So, tell me Bloke... How Do YOU Grow Shrooms?

[A Bloke Down The Pub]

Is this substrate good for the other types of fungus also?

Some of them (Pan cyanescens, for one) will colonise the BRF substrate, but most of them won't fruit (produce mushrooms) well on the BRF.
As I said, I'd only recommend P. cubensis for the beginner.
If you want to investigate other species, the Shroomery or Mycotopia are the places to go for info.

Straw/manure substrates will work well for a lot more species, but you really need to make grain (I've used popcorn & rye) spawn and then use that to inoculate bulk straw/grain bags.

For the woodlovers (P. cyanescens, P. azureus etc.) a substrate with woodchips or sawdust works best.

You add in H2O2 in to your water and fish tank heater?

No. I don't bother.
Most of the time they're in the dark, so algae aren't a problem and bacteria don't really have much of a chance to get going in the few weeks a run takes.
I used to add a couple of teaspoons of bleach, but it didn't make any difference when I stopped, so.........

[A Bloke Down The Pub]

The shroom mycelium grows best in a constant temperature, so a water bath arrangement is a good way to go.

I use a couple of plastic boxes like this:

As you should be able to see, there's water in the bottom, along with an aquarium heater & thermostat.

There's enough water to just float a second box when it's slid into the first, like this:

Don't add too much water, or it will spill over the sides when the weight of the jars is added.

There's also some insulation (old foam pillows!) taped around the side to help keep the temperature steady and prevent condensation.

The jars are popped in, the lid closed, some more insulation slapped on top, and the thermostat set to 26C

That's it.... now we just wait until the jars colonise.

[ben ttech]

Legal status

P. mexicana, MexicoMain article: Legal status of psilocybin mushrooms
Psilocybin and psilocin are listed as Schedule I drugs under the United Nations 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances.[1] Schedule I listed drugs are described as having a high potential for abuse and no recognized medical uses. This status is reflected in the drug laws of the majority of the world's nations. Possession and use of psilocybin mushrooms, including the bluing species of Psilocybe, is therefore prohibited by extension. However, in many national, state, and provincial drug laws, there is a great deal of ambiguity about the legal status of psilocybin mushrooms, as well as a strong element of selective enforcement in some places.[citation needed]The legal status of Psilocybe spores is even more ambiguous, as the spores contain neither psilocybin nor psilocin, and hence are not illegal to sell or possess in many jurisdictions, though many jurisdictions will prosecute under broader laws prohibiting items that are used in drug manufacture. A few jurisdictions (such as the US states of California, Georgia, and Idaho) have specifically prohibited the sale and possession of psilocybin mushroom spores. Cultivation of psilocybin mushrooms is considered drug manufacture in most jurisdictions and is often severely penalized, though some countries and one US state have ruled that growing psilocybin mushrooms does not qualify as "manufacturing" a controlled substance.[citation needed] Psychedelic mushrooms as well as other "soft drugs" which are stronger than cannabis but not synthetic, are legally available through smart shops in Amsterdam, despite widespread rumors of mushrooms being illegal.

[Dick Hertz]

Great thread Bloke! The only thing that I would mention is that the cakes themselves can also be used to make a very potent brew and that exposure to light of a certain wavelength greatly enhances pinhead formation

[A Bloke Down The Pub]

Great thread Bloke! The only thing that I would mention is that the cakes themselves can also be used to make a very potent brew

Hmmm, not so sure about "potent". There's nowhere near as much psilocybin/psilocin in the growing mycelium as there is in the shrooms, and you need quite a few cakes to make a decent dose (I tried making tea with two cakes and a pint of hot water and it was very weak indeed. )
Plus it's difficult to separate out the vermiculite, so you end up with a case of the "glitter shits"

and that exposure to light of a certain wavelength greatly enhances pinhead formation

Probably, but ordinary fluorescent lights also do a good job and initiate plenty of pins.

[Dick Hertz]

My info is that distribution of the psylocin and psylocybin is uniform throughout but it was years ago that I read it. I believe it was in The Mushroom Cultivator.
At any rate it is easily tested, just brew some tea with one. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

[A Bloke Down The Pub]

At any rate it is easily tested, just brew some tea with one. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

I did, I wasn't.

(and wherever you read it, it wasn't The Mushroom Cultivator... )

[Dick Hertz]

It might have been this piece by Adam Gotlieb that I am recalling.
http://www.erowid.org/plants/mushrooms/ ... on20.shtml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
They warn that it does contain significant inaccuracies but I have had some pretty good results making a tea as I said. No hallucinations but definitely felt the effects.
The cake I used was the same one I used to innoculate my next run, it was very young mycellium. That may make a difference over using one that has finished fruiting.

[ben ttech]

no hallucinations sounds like a dud to me...

[A Bloke Down The Pub]

The fun starts here: http://myplanetganja.com/viewtopic.php? ... 68&start=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;