@@Hamsquatch1973 Eh, better safe than sorry. I like the needle to glow red....ensures any endospores are destroyed. An extra 5 seconds with the flame or throwing out whole batches and starting again? Any easy choice!

It's alright, this was out in the wild. It's no doubt released its spores ready for newer pastures. The mycelium is also very much alive in the stump and will make more mushrooms next time conditions are favourable

Yeah I love it!

Oh really? Do you know what species it is?

@@BigMush9000 I guess this is chicken of the woods mushrooms (Laetiporus sulphureus). If it were a little younger, it might be possible to identify more accurately.

@@cats.mushroom I'll snap a better photo for you when I find a younger specimen

@@BigMush9000 Please do so!

They certainly are, mate :D

@clintparsons3989 another guard against contamination. The water is from the tap an non sterile. Keeping it cold in the fridge helps prevent certain things from germinating/taking hold. That's my understanding at least

@clintparsons3989 thanks mate! Glad to have you here!

@@SpartiateLunaire yes! Somewhere dark and reasonably warm.

Regular old tap water, nothing fancy. If you're worried about the water quality where you live, distilled water works as does filtered water :D

@@BigMush9000 Thank you very much. ❤

@@f7empest don't mention it

You're not wrong! I love bulk spawning. Mega yields for sure! And yes, while these particular mushrooms are coprophiles or 'poo lovers' I have found in the past that adding manure increases the nutrition more than necessary and can really open you up to contamination. Having said that, I have enjoyed huge crops from manure based substrate! Thanks for watching :)

How kind of you to say! Likewise mate, I enjoy watching your foraging videos. I'd like to get out more and forage myself.....just to learn more about the fungi that is all around us! Might even make for a good youtube series...findinv and identifying different mushrooms. My cultivation skills aren't where I want, but I imagine this will be a lifelong pursuit....just gotta be patient and keep learning from those who are more experienced than me!

@@BigMush9000 Mushrooms foraging is easy and fun because it's all about luck and avoiding unknown or suspicious mushrooms. On the other hand, mushroom cultivation is really difficult because it requires skill. I also want to improve my technique and your videos are helpful.

@@cats.mushroom ah beautiful! I'm glad to hear I'm helping. Foraging definitely requires skill though. Don't sell yourself short my man

Perhaps....maybe I should run an experiment with and without the verm! It does play a role in preventing the cakes drying out as well as providing a nice surface humidity. But I know what you mean about the fighting for space......I believe that's caused by co2 build up. There are 9 cakes in that chamber pumping it out. You can see the "fuzzy feet" ah well. I'm working on something that will totally eliminate that problem :D

@Wis650 welcome, mate and thanks for the sub! In excited to hear of your progress with these brf cakes. Keep me in the loop, bro!

@@JozefienLotte you're too kind. Anyone can grow fresh mushrooms at home

Thanks!

@BillyJones-gp4lb hmmm quite strange indeed. If everything is dialled in like you say the only reasons I can think of are that 1) the cakes aren't fully colonised. There may be a core in the centre of the cakes that hasn't colonised fully yet. 2) maybe co2 content is too high. Those aside......perhaps there is some contamination that the mycelium is fighting off, but I'm doubtful that's the case.....you'd see and smell it pretty quickly. Failing that, mushrooms have their own schedule. Be patient, keep those conditions dialled and you will be rewarded! Let me know how you go, mate!

@@BigMush9000 thank you brotha

@BillyJones-gp4lb don't mention it my bro! Let me know when they start to pin :D

@@BigMush9000 will do!

Yeah I think so :D

Excellent mate! Good luck :D

Thanks mate! It was how I first learned and I love it. I've also found it real useful for testing different cultures/isolates as well

​@@cats.mushroom trusty vermiculite. Every cultivators best friend :D it helps maintain a real nice surface humidity

@@BigMush9000 I would also like to grow mushrooms using vermiculite someday👍

@@cats.mushroom if you ever do, let me know if you're successful

@@BigMush9000 Oh, sure!! I'd love that!

Welcome!

Absolutely right!

You're correct! Alexander Fleming first noticed the antibiotic properties of penicillin in the 1930s if I recall correctly. However such molds area death sentence for mushroom cultivators

Yes! It always amazes and fascinates me when I get a healthy and rich mycelial growth

@@Zodiac-1776 legend!

@@WabbitWay Thanks, mate :)

Hey mate! Great question. Fully colonised cakes are pretty resistant to contamination. I've never had any problems with the perlite causing contamination. It's non nutritious and any spores/bacteria etc falling on it will have a really tough time propagating.That being said, there is always a risk of contamination. There's no problem being overly cautious! Run the hydrated perlite through a pressure cooking cycle for peace of mind.

@ReviewCart69 yeah, mate. That's right in the sweet spot! I'd keep the temp closer to 70f if you can help it. I wouldn't go higher than 75f.

@@BigMush9000 nice thanks 🙏🏼 my room is right on 75 during the day, goes to 70-73 at night.

@@ReviewCart69 beautiful! You'll have some keen fruits, man!

@@TerpyTen yeah, many moulds can look like tomentose mycelium. Fluffy and cottony....until they reveal their final form!

@@TerpyTen absolutely right, mate

Is it not worth trying without that?

@attorneycarissa there are ways to avoid using a pressure cooker to sterilise things. Tindalisation foremost among them. However it's a laborious and time intensive process requiring about a week to do correctly. If it's within your means I urge you to get a pressure cooker. Far faster and far more effective in my experience! Nothing kills the enthusiasm for mushroom growing faster than constant contamination!

@@attorneycarissa If you don't have the equipment, might I direct your attention to the Uncle Ben Tek You can use the pouches of microwavable rice that's already precooked and sterilized. Use that to make seed spawn then add to substrate once colonized 👍

@vindowmaker5819 a great question. Most don't grow outside, they succumb to all sorts of competing organisms and its only the very few that survive. The vast, vast majority of spores will never germinate!

​@BigMush9000 I added spored to my garden where there are sweet potato plants (vine coverage), and I've had two epusides of growth. I ate the mushrooms raw. Not massive growth like your bags, but more than I expected! (I had used cow manure in that garden bed.)

@@attorneycarissa amazing! I'm jealous you have a garden. I'm in densely populated Europe in a massive apartment complex and would love to experiment with growing out side. Congratulations on your success as well. You'll have mushrooms for years from your garden bed! Amazing 👏

@@BigMush9000 yeah cobweb mold just ruined my first try 😭 although thats a different kind on contamination but still its a delicate balance when dealing with a no-touch monotub