March Update!
Thanks to the folks at permies.com, I was able to solicit some solutions to my Oyster Mushroom-growing problems.
Long story short? They needed feeding. Solution? I fed them used coffee grounds and the spent brewing grains from my beer-brewing.
The update is that the mycelium is growing at an explosive rate.
Soon the new substrate will be fully colonized and the new feeding frenzy should yield a good amount of mushrooms.
Image One: Growth viewed from outside the jar. Not very pretty, I know. But, the whiter the jar, the more successful the growth. This jar is at 75% colonization. At 100%, the mycelium organism sends out its carriers for the next generation: plump Oyster Mushrooms!
Long story short? They needed feeding. Solution? I fed them used coffee grounds and the spent brewing grains from my beer-brewing.
The update is that the mycelium is growing at an explosive rate.
Soon the new substrate will be fully colonized and the new feeding frenzy should yield a good amount of mushrooms.
Image One: Growth viewed from outside the jar. Not very pretty, I know. But, the whiter the jar, the more successful the growth. This jar is at 75% colonization. At 100%, the mycelium organism sends out its carriers for the next generation: plump Oyster Mushrooms!
Image Two: Explosive growth as seen inside the jar. I've been told this resembles an old Star Trek episode about fuzzy creatures. What do you think?
Image Three: A close-up of the mycelium growth, exploding across the spent brewing grains.
Feb. Update.
A while back, I posted an image of a plastic bag, awkwardly tied around my original mushroom grow kit. This evidence of my fledgling experience with mushrooms is due for an upgrade.
After some failures, I've found an excellent method to get second and third flushes of mushrooms. Although it hasn't yielded mushrooms yet, it is looking very promising.
After some failures, I've found an excellent method to get second and third flushes of mushrooms. Although it hasn't yielded mushrooms yet, it is looking very promising.
It's not the prettiest looking thing on the planet, but that signature bright white mycelium growth would get any knowledgeable mushroom-grower excited.
Tired of seeing my original mushroom kit not yielding results after the first harvest and slowly drying out, (with or with out a plastic bag) I had a brilliant idea. Why don't I just skip to the next step that I would use with my home-made, inoculated spawn?
Some five days after breaking the kit into three parts and dropping it in the 1/2 gallon jars with a handful of vermiculite (to maintain moisture) and two spritzes of water, I've seen the mycelium make a full recovery. I am expecting to see some pinning mushrooms any day now.
You do have to open the jars 2-3 times a day to allow for some air-exchange. Spritz when there is no evidence of condensation (high humidity) left in the jar.
Tired of seeing my original mushroom kit not yielding results after the first harvest and slowly drying out, (with or with out a plastic bag) I had a brilliant idea. Why don't I just skip to the next step that I would use with my home-made, inoculated spawn?
Some five days after breaking the kit into three parts and dropping it in the 1/2 gallon jars with a handful of vermiculite (to maintain moisture) and two spritzes of water, I've seen the mycelium make a full recovery. I am expecting to see some pinning mushrooms any day now.
You do have to open the jars 2-3 times a day to allow for some air-exchange. Spritz when there is no evidence of condensation (high humidity) left in the jar.