Slow growing

hi, i started fruiting a couple weeks ago after what i thought was a beautiful colonization. Since then there has only a few pins, some grew along the edges of the tub( not side pinning, but the edge of the cake by the liner i used) but a dozen or so pins seemed to have failed.

Ive noticed the cake is kind of dry while there is a slight build up of water underneath the liner i used from misting the walls of the tub.

Can you advise me to how i can revive this grow?

I have another All-in-one grow bag that i have innoculated but also seems to have lost all its growth after i shook up the grain and substrate.

Can i soak the cake like begining a second flush? Or would breaking it up and mixing it with the 2nd bag into 2 boxes an option?

I am still quite inexperienced with growing.

Golden Teacher strain btw

Thanks

Hi, could you please add a few photos of your cake (a full top view, some shots from the sides) and your monotub + its air holes?

Use "Add Images" button and type a few words for posting

This would soooo helpful in figuring out what's going on. Because sometimes newbie growers describe completely different issue from what they actually have...

Anyway, mixing the 2 bags together is not a solution! Based on your description, soaking the cake in water may be a good option, but let me check the cake first and I'll guide you on what to do next

I am using the filter patches that came with the tubs. Would using micropore tape be better?

The cake cracked on me as i lifted the liner and noticed the build up of water underneath. I also picked the few mushrooms that did grow as well as the duds.

Your cake looks fine overall. There are many tiny knots, so that give us hope. Let's soak the cake in cold water for 2-4 hours. You can do it right in the tub. More details on how to do it here: Rehydration.

Don't worry, the crack in the cake is not a problem!

There are a few tiny shrooms with black caps here:

Aborted pins

They are Mushroom aborts. Nothing bad, just pick them before rehydration, since they won't grow anymore.

Filter patches work fine for your tub, you don't need to change them.

Note for the future! After mixing grain spawn with bulk substrate, it’s better to add about a 1/3 inch (≈1 cm) layer of bulk substrate on top to cover all the grains. And tamp the whole cake a little. After full colonization and after each rehydration you can add a Casing layer (substrate based on peat moss), but it's optional and you can skip it for the first attempts.

A week after soaking the cake, I am in the same situation with only having a couple mushrooms grow around the edge. There are a couple pins throughout that don’t seem to be taking off by the time the others finish growing.

After harvesting all the shrooms, let's try adding a thin casing or pseudo-casing layer. You have nothing to lose anyway, and it may help.

Choose the recipe depending on which ingredients you already have.

Pseudo casing layer – is just the same pasteurized coco coir substrate (CVG) you made for making the cake:

• coco coir - 130g coco coir (1/5 coco brick)

• vermiculite - 1.5 cups

• gypsum - 1/5 cup (1 tablespoon)

• hydrated lime (aka calcium hydroxide Ca(OH)2) - 1 tablespoon - optional!

• water - 3.5 cups

OR

True casing layer recipe (this one is better to use):

• peat moss (aka sphagnum) - 2 cups (Amazon)

• vermiculite - 1 cup (Amazon)

• hydrated lime (aka calcium hydroxide Ca(OH)2) - 1 tablespoon (Amazon)

• water - 1 cup

Cover the cake with pseudo/true casing layer. The thickness should be ~1/3 inch or 1cm. And just wait... hopefully we'll see some changes 🤞

Let me know if everything clear :-)

First time dipping my toe into mycology, so please see here if I am on the right path. This is about 10 days and the pins are looking pretty weird. Please let me know if this is salvageable or cut my losses. There is also a couple chunks of primordial forming in the corners. Am I just being impatient, or should I give it more time?

Hey, what strain do you grow?

Don't worry, the cake overall and all the pins are absolutely fine!

They will change dramatically in the nearest 2-5 days. So, just be patient and watch them grow ;-)