Hyphal

There's heaps of good places around the city - the uni's being a great start. What does everyone think about the implications of introducing a mushroom species to an area it wasn't previously in term of impact on the local fungi of the area? Is it worth worrying about?

What do you mean by 'sterile mycelium'? Did your jars actually colonise? I have never had a problem with a print from overseas.

The great thing about this is when I cleaned the colonised wood chips off I could put them back in their box. But it really doesn't make any difference anyway, that whole tray is completely white under the surface. No major damage is done to the mycelium when picking this way. You noticed... Thanks for the comments, I felt like a proud father... Peace.

beautiful finds Lost! Any chance of getting some pics of this 'motherload' growing?? :)

Very nice pics man!!

How hot does the temp get to in the dehydrator? I think as long as it doesn't get above about 50C-60C max then it should be fine. A dehydrator without a heating element is just an expensive fan...

Yep I think you are right - Cyathus sp. http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/may2006.html http://waynesword.palomar.edu/pljune96.htm And this site is very interesting - http://www.anbg.gov.au/fungi/birds-nest-cannonball.html

I have to add though if they are even a bit wet then they will go mouldy... make sure they are bone dry. Research ways to get them 'cracker' dry, or even better, Buy one of these.

They will keep for a year or more!

Freezing fresh mushrooms WILL destroy them though, so never do this. Just make sure they are bone dry.

Vdarb so many questions... lol Its always worth hunting other areas, looking for mushrooms is wicked fun, and never a waste of time to learn a new area of ground in a new part of the world. You may not find anything though, so long as you're prepared for that option. 12 hours is FUCK ALL time if it saves your life. Don't be ridiculous... Freezing is not a really good idea unless they are BONE dry (ie the stem snaps like a twig, and doesn't bend at all) but even then its not necessary. Once they are as dry as you can get them store them in a ziplock bag with a little desiccant packet from a medicine bottle, in a cool, dark place. Exposure to light, air, moisture and excessive heat are what destroys the good stuff.

Spore prints are easy and take no time at all to do. If you are suspect about a specimen, just cut the cap off and lay it on some paper. For better results, put an upturned drinking glass over the cap while its printing. 12 hrs later and you should have a decent print on your paper. This is the real world, and this is how people identify fungi (and preserve their 'babies'). Anyone serious about mushroom hunting knows exactly what a spore print is and how crucial it can be when making identifications. Plus its good fun to do as well as giving you a deeper understanding of how fungi re-produce! Though obviously, if you are confident about what you are collecting of course you aren't going to then print everything you find (especially if you collected a big haul). Its a great method for people starting out to be sure of their ID's. Again I think the best way to learn which is ones are your friends is to get to know which ones are your enemies - actively look for some gallerina, collect a couple of specimens (in a separate bag!) and have a good look at them when you get home. Check out the gills, stem colour, cap, give the stem a squeeze and look for the bruising and take a print of one and a print of a sub to compare next to each other. Happy (and safe) hunting!

Steaming drinking glasses full of substrate using foil lids would have to be the best way for someone to get into the hobby. Search 'pf tek for simple minds'.

Wow! Nice photos, odd looking subs. Inner Sydney? Nice to know they grow there.... :)

Hey Ace, as far as I'm aware they have now been re-classified and are all now simply considered subearuginosa. LINK

I was going to wait until the person the question was intended for chimed in, but DN's response was too perfect. No wonder though, you say you have had ten years experience. Using these techniques pretty much can eliminate any chance of picking the wrong thing, but I would definitely still take a spore print when first starting out - the gallerina print should be quite different to a sub. Maybe deliberately hunt out some gallerina adn correctly ID them as well, so you can see and feel the difference for yourself. Lastly, I think its important to post pics before eating anything! You got it spot on DN, 1st and third are subs and the second is a gallerina. They look fucking alike though dont they, gallerina is the main sepcies I mistake a subs for when Im hunting - anything else can usually be dismissed at a glance.

Sorry man, but I agree with poo. You would also have to be fairly stupid to eat mushrooms you know nothing about the first time you ever find them, without getting a proper ID first. Here is why - can you tell me which mushroom out of these will kill you, and which one you can eat safely?

Theres a good chance you will get pulled up and your car searched. And if you don't know what you are looking for, well, just DONT EAT ANYTHING YOU FIND without posting good quality pics here first and getting an ID. \ Also, do a search on Gallerina - if you eat them they will kill you - and they look very similar to the ones you want from above. Look at the photos in this thread for pictures of gallerina - http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/inde...showtopic=17893

I've heard they can be found in the colder areas at the tops of some of the ranges in SE QLD, but I reckon that would be quite rare. It never hurts to have a look though I suppose.

I disagree... They kind of DO look like older, dried subs to me - but it is very hard to tell with these ones. The bluing on the stem is a dead sub giveaway, but it is just hard to say with the others. I think taking photos with a flash is a good thing as long as it doesnt wash out the photo as it brings up a lot of detail. Print them all - at hte very least your on the right track, but I have reason to believe these are subs. DONT EAT THEM based on a reason to believe however.

Just gotta beat them to it.... This was from yesterday -

Was doing some ginger beer for a while last year, but haven't done any for ages, ITs actually good shit, should get back on to it. Oh for a world were we didnt have responsibilites and could just play with things at home all day. I think I'd start making jams and preserves and having tea and scones with my friends if I could. And Im deadly serious.

You got it on one man, thats the best method there. No need to spawn the brf cakes to grain though - its the same thing. Start with EITHER brf cakes OR grain jars with woodlover spores, then break these up and spawn to soaked woodchips. Keep wet though summer then in winter they should do their own thing when the temp drops and the rains come...

A good way is to keep all your stem butts from a harvest in a bag. Get some corrugated cardboard and soak it in water until its saturated, then let it drain. Peel the layers apart and place your stem butts on the cardboard, then stick the layers back together. Stick this in a black plastic bag and poke some holes in it so it can breath, but won't dry out. Stick it in your cupboard and wait a month or two and it should get colonised by the stem buts, then you can bury this mass in a moist, shaded woodchip bed of your choice... j It will take at least until the next winter to fruit, during this time you should try and keep it moist if possible to help the mycelium spread even further.

Man I hate rust - some lids that were over a year old actually rusted through... Plastic is the new metal! http://www.redbacktrading.com.au/index1.html