TheDudeAbides Posted March 24, 2009 Has anyone tried cutting a cake of mycelium into 2 ? does it work ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ace Posted March 24, 2009 And do what with it? It can certainly be done if you plan on casing it and I'm sure you could even fruit as is (PF style). If you plan on casing, it appears that crumbling the cake into marble sized pieces is the most effective way as you want an even layer of myc to case. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Genesis Posted March 24, 2009 (edited) Like Ace said, once you have a fully covered cake you can do what you like with it. You could split the cake in two, fruit one half and use the other to make a bulk grow. Personally I would have a look at the pinned threads and have a gander at the bulk substrate tek written by I think Ace or Hyphalknot (One of the two, both very smart gentlemen). It is really not worth fruiting a cake unless you are after a few fruit, not even enough for a meal. With a little effort and some know how you could turn one cake into 20 bulk grows. May take a little while but it could be done Good luck man, let us know what you end up doing. Gen *Edit: New stuff* It was written by Hyphalknot and the link is: http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/inde...showtopic=14230 Worth a read even if you don't want to bulk grow. Edited March 24, 2009 by Genesis Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
obtuse Posted March 24, 2009 (edited) I'm repeating whats allready been said but: yes. once mycelium has fully colonised a substrate, or in this case a cake, it can be manipulated quite easily, as the risk of contaminants is a lot less than in earleir stages of colonisation. so you can cut it in half, or break it up as ace has mentioned, its up to you. cheers. (lol. beat me to it Genesis. thanks for posting that info.) Edited March 24, 2009 by obtuse Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheDudeAbides Posted March 25, 2009 so simply get one cake and make it into two and the you can have to seperate ackes fuiting? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ace Posted March 25, 2009 (edited) you can have to seperate ackes fuiting? You can, but the fruits will be slightly fewer on each cake because the substrate is halved between them. To illustrate that a bit better, if you were to cut the cake in equal halves, and one of those halves into equal halves, giving you 3 cakes (two small and one medium sized), while it is all the same mycelium and substrate, the cropping would be directly affected by it (the smaller cakes would have less fruits than the medium, and about 1/4 the amount of the full, original, cake). Hope that makes sense Of course that eg is under ideal circumstances, and reality is often quite different, so who knows how you'd go. But yeah, definately possible. Edited March 25, 2009 by Ace Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Undergrounder Posted March 25, 2009 Yeah mike but the energy feeding into the fruits would be halved so you wouldn't just double the yield that way if that's what you're thinking Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MindExpansion Posted March 25, 2009 Perhaps sit them in a shallow dish of nutrient rich water with some peroxide in it... Have seen cakes sat in a dish of water so they can suck it up as they go, not sure if it added much benifit but its an idea. Peace Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheDudeAbides Posted March 25, 2009 so im guessing no one has tried it then Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MindExpansion Posted March 26, 2009 Have seen it done. Don't really see the advantage. Peace Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Genesis Posted March 26, 2009 so im guessing no one has tried it then I am sure many of us have tried it... Advice: Don't fruit cakes. Cakes = Shit. Use cakes to make bulk. Bulk = Fucking grand. N00bs heart cakes because everyone hypes them u in teks as the fools way to grow mushrooms. IMO cakes are much harder to keep than a bulk, if you can make a cake you can make a bulk PIECE OF PISS. Can't be put any easier... Bulk it man, do it. Right now... Gen Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deXtrous Posted March 26, 2009 I disagree also.. Cakes are so much easier. Less to pasteurise/pressure cook and you don't have to worry about pH balancing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Genesis Posted March 28, 2009 ^^ Disagrees. That's because your an idiot Why do you disagree? IMHO I have found cakes to be a nightmare, keeping them moist is a primo problem. I think I have only had one cake that didn't dry up. Bulk grow is so much easier and if done right zero contams. Had issues with contams have we ME? Maybe you should wear gloves Nothing worse than the greenmould-o-death. Even if you only get one flush from a bulk then get a contam between flushes the yeild will be so much larger in comparison to a cake (I have second flush contam problems). I rekon you have to be crazy not to bulk. Gen Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
G*P Posted March 28, 2009 pans are are hard.. woodlovers are hard.. bulk/casing is hard.. RUBBISH!!! Get into pans, woodlovers and bulk! Forget cubes and cakes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ayjay101 Posted March 30, 2009 so im guessing no one has tried it then Yep ppl have def tried this - the cakes can be split with no worries, each part will go on to have a life of its own. As has been said already, it's a good way to spawn other media and also increase mycelial surface area ie: cut a cylinder shaped cake long ways down the middle and lay them flat parts down with the curved sides facing up to maximise the surface area facing the light above. Be sure you slice each cake with something sterile, like a fresh piece of fishing line rubbed with metho. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
