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Shecodestoo

As a dev this was a nice read and ye tailwind is awesome,. Despite the snippy comments, wanna say thank you for such a visually rich guide. I’m a visual learner so this been a big help just to see stuff ❤️

Shroomok avatar Shroomok

Hi @Kitty555, glad to see you... again ;)

Actually, after the very 1st flush, all the next flushes go easier and faster (10-15 days for the next crop). You don't have to take care of your cake every day! Just soak it, make sure you have air vents in your growbox/monotub (or flip the top lid upside down to have a gap between lid and box for airflow) and that's it!
No problem if you leave the cake unattended for a few days, or week, or even until harvest.

What would I do in your case?

1) The best way. Store fully colonized grain spawn jars/bags for up to 4 month in the refrigerator and make 'fresh' cakes when you have time to take care of them. This method is less stressful for mycelium, less risks of contamination and you'll get a good harvest.
More details here: https://shroomok.com/en/wiki/How_to_store_Mushroom_Spawn_for_a_long_time_and_postpone_Spawn_to_Bulk

2) Fruiting outdoors. Bury cake in the garden (or in a plant pot) and let nature do its job. It is possible if the day/night temperature within 50-85F or 10-30С and of course, if this option feasible in your environment.
Find examples here: https://shroomok.com/en/wiki/Disposing_of_magic_mushrooms_cakes

3) After all, if you REALLY need to pause the process from one flush to the next it is better to do the next.
Mist the cake or soak in water as described in this guide. Then put it in a clean plastic bag to retain moisture and store it in the refrigerator to slow down the growth (up to 2-3 weeks at 36-54F or 2-12C). If the cake is wet enough you can soak it AFTER the storing in a refrigerator. Then provide fruiting conditions and wait for the flush.
However, it could be stressful for mycelium, higher risk of contam, yield could be lower or even 0.

If you store cake back in the dark in a fruiting chamber (without rehydration) here are the possible scenarios:
1) cake dries out and mycelium dies -> Game over!
2) cake will bear fruit in the dark if there is enough moisture -> Such magic :)

Good luck with your experiments!

Kitty555

Hi Shroomok, is there a chance to pause the process from one flush to the next? The reason is that I am not always at home and cannot care all the time about my growth. I was thinking store the cake back in the dark and simply not rehydrate it after the previous harvest. What will happen?

Shroomok avatar Shroomok

@On.point.paul don't worry, should be fine! After harvesting soak the cake in water for 2-4 hours (check the next step of this guide) and you'll see new pins growing again (typically within 3-10 days).
Good luck!

On.point.paul

@shroomok I misunderstood harvest suggestions and picked my pins after the first flush. Will I still get a decent second flush or have I potentially stunted the grow?

Shroomok avatar Shroomok

Hello @Kitty555

Yes, it is possible to play with truffle grow box, but only mycelium samples should be used to inoculate the grain. Mycelium before sclerotia forms is the best. Don't use sclerotia stones for your G2G transfer!
It is also possible (and better) to use mycelium samples for further Agar work.

The sterility routine is crucial. There is no 100% guarantee of the result, but your approach has a better chance of success ;)
Looking forward to your experiments and updates.

Enjoy and good luck,
Shroomok

Kitty555

Hello Shroomok, same question as @Kennedy but with truffles out of a truffle grow box (truffles are still growing and box isn't open yet). Can I use the grain2grain technique with the still air box to produce the truffles in my own jars?

Erik

Hi! I used your guide using glas jars with rubber injection ports and air locks. Pc for 1,5 h. Injected with a syringe front a online store. For some reason I got green mold in all 6 jars. That was a really big surprise. Any ideas what went wrong?

Shroomok avatar Shroomok

Hey @WhatDPluck??

In this write up, I wanted to show the entire process from spore print/syringe to final harvest, which took about 8 months. So yes, it's a longread!

It is much easier to navigate if you click on the "Table of contents" to see all steps and subtitles.

Regarding substrate description. At the beginning of this step (Step 2) I mentioned:
1) what grain is the best to use
2) what I'd avoid and why
3) what I prefer to use.

Then you can see a few options of substrates for YOUR choice:
1) how to prepare whole grain (oats, rye, millet, wild bird seeds, wheat, barley). The process is the same for ANY type of whole grain. The only difference is a simmering time. As an example I showed the process with whole oats.
2) how to prepare rye grass seeds (recipe)
3) how to prepare BRF substrate (recipe)
Just choose one ;)

Perhaps this guide for making grain substrate + additional recipes here will be more helpful for you: https://shroomok.com/en/wiki/Cooking_the_substrate_for_psilocybes

Lastly, I'm always urging growers to do more DIY and, of course, make their own grain jars/bags. Why? The quality will be better, you can make them anytime you want and it will be much cheaper! Just take a look 'Start making your own grain substrate for mushrooms and save money': https://shroomok.com/amazon-kits/grain-substrate-for-mushrooms

Let me know if you have a specific question or need details about a step you are struggling with.
I'm always glad to help and ready to add/update information if something is unclear to readers.

Thank you!
Shroomok

Shroomok avatar Shroomok

Hi @Kitty555

B+ STRAIN (aka SUBspecies) belongs to Psilocybe Cubensis species. NONE of the Psilocybe Cubensis strains (B+ in particular) produce sclerotia. Therefore, if you want magic truffles, you need to have the proper species (not a strain of P.Cubensis) that is genetically capable of producing truffles. You've mentioned them already: Psilocybe Tampanensis, Psilocybe Mexicana (Jalisco, Mexicana A, Psilocybe Pajaritos), Psilocybe Galindoi, Psilocybe Atlantis, Psilocybe Atl#7.

For a better understanding of mushroom genetics take a look at the Mushroom Genetic Tree here: https://shroomok.com/articles:mushroom-strains – it's a graph, which consists of Mushroom categories -> species -> strains -> hybrids/crosses/isolations.

B+ is a good one for beginners in mushrooom cultivation. To grow Psilocybe Cubensis B+ and any other Cubensis strain follow 20 steps of my growing diary here: https://shroomok.com/articles:grow-mushrooms-at-home-guide

Best of luck in your endeavors🤞