Disclaimer: This is in toto an application of the PF Tek method, which
I owe all thanks.
Purpose: To grow mushrooms as secretively as possible.
The following may not be the most sterile way of growing mushrooms; in
fact, I will even go so far to say that it may not be the way you should
grow them. However, it worked when I tried it. This is for reference only.
You should probably have some experience growing mushrooms first.
What you will NOT need:
Innoculation:
Growing:
Finally:
1. jars
2. A pressure cooker
3. A steamer
4. A secret room of your house
What you will need:
1. A pyrex baking dish 8" X 8" X 3"
2. Brown rice ground in a coffee grinder OR brown rice flour
3. Vermiculite
4. A "Sterlite Jumbo Storage Box" 28 quart. (Found at Wal-Mart)
5. A Rubbermaid "Servin' Saver 'Rectangle'" 1 gallon
6. A Regent Aqua-Tech 10" Bubble Curtain. This is used in fish aquariums and
is found at Wal-Mart.
7. A small aquarium air pump and 4 feet of air tubing.
8. A spore print and syringe or spore syringes - It may be best not to try this
until you have an ample supply of very dark spore prints, as this
method is unrefined at this point in time.
Preparation:
Fill the Pyrex dish between 1/2 and 3/4 full with brown rice flour and
vermiculite. Mix it by swirling it around with your fingers. I personally
used about 3/4 flour to 1/4 vermiculite. The vermiculite should be enough
to keep the cake from adhering to the sides of the dish. Then fill slowly
with water until the level is almost the same as the aforementioned
mixture. Wipe the sides of the dish then fill with dry vermiculite to the
top. Cover the top with tinfoil and put in a pre-heated oven at ~210
degrees (make sure it is less than 212 degrees) for 1 hour, then turn the
heat up to ~300 degrees for 15 minutes. Afterwards, let cool. It may take
all night. The foil will have to be removed periodically to prevent
condensation.
Put 200 cc's of spore solution around the sides of the dish and then
inject 100 cc's directly in the middle onto the bottom. I had a jar of
solution from some very large and dark spore prints. Put in a closet on a
shelf that has been wiped with a disinfectant.
The Perlite container will be upside-down. Bore a hole about 1 inch from
the bottom (the top of the chamber when upside down) where the air tubing
will barely fit. Put the bubble curtain diagonally in the Rubbermaid
container. You may have to manipulate it carefully to get it to stay put.
The Rubbermaid container is filled 1/2 full of water. Turn the Pyrex dish
over carefully and the cake will be sitting on the tinfoil. Place the
chamber under a bed; have a noisy desk fan nearby to cover the noise of
the aquarium bubbler. Daily lift the "top" to cause the condensation to
flow onto a towel. Lift the top diagonally. Pull the chamber out from
under the bed for light during the day.
This is a rough method. Be sure and sterilize the container by wiping with
bleach and perhaps spray the area thoroughly with Lysal before lifting the
top.