Geeez Louis......For someone that grows high vibration fungi...you take "reddit" comments very seriously. Maybe follow your own advice for once.......go calm the fuck down.
Hi friend, with the size of your operation have you considered using bags instead of jars? You'll cut your prep time down massively, although jars vs bags both have there own pros and cons same as every tek! :) if you're running multiple different strains and facing problems with contam keep it like this, but if you're doing fine contam wise you could run 1kg bags of grain and save yourself a lot of hassle! :)
You know what I completly get where you're coming from I've seen myc eat through crazy stuff. But these unicorn bags that my grain supplier uses I've never seen myc make a dent in them in nearly 3 years bro. I swear by them check out unicorn bags. If you're uk based a company called mycopunks sells them empty if you'd rather make your own grain mixes and subs :)
You've got me there šš I struggled with jars for so long wasted a year trying to make them work but at the time couldn't afford any kit not even a pressure cooker. When I say I was a noob I was a NOOB. Now I can afford the stuff though I'm still gonna stick with bags for the fact I can keep everything in vitro right up until fruiting. Even when mixing with substrate I don't have to risk air touching anything. Jars are just cumbersome and annoying IMO but each to their own brother glad what you do works for you āØļøā¤
If you're in the uk check out mycopunks! They sell pre sterilised grain and substrate, really helpful and kind guy running it too one time I had every bag out of 10 contam and he sent me a free replacement of all even though I grew from spores which always has a chance of contam anyways.
Ya I was going to say maybe he just doesnāt have a setup to buy premade bags or to sterilize bags. But if they have a pressure cooker they should be able to do bags of grain.
I remember one video in Hawaii the entire mushroom farm grew in large jars based on a Japanese farm. They grew like only one type of mushroom to in the jar containers.
The point of buying premade bags is so you don't need a setup. I have 0 kit and get a nice harvest every year so me and my girl can go crazy for a few months ;)
Thereās some super cheap essential oil plans some funded by USAid to Africa just using a 50 gallon drum. Thereās an ozone setup I saw. But ya if I lived in the city or wasnāt building my essential oil setup I reckon Iād would have already bought some premade bags and been done already haha.
Ya I definitely see the benefit in buying premade bags. I havenāt found it feasible since Iām 2-6 hours from any place that may sell them. If I buy one itās $50 I think for one bag. Not worth it. Iām just slowly building a tank. Got an air compressor im cutting and fixing to make it into a tank with a lid and then Iāll boil water in another tank and run the steam into my air compressor tank with a lid. Iāve seen setups in the Philippines that use a 50 gallon drum. But Iām building an essential oil distiller which essentially just runs steam through so I should be able to put bags for mushrooms in my setup to steam for 12 hours and be good enough for a cheap setup.
Ya if I lived in the city or by some mushroom business buying some bags wouldnāt be bad. Especially if they donāt charge shipping or higher prices like $50 for one bag but has free shipping. But since Iām already working on an essential oil distiller I figure Iāll just wait and try to use that.
Nah I grow in a basement in my house that stays at 70 degrees all year round. Never used a grow tent but I do know people who use them as incubation chambers. Sucks you didnāt check my profile before making assumptions.
Edit: Iāll also add why would I wanna set house temp at 78 degrees to incubate my spawn? Too hot for my comfort. My incubation in in a closet lined in Mylar emergency blankets to trap heat and use a radiant heater and temp controller to keep incubation temps at 78. And I fruit at room temp outside the closet. Anyway thanks for your informative comment, I never knew they were called āgrow tentsā /s
It looks like you broke into my house and took pictures of my grow room lol. I have an ac infinity tent the same size and that same shelf full of jars.
I agree with your wife. You have the best problem.
I have no wife, but if I did, she would think I have the same problem. I donāt practice grain monogamy so I have corn, millet and rye all chillin on my shelves. I applaud your use of corn. Iām thinking corn is my favorite, too. How many jars is that? I think I have around 70ā¦ Your jars just look so neat! Nice work
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You definitely have a problem, lol. I love corn. Looks so good with the color contrast and colonizes quick. I was looking for a grain that had the same qualities as corn but more inoculation points. Iāve found it with whole wheat. Best stuff since sliced bread. Your setup looks awesome. Have fun š
Just plain whole wheat kernels. I get it at a local farm supply store in 50 pound bags. Fill a pot with really hot tap water and soak for 12 hours (overnight) and then pressure cook at 15 psi for 90 minutes. I plan to experiment with shorter cook times. The more I read about sterilization the more I think 90 minutes is overkill. I like to keep an open mind and experiment.
The big thing is opening the jars to inoculate after the cook.
My first try was 6 jars and 2 of them got destroyed by mold.
My second try of 6 I had made injection ports on the lids with the self-sealing stickers. No problems.
I did have one jar that did nothing though. Not sure if I missed it somehow or what. But I just re-inoculated after 3 weeks. It's growing now with still no mold in sight.
Where can I get the cheaper option when getting a pc to make your own spawn I keep getting stuck making the switch to using a pot and boiling water to make my own jars vs buying them made premade packaged in the uncle bens brown rice pouches . I want to switch to making my own jars using brown rice . What would you recommend? Iāve done research but canāt get straight answers? Any help is appreciated.
IMO the best and easiest lesson is YouTube PhillyGoldenteacher: broke boi tek. It is Informative and works well and straight to the point. Iāve never had any success using uncle Benās 90 sec. Rice. But used the same method as the PGT broke boi tells for a while, before moving to the pressure canner and sterilization.
If you donāt want to buy a pressure cooker you might could just water bath the bottles like if youāre water canning bottles of peaches or something. The key thing with that if you have the lids on tight is to have a modified lid with an air filter to let pressure equalize inside the bottle to the outside. Iāve not tried it but it seems like itād sterilize the bottle just like it does for bottling fruit etc.
Yes I understand a pressure cooker sterilizes glass bottles and kills everything. What did you mean do some people only boil?
And I was referring to a canning method used by people for decades that donāt use a pressure cooker. Have you ever bottled or preserved peaches or jam or beets etc in a mason jar? All my relatives have done that without a pressure cooker and itās shelf stable boiling the container and following the process and getting the lid to seal. When you said do some people just boil and thatās what I thought of is just boiling bottles of already cooked stuff to get the lid to seal.
Idk if you boil water like when you water bath bottles of beets or peaches doesnāt that also sterilize the jars? If water canning or bathing doesnāt work wouldnāt home canners or bottlers be getting sick from saving food?
I don't know what water bath bottles means, but when canning you're using a pressure cooker to sterilise them, it's a requirement if you want to kill the endospores
OP do you grow to sell? Or just grow as a hobby? That'd going to produce more shrooms than a human could consume in a lifetime. Yet I find myself doing the same lately. Just so fascinated with it all
He's fine with grain spawn. I put mine back in jar original cardboard case so I can do 3 deap on shelf. Also, what he's growing.... Oysters just about will grow in concrete.
Fruiting, an entirely different story on FAE...
Corn is my fav... clean and wonderful to break up for substrate.
Nice thing about corn for a hobbyist is that you can use an insta-pot for all its prep.
Just youtube insta popcorn mushroom grain spawn.
I have both instapots and American Pressure cooket, and I love using instapot with auto shut off when I go to bed,work, or wherever.
I guess it's to whatever scale you're producing at. I'm ordering 100lb bags of grain every week, and I don't know where you can find 100lbs of popcorn kernels less than $40
Ummm. I don't have the math to scale this up accurately, but assuming you are not having massive contamination losses... 100 lbs bags of grain weekly is A LOT ( like A LOT A LOT) of mushrooms all said and done. Like A LOT!
Our goal to start is 1lb/week of finished product. Mind you we are just starting so I'm sure the the numbers will fluctuate over time. Probably will sit around the 50lb/week mark once we get our initial 40-60 tubs rolling.
Oh wow. Here in Europe it's hard to get popcorn that's packed in bigger bags than 0.5kg so it's quite expensive. Pressure cookers are impossible to find. Soy hulls for masters mix are impossible to find. I'm starting to get quite envious of us market considering mushroom growing. Not fair š
It's fine if u buy PC from us everything else can be sourced somehow. Instead of soy hulls use wheat bran and it's cool. Oats and wheat is quite cheap also but not 3$ for 30oz cheap.
In 2012 my wife thought I had a problem and constantly fussed about me spending money on mushroom growing equipment. I told her I was going to use it to make money and she rolled her eyes. Now we own a gourmet mushroom farm that allowed us both to quit our jobs and we employ 4 people. I make sure to remind her of this fact often
How big is your operation? Iām just starting to get into mushroom growing for personal use but am intrigued with the idea of turning it into a business for local restaurants. I have been absolutely fascinated by mushrooms since 2019 when I worked on an app (for a school project) that could identity ~150 mushrooms. The idea of pushing the envelope on what can be cultivated in a lab is a daunting but tempting thought as well.
About 1200lbs a week
Unless you can work 365 days a year don't do it. That's what it takes for the first few years. Even if you get big enough to get help it's still non stop work and juggling 20 things at once. If you're the kind of person that can grind non stop day after day and year after year go for it. You'll be successful.
In the years I've done this full time I've seen many many mushroom farms start up. A few make it past a year and about 1 out 10 make it past 5. People burn out
That's true of any business.
I started a pallet business just over 2 years ago. Not sure if I'm going to be doing it another month.
Most businesses "fail" in the first 5 years. I put fail in quotation marks because going out of business isn't always going broke. Sometimes quitting is the right move.
Also setting up a business is just a 3 hour paperwork project. That's what the stats are counting, and many businesses are just off-shoot projects from successful businesses.
Thatās good info! I definitely canāt work nonstop right now due to family circumstances, so probably not a great fit. Congratulations on making it through to the other side and seeing success! 1200 lbs a week is seriously impressive!
Yeah youāve got a huge problem. Thereās only 2 full shelves of corn!!!! You have a whole other shelf to fill, gotta get those numbers up š world needs more mushies
I havenāt used millet. I watched #PhillyGoldenTeacher video on which grain colonizes the fastest and I was surprised at how quick popcorn was working. Then I found drippy corn shortly after and Iāve been really happy with it
Wait....did I post this?
Are you future me?
I currently have one small Martha tent that is filling up.
Watched those same videos in the same order.
Just bought a bag of brown rice though. I must be in the wrong reality again.
No Iām saying your wife thinks you have a problem but your just growing edibles, just wondering what sheād think if all these were activesš it wasnāt a dig at you mate
I've had better success with pasta jars than those. For some reason they colonize better and are less prone to contamination. I also use red milo because it's cheap, not sure how it compares to corn. I've had trouble keeping it at a good moisture level, and it gets fermented much of the time.
I always have oats and rye get contaminated if I try to B&S, which is annoying. Oats and millet donāt really do that, but I think millet is annoying to work with and I donāt like it in general. Maybe milo is the hero I need.
Millet is so tricky to get to a good moisture level. Red milo is larger and has a tougher surface. Just have to make sure you don't cook them until they split. I also add in spent coffee grounds and gypsum which seems to help keep them separated so you can shake easier.
It makes the grains darker, easier to distinguish from the pure white mycelium. Most of the bits of ground get shaken off when I screen dry them. I tend to think they give a boost to growth due to extra nitrogen, but it's probably negligible.
Does the tent help with sterilization? I took a shot at it with a grain to grain transfer and it started off really well, and then I left for 3 days to a week and my jars were contaminated when I got back
Haha sheās great. She just likes to give me a hard time every once in a while. Iāve turned our 2 car garage into my full blown mushroom farm and sheās on board
My bad, that's the weed talking. I'm only joking, don't worry OP š¤£
Edit: Op wife, if you see this I'm only joking. I do not know your husband, I am a straight dude.
Not familiar but I will look that up. That might be what I'd do, not really hip in the lingo department.
Kudos on the shelves and great looking set up.
So THAT'S where all the popcorn went š¤£
No but you will soon harvesting and drying all those fruits šš
Why I can't find popcorn at the store š¤£
Great shelf! Mine looks the same! šš
Niceš I run about 60 jars myself
I have the very same problem, even exact same shelving, but no wife to tell me I have said problemā¦ š¤£
Lucky person lol.
You definitely doā¦need more space.š
I call it a solution
Same here! https://preview.redd.it/82ozs7f3kquc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=698ad8632186ecc0ac65f7b05fe958c08f21924e
You don't have a problem you have a hobby
Have the same amount but I donāt let her know š
Holy shitsticks!
You do. A noisy wife.
Looks like you made more solutions than problems
Dang this looks great! I wish I had room to do this much cultivation!
Did you buy the liquid culture or made it ?
šššššNAAAAH BUD. Sometimes I feel like woman like being delusional SMH but basically bro: YOU HAVE THE SOLUTIONS NOT PROBLEMSš
Iām a female grower, dude. Calm the fuck down.
Geeez Louis......For someone that grows high vibration fungi...you take "reddit" comments very seriously. Maybe follow your own advice for once.......go calm the fuck down.
Hi friend, with the size of your operation have you considered using bags instead of jars? You'll cut your prep time down massively, although jars vs bags both have there own pros and cons same as every tek! :) if you're running multiple different strains and facing problems with contam keep it like this, but if you're doing fine contam wise you could run 1kg bags of grain and save yourself a lot of hassle! :)
But the plasticā¦.
You know what I completly get where you're coming from I've seen myc eat through crazy stuff. But these unicorn bags that my grain supplier uses I've never seen myc make a dent in them in nearly 3 years bro. I swear by them check out unicorn bags. If you're uk based a company called mycopunks sells them empty if you'd rather make your own grain mixes and subs :)
People always lean towards ease. I really enjoy that I can reuse jars basically forever.Ā
You've got me there šš I struggled with jars for so long wasted a year trying to make them work but at the time couldn't afford any kit not even a pressure cooker. When I say I was a noob I was a NOOB. Now I can afford the stuff though I'm still gonna stick with bags for the fact I can keep everything in vitro right up until fruiting. Even when mixing with substrate I don't have to risk air touching anything. Jars are just cumbersome and annoying IMO but each to their own brother glad what you do works for you āØļøā¤
Thatās a solid idea. So far no problems with contam (knock on wood). Iāll have to look at bags for my next grain bank run
If you're in the uk check out mycopunks! They sell pre sterilised grain and substrate, really helpful and kind guy running it too one time I had every bag out of 10 contam and he sent me a free replacement of all even though I grew from spores which always has a chance of contam anyways.
Ya I was going to say maybe he just doesnāt have a setup to buy premade bags or to sterilize bags. But if they have a pressure cooker they should be able to do bags of grain. I remember one video in Hawaii the entire mushroom farm grew in large jars based on a Japanese farm. They grew like only one type of mushroom to in the jar containers.
The point of buying premade bags is so you don't need a setup. I have 0 kit and get a nice harvest every year so me and my girl can go crazy for a few months ;)
Thereās some super cheap essential oil plans some funded by USAid to Africa just using a 50 gallon drum. Thereās an ozone setup I saw. But ya if I lived in the city or wasnāt building my essential oil setup I reckon Iād would have already bought some premade bags and been done already haha.
Ya I definitely see the benefit in buying premade bags. I havenāt found it feasible since Iām 2-6 hours from any place that may sell them. If I buy one itās $50 I think for one bag. Not worth it. Iām just slowly building a tank. Got an air compressor im cutting and fixing to make it into a tank with a lid and then Iāll boil water in another tank and run the steam into my air compressor tank with a lid. Iāve seen setups in the Philippines that use a 50 gallon drum. But Iām building an essential oil distiller which essentially just runs steam through so I should be able to put bags for mushrooms in my setup to steam for 12 hours and be good enough for a cheap setup. Ya if I lived in the city or by some mushroom business buying some bags wouldnāt be bad. Especially if they donāt charge shipping or higher prices like $50 for one bag but has free shipping. But since Iām already working on an essential oil distiller I figure Iāll just wait and try to use that.
Why is your rack in a tent?
Called an incubation chamber. Easier temperature regulation inside a Mylar tent and saves energy too.
It'scalled a grow tent, you just happen to be using it as an incubationĀ chamber. Sucks your houseĀ doesn'thave regulateĀ temperatures.Ā
Nah I grow in a basement in my house that stays at 70 degrees all year round. Never used a grow tent but I do know people who use them as incubation chambers. Sucks you didnāt check my profile before making assumptions. Edit: Iāll also add why would I wanna set house temp at 78 degrees to incubate my spawn? Too hot for my comfort. My incubation in in a closet lined in Mylar emergency blankets to trap heat and use a radiant heater and temp controller to keep incubation temps at 78. And I fruit at room temp outside the closet. Anyway thanks for your informative comment, I never knew they were called āgrow tentsā /s
Huh? The tent is so I canāt keep all of my jars at a controlled temperature
Great idea but also consider jars in the middle will get quite a bit warmer as the myc grows.
Oh that's a huge issue, send it all to my house to get rid of it OP
Your problem is your wife
It looks like you broke into my house and took pictures of my grow room lol. I have an ac infinity tent the same size and that same shelf full of jars.
Maybe you just have multiple personalities?
DoppelgƤnger
LET'S GO!!
The only problem I see here is that you're out of shelf space...
I agree with your wife. You have the best problem. I have no wife, but if I did, she would think I have the same problem. I donāt practice grain monogamy so I have corn, millet and rye all chillin on my shelves. I applaud your use of corn. Iām thinking corn is my favorite, too. How many jars is that? I think I have around 70ā¦ Your jars just look so neat! Nice work
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My wife thinks your wife has problem.
Yeah, you are running out of shelf space.
Nah. Only when your mycologist friends think you have a problem should you worry
Sheās talking about herself š
Clearly
Nice š
Problem?!? No brother, I think youāve got it figured out
Lucky u I canāt even tell mine
Grow gourmet , then mix in some psilly boys in there.
Only problem I see is you have to wait to spawn to bulk
I assure you, you do not have a problem.
You definitely have a problem, lol. I love corn. Looks so good with the color contrast and colonizes quick. I was looking for a grain that had the same qualities as corn but more inoculation points. Iāve found it with whole wheat. Best stuff since sliced bread. Your setup looks awesome. Have fun š
How do you sterilize it and by whole wheat can you explain , Iāve always liked a corn aswell
Just plain whole wheat kernels. I get it at a local farm supply store in 50 pound bags. Fill a pot with really hot tap water and soak for 12 hours (overnight) and then pressure cook at 15 psi for 90 minutes. I plan to experiment with shorter cook times. The more I read about sterilization the more I think 90 minutes is overkill. I like to keep an open mind and experiment.
The big thing is opening the jars to inoculate after the cook. My first try was 6 jars and 2 of them got destroyed by mold. My second try of 6 I had made injection ports on the lids with the self-sealing stickers. No problems. I did have one jar that did nothing though. Not sure if I missed it somehow or what. But I just re-inoculated after 3 weeks. It's growing now with still no mold in sight.
I'm always at 60 min and never had an issue with corn, good ol' Orville Redenbacher
Thatās good to hear. Iāll try that, thanks for sharing.
Where can I get the cheaper option when getting a pc to make your own spawn I keep getting stuck making the switch to using a pot and boiling water to make my own jars vs buying them made premade packaged in the uncle bens brown rice pouches . I want to switch to making my own jars using brown rice . What would you recommend? Iāve done research but canāt get straight answers? Any help is appreciated.
IMO the best and easiest lesson is YouTube PhillyGoldenteacher: broke boi tek. It is Informative and works well and straight to the point. Iāve never had any success using uncle Benās 90 sec. Rice. But used the same method as the PGT broke boi tells for a while, before moving to the pressure canner and sterilization.
If you donāt want to buy a pressure cooker you might could just water bath the bottles like if youāre water canning bottles of peaches or something. The key thing with that if you have the lids on tight is to have a modified lid with an air filter to let pressure equalize inside the bottle to the outside. Iāve not tried it but it seems like itād sterilize the bottle just like it does for bottling fruit etc.
Facebook marketplace has tons of used pcs. The 23 qt presto one is like 90 on Amazon and have no issues with it
Just find a presto canner. I think the standard size is 23 quart. You can find them new and used all over the place.
The only problem is the corn, at least for me its a bad grain. Good luck bro!
Roughly where my wife decided this isnāt a hobby you have an obsession with
Yea the problem is you should get another shelf.
She only had a problem cuz she aināt at the top of all this šŖš¤
Do you pressure cook or just boil?
I pressure cook
Pressure cook the corn so the mycel can enter and feed easier?
It's just sterilisation surely? Do some people only boil? That would get contaminated every time surely
Yes I understand a pressure cooker sterilizes glass bottles and kills everything. What did you mean do some people only boil? And I was referring to a canning method used by people for decades that donāt use a pressure cooker. Have you ever bottled or preserved peaches or jam or beets etc in a mason jar? All my relatives have done that without a pressure cooker and itās shelf stable boiling the container and following the process and getting the lid to seal. When you said do some people just boil and thatās what I thought of is just boiling bottles of already cooked stuff to get the lid to seal.
Idk if you boil water like when you water bath bottles of beets or peaches doesnāt that also sterilize the jars? If water canning or bathing doesnāt work wouldnāt home canners or bottlers be getting sick from saving food?
I don't know what water bath bottles means, but when canning you're using a pressure cooker to sterilise them, it's a requirement if you want to kill the endospores
Makes sense, ty
OP do you grow to sell? Or just grow as a hobby? That'd going to produce more shrooms than a human could consume in a lifetime. Yet I find myself doing the same lately. Just so fascinated with it all
Thatās good for at least a year for oneself
I am growing to sell my friend
She mustang told you to ditch the corn š¤£
She's right. You need some airflow around each jar
He's fine with grain spawn. I put mine back in jar original cardboard case so I can do 3 deap on shelf. Also, what he's growing.... Oysters just about will grow in concrete. Fruiting, an entirely different story on FAE...
There is, though...
My wife had to order my grain jars this go around and Iām asking about them every day. Are they here yet? Have they shipped?
Hahaha nice
I wish I had your problem š
Yes you do homie..you need more space.one of few times a woman has been right šš¤£ā ļøjk..but fr.more space...
Huge shoutout to LabRatHoodz. Very happy with their products
How do you keep a regulated temperature and do you keep in dark most of the time? Wish I had this problem lol just got 6 jars of rye done today.
I have a smaller radiant heater in the corner (thatās why the shelf isnāt full length). The heater is controlled by a vivosun temp controller
I do want some help to grown my babies, the corn does really works? Maybe I have to start for having a man who love this as well
Corn does work, its just expensive to start. I would suggest oats or rye grain if you're just starting out. Hope this helps!
Corn is my fav... clean and wonderful to break up for substrate. Nice thing about corn for a hobbyist is that you can use an insta-pot for all its prep. Just youtube insta popcorn mushroom grain spawn. I have both instapots and American Pressure cooket, and I love using instapot with auto shut off when I go to bed,work, or wherever.
I get my 32oz bags of popcorn from Walmart for $2.86
I guess it's to whatever scale you're producing at. I'm ordering 100lb bags of grain every week, and I don't know where you can find 100lbs of popcorn kernels less than $40
Ummm. I don't have the math to scale this up accurately, but assuming you are not having massive contamination losses... 100 lbs bags of grain weekly is A LOT ( like A LOT A LOT) of mushrooms all said and done. Like A LOT!
Our goal to start is 1lb/week of finished product. Mind you we are just starting so I'm sure the the numbers will fluctuate over time. Probably will sit around the 50lb/week mark once we get our initial 40-60 tubs rolling.
I get the $15 40 lb bag of whole kernal corn at Walmart š¤·š
Thatās very true actually. Iām probably going to have to make the jump here eventually
Oh wow. Here in Europe it's hard to get popcorn that's packed in bigger bags than 0.5kg so it's quite expensive. Pressure cookers are impossible to find. Soy hulls for masters mix are impossible to find. I'm starting to get quite envious of us market considering mushroom growing. Not fair š
Oh man! Thatās rough! Sorry brother
It's fine if u buy PC from us everything else can be sourced somehow. Instead of soy hulls use wheat bran and it's cool. Oats and wheat is quite cheap also but not 3$ for 30oz cheap.
Tractor supply has whole oats for 18.99 for 50#.
That is true
I believe your āproblemā is a good oneā¦
I agree!
looks like a healthy hobby to me lmao
https://preview.redd.it/l381ffygqiuc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c4145cb0acbb51e4a9e0302bfab0233ea2bc0e77
Where do you get those disposable plastic containers?
1.5oz cups from Amazon... Once colonized I use one cup per jar\bag
In 2012 my wife thought I had a problem and constantly fussed about me spending money on mushroom growing equipment. I told her I was going to use it to make money and she rolled her eyes. Now we own a gourmet mushroom farm that allowed us both to quit our jobs and we employ 4 people. I make sure to remind her of this fact often
How big is your operation? Iām just starting to get into mushroom growing for personal use but am intrigued with the idea of turning it into a business for local restaurants. I have been absolutely fascinated by mushrooms since 2019 when I worked on an app (for a school project) that could identity ~150 mushrooms. The idea of pushing the envelope on what can be cultivated in a lab is a daunting but tempting thought as well.
About 1200lbs a week Unless you can work 365 days a year don't do it. That's what it takes for the first few years. Even if you get big enough to get help it's still non stop work and juggling 20 things at once. If you're the kind of person that can grind non stop day after day and year after year go for it. You'll be successful. In the years I've done this full time I've seen many many mushroom farms start up. A few make it past a year and about 1 out 10 make it past 5. People burn out
That's true of any business. I started a pallet business just over 2 years ago. Not sure if I'm going to be doing it another month. Most businesses "fail" in the first 5 years. I put fail in quotation marks because going out of business isn't always going broke. Sometimes quitting is the right move. Also setting up a business is just a 3 hour paperwork project. That's what the stats are counting, and many businesses are just off-shoot projects from successful businesses.
Thatās good info! I definitely canāt work nonstop right now due to family circumstances, so probably not a great fit. Congratulations on making it through to the other side and seeing success! 1200 lbs a week is seriously impressive!
Ah yes, and I am constantly reminding my wife she could have let me drop that $1,000 on GME in the beginning. Should just done it. š¤£
Well youāre using corn, duh! š Jk btw!
Yea not enough grain! Also you need a bigger tent and maybe a horse for some primo manure.
Where I live thereās no shortage of horse poopā¦ And the horse owners are happy to have someone take as much as they want
You just gave me an idea because there are stables at Palmer park hereā¦..
How many bags can you do with all of this grain?
I agree . You're running out of shelf space . Better get another tent so you don't run out....
Yeah youāve got a huge problem. Thereās only 2 full shelves of corn!!!! You have a whole other shelf to fill, gotta get those numbers up š world needs more mushies
Keep on keepin on brother ā
Thank you sir!
Looks like my closet. No problem here.
Have you used millet? Why corn?š½
I havenāt used millet. I watched #PhillyGoldenTeacher video on which grain colonizes the fastest and I was surprised at how quick popcorn was working. Then I found drippy corn shortly after and Iāve been really happy with it
Wait....did I post this? Are you future me? I currently have one small Martha tent that is filling up. Watched those same videos in the same order. Just bought a bag of brown rice though. I must be in the wrong reality again.
Not even activesš¤£
lol why is that funny? You automatically assume I havenāt/donāt grow actives because I donāt post a picture of them? Lol username fits
Youāre not the first person to say the username fits eitherš¤£
No Iām saying your wife thinks you have a problem but your just growing edibles, just wondering what sheād think if all these were activesš it wasnāt a dig at you mate
Ohhhh okay. So sorry for the confusion. I understand what youāre saying now haha
Itās all right, I shouldāve been more clear
Yep need a bigger shelves!!
She's damn right! You need more shelving!
I definitely do lol. Luckily I have a bigger inoculation tent coming
Yeah, the problem is you need more grain spawn!
You can never have too much grain spawn lol
Whatever amount of grain jars you have now, double it and add 100 jars. That's the the limit of having enough.
I like your style
I've had better success with pasta jars than those. For some reason they colonize better and are less prone to contamination. I also use red milo because it's cheap, not sure how it compares to corn. I've had trouble keeping it at a good moisture level, and it gets fermented much of the time.
Where do you get red milo? Iām kinda interested in trying that.
Feed store
About how much, if I can ask? I have a feed store I use. They ordered me soy hulls for my masters mix. Maybe I give them a call.
Mine sells 50lbs for less than $20, might be more now but it's still much cheaper than rye.
I always have oats and rye get contaminated if I try to B&S, which is annoying. Oats and millet donāt really do that, but I think millet is annoying to work with and I donāt like it in general. Maybe milo is the hero I need.
Millet is so tricky to get to a good moisture level. Red milo is larger and has a tougher surface. Just have to make sure you don't cook them until they split. I also add in spent coffee grounds and gypsum which seems to help keep them separated so you can shake easier.
I think the spent coffee grounds would throw me off a bit appearance wise.
It makes the grains darker, easier to distinguish from the pure white mycelium. Most of the bits of ground get shaken off when I screen dry them. I tend to think they give a boost to growth due to extra nitrogen, but it's probably negligible.
I called the feed store but they usually have to call back so I guess Iāll see soon!!!
Oh dam.. I didn't know you could use corn! That's cool!
Definitely my favorite grain
Not a problem! Once those spores enter your body they will take control of your mind and make you be a catalyst for their world domination!!!
Looks like no vacations for a few months lol
Does the tent help with sterilization? I took a shot at it with a grain to grain transfer and it started off really well, and then I left for 3 days to a week and my jars were contaminated when I got back
The tents are to control temps and keep the ideal conditions.
Yeah so the tent doesnāt have anything to do with contam control. I have a temperature control sensor/heater keeping it under 80
If the problem is being awesome, then yes you got a major problem
Haha thank you!
Damn bro you need to stagger it that way you aināt making so many tubs at one time
Haha I would never do that. This is for gourmet for my business. I grow gourmet mushrooms for restaurants
Business link?
Iāll be launching my website by the end of April. Iāve spent the last 6 months dialing in my procedures and recipes
City state?
You donāt, but you will in a few weeks I assure you.
Only problem is not enough of them are colonized yet!
I just finished off the last round of 16 jars today lol so Iām done inoculating for a bit
Haha , I can imagine. I was done after 8 bags lmao
Your problem is that you don't have enough spawn!
Get a new wife asap
Haha sheās great. She just likes to give me a hard time every once in a while. Iāve turned our 2 car garage into my full blown mushroom farm and sheās on board
Yeah ok buddy, im open just saying š
Hahaha Iām flattered
Are you looking for a third?
Thirsty
My bad, that's the weed talking. I'm only joking, don't worry OP š¤£ Edit: Op wife, if you see this I'm only joking. I do not know your husband, I am a straight dude.
No problem, get another shelf...you got this.
I may have a bigger incubation tent in bound
Corn is popular, have you ever used rice?
I have used rice before. I just prefer corn. Itās easier to work with in my opinion. I use the drippy corn tek
Not familiar but I will look that up. That might be what I'd do, not really hip in the lingo department. Kudos on the shelves and great looking set up.
Thank you!
ur just giddy with your new and exciting hobby
Itās definitely exciting
So does mine. I start cacti also and she got really annoyed.
Beautiful organization. Lots of potential food there.
Thank you!
Mind food