Mushroom Spawn Trade Secrets YOU SHOULD KNOW

In Canada, there is no reliable supplier for mushroom spawn, which is why we make our own. Unfortunately, we have always had problems with bulk grain spawn on our farm which led us to focus our spawn production on hardwood fuel pellet (HWFP) sawdust for years. In 2020, we plan to pick up where we left off and focus on developing a unique process for grain spawn. In this video, learn how we currently make sawdust spawn and our plans for millet and oat grain spawn. If successful, we plan on offering mushroom spawn throughout British Columbia and eventually Canada!
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[@KingFergus]

Soak the millet for 10 hours in room temp water. Rinse and replace water, boil for 10 minutes. Drain and dry until outside is almost completely dry. Pack and sterilize, 90 min @15 PSI.

[@dorfriedman9115]

If you will soak the grain for around 10 hours then you wont have to steam for 18 hours and can settle for much electricy usage Some bacteria dies only in the heat process when the grain is softer after being soaked. So that stubborn bactria dies becuase the grain is getting softer also in the steaming process after 18 hours as you said but you can trade much of the steaming time to just soaking time to achieve the same goal. This is just my opinion based on research hope it will work. If it does you will save much money on electricity. You are so inspirational my dream is to achieve the structre brother! Keep up the great work

[@bulldogcottone5595]

I found good success with 80% Millet 20% Milo. I soak it for a few hours and then let it drip dry overnight And then sterilize it. Thank you for all the information that you put out. Also, congratulations on the birth of your child

[@miraclemushrooms1509]

Really doesn't sound like the rye wasnt the issue in the beginning when you were first doing grain spawn. But more so the way you were prepping it back then. On most Facebook groups rye is The Golden child and Oates is the redheaded stepchild lol. Thank you for your videos they've been more inspiring than you can believe. At 32 I finally know what I want to do when I grow up.

[@benredding7080]

Yes. What the fungus is right. This is definately not by the book. Where's the PC? Dude's got endospores

[@iscetic]

Thanks for taking the time to share this. Awesome setup.

[@annieontheroad]

Congratulations to you and your wife! Parenthood is a hell of an adventure! BTW thanks for all the info you offer on your channel.

[@toplinestablesshowpark6926]

Always innovating and learning. Well done WTF!

[@wumbo8115]

You should try dry bagging your grains. I dry bag a mix of 75% oats, 25% millet, then add about 30 - 40% water. Fold and sterilize. They come out with slightly burst grains in the bottom but not so many that it becomes a problem. This works for me very well. Less than 10% contamination rate. Probably around 5%

[@Shitstain951]

Same here with less than 1%. 100% millet no soak no simmer baby 300lbs of spawn a day flooding the market

[@matthewanzio482]

Great videos really a great tool for us beginners and anyone into the Mushroom growing world. Appreciate the content

[@FapperDan]

I have found that allot of millet is treated with anti-fungals so if you're having issues growing on it, that's probably what's going on. Good luck and thanks for the video. :)

[@pacificbuds977]

The way I worked with millet was: Rinse! it contains fungicides even if the bag doesn't say so. I ruined many jars by not rinsing because the fungicide did not come off while hydrating and draining the water. On the stove I get a pot of water, bring it to a boil. Turn off the burner (and remove from heat) and add the millet let it sit for 1 hour. Thats, all you need to hydrate pure millet. before I drain it, I turn the heat up (not to bring it to a boil) but to heat the grains so that when you strain them the excess moisture evaporates off. Load into jars and sterilize(90min). If you over sterilize they will bust, and thats not what you want. The way I prep them, I do not get busted millet grains, yet they are fully hydrated. I really don't understand why people say having busted grains is a good thing, I try and minimize that at all cost.

[@Josh-rn1em]

Is the grain or millet splitting a bad thing really and why? Or is it just an old mycillium tale? Is there a reason?

[@benpeter7471]

Please can you send it to me

[@ThePinkBinks]

Josh Nim Have you ever made cous cous or pasta and over cooked it? Eating that mush is bad for you. Mushy grain is bad food for mushrooms too. You need nutrient rich substrate that isn't mushy and allows oxygen through at the right rate. Too mushy and it'll rot in the wrong way, go mouldy, maybe even ferment. You won't get mushrooms.

[@sielecassharpe678]

@@Josh-rn1em when the grain busts, the sweet nutrient rich inside is now outside of the little millet protective shell. Other fungi (trich specifically) can out grow your spawn if its too moist or too many grains are cracked allowing trich to consume the nutrients before your spawn. Its like field capacity for your sub. Not too much, and not too little moisture…just right.

[@Josh-rn1em]

@@sielecassharpe678 Thank you. Getting the moisture content right after pillow case pasteurising is so difficult sometimes. I've lost a few tubs from trich and other molds. 🙂

[@davidredmondnicholson3354]

congratulations to you and your family to your great news hope you have a fantastic 2020

[@rancorx]

I've heard a lot of people have problem with oats and contamination. Millet on the other hand has a great reputation.

[@tylerdavis1990]

No need to soak oats at all if you are worried about endospores. This theory has recently been dubunked. I used to use Milo exclusively and would add coffee and gypsum and all that extra non-sense but I have been using whole oats recently and it is by far the easiest grain I have ever used. Boil a big pot of water, once boiling add oats and boil for thirty minutes, allow the moisture on the onside of the kernels to steam dry, then sterilize. Easy. I processed thirty seven jars of oats for masters in 8 hours yesterday.

[@john-smith.]

Debunked by who? You got some link to that?

[@mnforager]

Can you provide your source for your claims? Also any data that supports usage of oats over milo? I'd love to see some numbers on colonization rates and yields

[@joelwebb81]

I’m a fan of oats too and prepare in the same way. Boil for 45, steam dry, sterilise. Never had contam issues with oats (touch wood!)

[@PantsR4squares.]

There is no catch all time for oat boil time. Whole oats come in different sizes depending on brand and batch. Coming up on 30 minutes start checking moisture by removing the hull then use your nail to cut the oat in half. Once there is no white in the center its finished.

[@Makeroomformushrooms]

Do that 100 times and tell me there's no need to soak🤣🤣

[@Elfunko99x]

Very cool. Can't wait to see more!

[@romainarnoux]

Thanks for sharing you are helping the community a lot. Greetings from France

[@ebenrootman9694]

I don't large scale like you yet but if you dump millet into boiling water, soak for 18 hours, drain and pc for 90 minutes (small quantities) to 4 hours (jam packed) works great

[@evaknievel4449]

Congratulatons on your first child, i'm am also having my first grandchild soon! Yea! Thanks for all the interesting videos you make for us!

[@BobbyJamesCote333]

Busy is Busy Man ;) Awesome!!! Thank You Again for Taking the time for the Video ;) God Bless

[@louismansuetti9158]

Congrats! New life, so awesome! Hope all is well!

[@tylerdavis1990]

Love your channel man! My wife and I are trying to get a business like yours started down in Texas. We wouldn't have to worry about snow or winter at all and could produce year round.

[@ImMizerD]

To lessen the cost of potential cooling costs, you should look at building / utilising underground space.

[@aceprophet1783]

you can’t utilize basements in texas, due to flooding...

[@funghi-farm]

I want this book! 👍 You do a really good job!

[@dorksvillefarm250]

GREAT INFO THANK YOU

[@jesseknox9322]

Millet is an awesome grain. I got to use feed millet earlier this year and it worked beautifully so efficient. To get more i need to order a pallet, not quite there yet lol i can afford the rye, hwfp, and hulls, but millet is bit more. The nice thing with rye is it expands 3x so you actually cut on cost a bit however millet you can just pour with water in a jar and pc you're done. Looking forward to your experiment its always exciting to see! :)

[@jefolson6989]

Love millet and any small grain for spawn. Anyone tried Farro?

[@luislopez5466]

Congratulations! Your good bro

[@serenetynow]

Have you considered a cheap PID and K-type thermocouple to replace your expensive temp probe? You can get them together in a set rated for high temps for around $20 (USD).

[@johngrady1755]

I've used rye and wheat but race horse oats are hands down my favorite. Both cheaper and the myc seems to really like it and it's ability to retain moisture

[@tylerdavis1990]

Oats are too easy. I wish I would have switched to them years ago

[@pacificbuds977]

I started on birdseed, loved the size but it releases moisture as it ages and makes it easy for contam. You also have to rinse and separate out what you don't want. I went to millet, loved it but its laced with fungicide and rinsing millet is a pain because its so small and gets everywhere. It was very easy to hydrate and more sturdy than birdseed meaning it won't release water when you shake it because of the tougher outter shell. Now Im on Racehorse oats and not looking back! very durable, you can PC them for 2.5 hours and they won't bust, and they can survive shaking without releasing water. Glad I got to try the other grains, and I still use birdseeds for spore syringes but I add vermiculite and that has solved the excess moisture issue.

[@eileenjanetramos1779]

@@pacificbuds977Good to know! I need to move away from WBS but my local feed store lied to me saying they had oats. Made me drive 40min for nothing.

[@catstack_]

@@pacificbuds977 what happens if too much moisture escapes the grain? Will spawning just not happen at all?

[@dreescobar187]

Thanks for info! Really helpful

[@h7opolo]

there is no lignin for your wood-loving species. But you're on the right path for grain-lovers.

[@doubleduck7743]

Hey, loving your vids! why don’t you try masters mix?

[@oscarliguori1243]

been following for a while now, love the channel the info and I get the subtle rethinking on the processes, brake protocol and discover :)

[@whatthefungus]

Thanks

[@battlerealestateinvestment2029]

Do you seal the bags closed before your pasteurize them?

[@lenickadventuresvlog]

I love your channel bro I want to know alot about mushrooms 🍄🍄🍄 watching frm bikol PASACAO CAM Sur philippines 💕

[@lenickadventuresvlog]

I start watch your video frm bottom up to the present videos cos I want to know this project idol..thank alot for this very informative content I sorry my English ha 😂 but I try my best.. keep in touch and God bless po 🙏❤️🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄

[@holahesmia8194]

Which bag you used? How you put the microporus tape

[@ce102690]

Congratulations

[@ScorpioIsland]

Millet 4 life!!!

[@jefolson6989]

I try all different grains. Millet is great and fast. Wild bird seed pretty good. Rye is OK. Popcorn ( started good, they stalled). Has anyone tried Quinoa? I will try it next. Using small jars and different grains, I have several cakes fruiting from different sources fruiting together in my tubs. Seems the only differences are colonization times.

[@riversreels444]

Do your sterilization barrels use pressure? Or no? If so how much pressure are they rated for?

[@ondrejv416]

​ WHAT THE FUNGUS what´s your spawn to fruiting bags ratio?

[@blondythesuperdog8825]

How long did you hydrate the millet fot?

[@beth-rg8bm]

3:05 Try increasing your air flow!

[@user-jn7nf6xu8l]

How did you put completely raw grain into the bags, it should have wrinkled a little from excess moisture?

[@abdulkhasan4147]

Trying oats for the first time today, not really happy how wild bird seed gets sticky from the cracked corn/millet seeds. Rye not readily available where I am at in BC and seems a lot more expensive then animal feed like whole corn, oats, or wheat. Will have to try all the feed grains, they are 3/4 the price of wild bird seed.

[@800shotakd]

Where do you get your bulk millet ??

[@puffitaround993]

just out of curiousity wen you order your baggs what is the size #?

[@mybigsteaminjohn4027]

Dry bag. 1000g millet / 500 g water. Pc 3h Perfect every time

[@momsmushroomsjodyfoster5786]

Is the hardwood supplemented at all?

[@mezleona]

Check out Thirdy's world video, he show the entire process using wheat!

[@guQYdjfdwkCFQDFqUTTrqyVrhTN]

Hey I know this is 9 months after the video was uploaded but I am very familiar with the manufacture of osb/plywood, mer-ilam etc... we add fungicide to the wood. Even cedar wood chip for horse stalls has fungicide added to it. I see your mixing your grains on a 5/8 sheet of OSB I'm not saying it's the reason for your issues with bags failing but I'd say it would be wise to look into your mixing tanke. We add all kinds of formaldehyde, isocynate resins, chemical binders, carcinogens... etc. Real nasty stuff. I love your videos stay safe and thank you for the inspiration

[@whatthefungus]

Our process is a lot different now. Appreciate the advice

[@urwhatueat2170]

The high percentage path is to autoclave grains. I would love to see a video talking about the cost/benefit analysis of atmospheric steaming vs 15 psi pressure cooking. Why have you chosen this route?

[@whatthefungus]

We only have x3 41 quart AA sterilizers. We need volume and I want to use equipment I have on hand

[@VeronicaCastro-ru8nm]

What a silly question. "So I have noticed that people who have driven both prefer a Lexas over a KIA, why exactly would anyone buy a KIA?" Not that your setup is a KIA man great vid I was just letting this smartas see how dumb he sounds asking a question trying to sound educated.

[@peterralston2654]

I use soft white wheat when I make grain spawn. It has been a lot easier to work with compared to rye. I started using it because I was told it was low in bacterial endo-spores.

[@puhiadams5171]

Put some kind of loose cover on the steamers and you'll save a lot of gas.

[@ShinyThings-bl3fx]

Fuel pellets have accelerants for fire knnthem. Similar to gas. Your poisoning them. Not to mention pellets are made from old growth trees.

[@jamesmoore5603]

It seems the table top can contaminate things. Maybe a cleaner surface, steel top or some such would provide a more controlled environment.

[@whatthefungus]

Shouldn't be an issue but definitely could make an adjustment

[@oregongrower1423]

Jane Doe these get sterilized after being bagged up, this eliminating any possible contaminates contained within the bags. The open air and wooden table matter very little for this step.

[@66bigbuds]

Millet and sorghum are best. Mold spores are everywhere, that's why pasteurization is crucial.

[@jamesalanstephensmith7930]

Try a stainless top to mix w gypsum and bag? Less chance of contamination?

[@robshanks4056]

How did your bags turn out! I haven't seen a follow up video :)

[@whatthefungus]

Have not made one yet. We figured out a process and currently sell a lot of sterilized millet to customers throughout Canada. This was the beginning

[@whatthefungus]

@@robshanks4056 send me an email. Maybe I can help

[@robshanks4056]

@@whatthefungus where can I email you at?

[@ondrejv416]

Whats the spawn ratio when you are inoculating your fruiting bags?

[@TheToygangster]

10%-25% is a good area to play in.

[@ondrejv416]

@@TheToygangster uf, 25´s a lot. Does it increase the biological efficiency or it has no effect?

[@RusticRaver]

it's time to adopt world recognised metric system, pounds, stone, honestly a pain in the ass

[@jefftube3987]

Why not put the bucket on the scale when you’re wearing things. Seems like it would be much easier that way

[@Gorkilein]

And you don't need a 200 thermometer just steam long enough.

[@thorgrimr9093]

Hey WTF, have you been using just sawdust or the mastermix?

[@CMZneu]

@Jane Doe Mmm are you saying these guys may mislead people on purpose, do you have any proof?

[@pipilchocolate8654]

@ Jane Doe The man made a video regarding spawn substrates and not the final substrate the mycelium will fruit in. The small amount of grain used is small because he is documenting his experimentation with them. The guy has only to gain to get more Canadians growing because he can supply Canadian growers with spawn and bags.

[@Dustin-Nutt]

Don’t you want the endospores to germ that way they can be killed off during sterilization. But I guess your super pasturing not sterilizing.

[@evanhall7030]

This looks like Jessie’s friend in breaking bad

[@pbigg7334]

Why not do millet and hwfp and let osmosis handle the rest

[@kylelongjohn8882]

Millet is the worst spawn I've worked with, I love rye, tbs of gypsum in the soak.

[@salvadorpalma8173]

That's a really overcomplicated technique.

[@cybert0r]

it seems to work for him tho. definetly seems like some overthinking went on here.

[@mrlanemichael]

As a guy who still uses popcorn and coffee i have no idea what's going on

[@Gorkilein]

Basically just put the spawn into hot water, let it sit for 24hr at room temperature, drain it and sterilize it.

[@kenelrich5013]

I am confused, your pasteurizing and sterilizing. I am new but it was my understanding you only needed one method not both. ??

[@Gorkilein]

So basically you started a mushroom business without even trying a small scale at home before and are now trying it at large scale production? Anyone trying at home first tries rye then gets the idea of millet because of the multiple innoculation points... Basically I'd suggest a mix of rye, millet and sawdust because you should get many innoculation points that probably will be easy to break up because of all the different sizes....

[@dr.vthomas1389]

No soak no simmer millet works for me. Put wet jar of millet in the ninja foodie for 15 minutes and then innoculate. Your welcome!

[@ShinyThings-bl3fx]

Why is everyone using something you have to buy. They grow in dead grass. Its slow but they grow great

[@john-smith.]

So you were using sawdust for your masters for the last couple years....huh?

[@whatthefungus]

No we pressure cook rye in jars still. Looking to bulk up our grain with a pasteurization process

[@alexreinhardt28]

Dude just boil the grain. Wtf are you doing

[@holahesmia8194]

Which bag you used? How you put the microporus tape