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themushroombloke

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Posts posted by themushroombloke

  4. Posted

    Exactly as mud described. Here are two good links: shroomery and some other website [these are written about some weird and probably unknown to you mushroom species (they're called 'cubes' or something) which for some reason is illegal to cultivate (maybe they're not very tasty?), but the principle is the same for many different species].

    Once you go monotub, you'll never go back to anything else. So simple and so effective. I don't use manure. I just use straight coir (sometimes with a little gypsum) with about 5 jars of colonised rye in a 80 litre tub and I get more fungus than I know what to do with. Even after 4 or 5 flushes, when I chuck the whole box outside, it still keeps throwing out more and more. Some people add coffee grounds for extra nutes but every time I do I get contams.

    But like I said, this type of box doesn't work with pf-tek or BRF style cakes. And while cakes don't give you the yield of a bulk grow, they are good for small carefree runs and good for beginners.

     

    hey marcel what species other than actives and button mushrooms could you use this mono tub for?

  7. Posted

    Recently I made a Medicinal Mushroom tea and I was wondering if the heat involved in the tea making process dominishes the medicinal properties of the mushroom.

    I have not made a tincture before but I know the process of making one doesn't involve heat. Would this method achieve more potency?

  9. Posted

    What size filters are you inquiring about mushroombloke?

     

    I havn't specified sizes yet, I think they were just giving me a rough idea.

    From what i can tell the people who make the filters can tell you how strong a blower you'll need to give the correct airflow strength.

    I'm just going to keep asking until I get the answer I want :)

    The other thing I was thinking is to ask a orchid club who would also have this same problem and I'm sure there's some old codger who's worked it out!

  10. Posted

    Still, if the FFU with the replaceable filter of that Australian site I linked to is affordable, I think it's a very good option. Could use it as is, or built protective sides for it.

     

    True that.

    However I'll run the numbers on building my own perhaps we could work together to save time.

    I have got one reply back from a HEPA filter company in AUS:

    "Our company manufactures HEPA and semi-absolute filters similar to the ones the website lists on Ebay. Looks like most HEPAs being used are the minipleat type which would work with a smaller capacity fan, but it has a smaller life cycle than a conventional HEPA with aluminium seperators. We can supply a Minipleat HEPA for around $150-250 depending on required size. Allow approx. $50-80 more for a 149mm deep conventional HEPA in the same size. If you select the required size from our attached brochure I can quote an exact price for you." - AES Environmental (the company I contacted)

    so that's a starting point...

    here's another useful link click here

  12. Posted · Edited by themushroombloke

    ok so I have been e-mailing this chinese (via Alibaba.com) company and here are the results: Please if anyone know's about flowhoods and see's this product as useless for mycology please voice your opinion!

    first for a small unit 570/570/320 USD $380(This is to your door price) ok so i was playing around with a ruler to check this size and it's roughly to sheets of A4 paper put side by side length ways for the 570mm=W and 320mm=H is roughly 1.2 pieces of A4 paper lengthways. So it's big enough but only just.

    for a larger unit 1170/570/340 USD $500 (This is to your door price)This would be ideal giving a bit more room to move

    PLEASE NOTE: This is just the blower unit and filter, If you were to purchase this you'd need to setup a bench and side guards to maximise cleanlyness. Also If they dont have the correct plug end for the unit you may need to purchase a converter plug???

    here's a photo of the smaller unit Also here is a link for some of the spec's on the product

    IMAGE_074.jpg

    here's an image of the larger unit i assume it's back to front

    FFU_%252528galvalume%252529.jpg

    Once again please notify me if this unit is not suitable for mushroom cultivation as i dont know much about flowhoods, just sharing my info. So hopefully next time I get my Tax back....

  13. Posted

    I have another question to throw into the mix:

    what's the difference between FFU filter and a HEPA filter?

    because I was looking on alibaba.com and in china you can buy an FFU filter that has the fan, filter and switches all in one small wall like unit. What you would have to do is build the box and bench yourself, this small unit with no housing would keep the shipping to a minimum.. I havn't got a price yet, will keep everyone posted.

    ideas.......

    the chinese people i'm contacting via e-mail are pleasent enough but dont have a good hold on english, so it's a little difficult to communicate.

  14. Posted

    yeah that looks somewhat easier to use than those programable chips. I wasn't looking foward to having to learn all that programing stuff mushroom growing is fiddly enough

  15. Posted

    I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to growing from seed, however i'm going to have to learn in order to start my mycorrhizal fungus project. Long story short would anyone have any idea where I can get some stone pine seed cheap. I'm in the sunshine coast area in QLD does anyone know where a stone pine grows as I'm happy to collect the seed myself.

    thanks in advance and sorry if i've put this post in the wrong area.

    cheers

  17. Posted

    Hi again, thanks for all the info :-) @themushroombloke yes I have a pressure cooker. I've no experience with agar, would I mallee an lc with a piece?

     

    you'll need to either get grain spawn off of Punkin or buy Paul Stamet's book "growing gourmet and Medicinal mushrooms" and start brushing up on your mushie cultivation skills

  18. Posted

    I have to revive my reishi, it may still be ok. For best result pm Punkin, he's quick reliable and has no contams... top bloke!

    failing that I'll be trying to revive my grain soon, would a petri dish be ok? do you have a pressure cooker?

    other things worth noting:

    reshi is an agressive mushroom and colonises nicely, I have made a medicinal tea out of them and they're bitter as buggery but the health properties over ride the bad taste.

  20. Posted

    ok so the site is down again and i'm fed up. I've decided not to try putting it back up.

    I never realised how time consuming it would all be and with my limited web site building knowledge i'm in over my head. If anyone is interested I would be willing to hand the domain name over and I have a back up of the data if you wish to revive the forum. It's a bloody shame

    such as life

  23. Posted

    When inoculating trees with T.melanosporum (usually Oak, sometimes Hazelnut, though there are many host trees),

    the trees are allowed to grow in pasteurised potting media for few months at least,

    before spore slurry is introduced.

    this is done in order for there to be a half decent root system for the

    germinating spores and resultant mycelium to team up with.

    Micofora in Spain inoculate pine seedlings with milk caps (L.deliciosus and maybe L.sanguifluus) and say that you can expect to have them produce after as little as 3 yrs.

    Truffles can fruit that early too, but usually take a little longer.

    They also produce and sell pellet spawn (spores in a pelletized dehydrated gel or water crystals afaict) of Boletus spp.(I think it's B.edulis, not sure)

    It's recomended that you dig holes or a furrow 10-15cm deep around the dripline of a suitable host tree (beech, oak, chestnut, pine) 20yrs or older.

    backfill, water and leave alone.

    fruit can be expected after 2yrs,

    but no guarentees, so repeat every 2 yrs.

    Some plants I've inoculated in tubes with various species have fruited

    with species I didn't put in there (Poison pie Hebeloma crustuliniforme :angry: ).

    the spores or mycelium either has been present in the potting mix or has blown in.

    it happened on Chestnut seedlings and Valley white oak (Q.lobata) seedlings,

    both less than 2yrs old in forestry tubes.

    I tend towards non-sterile aproach, because as obtuse mentioned there may be other factors

    needed to get the target species going (esp. Boletus spp. or Cantharellus spp.)

    Also, the edno- ecto- thing with trees, changing from one to the other throughout the course of their lives.

    Eucalypts do it.

    The way I understand it is that they can start of in some pretty hostile sites

    and therefore may only have endomycorrhizae to work with if spores or hosts are already present.

    If not there, they usually turn up some how.

    The tree grows, kills major grass (endomycorrhizal hosts) competition,

    then the tree shifts conditions to favour ectomycorrhizal species

    and the biology becomes more complex and fungaly dominant soil develops.

    If you want to get really serious about it, I recomend This book

    It deals with ecto- and endomycorrhizae .

    there are agar recipes for sterile culture of ECMs

    inoculation methods etc. drawing on a lot of work in West Aus. and some from forestry projects in Asia.

    Here is a handy site , mostly native species but not all.

    Of the Boletus spp., I'd get B.aereus if I could, as it grows in warmer parts of Nthn. hemisphere.

    B.pinophilus for its love of Pine trees... if it could establish in P.radiata plantations,

    you'd never pick a Slipery jack again :lol:

    Well you wouldn't not use any of them really, B.edulis, B.aestivalis.

    B.edulis var. grandedulis (Nth Amer.), B.barowsii etc.

    I have pines (P.ponderosa, P.patula,) in tubes that are showing signs of ECM activity now

    after inoculating last year with a mix of species.

    It's a long term project....

     

    Thank you for this awesome post it compiles alot of information i have found online in one post! Thanks for the link to that book!

    I guess what i think needs to happen is some documentation of Studies. We need to start collecting photo's, documents and diagrams.

    My aim with all of this is to SHARE a working technique for mycorrhizal species. I would love to eventualy purchase some property and plant some innoculated trees.

    My first experiment is going to be pinus pinea (stone pine/pine nuts) because i believe these would be the best because from a farmers perspective you get money from mushrooms and money from nuts then if one fails one season then you at least have some money coming in.

    I will practice germinating these seeds and understanding the speed at which they grow.

    I believe it will be important as gecko has said to introduce the fungus at the correct time.

    how long do you have to wait until you introduce the spores or Liquid Culture? I believe the mycelium will only connect with the finer roots.

    How long can you keep a plant alive invitro?

    Is there a way to keep contams out? (perhaps if you were able to contain the soil part of the plant but expose the stem and leaves to outside)

    I personally think LC would work best as you have a head start over spores.

    If you knowledgable souls could continue to give me direction i will document my findings and hopefully get some sucess.

    what i want to do is define a clear game plan.

    I'm with obtuse: this is not just about sucessfully getting one crop of mushrooms this about understanding nature and becoming one step closer to being in tune with it. I would like to write a tek and spread it all over the net.

    another idea might be to feed some of the roots of a semi mature plant (in a large pot) into a nutrient agar ant farm type setup so you can see what is happening close up.

    keep the ideas and info coming in guys it's greatly appreciated.

    cheers

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