have read about not compacting PF cakes and also the benefits of shaking grain. So i imagine this is to create a fluffy, airy type of structure that mycelium can run through quickly without barriers. Also, i have read that air exchange is also good, maybe this provision of a fluffy airy mix is more successful because of air pockets in the mix that are used by the mycelium? Also found this on manure - http://www.ces.purdue.edu/extmedia/AY/AY-277.html not sure what to make of it but it would appear it maybe possible to gain an understanding of what cow/horse....poop consists of. I bought some Seasol on the weekend so i think i'll be doing some experiments over the coming months and i will let you know what i think of it and what i find to be the best mixes. Otto, you are correct i did mean worm castings. Thanks for that. One last thing, with the PF cakes i have going at the moment i have noticed that the Rye and Vermiculite seem to colonise much quicker than the Millet and Vermiculite. I also think the mycelium looks much healthier and more vigorous in the Rye. Is this normal, because i have already decided that Rye is far superior to Millet and i would most certainly consider putting some Rye flour into the artificial Poop mix. I love mushrooms

Hi Eikel, The only advice i can offer is that any soil conditioner you consider using should be composted before you add it to your soil. The longer it is composted the better. You most certainly should avoid adding, 'Green' - fresh uncomposted material, of any sort to your soil. Put 'Soil Conditioner' into Google and you will have more information available than you can read. Also, maybe read a bit about mulching, they have similarities. http://www.mulchnet.com/mulch/bestmulch.htm Although, here they do say 'Green' is not too bad, i prefer well composted myself. I don't think the type of material added is crucial, however, i am not very knowledgable about Mushroom cultivation and i am saying this using my horticultural knowledge. Most importantly is to add organic material, containing rich humus that is well decayed. I think Mushrooms prefer a slightly alkaline soil, so best to do some research on this as well. But changing the Ph of soil is pretty easy. Always good to do a Ph on your soil. Once your soil is enriched you will strengthen and build soil organisms and you will have a healthier environment in which to grow what ever you choose.

Hi everyone, my first grow is under way, i innoculated 6 x 250ml PF style container with Vermiculite & Millet flour and to date i have lost two to the enemy (green mould), two have been painfully slow to colonise but i am leaving them and they are coming along ok but very slow. The last two fully colonised yesterday. Sooo, i decided to put them into a buk mix to increase the size of my substrate, once fully colonised which i am expecting to take another week i shall case them and hope for pins. I did this by mixing one each of my fully colonised 250ml cakes into zip lock bags (27cm x 35cm) containing 3 x 250ml of Coco Coir and 125ml of Rye Flour that was Louis Pasteurised in my kitchen WOK for an hour. Yep my WOK is doing the sterilising and pasturising at present but a Hawkins 14L will be delivered Monday. Now i was going to use horse manure instead of Coco Coir but i was concerned it might smell when cooked and also i didn't have any and could't be bothered driving less than a mile to buy some, yes lazy i know. Also, i had loads of Coco Coir. Checked the bags this morning, mycelium is going furry already and i have no doubt the bags will colonise. Now my understanding of BULK is that its just an added step whereby you are spawning your smaller subsrtate to a larger substrate to increase the size of your colonised substrate and hopefully potentially increase yeilds? If my understanding is correct, BULK is obviously the way to go and its a pretty simple step so i'll be sticking with this tecnique. So anyway, to my question. The whole BULK thing got me thinking that essentially i was just making an artificial animal Poop for the mycelium to grow in. I have read that cow/horse/zebra Poop is mostly just decomposed grass or grain depending on what they are eating, common sense really. I also saw a picture of Elephant Poop and i was shocked at how similar it looked to Coco Coir, obviously they are eating more roughage like tree branch tips combined with grass. So what do you think is the ULTIMATE recipe/mix of ingrdients to make artificial Poop. Lets say we have one 250ml fully colonised container of mycelium ready to spawn, what would your ratio's of ingredients and process be. I was thinking maybe 1 x 250 ml Coco Coir, 1 x 250ml Straw (Chopped and soaked), 1 125ml x Worm casing, 1 x 125ml Rye Flour, Water until sufficiently hydrated and maybe a few drops of seaweed fertiliser? Apologies for putting my measurements is ml's but my PF containers are 250mls so i am just doing it for consistency. And i know someone is going to say, 'why not just use animal Poop', but maybe the artificial Poop can be even better than the real thing? Your opinions Myco's.................................

Well i did look in Springbrook initially hoping i might find a stray Cubensis growing, i had done some research and read that the cow/zebra/elephant/horse/buffalo manure was the place to look. Although, I imagine searching for Cubensis in elephant manure would be a rather dangerous past time But the Springbrook thing was really just out of curiosity and it is an awsome place to walk around, mind you, if you go there keep your eyes open on the tracks for snakes. We saw three of them on the tracks in the two trips we made there. Not sure what sort they were but 2 were small and brown in colour and the other was small and black. I have searched a few paddocks out behind Burleigh but NO Cunensis, so i am assuming that i am just not looking hard enough? However, I've found some Pan. cyan. in the paddocks. Anyway, when the times right for me to find one i'm sure he'll poke his blue tinged ass through the grass and i'll spot him..................until then i'll be waiting for the next down pour of rain and getting my hunting kit together. Thanks for the advice guys and AndyAmine, i would most certainly be up for a sub mission there in winter if your at all interested. Have you ever found any there?

Sound advice Ed, thanks. If i do buy a Hygrometer i will give what you suggest a go, that's if my brain can figure it out . By reading what you have written your knowledge of this type of equipment is on a totally different level to mine, i'm just mastering the IN & OUT reading on my new thermometer. Thanks for your hep.

Here's a few more pictures of some of the specimens that i found last weekend, i don't know what any of them are but i thought some of you may be interested in viewing them. If you have any clues about their identitfication please let me know i would love to know what they are. I still can't seem to find myself any Cubensis..........are you sure they exist Oh, the waterfall is Purling Brook Falls, ive just added that for people who are not familiar with Springbrook National Park so you can get a feel for the place. More pictures if i find anything on my next hunting mission I have my first EVER mycelium growing on a vermiculite & millet flour cake :D, yep i am stoked about it. Six cakes in total, no contamination YET (only day 5) two with mycelium. My girlfriend thinks i have gone nuts spending more time learning about mushrooms than anything else at present. Also, my book 'The Mushroom Cultivator' has arrived, its been a good weekend. Not sure if all the pictures will up load because i am having difficulties, sorry about that.

I am pretty certain you are correct, this is the common poppy grown for the medicine trade to make morphine. Papaver somniferum comes in many different varieties and loads of different colours. This link may be of use to anyone who is interested in seeing some pictures of the various forms it can take. Its quite fascinating really and shows what an amazingly diverse genus the Papavers are. They are sometimes grown by councils in ornamental displays, i have seen this several times and when grown like this they do look very effective. http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/seeds/pages/page10pop.htm Sorry if this is getting off topic, but its therapy......... As for how the powers to be of this country decide what is legal and what is not, it's got me absolutely baffled?? You would think our police force had better things to do with their time than pursue mycologists when drunks are fighting in the streets, you've got your race riots, wife beaters, child abusers, stupid people breeding who can't even look after themselves, enough said............. I must add that i spent most of Australia Day thinking about topics of this nature and the older i get the more disilusioned i am becoming with it all. Don't get me wrong i'm a very positive person but it just really pisses me off to think that someone can impose their ideas and laws on to you when you are simply minding your business and doing your own thing. I fully understand there needs to be controls in place to monitor and control people who cause greif & harm to others by their actions but i think you should be free to do as you please in your own home so long as what ever you are doing does not cause harm to others. It's that simple as far as i am concerned, do what ever you wish but, do not harm others from your actions. Anyway, i've ranted enough........ I go take a chill pill now

Hi Bluemeanie - i cut this text from another reply you gave 'Panaeolus cyanescens - since there are 12 distinct forms with different sized spores, cystidia, basidia, macroscopic characteristics and now that Teonan has re-assigned those mushrooms that were being sold by vendors as Pan. cambo. and Pan. Tropic. as also being synonymous variants of Panaeolus cyanescens. The major problem with the panaeolus/copelandia chain is that the characteristics used to lechotype each of the delineated psychoactives have been poorly described and are by no means as consistant as you might find the Psilocybe, Gymnopilus, Galerina, Hypholoma, etc. Since most of the characteristics described for mushrooms like Panaeolus Cambo as an example have never been found completely since the original type specimen, its all a bit confusing.' I know the mushrooms in pictures 1 & 2 showed distinct signs of bluing so i am now considering them as 'Panaeolus cyanescens'. Picture 3 - if you count the number of shrooms in this picture, it matched the number lined out in Picture 2, don't forget to count the one at the back. So i think you are correct and because i was just picking randomly and putting them all together in the one container, i would say these are the same. I have only been able to sort them when i have returned home because of the bluing appearing and now assume they are the ones in Pictures 1 & 2? Now the mushrooms in Picture 4 were the majority of what was in the field, shit loads of the little buggers. They were very healthy but showed absolutley no signs of bluing what so ever. So could these be another form of Panaeolus cyanescens but one that does not show bluing and therefore if it does not show bluing does this mean that it is deffinately NOT active. Say a person was to eat some of these non bluing shrooms, not that i would ever consider doing that of course, hypothetically, is there any chance that they could be active even if they do NOT show signs of bluing. So many questions...........................

Hi everyone, I went mushroom hunting on the weekend after we received what was a phenominal amount of rain up here on the Gold Coast. This was my first time out seeking the elusive Cubensis, unfortunately after much searching i didn't find any but i did find what i think is Panaeolus cyanescens? I was under the impression that these grew in cooler climates? Remeber i have no idea of what i am talking about so excuse my conclusions if they are wrong. There appeared to be three species but i could not be certain, only one of these showed signs of bluing. The others were lovely tall and vigorous specimens but no bluing at all, does anyone know what these are? I took a print from the ones that have the bluing and it was black, the stems that had been crushed also showed signs of bluing. I found them out behind Burleigh in South East Queensland. I also went up to Purling Brook Falls in Springbrook National Park, it's an awsome place and if you have not been there i would highly recommend it. I took a few pictures and would like to know if these are Oyster Mushrooms, they were growing near the bottom of the waterfall on a log in very damp conditions. The entire log was covered in them, about 3 metres in length.