First off, this is not the traditional monotub. A traditional monotub tek has the bottom of the tub lined with a trashbag and has one big spawn/substrate mix. SWIM mis-labeled two jars, so SWIM had 1 quart of Albino Penis Envy rye spawn, and then either another Alibino Penis Envy jar and a Penis Envy jar or two Penis Envy jars (LABEL YOUR SHIT). So SWIM will be showing you a minor alteration of the monotub tek.
As stated in another post, SWIM is still new to mycology so everything in this tek might not be 100% accurate (please correct if you see something wrong), but this is how SWIM does it. Let's get started.
Step 1. Line trays with trash bag.SWIM used the Ziploc plastic containers containers. Any will work but these are about 3-4 inches deep.
Swim dropped in a trash bag that was cut into fourths (it is double lined) and dropped in tray.
He put a tshirt in it so all of the space was used inside and to make taping the sides down easier.
He then used tape (SWIM used some clear bandage tape that he had lying around, any will work).
Finished tray.
Step 2. Get your tub and cut breathing holes.SWIM put two at the top (2 inches in diameter) and two in the middle (you want them atleast above the top of your trays). SWIM used a knife to cut them out and then used a dremel to sand them down smooth (picture is prior to sanding).
Here is a picture of the three trays inside the tub.
Step 2.5. Make a window in the lid.SWIM just used an extra piece of plexiglass and cut out a rectangular slightly smaller than the piece of plexiglass.
He used some quick drying epoxy and some RTV Silicone to seal it up.
Step 3. Prep polyfil.You need to sterilize your polyfil before inserting it into your tub's wholes. Here is the polyfil SWIM used.
He loaded it into some jars with foil on top (there are two jars of casing beside, SWIM will do a casing tek later).
SWIM dropped them in pressure cooker with an inch of water in the bottom.
He tighted two clamps at a time on opposite ends (you will want to do this).
Turned the stove on and waited for it to get to 15 psi and let it cook for 45 minutes.
He let the jars cool down to room temperature and loosley filled the holes (you want it to be snug in there but not stuffed real tight).
Step 4. Mix spawn and substrate.SWIM did this sitting on the ground, DO NOT DO THIS. The majority of contams are on the ground, when mixing spawn and substrate, do it elevated in a clean room. SWIM used latex gloves and sprayed everything down with 1:10 ratio of rubbing alcohol and distilled water (70% is better than 91%, but 91% was all he had). He has 1 quart jar of spawn that has been mixed up good and a few jars of
pasteurized horse manure substrate.
SWIM mixes his spawn and substrate but does not like to agitate the spawn, so he does layers. He puts down a layer of substrate...
...and then a layer of spawn.
SWIM realized that 1 quart jar of spawn in these trays was alot so he built another monotub (pic at the end) and did two more trays with the remaining 2 quarts.
He left about 1/4-1/2 of space for casing, covered with foil, poked holes, and LABELED the trays.
This was the aftermath, SWIM is not very tidy.
Step 5. Drop the trays in your tub and cover.SWIM dropped the trays in and stuck a thermometer (that he fucking broke--don't leave it on the ground when the room is a mess or you will step on it, luckily it still works) in one the trays to monitor the temps inside.
SWIM covered the tub with a towel (make sure it drapes over the polyfil holes as light might get through--even though they are covered in foil). Also, the top tub is the additional monotub with 2 trays in it.
He covered the top one.
Step 6. Wait.SWIM will check them in 4-5 days to see how colonized they are.
He will report back with a follow up tek to casing and then a grow log! Thanks for looking.
“I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is.”
-Watts-
"We live together, we act on, and react to, one another; but always and in all circumstances we are by ourselves. The martyrs go hand in hand into the arena; they are crucified alone. Embraced, the lovers desperately try to fuse their insulated ecstasies into a single self-transcendence; in vain. By its very nature every embodied spirit is doomed to suffer and enjoy in solitude. Sensations, feelings, insights, fancies — all these are private and, except through symbols and at second hand, incommunicable. We can pool information about experiences, but never the experiences themselves. From family to nation, every human group is a society of island universes."
-Huxley-