Hyphal

C'mon man, this was hardly an endearing comment to make to someone - unless it's just your 'strange sense of humour' again. I'm not going to bother messing up the boards with dribble, but man - get a reality check.

Jesus IllegalBrain - your a fucktard.

Good things come to those who wait......

One of you need some more spawn, just take some corrugated cardboard and soak it in water overnight - then drain and peel the layers apart exposing the corrugations. Then you can put small bits of spawn or stem butts on this and replace the peice of cardboard, making a sort of sandwich, put in an ice cream container or simialr and punch some holes in teh lid - it works wonders. Wikid thread watertrade - Jaw dropping pics.....

You need to find some coir without any additives, and if your using it for a casing layer you need to give it a good wash first to remove excess nutes and salts. I beleive Coles, bunnings and many hydroponics shops are good places to start looking. Just make sure you buy a brand that has no additives, some of the stuff in Coles has added slow release fertiliser - Definitely dont get that one.

Very Interesting Ferret.... I'm still not convinced its a species worth targeting solely for its 'uplifting' properties - especially if you live in melbs where there seems to be no shortage of subs around. I'd love to have an experience with these to make up my own mind - I am sure they have been found in WA too, but the Gymnopilus junonius are all I have been able to find and none of the specimens blue at all - although they are very abundant.

I don't honestly know a hell of a lot about gyms, just from what I've read the chance of finding an active specimen is pretty low, and the amounts of actives vary greatly from one specimen to the next - plus from what I have read in most articles (cant quote any at the moment - this is just from memory, but mainly on the shroomery) they generally aren't considered very potent. The taste is also a major reason to avoid these - they are very bitter and would probably require an extract or tea to be made to make them more palatable. This being said, I reckon we still definitely need some more information on these and if anyone finds a bluing specimen a bioassay would be helpful!!

Free?? The price is right....

Personally, although the find of some fungi that are hallucinogenic in Oz other than the main contenders is always a huge buzz, this species in particular are not worth targeting in your hunts if that is the primary reason for you hunting in the first place. Of course, if your hunting for anything and everything just to document for the heck of it, then go nuts. :)

I think they will last longer yes, but its not necessary. I have seen a print that was left in a box in an outdoor shed for 3 years still germinate just fine.

Nice pics passive - what state are you in? It really is an absolutely fantastic year for fungi in general this year...

Haha - then after your first hunt, the dreams just dont stop.....

If you're talking about sterilising substrate, then no. Success rates with microwave sterilisation are lower than pressure cooking.

Nope - havent seen it for sale, and casing mix is very easy and cheap anyway....

Another good way is to soak some corrugated Box-type cardboard in warm water overnight, and when you clean your subs stick all the stem buts in a container to one side. Then peel the layers of moist cardboard apart, stick the stem butts in between the layers and put them in a plastic container with a few small air-holes punched in the lid (eg. a small chinese take away container). The stem butts will colonise the cardboard, and you can then cut this up and bury it in a wood mulched garden somewhere and spawn a new patch.

If your looking to add a nutrient booster, only go for organic ferts, and start out very small. As said above, spent coffee grounds are brilliant. But, I have a feeling you are referring to soemthing which is discussed on the shroomery - MGMC (miracle Grow Moisture Control I think...?). They use this straight out of the bag as a casing mix. LINK

Hmmmmm...... Curiously scratches head. Its a shame its one of those things that people just dont talk about. Sounds like its not such a secret afterall though.... I think a lot of people will stop going to Jayes road thinking that because the trees are gone, so are the mushrooms. It is a shame though, its not as nice walking around without the mystery and cover of the beautiful trees whispering to you as the wind howls through them.....

Nice photos! It seems that melbournites have all the luck with subs - one benefit to living in the wettest capital in Australia!

Your substrate must colonise fully to avoid contamination - if you have areas that are uncolonised, they are wide open to other spores/bacteria to thrive on, and for obvious reasons this isnt good. Now I see what your saying about a casing layer - you can fruit without one, but you then need to make sure your growing parameters are optimal - eg. you need 100% humidity etc. A casing layer provides optimal growing conditions, helps protect the substrate from contams, and acts like a big sponge in which the fruits can draw more moisture from (mushrooms are 90% water). Think of it as like a big, wet blanket for your substrate. After your substrate is colonised, add your casing layer and then continue to incubate for another 2 or 3 days in the dark - when you see one or two spots of mycelium popping through, its ready to be exposed to fruiting conditions. Its very bad to have areas that are left uncolonised, and yeah in a way I suppose you could say it will aid a more even pinset - but thats not the reason to let it fully colonise. Im not sure why you have already added a thin layer of coir to the top - you shouldnt have done that until the susbtrate had colonised. But yes, in a way, that sounds like a casing. Thanks for that link on the shroomery - it is a good example of why a casing layer is important. Mycofile wouldn't have had the same result without one. Heck, you can even fruit a substrate in the open air if you have a nice thick casing layer and you keep it moist. Good luck!

Ahh of course, you did mention you only use corn. I'd say you couldnt use my method with pure corn, what I suggested works great for WBS though. No man, I haven't used straight corn - same as you I suppose, have always used WBS and never had a problem so continue to use it. *end thread hijack*

Hazza, try chucking your seed into near boiling water to soak. This minimizes soak times down to about 2-3 hours and eliminates the need for the simmering step.

I think Harry is correct to a large extent - the soak also does hatch all the nasties so they're easier to kill when you PC the seed, so the fermented smell you get is very normal. Two ideas for you - I assume you rinse your seed very very well after the soak, if not - make sure you do. This will wash off all fermented nasties and clean the seed. Do this by straining it, then pouring it back into the pot and refilling with water, then straining again. Repeat until the seed is clean, and give a final rinse while its in the colander. Second idea is to get the water your going to do your soak in boiling first, then remove it from the heat, THEN add your seed. Depending on the size of the grains, if it is Wild Bird seed that has larger kernels, just throw your seed straight in after you remove the water from the heat. If it has a lot of smaller grains and millet, let it cool for 30 mins before you chuck the seed in. Then give it a good stir, put the lid on and let it sit for 2 or 3 hours. It should be ready to go straight into jars after this, no need to soak overnight and the hot water should stop it fermenting to some extent (kills some of the nasties). You will still need to rinse as above though.

:drool2: :drool2: :drool2: :drool2: Amazing pics! And I agree with Ace, those subs look out of this world!!!

Dry it out and grind em up with the others....

Have you suggested to your gnome to move onto casings and spawning to a bulk substrate? It seems she has cakes down pat so well, that this next step will be a breeze for her.