Mycot

Wrote this post for another thread containing much info pertaining to this thread. And some eye candy and inspiration in the form of a gym patch.

Topping up with woodchips would be the basic strategy. Smaller chips to provide a larger surface area so as to produce a larger mycelial reservoir to ensure good fruitings and larger chips to provide some opennese of substrate so it can breathe and for sustainable sustanance. A little clean organic dirt added may be beneficial for added trace elements/minerals but one should avoid anything that has added fertilizers or manure as this may encourage the growth of pathogenic bacteria. One should also avoid anything with added dolomite. A little charcoal may be beneficial and other than that the only fertiliser that I feel comfortable with is a dilute seaweed extract to provide potassium which has been associated with fast growing fungi and which may contain hormones that boost growth. If increased water retention is desired a little vermiculite may be added.

A thermostat isn't a neccesity in many cases. Where one may have need of one, say like in winter where there may be large day-night temperature fluctuations, I've found that the probe thermostat sold for reptiles works very well. Ebay Reptile Probe Thermostat

Thanks for the report. Best up recipe here about 70g fresh mixed with coke. WA hunters may be interested to know that anther active gym G.dilepis has also been reported from their state.

My position is that when it comes to food I am 100% against GM especially when it is introduced in a hidden manner such that there is not informed consent. The science has not shown that modifications achieved through genetic technology are safe or identical in every respect to modifications achieved through older technologies. There is a lot of hubris in science and much still remains to be understood.

I disagree with several of the earlier arguments and feel that greenpeace acted correctly. Science's understanding of genetics is extremely rudimentary at best, I'd say at about kindergarden level in terms of a true understanding. In addition its dangers are poorly understood both environmentaly speaking and in its effects upon other organisms. Problems have been shown in both these areas and yet big corporations in their greed are more than willing to throw all caution to the winds at the expence of all. While I see value in a deepening of scientific understanding of the field and potential technological applications, food has to be completely off the menu for those applications given that the dangers are so poorly understood. The claim that what was achieved through genetic modification could have just as easily have been achieved through selective breeding and hybridisation has to be considered false for if this was the case then those means would have been employed. This seems to simply be an expedient arguement exploiting a general lack of understanding in order to get past our normal radar. Likewise the arguement that genetic modification represents a speeding up the process of selective breeding or hybridisation is without any scientific basis. Say no to GM regardless to how the multinationals may wish to package it with spurious arguements. Nature created real food and what these people are creating are unknown quantities.

Here's what a CSIRO expert who was sacked had to say about food production. "Dr Stapper said experience as a farming systems agronomist had taught him that most problems started with the soil, and that was where the solutions were. "GM solutions won't solve our problems," he said." Also the director of Gene Ethics, Bob Phelps, said. "Stapper was sacked because GM giants like Bayer and Monsanto can't patent know-how on healthier soils." CSIRO 'dumps' anti-GM expert Unless we figure out how to live sustainably and in harmony with nature we are fucked no matter what.

There is no shortage of food. According to a world body we produce one and a half times the amount of food to nutritionally feed everyone, so the problem is distribution. Jabezz's whole argument is fallacious.

Compleatly agree. These greedy multinationals seem completely determined to destroy our food security and health. Soon we won't be comfortable eating anything without worrying that it is having deleterious effects upon our health. GM in Australia

There's a lot of gym taxonomy papers. A good place for starting research into Australian fungi is the Interactive Catalogue of Australian Fungi from the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. The major authors of Australian gym taxonomy are B.J.Rees many of who's papers are online and C.A.Grgurinovic with her 1997 book "Larger Fungi of South Australia". On the international level the major author on gyms is L.Guzmán-Dávalos the daughter of G.Guzmán. Many of her papers on gyms can be found on the Cyberliber site. Type in Guzman in "Search Authors" on the site to find a list of her papers. One thing that should be kept in mind is that only a small percentage of Australia's fungi including gyms have been described.

Correct, all three images are G.purpuratus as are the purple ones in your most recent post. Can only see one colour in the forth pic of that post. G.purpuratus would have red to purple heads at the button stage of development. This one is neither G. purpuratus nor G. allantopus. We have many orange colored gym species and identifying them down to species can be difficult. My guess is that this is G.ferruginosus as the description given by B.J.Rees appears to match. http://www.australasianmycology.com/pages/pdf/20/1/29.pdf

Let me congratulate you on a very beautiful set of images Occidentalis. Where the first two images are only named to genus, the third is misnamed as G.purpurea, a name that does not exist as a valid name. All three of these images are of G.purpuratus and very beautiful specimens at that. Tony B Photography similarly uses invalid names for G.purpuratus.

Another option is to lay the patch on a layer or two of that holey shadecloth. That way the patch can be moved whenever required.

The caution regarding galerinas is well made. I do however concur with Wassonova that in this case the difference in gill colour is likely due to the different ages of the specimens rather than being a different species. Close examination of all of the characteristics of the shroom generally suffices to clearly separate gyms from galerinas. One is not to gamble if they are not 100% sure they have gyms.

Your OK Qualia. I just don't like things being made difficult.

Don't get me started on GMO's. I am furious that the basic process of feeding myself is now an activity frought with hazard and a veritable minefield. This poison has been widely introduced into our food chain in the most underhanded manner with extremely little scientific research. I have no faith in bureaucrats. Where there is money, there is corruption.

On a practical level most people can't even manage to grow the food they eat let alone all the plant products they may wish to use.

The only problem I see is people interfering in other peoples business. Damn right I want my health in my own hands. I do not want bureaucrats standing between me and my health. If after doing research into your snake oil product I beleive that it actually works, then again I do not want some bureaucrat standing between me and my health. Having control over my own health I see as a basic human right that nobody should interfer with.

The supposed negative effects are just that - supposition. It's really a case of shoot first and ask questions later.

There's way too much regulation and curtailing of individual freedom as it is. And its a ridiculous waste of human resource. If I want to buy snake-oil then it's none of anybody-elses business. Besides I may have a different opinion from the moronic bureaucrats who usually administer this stuff. Don't people ever want to run their own lives. People who need regulation should take some laxatives.

If it were only that simple. Unfortunately the vast majority of the unwashed masses are in no real position to consider this. Their lot is to be at the mercy of short term leases where there is no stability. This keeps the exploiters happy and the vast populace under control. Self-sufficiency is exactly what the whole system is set up to prevent. Survival-anxiety is the biggest tool for creating a nation of slaves.

No sense in giving up before one has even started. The main impediment to progress is govt per usual.

The war on some drugs is still on. Quite a response to substances that have not had the medical studies to show harmfulness. Meanwhile alchohol which is well known for it's extremely damaging and high level of harmfulness blissfully passes from consciousness. Wtf. We'll sleep better knowing that truly toxic substances are being developed to fill the vacuum. Back to snorting the Ajax.

What rights? No contract was signed saying "Oh yeah, I agree to have my autonomy taken from me". There is no empowerment here. Holymountain is correct, lots of mumbo-jumbo to put over the con.

Of high value to hunters, two quotes from Bush Turkey(thanks ) from another thread here.