u/probablynotac0p

Anyone remember the juggalo web based game "purely speculation." I cant remember much about it. I think it was mostly text based.

Im not trying to stir up controversy but I think fewer people would choose [uncle bens](https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/28500223) if they knew that [PF Tek](https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/24179086) is just a hair more expensive, just a tad more work, but SIGNIFICANTLY more reliable. Many people don't even know that you can do pf tek without a PC.

I also think fewer people would purchase premade substrates if they knew you can make your own bucket of sub for about $3. Its as easy as putting a brick of coir in a bucket and adding water.

Why are so many people willing to overspend or sacrifice reliability by outsourcing the easy parts while the step that will most likely lead to failure, inoculation, is still left for YOU to do.

Clean spawn is king and fruiting isnt a sterile process.

Contams need something to feed on. With healthy and fully colonized spawn, theres no available nutrition for competitors to consume. This is why clean spawn is king. With clean spawn you could fruit in a dumpster. When we mix sub and spawn, we do so in open air. Its safe to do so because our spawn is healthy and fully colonized.

Trich, the most common contam, is everywhere. Its in the air we breathe and on every surface. While mixing sub and spawn, our spawn is being bombarded by trich spores and everything floating around in the air. The good news is that all those airborne competitors do not pose a threat to your spawn since theres no available nutrition for them to consume.

Most of us use a coir based sub which is void of nutrients. This means the sub also has no available nutrition for competitors to consume. I run straight coir, but some people add vermiculite. Verm is very helpful with moisture retention but isnt crucial. Some people add Gypsum to their sub but gypsum plays no measurable beneficial role in your sub. Its also not harmful so its no biggie if you want to use it, despite it being useless.

All the reasons mentioned above is why it doesnt matter how old or dusty your house is. It doesn't matter if you have cats and dogs. Its why tents do nothing to prevent contam, which is a very common misunderstanding. When we rob contam of food, they find somewhere else to eat. Healthy and fully colonized spawn leaves nothing for contams to consume.

Sometimes you may have what appears to be clean spawn, when its actually bacterial. Sometimes bacteria is harder to differentiate from healthy mycelium. The bacteria weakens the mycelium and leaves nutrition available for competitors to consume. This is why sometimes your "healthy" spawn doesnt contam until after it goes to sub. It has nothing to do with your grow area, or your dogs, or that mold growing in your closet. Contam occurs as a result of dirty/uncolonized spawn. Utilizing agar is the best method of obtaining clean spawn.

Having said all that, some people use manure based subs which can actually feed competitors, especially if not properply prepped. IMO, its not worth the elevated risk of contam to use manure. The difference it makes is hardly noticeable and just not worth risk.

Growing your own mushrooms isnt that hard. Theres a high learning curve but the steps themselves arent that challenging. Id say the biggest cause of failure among beginners is their lack of patience. They get too excited to start and end up shorting themselves on the research. Lack of patience is what leads people to buying kits, or AIO bags, which are like paying extra for less reliability. PF Tek is a cheap and easy entry into mycology. DIY will always be cheaper and more reliable. While you're doing pf tek, learn all you can about agar

Things like AIO bags and uncle bens CAN work, but they are less reliable and ultimately more expensive than a DIY route. A person that really needs every dollar and every minute to count would be well advised to avoid AIO and UB. If you just have some money and time to waste, then sure, risk it on the less than reliable routes.

Another cause of many beginners struggle is using poor sources of info. Obviously theres examples of good and bad information from ANY source you may choose, but from what I've seen, you should really avoid reddit and YouTube as much as possible until you learn the fundamentals. Much of reddit seems to be the blind leading the blind. I found shroomery.org to be the best source of accurate information. One very helpful tool they have is the tag they apply to certain users, "trusted cultivator." This tag means the chances are very high that the info is good and reliable. Try to avoid sources of info from places that are also trying to sell you something. Many "shroom supply" companies are snakes that prey upon the uninformed. They trick people into thinking they need unnecessary materials so they can generate more profits. Shameful.

Its important to take the time to learn not just HOW to do each step, but also WHY. Learn why a SAB (still air box) is a crucial tool. Learn why its effective, then you will better understand how to best utilize it. Learn why clean is spawn is king. Learn why agar is crucial in preventing contam . If youre just learning HOW to do the steps, you are lowering your chances for success. Learn the WHYs. Learn why a monotub is ideal for bulk subs. If youre doing cakes, then learn why a SGFC is so much more ideal than putting perlite into a monotub as I see so often here.

Dont go overboard on cleanliness. Wiping the walls with alcohol or lining them with plastic is pointless. Once you learn where contams come from, youll better understand how to protect yourself against them without taking pointless steps.

Heres some general tips from my clipboard:

If agar isnt part of YOUR process then you have to be willing to accept a higher chance of failure.

Humidity comes from your properly prepared sub and is maintained by your dialed in tub. Theres no reason to even measure humidity because that tells you nothing about surface conditions and that's what really matters. You dont need a humidifier.

Theres's no reason to mist plastic. Doing so doesnt improve conditions in any meaningful way. if the sub is dry, thats what needs to be misted.

Don't mist unless your sub is dry. If your properly prepared sub is drying out prior to first flush, you're giving it too much fae.

Fae should be passive not direct, don't fan your tubs.

Ambient light is beneficial at ALL stages of growth and doesn't have to change from spore to harvest.

Heating mats have no place in mycology. 68-75 is an ideal range for all stages of cube growth. A few degrees too cool is better than a few degrees too warm. If you need supplemental heat, a small space heater is more ideal than a heating mat. Heat the room not the shroom in

Condensation only means the temp inside your tub is warmer than ambient temps. It does not represent the health of your tub.

Spore to grain is unreliable. You may see growth in 3 days, 3 weeks, or never. Since spores are inherently dirty, the growth you do get could be dirty. Shooting spores into a prayer bag can work, but it relies very heavily on luck. If agar isn't part of your process then you have to be willing to accept a higher chance of failure. Agar removes much of the luck from the equation

Yield is mostly about genetics and available nutrition. On average you should yield about 1 dry oz per quart of spawn, overall. Many people do much better, but that's a good baseline to aim for.

Here is what I do for each size tub

6qt tub gets 1-2 qts spawn

27qt mini mono gets 2-3 quarts of spawn

55-65qt mono gets 4-6 qts spawn.

I have never measured my sub. Regardless of which tub I use, my sub is about 4inches deep.

A Toyota corolla(SAB) will get you where you need to go. It's very dependable and last forever.

A Mercedes(LFH) will get you there more comfortably, but will also require more "upkeep" in the long run.

Either way, you need to know how to drive(sterile techniques) or you're gonna have a bad time

Sidepins arent caused by light. Blacking out the bottom of your tub isnt harmful, but it is useless. If all conditions for fruiting are met EXCEPT for light, fruits will still grow. A liner will adhere to the sub as it shrinks and prevent a favorable microclimate from forming. Another way to prevent side pins is by lightly tamping down the edges of your tub, and also creating more ideal surface conditions

Run your dehydrator on Full blast until the biggest fruit is cracker dry. 8-12 hrs is usually good, but it depends on size of harvest and the individual fruits. no commercially available dehydrator gets hot enough to have a negative impact on your fruits.

Google "shroomery glossary" for a list of commonly used terms ans acronyms

Here is my wbs prep

Im definitely missing some things, but I've given you plenty of jumping off points for your research. Good luck