How to grow mushrooms at home: Shoebox Tek 

Excellent!

That’s good to hear because I’m going to try it also after having so so flushes from one huge mono tub cake from a 5 lb spawn bag. And of course. Blobs.

Good luck 👍

how did they turn out?

Contamination can happen with any tek, I wouldn't blame the tek I would just retry it

@@ixxgxx They turned out okay. I like P. Natalensis better as they are just as strong as PE and much easier to grow.

@@Chocongo4me i was able to get about 70% 3/4 floor flushes out of about 10 shoeboxes. even second flushes.

Also Edward Grand seems legitimate. Sage (Mycophylia) is great also, but has pushed some questionable products in the last year. I essentially gave up on YT mycology after the Rookie Mycologist infomercial channel started last year.

Thanks for commenting, I appreciate the endorsement.

​@@ineffably_describedyeh I can't believe how many subs rookie has now and is basically regurgitating others ppls yt channels

and still dont know what theyre doing lol

can you see through the top of the shoebox that the carpet is fully white from colonization before taking lid off to fruit?

My pleasure 🙏

Compression certainly helps remove the tiny gaps that produce the microclimates responsible for side/bottom pinning, but it's not a guaranteed fix. Liners cling to the substrate and make the best contact.

I'm sure that I could get away with another Liter or so, without exceeding field capacity. I haven't experienced a need for more water yet, though.

I vary the amount of water I use depending on how much verm I add. Half a quart of water per quart of additional verm.@@StipeCap

Doesn't waste anything, and yes, it becomes completely colonized.

@@StipeCap I don't understand. Wouldn't colonizing all that additional material consume energy as the substrate doesn't have any nutritional value? I've always wanted to learn more on substrate so any answers/insights hugely appreciated. I haven't come a good source that explains/understands it... Except for you!!

The substrate is just an inert water reservoir and latticework for the mycelium to colonize, the energy/nutrients are supplied by the cereal grains which provide all the necessary micro and micronutrients for the mycelium. This is why nutritional supplements and nitrogen-rich substrates are unnecessary. All supplementation is provided by the grain. Most gourmet blocks are supplemented at between 15-25% using bran; a 1:6 spawn-to-substrate ratio is 28% supplementation by comparison. Bran is a grain supplement, grains are nutrient and calorie-dense food that is capable of supporting the entire life cycle of the colony. Any substrate that contains nitrogen or other supplements requires either pasteurization, or sterilization, depending upon the source/nature of supplementation. This is why coir and vermiculite are preferable due to their inert nature. Cereal grains for spawn production ARE the food/supplementation, making the addition of more in the way of substrate amendments like manure, coffee, or any other source of nutrients not only unnecessary but complicates the process with the requirement to pasteurize. Nutrient-dense substrates promote the growth of mold when improperly processed. The risk-to-reward ratio is skewed too far toward risk. Spawn is all that is required.

The only ingredient measured by weight is the coir. Everything else is volumetric.

Gypsum is unnecessary, especially in the substrate. You can dub tub if you prefer, I prefer to do it this way, is all.

​@@StipeCap Hi there, could you elaborate on why you feel gypsum is unnecessary?

@@MissBlackMetal Gypsum isn't necessary for the healthy growth of all species, it is more often used in the gourmet industry because of the species grown and the limited amount of spawn used. Active species rely upon the excessive use of cereal grains to function as nutritional supplementation to fuel spawn run and fructification. Gourmet production blocks rely heavily on amendments like gypsum, bran, soy hulls, etc, to reduce the requirement for excessive spawn use and production. You can use gypsum if you want but it's unnecessary because we already over-supplement with grain spawn. Many active species are sensitive to over-supplementation, as well as mutant varieties.

Can't stack dub-tubs.

Yep, that happens due to the layers being separated by compression. This is why the psuedo-casing can function as a casing layer, totally normal, nothing to worry about. With the excess substrate, 20 days is bang on. 👌 Also, you can use clear plastic for liner materials so you can monitor performance.

Light is beneficial at all stages of growth. Some PE requires casing, some don't. You can spawn to unicorn bags if they're employed as fruiting chambers with coir/vermiculite.

Yep, bottle grows are a thing

All American 75x

Coir and vermiculite are cheap, do it yourself.

Steel wool doesn't sound very absorbent, but yes, essentially. Any inert material capable of holding sufficient water will work.

Mix it thoroughly by shaking it all together with the lid on.

Mixed into bottom layer, then topped.

I've never had an issue with them but I've heard of people placing their tubs in what amounts to bug netting to prevent them from entering your grow.

I find medium to be best, not too fine, not too coarse.

@@StipeCap Thank you very much! I appreciate the info.

Yes, 1q of spawn. I didn't think anyone needed to see the mixing of spawn with the substrate, but it's been brought up more than once.

@@StipeCap I saw the jar you used was not quite 1 qt. About 3/4 full. I should’ve done that because it’s hard to break and shake. If you are using LC to inoculate how many cc per jar. 5?

No, the increased substrate holds enough water to carry the first flush without misting.

@StipeCap Alright cool, I appreciate the response. I'm planning on keeping my 6qt shoeboxs inside a 166qt tub, big enough for 4 6qt tubs. Just wondering if you think the pasty whytes tub fae holes will be okay for 4 6qt tubs inside a 166qt tub?

@TheKenjondoe should be gtg

@StipeCap I appreciate it bud!

Glad you enjoyed 😉

Yep, that's why it's called a psuedo-casing.

Set and forget, the best and only way to grow ; )

I was a Soil Scientist decades ago. You've got it right. If anyone wants a demo: squeeze a sponge, let it fill with water. Let water drip out. Water left in the sponge would be comparble to it's field capactiy

@@Will-Max Thanks a ton Will. I was always frustrated by the "vagueness" of how people described checking field capacity. I'd find myself yelling at a book or video saying things like "Squeeze???? WTF does that mean?" remembering Alton Brown's Good Eats episode about his grandmother's elusive biscuits ultimately due to her arthritis. It seemed that if water was that important, there had to be a better way. Good to know there is a repeatable technique from the sciences side of things. In fact, I'm just harvesting some of my best tubs right now thanks to using the "if it drips on the floor, add more coir" method :)

If your field capacity is more or less on point, then there should be no real need to mist at all, at least until the first flush. The substrate is primarily a water reservoir, rather than the main food source, as some still think, so if it's set up properly to begin with, which doesn't need to be an exact science, then it's pretty much just leaving it alone until pins appear. Those channels and sites (not Stipe I hasten to add), that tell people to mist and fan tubs are based on long debunked misinformation about cultivation.

@@Will-Max This is so simple and logical that it seems obvious when I hear it. Thank you.

Yes, indoors. No, it doesn't stink, any room is fine.

I'm not sure.

Thanks how long does it take for it to pin and fruit

It's mixed as well as it can be. I just didn't think to show the mixing, it's pretty self-explanatory.

The only purpose for the coir and verm is to hold water without exceeding field capacity, so, if you want more water to push a denser/heavier flush, you need more water. I use water efficiency as a method of tracking culture performance much like how people use the biological efficiency equation, except in terms of the percentage of water utilized by the first flush. 5L = 5k grams, I want my culture to utilize 50% of that water to produce its first flush at a minimum. The first flush @ 50% should be a minimum of 2500 wet grams, the higher the ratio, the better. So to generate this level of performance I need more than the standard amount of coir or I'll end up exceeding field capacity. The above recipe is for larger tubs, but I use it to portion out to smaller tubs when required.

@@StipeCap Damn, this is such good information. Thank you.

They're rigid and stackable, I prefer buckets. 1 bucket = 1 tub.

So are the tubs. And the lids are easier to get off than bucket lids, you don't need a tool.@@StipeCap

27 gallons vs 5 gallons@@StipeCap

Don't need a tool for what? I use a trowel to level and compact my substrate, which is easier to achieve using a flat tool. If I were going to use anything larger than a bucket, I'd use a stock tank, but I prefer buckets.

Spray liberally with mist, indirectly. There's enough water in the substrate to carry dense flushes. No need to dunk.

​@@StipeCap can you elaborate on spraying "indirectly"? Thank you for being so helpful.

Pretty much.

@@StipeCap Hello brother…. These videos are fantastic.

@bendrixbailey1430 Much obliged.

I use the 4ft³ bags of Holiday brand vermiculite.

@@StipeCap Thank you for the reply bud. So I just want to clarify you only use 900gs of coco, 3L of Vermiculite and 5L of hot tap water(unless using manure). And no gypsum correct? Sorry for the questions, my first grow dried up after only 2 harvest and 2 aborts pins. I'm guessing either because excessive fanning which I saw fuzzy stems so I upped my fanning to 3 times a day, also my substrate wasn't filled to the top like your it's only about half way up a 6qt container so maybe not enough substrate to pull moisture from. So this time around I'm going to follow what you did and hopefully I can have a nice yield on my second grow.

@TheKenjondoe Yes, 900g coir, 3L verm, 5L water. Never use manure, ever, and never fan, fanning is pointless. Here: www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/27426583/page/1

@@StipeCap Okay thanks for the info, you're awesome!

What if horse manure is the only material available? I can’t get gypsum or cococoir where I live so I just pasteurized some horse poo with 5% gypsum… was looking for the best option available for my spawn

That's how it's done.

Yep, straight coir doesn't require pasteurization.

It’is when being processed so it’s not required. Personally i still would just to be careful.

I think I'll continue to pasteurize since I get my coir from the farm supply store in 40 lb bags. Those bags are stored on pallets outdoors so they get rained on and are exposed to the elements. I'd rather be safe than sorry

@alexgreen8846 there's nothing that very hot or boiled water can't achieve that the time-temperature window for pasteurization can when considering the substrate in question. Pasteurization is required for manure or peat-based substrates due to the bioload of those substrates. Do not treat peat or manure with boiling water because the trace nitrogen will become vulnerable to competitive molds, the boiling water kills the beneficial microbes that keep manure substrates happy and healthy. Coir on the other hand is non-nutritive, essentially inert hydroponic medium. There are however differences in quality, some very low-quality brands may contain detritus and other filth that is best treated with boiled water. There is absolutely no requirement to pasteurize coir or vermiculite.

Pe has a tendency to blob as I understand. Good luck.

@@TeaTellyWMaria yes but this tutorial is supposed to solve that. it did for me. 50/50 of the time.

@ixxgxx keep dialing it in and you'll get it 👍

226

My fav. 226 has a ship's anchor on the slide @@StipeCap

He closed the lid and gave it a thorough shake before compression. Just didn't show it in the video 👍

yep, got to get it all mixed in or it would take forever to colonize, it takes long enough as is with the extra sub.

Oh OK, then that's what I'm already accustomed to doing.

​@@StipeCap How long did it take to colonize?

​@@JalaJala007 depends on the cultivar, but PE takes about 20 days.

Wut? PE is a great name

Then you're absolutely going to love this www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/27426583/page/1

@@StipeCap ^ This is good stuff. 🙏