Culture syringes should be stored in the clean ziplock baggie
in which they were packaged and placed in your fridge
until planned use. Spore prints should be stored
in the clean ziplock baggie in which they are packaged.
It is best to store this baggie in a cool, draft-free
location with low humidity. Spore prints can remain
clean for many years if cared for properly. Spore
syringes should be stored in a clean ziplock baggie
(like the one used in shipping) and placed in a
refrigerator. Refrigerating the syringes increases
the length of time the spores will remain clean
and usable for microscopy (up to 4-5 months).
Top
There are 2 slightly different methods you can use. The first is to put about 1.5-2 inches of perlite in the bottom of your grow chamber then add about 1/2-3/4 inch of water. The water level needs to be well BELOW the top of the perlite. Only the perlite that is exposed to the air will wick up the water and release it into the air over time. It will take a few hours (depending on the external humidity and size of the chamber) after adding the water to the perlite before the grow chamber will be humidified.
The other method is to put your perlite in a big bowl and add water. You want the perlite to be pretty wet, without having any extra, so fill then pour off the excess. Once the perlite is wet, cover the entire bottom of the grow chamber with a 1.5-2 inch thick layer. With this method, some people like to place thin layers of dry perlite under and on top of the wet perlite layer.
With either method, as the perlite dries, you can occasionally add a bit more water (weekly or so). You should add just enough to keep the perlite wet, but not enough to create any standing water which would increase the chances of contamination. Be careful not to overfill.
Can I put the cakes directly on the perlite?
Your cakes can sit either directly on the perlite layer, or they can be placed on something like upside-down mason jar lids (including the ring). There's no real agreement as to which is best, but there are a few issues to consider when deciding which method to use :
Directly on perlite
It's theorized that some amount of water is fed directly into the cake through absorbtion if the cake is placed directly on the perlite. Some think this may increase contamination, but others say the only noticeable effect is that the mushrooms growing near the base of the cake will often be a bit bulbous and overly wet (sometimes this only happens on the 2nd or 3rd flush), though this is also where some people find the largest mushrooms growing. Cutting the wet mushrooms in half before drying will help with this problem.
On lids
Growing on lids will prevent direct contact between the cakes and the perlite. If you're using hydrogen peroxide and you're worried about the mycelium being hurt, lids may be in order. If the cakes are being grown on lids, you can remove the lids after one or two flushes, or at any point that the cakes seem too dry, in order to get a humidity boost. Others recommend removing the lids for a few days after each flush in order to rehydrate the cakes. The main problem with using metal lids is the posibility that they will rust. Ideally one would use something non-metal.
The PF TEK is basically a brown rice method with an improved formula by using vermiculite as a base and adding pulverized brown rice. The secret is in the vermiculite. When mycelium is cultured in just grain, the mycelium turns into a mass with little air space. But when grown with vermiculite, the mycelial threads stretch across space. The important thing about the PF TEK, is that it copies nature. Instead of the usual cloning of mushroom tissue and growing mushrooms from that, a mass spore inoculation is employed directly to the fruiting substrate. That way, the genotype remains complete. Senescence (mutating and ceased fruiting) is no longer a problem. The spores insure a never ending succession of fungus, with all the power of the spores reproductive ability intact.
OVERVIEW OF PF TECHNIQUES
1. Brown rice powder, vermiculite and distilled water are mixed and loaded into a 1/2 pint jar, which is steam sterilized. The jar is then inoculated by the spore syringe.
2. After thesubstrate cake in the jar colonizes and begins to show signs of fruiting, the cake is released from the jar and placed into the dual chambered terrarium to fruit.
3. A mature mushroom is decapitated and spore printed in a jar.
4. Spore syringes are prepared with the spore print jar to begin another life cycle.
BASIC MATERIALS LIST FOR CULTIVATION
PF jar preparation and culturing (Stage one) (Domestic products - supermarket - department - drugstore - hardware store)
1. Measuring cups and spoons
2. Large pot for steaming
3. Shoulderless half-pint jars with lids (Kerr or Ball)
4. Organic brown rice flour (organic food stores)
5. Horticultural vermiculite (medium or fine grade - not powdery)
6. Distilled or filtered drinking water
7. Heavy duty tin foil
8. Heavy duty (professional grade) masking tape
9. Ice pick (for punching needle holes in the culture jar lid)
MUSHROOM GROWING (Stage Two) Pet Shop/ Hardware Store
3. Strips of wood with connectors and screws (terrarium lid)
4. Plastic film and thumb tacks (terrarium lid)
5. Small wall type thermometer
6. "All purpose" water spray bottle with an adjustable nozzle (hardware and grocery stores). Procure one that gives a good strong spray for instant humidification. Avoid recycled kitchen product sprayers. This is a critical piece of equipment. Only a good quality sprayer (a couple of dollars at a hardware store) can immediately supercharge the dual chambered terrarium with high humidity.
3. Tequila shot glass and eye dropper (sterilizing and flaming)
4. Glass stirring rod (Scientific supply)
5. Plastic syringes (10cc or bigger) and 18 gauge 1 1/2 inch needles. Large sized syringes are good (20cc - 65cc) as well as extra long needles if available. (Retail medical - health supply - pharmacies - drug stores - scientific and lab supply).
Any jar to be inoculated must be cool to the touch before proceeding. Make sure the lid is tight. Shake the syringe well and remove the tape from the syringe needle guard. This shaking of the syringe is important as to redistribute the spores in the water. Take off the tape covering the needle holes. Remove the needle guard and insert the needle through the lid hole. Tilt the syringe body back towards the center of the lid with the needle tip touching the glass. This distributes the spore water down the side of the jar, giving a good inoculation down the side of the substrate cake. Inoculate a few drops down each needle hole. As the syringe plunger is pressed, observe the needle tip against the inside of the glass. As soon as water appears around the needle tip, release the syringe plunger pressure. In between each hole inoculation, shake the syringe a little to keep the spores distributed. Use 1 cc per jar. This will allow the syringe to inoculate 10 jars. More spore solution per jar can be used (speeds colonization), but fewer jars can be inoculated . If the syringe needle plugs up as it is inserted into the substrate, draw the needle back a little and it will unplug.
In this photo, the needle tip can be seen resting against the inside surface of the jar. Then, when the solution is injected, it will run down the side of glass, giving an even inoculation. It is also important to add, that the vermiculite in this jar photo is very course. This makes the needle more visible for the demo. This type of vermiculite is best avoided.
ALCOHOL FLAMING TECHNIQUE
If the syringe needle is touched, flame the needle to sterilize it. An alcohol flame is a clean flame whereas a butain cigarette lighter leaves behind an undesirable soot residue. To produce a short burning alcohol flame, place a tequila shotglass upside down. Using an eyedropper, put a few drops of denatured alcohol fuel (hardware store) on the hollow bottom of the glass and touch it with a match or lighter. The blue flame will cleanly and safely sterilize small stainless steel tools. Heat the needle in the flame for a few seconds to resterilize it. There might be a few "pops" of boiling water spurt out of the needle, but the spores within the syringe are safe. If there is some left over spore solution, replace the needle guard and store the syringe for later use. Resterilize the needle immediately before re-use. Store the syringe in a dark, cool place.
INOCULATION OF PF JARS WITHOUT THE LIDS
This technique can also be used if canning jars are not available (1/2 pint wide mouth canning jars are perfect and should be used at all cost). If regular drinking glasses are to be used - use regular tapered sided drinking glasses (8 ounce - 250ml)
Jars can be inoculated without using a lid with holes punched. Before trying this technique, inoculate with the punched lid first. That will show how it works without any problems (almost fail proof).
The only precaution to observe is to disturb the dry top vermiculite layer as little as possible, especially when removing the needle after the inoculation. The underlying substrate must not be exposed to the air. Carefully move any disturbed vermiculite back into place. If using a drinking glass or alternate container, cover the mouth with tin foil. Replace the tin foil cover after inoculation.
INCUBATION OF INOCULATED JARS
After inoculation of the jars, tighten the lid bands and retape the needle holes. Place the jars in a safe place out of direct sunlight. Indirect light is all that is required. If the temperature is kept around 70 degrees, germination will begin within 3 to 5 days. Germinating spores appear as small white fuzzy spots, quickly growing and spreading with cottony white growth and strandy "rhizomorphs". Any room temperature is O.K. If it gets cold indoors, over head light shinning down on the tops of the jars is a perfect heating technique for this culturing stage. A clamping type light with a reflector works well for this. If this is done, keep the temperature around 70 degrees (don't overheat the jars - monitor the temperature with a thermometer). A warm overall house temperature is fine. But in the overall view, cool temperatures are never a problem. The rule is to not overheat.
THE CANNING JAR LID (loose or tight)
There are two choices with the lids during incubation - tight or loose. With a very high moisture content (good for fruiting), a tight lid can cause water to collect in the bottom of the jar. This is to be avoided. If it happens, the lid should be kept on loose during incubation. Tape the canning jar lid to the band to make the lid act as a one piece lid for raising and lowering. If the substrate is on the dry side, a tight lid will preserve the moisture content. It is all a matter of the balance between the water needs of the mycelium, the size of the jar, the available air space in the jar and the type of vermiculite used. Only by simple experimenting and comparison can the right balance be found for a given set of conditions. Take notes and go with what fruits the best.
After the substrate turns white with the mycelium (2 or 3 weeks after inoculation), the jars are left to sit in indirect light. The mycelium will continue to infiltrate the substrate until it gets enough food to trigger the fruiting cycle. In less than a week to a few weeks after surface colonization of the cake, tiny white "pin" like structures begin to appear. This is called pinning. This is the beginning of the fruiting cycle. Soon after that, within the week, small round fungus growths appear that soon begin to turn yellow.
Lastly, "primordia" start to grow. These are tiny worm like structures with tiny reddish heads. These are the first mushrooms.
This photo is of a 1/2 pint PF substrate jar about 23 days after inoculation. The primordia have appeared and it is now time to birth the cake. Wait until you see this, and the fruiting will be maximized. The fruiting is fairly relative to the primordia that appear.
The best time to remove the fungus cake from the jar is when the primordia (tiny worm like structures with reddish heads) appear on the cake while still in the jar. Be careful not to damage them in handling. The rule is to handle with care.
Remove the lid. With a clean fork, scrape away the majority of the dry top vermiculite layer. There will probably be seen some wispy mycelium here and there in the top layer. Place an old jar lid over the jar mouth and turn the jar upside down. Lightly slam the jar down on a table cushioned with a magazine. The fungus cake will slide out onto the old jar cap (BIRTHDAY). The jar cap functions as a base for the cake. When handling the fungus cake, be careful as not to squeeze and bruise it. Bruising results in a bluish mark. This fungus is resilient and can tolerate a certain amount of handling, but handle it as least as possible. The aroma is distinctly mushroomy, very pleasant.
As soon as the fungus cake comes out of the jar, daub the cake with a piece of loose tissue paper to soak up any water droplets that may have deposited on the cake as it comes out of the jar. Immediately after the birthday, place the cakes into the dual chambered terrarium for the fruiting cycle.
This is the cake a few days after the birthday. This is a healthy fruiting start. Some of these primordia will abhort, but most will go on to full developement.
Some of the first mushrooms to form are "abhorts" (convoluted caps, gnarly stems and stunted growth), and ironically they are primo in magic alkaloids. They are even more powerful in magic than the stately beauties that will soon dominate the cake. The tiny "baby mushroom" abhorts are likewise good. After witnessing the growth of the fungus, recognition of these abhorts is easy. As long as the abhorts are healthy and pure, they are primo. Also, another form of mutants will manifest, blobs of fungus with little or no cap, also good for harvesting. And along with these mutants, appear the perfect specimens, the sporocarps.
It has been reported that Psilocybe Cubensis is a "weak" mushroom. PF and others have seen this to be not necessarily so. It all depends on how it is grown, on what medium and how it is harvested and preserved.
The secret to potent mushrooms is in their age when picked. It has been scientifically proven that the small immature specimens are significantly more potent than the larger mature specimens. Over half of the small primordia that first form will abhort (cease growing, convolute and deform). Pick these before their heads turn black. A pointed knife blade works well for removing these high potency primodia. These are among the most potent. The abortive mushrooms are also high potency. Harvest them when they are young and before their heads turn black. When the fruitbodies are normal, harvest them before the veil under the cap breaks. The mushrooms will be smaller and their heads will be roundish. It is important to note that the mushroom cakes pictured in this book are all mostly well matured. While these mature specimens are beautiful and perfect, they are not as potent as the diminutive specimens. The mature specimens are good for spore collecting and showcasing but are weak in psychedelic potency.
Grow them on brown rice, harvest them when they are young and cool dry them with desiccant. When this is done, they are an entheogen of the highest order.
TIME SCALE OF THE MUSHROOMS
1. Spore inoculation to spore germination - within a week, at 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Spore germination to complete colonization of the cake - about 2 to 3 weeks.
3. Colonization to fruiting cycle start - within 2 weeks.
4. The fruiting cycle lasts about 2 weeks. After the initial flush, the mycelium cake begins to turn blue and no more mushrooms form. If the cake is thoroughly cleaned of abhorts and stray fungus blobs after the initial fruiting and given the PF double ended cake casing tek, fruiting can be doubled or even tripled.
All in all, the process takes from 4 - 6 weeks from spore inoculation to fruiting.
CONTAMINANT SOURCE IDENTIFICATION
Contaminant invaders appear in various colors from pastels to black. If they appear, the culture is doomed. Bacteria contamination is detectable through the top dry vermiculite layer as a sour foul odor within two days after inoculation (and no spore germination). If the jar is bacteria contaminated, be careful in cleaning it. Keep a safe distance from the contaminated substrate. Don't inhale the bacteria and wash after touching it. Bacteria can be dangerous.
CONTROL JAR TEK
After the jars are steam sterilized, let them cool, tighten the lids and let them sit uninoculated for several days. Watch for any colored growths or changes in the appearance of the substrate. The tell tale rancid odor of bacteria can be easily detected by loosening the jar lid and checking for the odor. If there is contamination at this stage, the sterilization technique needs to be checked. Most likely it will be a to short sterilization time. If there is a problem at this stage, lengthen the sterilization time. If the jars remain clean and unchanged, they are ready for spore syringe inoculation. If contamination occurs after inoculation, the syringe was contaminated or the dry vermiculite layer was breached during inoculation.
NON-GERMINATION OF SPORES
1. The spore solution was not inoculated deep enough down into the jar. Instead of running down the side of the jar and inoculating the substrate cake, the solution was absorbed by the non-nutritive top vermiculite layer. To avoid this from happening, make sure that the spore solution flows down along the sides of the substrate cake by inserting the syringe needle so that the tip is below the non-nutritive upper vermiculite layer.
2. The substrate jars were not allowed to cool down after sterilization, killing the spores. Inoculate only when the jar feels cool to the touch.
3. There is evidence now that syringe boxes can be exposed to killing heat during transit (a very rare occurrence). The possibilities are such as over heated airplane cargo holds during intense heat waves or a superheated mail truck parked all day in the sun. Another possibility is that on arriving at the mail box, the syringe package was allowed to sit inside a broiling sun heated mail box, killing the spores.
4. Spore syringes can survive freezing, but extreme low temperatures are probably destructive to the spores.
21 1/4" x 12" inside dimensions (dimensions variable).
The frame can be made of flat (unwarped) 1/4" thick board or 4 wood strips connected by screws.
The wooden lid frames' inner rectangular cutout must be LARGER than the top of the aquarium. Clear polyethylene plastic film is tacked to the underside (or upper side) of the frame so that the frame holds it tightly onto the aquarium top. The frame essentially hangs by the plastic film. A simpler alternative is to cover the aquarium top with saran wrap or something similar. The most important point to be stressed is that the aquarium must be sealable with no air leaks, for humidity retention.
The wooden lid frames' inner rectangular cutout must be LARGER than the top of the aquarium. Clear polyethylene plastic film is tacked to the underside (or upper side) of the frame so that the frame holds it tightly onto the aquarium top. The frame essentially hangs by the plastic film. A simpler alternative is to cover the aquarium top with saran wrap or something similar. The most important point to be stressed is that the aquarium must be sealable with no air leaks, for humidity retention.
THE SPRAY SHIELD/CHAMBER PARTITION
(for a standard 10 gallon aquarium)
Use 1/8" thick clear acrylic (Plexiglas) window insulation available at most hardware stores. Have it cut around 15" x 18" (dimensions may vary - check the aquarium first). A loose fit is good as long as the cakes are protected from the direct spray.
DUAL CHAMBERED TERRARIUM TECHNIQUES
The mushrooms get water from 2 sources; the substrate they grow on and the air that surrounds them. The surrounding air must be highly humidified. The fungus needs to bathe in a shroud of floating water molecules. 100% humidity is where there is the maximum number of water molecules floating amongst the air atoms. The dual chambered terrarium easily achieves these conditions.
It all starts with the spray from the hand sprayer. The first rule is to never directly spray the fungus. This initial spray is comprised of water droplets that are giant ponds of water in relation to the fine mycelial networks of the fungal threads. In culture, the droplet of water will drown the micro world of the fungal structures and thereby inhibit or contaminate growth. But the airborne molecularized water floats into the fine structures and gives the fungus humidity as needed. Molecularized water is another way of describing water that has evaporated into the air.
The spray that comes out of the spray bottle must be molecularized for the fungus. The spray shield and the primary chamber accomplish this. The primary chamber receives the initial spraying. As the spray strikes the shield, it is broken down into a finer mist which flows around the sides of the spray shield into the secondary chamber where the fungus is bathed in the fine humidity safely away from water droplets. In a matter of time, this humidity will condense out onto surfaces inside the terrarium and drip down. The spray shield is slanted and therefore acts as a drip shield and roof, so the more condensation the better.
SPRAYING PROCEDURE
First, before placing the cakes into the terrarium, spray all the inside surfaces of the terrarium, including the spray shield and lid. Insert the fungus cakes and put the spray shield and lid in place. Then, slightly lift up the lid and insert the nozzle of the water spray bottle in between the lid and the top of the aquarium and vigorously spray downwards into the middle of the shield. After about 5 seconds of spraying, immediately withdraw the sprayer nozzle and let down the lid to seal the swirling mist inside the terrarium. Come back after a few minutes and give it another spraying if desired and a third if the terrarium is to be left untended until the evening. To maintain a high humidity try to spray 2 times a day, and the more the better. Compensate for a lack of spraying during the day by spraying several times in the evening. Make sure that all the inside surfaces of the terrarium are foggy or dripping with water. This in itself helps generate humidity.
It has been seen that mushrooms will grow in a properly set up dual chambered terrarium, with only one good spraying a day - and even less than that!
Each time the terrarium is sprayed, the fungus should be ventilated. To ventilate, take off the lid, and while holding the spray shield vertically, fan the chamber with a piece of cardboard, and then spray as above. Also, the water that collects in the bottom of the terrarium must be siphoned out (prevents bacteria buildup). This can be easily done using a rubber bulb battery filler (auto parts store) or a rubber bulb type enema bottle.
Expose the terrarium to normal room light (indirect sunlight). A small low wattage fluorescent plant light will make the phototropic mushrooms grow upwards. Leave it on all the time if desired.
HEATING
The main rule is to not heat the dual chambered terrarium. Any direct heating works against the humidification and adds a drying influence. Do not use heating cables, heat pads or blankets. Don't shine light directly down into the terrarium. Keep any plant grow light (low wattage only) a safe distance from the terrarium. These fungi grow well at 60 degrees Fahrenheit. PF has even seen them growing perfectly at temperatures cooler than 60 degrees. They grow slowly when they are cool. When warm or at heated room temperature, they grow very fast. Strive for a growing temperature between 65 and the upper 80's. A too hot terrarium will result in lots of spreading mycelium, but no fruiting.
SYMPTOMS OF LOW HUMIDITY
When the humidity is a bit low, but not low enough to stop fruiting, the mushrooms can have fuzzy white mycelium growing on the tops of the caps. When this occurs, the cap looks like it has a crown of white hair. This is not contamination. This white fuzzy mycelium is perfectly good and does not detract from the mushrooms quality.
Deformed, convoluted, and withering mushrooms and primordia are signs of low humidity. For the best growth, the humidity has to be very high.
The mature specimens are good for spore production, but are not as good for consumption (weaker potency). They are characterized as becoming darker, with dark bluish colors appearing on the caps and stems. The cap upturns and reveals gills darkening a deep brown color. The mushroom will look like an umbrella that has turned up edges. On the stem can be seen the purple deposits of the dropping spores. Mature adult mushrooms release spores by the millions. In the area around the mushrooms can be seen a deepening color of purple. As the spores fall and collect they will color deep purple. This is the signal that the mushroom has matured and is now in its sporulation cycle. This is the time to take their spores.
SPORE PRINTING EQUIPMENT
KERR 1/2 PINT WIDE MOUTH (LOW FORM) CANNING JAR. (ANY SUITABLE JAR IS OK)
FINGER NAIL CUTICLE SCISSORS - (cosmetics - drug stores)
ALCOHOL, TEQUILA SHOT GLASS AND EYE DROPPER.
1. Presterilize the jar and regular metal lid (rubber edge up) in a small toaster oven at around 300 degrees Fahrenheit for around a half hour. Keep the lid loose during the sterilization cycle. When the jar has cooled down, tighten the lid until it is time to use the jar for a spore print. The rubberized edge will be a bit melted, but that won't be any problem in this technique.
Note: What follows is a sterile technique. The first rule that must be always followed is to wash hands prior to sterile work. Hands are a prime source for bacteria and microspore contaminants. Sterilize all the work surfaces with rubbing alcohol. Minimize drafts. Try for a still air environment. Don't breathe on the work. Run a small home appliance style HEPA air cleaner (99.97% rated efficiency - available at drug and department stores) for a few hours in a closed room to clean the air before doing sterile work.
2. Flame sterilize the scissors with an alcohol flame and snip off the mushroom cap. Cut the top of the stem as far up into the cap as possible so that the gills of the mushroom will sit flat on the surface of the jar bottom. With quick and sure movements, place the cap into the jar and place the lid on loosely. Pierce the top of the cap with a straight pin to pick it up and handle it.
3. Leave the jar with a loose cap for a couple of days in a draft free area away from direct sunlight. After the print is taken, quickly and with as little air disturbance as possible, remove the jar cap and extract the mushroom cap from the jar. With a loose jar cap, let the jar sit in a draft free place to dehumidify for a few days before sealing it up (with tape) because there will be some residual moisture left behind on the spores and glass. Store the spore print jar at room temperatures in a dark place away from sunlight. Don't store it in a refrigerator.
Psilocybe Cubensis spores begin to degrade a few months after they are taken. After approximately 1 1/2 years, spore germination will be greatly reduced or won't occur at all. Germination is massive and quick when the spores are fresh.
MAKING A SPORE SYRINGE
Materials list:
1. Spore print in jar.
2. Sterile syringe with water for injecting water into the spore print jar.
3. Sterile syringe for loading spore solution out of the jar.
4. A small Pyrex glass stirring rod (science - lab supply).
5. Alcohol, tequila shot glass and eye dropper.
6. Lid with two holes. Prepare this lid by drilling a hole in the center of the lid to fit the Pyrex glass stirring rod. Punch the second hole near the edge of the lid (rubberized edge up) to fit a syringe needle.
Syringe preparation
Boil a pot of water. Draw boiling water into a syringe and squirt it out several times. Refill the syringe with boiling water, replace the needle quard and wrap the syringe in tin foil. Prepare several syringes like this. Drop the syringes into the boiling water and boil them for one hour. Let them cool before using.
The main point of this technique would be to expose the interior of the jar to as little room air as possible. Always protect the holes in the lid by placing tin foil or sterile surgical tape over the holes before and after this procedure.
1. Inject sterile water into the spore print jar through the needle hole.
2. Flame sterilize the glass stirring rod and let it cool a minute. Insert it through the center lid hole and with the rod end, scrape spores into the water.
3. Insert the sterile syringe needle through the small hole at the edge of the lid. Tilt the jar until the water comes up to the needle tip and draw the spore water into the sterile syringe.
Store the syringe at cool temperatures in the dark. A properly prepared spore syringe will be good for several months and even up to a year or more.
Follow PF Tek or MMGG method until you have a fully colonized cake.
Wet vermiculite and put in sterilizing container, sterilize and let cool.
Sterilize fruiting container and let cool.
Add 1/2" (1cm) or more vermiculite layer to bottom of fruiting container.
Crumble or leave cake whole over bottom layer.
Cover cake with damp, sterilized vermiculite (note: some growers suggest leaving crumbled cake without casing until it starts to grow mycelium again (24+ hours))
Cover fruiting container with foil or plastic wrap, poke holes in covering.
Cover fruiting container with foil or plastic wrap, poke holes in covering.
Fruiting
Some growers have reported success, when using a casing layer, using no external humidification. Most growers put their cased growing containers into a humidity tent using one of the many electric humidification techniques. Some growers have reported good results using perlite only humidification (http:// .. perlite humid technique)..
Fruiting containers
Some growers report using pyrex dishes, others use plastic containers,
trays, cheap foil baking pans, etc. Some growers poke holes in the
bottom of the containers to keep water from accumulating and drowning
the mycelium. The container must be sterilizeable (microwave or oven).
