328 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
328 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
H O W T O G R O W M A G I C M U S H R O O M S
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------------------------------------------------------------------------
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This is the rather sketchy instruction sheet for growing magic mushrooms
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(Psilocybe cubensis) from spores that is provided with spore prints sold
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by the HOMESTEAD BOOK COMPANY which advertises in High Times.
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---
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SPORE INSTRUCTIONS
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We recommend that you consult a reputable book before attempting to culture
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your mushroom spores. GROWING WILD MUSHROOMS by Bob Harris is especially
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recommended. Other books that should provide you with information
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necessary are PSILOCYBIN MAGIC MUSHROOM GROWERS GUIDE by Oss & Oeric and
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HOW TO GROW AND IDENTIFY PSILOCYBIN MUSHROOMS by Stevens and Gee.
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For best results we recommend the malt-agar medium and compost included in
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the HOMESTEAD MUSHROOM KITS. However, if you wish to try cultivating your
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spores without the mushroomkit, please follow these very basic instructions.
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Using sterile technique and a sterile inoculating loop, smear a very small,
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almost invisible amount of spores onto a prepared petri dish or other
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enclosed container containing malt extract agar media, etc.. Leave at room
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temperature or warmer in an enclosed area for three to five days at which
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time mycelial growth should be evident. The mycelium will be pure white
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fluffy strands, which might stain in light blue. Mold or contamination can be
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identified as off-white, green, or blue-green with age. Bacteria will form a
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film on surface of agar and look wet compared to moist agar. Remove any
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contamination immediately with the agar knife.
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After the mycelium has covered the agar surface, cut into sections about 1/2
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square inch or larger and place into the sterile grain in a test tube or jar
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which has been pressure cooked at 15 lbs. pressure for 30 to 60 minutes. Use
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cotton or insulation to cover the mouth of jars or tubes, then cover with
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aluminum foil to keep sterile. The grain should be incubated at room
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temperature to 85 degrees F. for five to ten days or until it is completely
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grown through by the mycelium. Mushrooms can be transferred to compost at
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this point for highest yield.
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Mycelium can be cased right in the jars or removed and placed in another
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container. Using another container with drainage is preferable. Use a mixture
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of 1 to 1 to 1/2 of peat moss, vermiculite, and lime (not lime flour!), or
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sterile loam for casing. Casing should be sterilized in the pressure cooker
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to prevent contamination by bugs. Casing layer should be kept moist but not
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saturated with water. Air humidity should be 80 to 100, temperature 70 to 80
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degrees F. Lowering temperature 10 to 20 degrees at night is beneficial.
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Fruiting should occur at 10 to 14 days and continue for about two weeks.
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After about 30 to 40 days another flush should occur. Mushrooms are picked
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before the cap is completely open and any aborts or diseased specimens should
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be removed
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The procedures for growing Psilocybe cyanescens differ slightly from
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Ps. cubensis. To induce fruiting, the temperature must be reduced to
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45 to 55 degrees F. Some people use an old refrigerator. It will not fruit
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on grain, but must be transferred to a wood bark mulch, especially conifer.
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===========================================================================
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The following recipes are excerpted from
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PSILOCYBIN: MAGIC MUSHROOM GROWERS GUIDE
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by O.T.Oss and O.N.OERIC.
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(These should fill in the gaps in the previous instructions.)
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---
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A recipe for Malt Extract Agar (MEA) follows.
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To 1 liter of gently boiling water add a previously weighed and
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mixed powder containing:
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20.0 grams malt or malt extract (may be powder or syrup)
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5.0 grams or 5 milliters cornsteep liquor (optional)
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25.0 grams agar
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0.1 gram Potassium phosphate dibasic (K2HPO4)
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0.1 gram Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) (powdered oyster shell may be used)
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Bring the liter of water to a boil and add the other ingredients.
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Gently boil for 10 minutes or until the solution is clear. Take care
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not to let the solution boil over. Add enough water to return the
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total volume of the solution to 1 liter. Pour the solution while
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still hot into petri plates, baby food jars, or slant culture tubes.
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Use just enough to cover the bottom of a plate or baby food jar to a
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depth of about 1/4 inch; if using tubes, fill about 1/4 full. Pour
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the medium, put the covers on the plates. The solution may be allowed
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to cool or sterilized immediately.
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Once one has prepared an agar medium and poured it into the petri
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plates, baby food jars or other suitable receptacles, it is necessary
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to sterilize the medium in the receptacles in order to kill the
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spores of bacteria, yeasts, and other molds which get into the medium
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from the air. This can be done via the following procedure: If a
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laboratory autoclave is not available, a standard home cooking or
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canning pressure cooker can be used. Place a small amount of water in
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the bottom of the cooker (tap water will do) so that the bottom is
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covered. Place the receptacles containing the medium into the
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pressure cooker. Note: if using pre-sterilized plastic plates, pour
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the medium into the plates AFTER sterilizing; DO NOT AUTOCLAVE
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PLASTIC PLATES.
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It does not matter whether the medium is still hot and liquid or
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whether it has been allowed to cool and solidify, since the heat of
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the sterilization process will reliquify the medium anyway. If baby
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food jars or culture tubes are used, BE CERTAIN THAT THE LIDS ARE
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LEFT LOOSE, NOT SCREWED DOWN TIGHT, when they are being sterilized.
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Now ... Follow the pressure cooking/sterilization
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procedure used below for mason jars.
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After the medium has been sterilized and the pressure cooker cooled
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to room temperature, remove the lid and carefully remove the
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receptacles containing the medium. Place the receptacles inside a
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pre-sterilized inoculating hood, or on a clean, smooth table top
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which has been wiped down with Lysol or similar strong disinfectant.
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As the receptacles cool further, the medium will solidify. When the
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receptacles have cooled completely to room temperature, and the
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medium is fully solidified, they are ready to be inoculated.
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---
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To prepare the rye grain medium, begin with a clean, widemouth quart
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mason jar with a dome and ring lid. Add the following ingredients
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to the jar in these proportions:
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112.0 grams whole rye grains
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2.0 grams Calcium carbonate (CaCO3)
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0.2 gram Potassium phosphate (K2HPO4) (optional)
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160-180 milliliters tap or distilled water
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The potassium phosphate, if unavailable, can be omitted. The calcium
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carbonate need not be of great purity: powdered oyster shell,
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powdered limestone, or powdered chalk is suitable.
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When the ingredients have been added to each jar in the proper
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proportions, the lids should be screwed LOOSELY onto the jars,
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WITH THE RUBBER SEAL OF THE INNER LIDS INVERTED so that the
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jars will not seal during sterilization.
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Now the jars containing the rye can be sterilized. Barely cover the
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bottom of the pressure cooker with tap water. Place the jars in the
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cooker, MAKING SURE THE LIDS ARE LOOSE. If one's pressure cooker is
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large enough to permit, jars can be stacked in two tiers without
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difficulty. Seal the lid of the pressure cooker, but leave the
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stopcock open until a head of steam begins to vent from the stopcock.
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Then close the stopcock, and bring to 15-20 lbs. pressure. Reduce
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heat when this pressure is reached so that pressure is maintained but
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does not increase. This is about medium heat on an electric stove.
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Sterilize at this pressure for one hour. Remove from the heat and
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allow the pressure to return to zero before removing the lid from
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the pressure cooker.
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Remove each jar and tighten the lid down finger tight. One will note
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on removing the jars that the rye has absorbed the water and swelled
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to several times its previous volume. After shaking, leave the lids
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tightened until the jars have cooled.Place the jars into a
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pre-sterilized inoculating hood (if available) or onto the clean,
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disinfected working surface. Then let the jars cool for at least two
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hours or to room temperature.
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When the jars have cooled completely to room temperature, and are no
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longer warm to the touch, they are ready to be inoculated.
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---
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A variety of types of casing soils have been found to effectively
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promote fruiting of magic mushrooms. We have found the following
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mixture to be one of the best:
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7.5 liters peat moss
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3.5 liters fine vermiculite
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4.0 liters washed fine sand
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2.9 liters calcium carbonate (finely crushed oyster shell)
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If you wish you may sterilize casing soil before use at 15-20 lbs.
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pressure for 30 minutes. It can be sterilized dry, or wetted first.
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Casing soil can be stored indefinitely in a large glass jar, or in a
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polyethylene bag. If a glass jar is used it can be sterilized with
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the casing soil in it.
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---
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When one or more of the inoculated jars of rye have been completely
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permeated by mycelium, one can move on to the next step: casing. In
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the method outlined here casing consists of removing the dome and
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band lid of the jar, and covering the surface of the permeated rye
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with about 1/2 to 3/4 inch (1/2 cup for quart jars) of sterilized
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soil. The soil cannot be applied dry, but should be wetted slightly
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using chlorine-free tap or distilled water. Once in the jar the soil
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should be shaken level and wetted a bit more with a fine mist
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sprayer. A fine mist spray must be used to avoid sealing the surface
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of the casing soil. Use the following rule of thumb: spray the casing
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soil just enough so that the soil is moistened throughout, but no
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water passes through the soil into the mycelium. In other words,
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moisten thoroughly, BUT DO NOT SATURATE, the soil.
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=======================================================================
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This procedure is from the book
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MAGIC MUSHROOM CULTIVATION
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by Steven H. Pollock, M.D.
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---
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The Simplest Technique from Scratch
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The simplest cultivation technique for growing magic mushrooms from spores
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requires very little in the way of supplies. All that is needed is some
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manure, vermiculite, water, canning jars, a pressure cooker, and of course
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spores. This technique works well for San Isidro (Psilocybe cubensis) and
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other mushrooms which grow on dung in nature, especially Panaeolus
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species.
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The selection of manure is very important. Slightly aged manure should be
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used. If the manure is too fresh, it is messy to work with. But if it is
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too old, it is less suitable as a growth medium. Because of its porous
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texture, horse manure is preferable to cattle manure but manure from other
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herbivorous mammals, such as sheep and even elephants, can be used for
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growing mushrooms. Composted manure is excellent. If the manure is
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gathered directly from a stall in a stable after breaking down for over a
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year, however, it is sometimes unsuitable for this method. Do not use
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commercially packaged manure either. After commercial processing, it is
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usually more like dirt than real manure. Sometimes farms will sell cow
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manure that has been largely separated from dirt by a machine and placed
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in a huge pile, where it begins to compost. This is ideal!
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After manure is selected, the next step is to pour some vermiculite (about
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1/4 to 1/3 cup) into a wide mouth canning jar. Then add some manure. You
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should not overdo it. Add enough o cover the vermiculite with a layer of
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about 1 to 1-1/2 inch manure. The amount is not critical. For instance, it
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is not necessary to cover all the vermiculite. The purpose of the
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vermiculite is to hold moisture and to keep the manure from burning into
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the bottom if the jar when it is steam sterilized in the pressure cooker.
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The manure layer need not have uniform thickness. In fact, it is best to
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use relatively small broken pieces of manure with irregular shapes in
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order to provide plenty of surface area for growing mycelia. Besides,
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relatively large intact pieces of manure tend to be more resistant to
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complete sterilization in the pressure cooker.
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After the manure layer is in place, squirt it well with water from a spray
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bottle. It is desirable to start with plenty of water so as to produce an
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environment with adequate moisture for the spores to germinate. Pressure
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cooking tends to dry out the manure unless there is sufficient water. If
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water cannot be easily seen accumulating at the bottom of the jar in the
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vermiculite layer after spraying, then add about 1/8 cup water (more or
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less as deemed necessary). Too much water, however, can cause the manure
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to undergo dissolution into a muddy consistency during sterilization. This
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is not desirable. An advantage of uncomposted horse manure is that it is
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rather resistant to dissolution during sterilization. It should not take
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much effort to get the knack of how much water to use. Prepare as many
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jars as desired, the more the better. Other glass containers, such as
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Erlenmeyer flasks, may be used in lieu of canning jars for this method of
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starting spores, but canning jars are convenient and practical.
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After enough water has been added, place the dome of each canning jar lid
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upside down over the mouth of each jar so that the rubber seal faces up
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and screw on the band of each lid. Leave it loose because the object is to
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allow pressure on the inside of the jar to equilibrate with that in the
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pressure cooker. If flasks or other glass containers are being used,
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cotton plugs can be employed with aluminum foil as an outer wrapping. A 22
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quart pressure cooker holds 7 quart canning jars. A large pressure cooker
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with room for two layers of quart jars allows for greater production.
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Place the jars on a bottom rack in the pressure cooker and add water.
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Usually about three quarts of water is sufficient for a 22 quart cooker.
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One way to be sure enough water has been added is to fill the pressure
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cooker until the jars start to tip over from floating and then to scoop
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out some water with a small cup to prevent this. Pressure cookers that do
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not require a rubber gasket are a better buy, but either type will work
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fine. Be sure to use a little vaseline to obtain a good seal with either
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type. Then pressure cook the jars at 15 lbs. pressure for a full hour from
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the time the pressure has reached 15 lbs. After the steam sterilization is
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completed, allow the pressure cooker and contents to cool. Open the
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pressure lock to release any excess residual pressure and remove the jars.
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Screw the lids tight until ready to begin spore inoculation.
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To prepare for spore inoculation, heat the end of a wire loop or probe,
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dull knife, or any other suitable object in the flame of an alcohol lamp
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or gas burner on a stove until it begins to glow. Then carefully set it
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down being sure to keep the end from touching anything. It is best to lay
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down the wire loop or equivalent object at the edge of a counter so that
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the heat sterilized end is not near any surface. Carefully unfold a spore
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print if it is folded. Then lift off the lid of the jar to be inoculated,
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removing both the band and inverted dome together. As soon as the two
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piece lid is off, turn it over so that the dome will not fall out and set
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it down. Pick up the unfolded spore print and hold it at an acute angle
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over the jar with one hand. The spore print should be facing the jar. With
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the other hand take the loop and scrape off some spores, letting them fall
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into the jar. Gentle tapping of the spore print with the loop insures that
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lots of spores will fall into the jar. Do not overdo the tapping as it is
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not good to cause air currents. Then put the lid back on the jar with the
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rubber seal of the dome still facing up. Do not screw the band too tight
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since it is necessary to let oxygen diffuse into the jar and carbon
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dioxide out.
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Many jars can be started from one large spore print. During the entire
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inoculating procedure, it is important to work in a draft-free area.
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Therefore keep doors and windows closed and do not run heating or air
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conditioning for at least several hours before making the spore
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inoculations. It is also important to control breathing when inoculating
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the jars, since breathing over the open jars may contaminate them. It is
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not really necessary in most cases to wear a mask, but it may make a
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difference for some enthusiasts.
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In anywhere from three days to a couple of weeks, depending on the age of
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the spore print, white mycelia would be noticeable on each jar at
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multiple sites on the manure. San Isidro mycelia are more fluffy than
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mycelia from Panaeolus. If contaminants start to grow, they will usually
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be some other color, most often green. Since manure is a natural substrate
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for the mushroom species being grown, ordinarily growth of mushroom
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mycelia rather than contaminants will be favored. San Isidro mycelia will
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frequently complete growth and commence to form mushrooms within a month
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but may take up to six weeks or rarely longer. Panaeolus species are
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slower to make mushrooms in small containers. Furthermore, when mushrooms
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are grown in small containers such as quart jars, they tend to be much
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smaller than when grown in larger containers or on compost outdoors.
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Therefore magic mushroom growers might reasonably wish to use mycelia in
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the quart jars as "spawn" for larger containers or compost beds. It is
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advisable to refrain from using such spawn for large scale cultivation
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projects until after it has been observed to make mushrooms.
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=============================================================================
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MYCELIUM.TXT 13-JUL-90
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