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[Growlog]Propagating Psilocybe mycelium on wood chips Options
 
downwardsfromzero
#1 Posted : 12/13/2017 7:03:20 PM

Boundary condition

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So, here's a couple of pics: some lightly simmered wood chips freshly 'inoculated' with what reasonably may be assumed to be either Ps. cyanescens or Ps. ovoideocystidiata mycelium, and some cardboard that was simmered in the resulting wood tea. The cardboard will be covering the wood chips to help regulate moisture levels.

After finding the long-lost mycelium in a few wood chips these were kept in a small, empty peanut packet along with a dead leaf. The manner in which the mycelium colonised the leaf, along with the resulting fragrance signature indicates that this most likely will be cyanescens.

The wood chips were sold as hardwood reptile bedding. A suitable quantity for the plastic tub being used, in this case 200mL, was placed into a stainless steel saucepan and about 400mL of boiling water was poured on. The pan was placed on a low heat and simmered for about 10 mins.

The water was then strained off while hot into the plastic tub. This sterilises the tub a little. The wood chips were put in a sieve to drain and sprinkled lightly with table salt. This is because Ps. cyanescens is fairly salt tolerant and it will thus be favoured slightly over competing moulds.

To the remaining 250mL of wood tea was added 30mL of 25% acetic acid solution, to make a weak wood vinegar of sorts. Excess salt was rinsed from the wood chips using this solution. This was then used to simmer a piece of unbleached corrugated cardboard which had been cut to a suitable size to cover snugly the surface of the wood chips in the plastic tub.

[EDIT: See note below about neutralisation using calcium carbonate!]

Once the wood chips had cooled sufficiently, the mycelium was added in a thin layer. Excess liquid was removed from the soaked cardboard using a paper towel. The cardboard was allowed to cool and place atop the mycelium in the tub, which was closed with a fairly loose-fitting lid.

The tub was put in a cool (10-15°C), dark place to incubate.

We await further signs of life...
downwardsfromzero attached the following image(s):
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“There is a way of manipulating matter and energy so as to produce what modern scientists call 'a field of force'. The field acts on the observer and puts him in a privileged position vis-à-vis the universe. From this position he has access to the realities which are ordinarily hidden from us by time and space, matter and energy. This is what we call the Great Work."
― Jacques Bergier, quoting Fulcanelli
 

Live plants. Sustainable, ethically sourced, native American owned.
 
Nereus
#2 Posted : 12/13/2017 11:54:40 PM

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Good luck with this project, downwardsfromzero! You've made me curious about its progress already.
 
Dogbark
#3 Posted : 12/14/2017 2:17:53 PM

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Is this a proof of concept or are you trying to develop a better growing method ?

Anyway interesting project !
 
downwardsfromzero
#4 Posted : 12/14/2017 3:36:09 PM

Boundary condition

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This is known to work but it seemed that keeping a record would be of use to the community.

The salt and vinegar were tweaks to reduce the chances of cobweb mould taking hold, not that that particularly bothers this myc. In fact, after due consideration it was concluded that the myc wasn't going to be happy with the vinegar residue. Brief checking showed this to be the case, thus everything has been dusted with a bit of precipitated chalk (calcium carbonate) to neutralise. It clearly would be better to do this before adding the myc in subsequent experiments.

Hopefully that'll be the last fiddling around to be done for a while and we'll see how things are doing in a few weeks' time. Moisture levels and air exchange will be attended to in the mean time.
downwardsfromzero attached the following image(s):
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“There is a way of manipulating matter and energy so as to produce what modern scientists call 'a field of force'. The field acts on the observer and puts him in a privileged position vis-à-vis the universe. From this position he has access to the realities which are ordinarily hidden from us by time and space, matter and energy. This is what we call the Great Work."
― Jacques Bergier, quoting Fulcanelli
 
 
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