r/unclebens • u/MulberryWu • 5h ago
Mid-Cultivation / Still Growing Tidal waves, how do these look?
Do these look safe for consumption? My spore supplier says these donât drop spores, is that correct? How much more should I let these mature?
r/unclebens • u/shroomscout • Jul 24 '24
https://reddit.com/link/1ebdvn1/video/973nfmoegjed1/player
Iâll break this write-up into 4 posts. At the bottom of each post will be a summary in bold. You can find material lists in Part 2 and Part 3.
What most people know as âmushroomsâ are only the small reproductive part of the entire organism. Like an iceberg, most of the living tissue is actually found below the surface. When two microscopic mushroom spores meet in a pile of organic plant matter, they germinate and start producing mycelium. These microscopic threads begin forming a colony within the organic matter and absorb the available water and nutrients to produce an impressive mycelial network. After colonizing all the available nutrients, the mycelium turns its focus to reproduction.
To spread its spores, the mycelium forms into baby mushrooms, also known as pins. To produce these pins, the right fruiting conditions need to occur. Once the nutrients have been colonized and the mycelium reaches fresh air, the organism is ready for reproduction. The next rainstorm provides the moisture necessary, and the pins inflate upwards with the stored water into mature mushrooms.
Once mature, the mushrooms open their caps and drop their spores, withering away to ensure the success of their genetics.
To cultivate your own mushrooms, you need to replicate this process indoors.
Since this is still the most commonly broken rule and most commonly asked question:
You cannot discuss/advertise/promote vendors in r/unclebens. I want to keep it focused on cultivation, not a marketplace. If you need a recommended vendor, I recommend using syringes from SporeStock.com for USA and OrangutanTradingCo.com for UK. Every mushroom I've ever grown has come from these two vendors, and thousands of other users have had excellent success. No, I am not affiliated in any way with these guys, though I do think they kick ass. Yes, I am open to other vendor recommendations as well! I include this here so you can stop breaking the rules now.
Psilocybin is the nontoxic, non-addictive psychedelic compound found in âmagicâ mushrooms. There are more than 180 species of Psilocybin-producing mushrooms that grow across every continent. For 99% of hobbyists, the species to cultivate is Psilocybe cubensis, also known as "cubesâ. These are the easiest and most cultivated species of psilocybin mushrooms.
The sale of cubensis mushrooms is illegal across most of the world not because of the mushrooms being a controlled substance themselves, but because mature psychedelic mushrooms produce psilocybin. Psilocybin is the only thing mentioned in the Controlled Substances Act, because mushrooms arenât illegalâpsilocybin is. However, the spores of these mushrooms do not contain psilocybin and are legal to sell, purchase, and possess in most locations. In the US, only 3 unlucky states (California, Georgia, and Idaho) have specific laws preventing the sale or purchase of spores. Spores are sold in "multi spore syringes", which contain many thousand microscopic spores diluted in a sterile water syringe.
In the last few years, a better alternative to spores became available from many vendors online. Liquid Culture syringes contain live mycelium in sterile solution, similar to spores. Liquid Culture syringes are superior to spore syringes in almost every way, but have a more complicated history in a grey area of the law. More on Liquid Cultures later.
Either type of syringe can be purchased from vendors online. You can find several popular and legitimate vendors even on the first page of google, but as always, do your research before giving any vendor your money. My personally trusted vendors are recommended in this guide, since itâs the most commonly asked question.
Some countries/states/counties/individual cities have finally approved legislation to allow the cultivation or possession of small personal amounts of psilocybin mushrooms. In many places across Canada and the US, local law enforcement has made prosecuting psilocybin-related arrests their lowest priority after evidence has pointed to no increase in crime related to psilocybin decriminalization, as well as the immense therapeutic and antidepressant benefits psilocybin studies have shown. Make sure to check with the jurisdiction of your area before attempting cultivation of any cubensis mushroom.
Once you have your syringes, you need to inject your spores or Liquid Culture into hydrated and nutrient-rich grains to produce your mycelium. This step is known as inoculation and is followed by colonization. When your grains are colonized, we call them Spawn Grain.
You can buy premade, ready-to-inoculate grain from the store in the form of Ready Rice (more on this in Part 2), or you can make your own DIY Jars of spawn grain. You can inoculate nearly any hydrated and sterilized grain, including Brown Rice, Whole Oats, Millet, Rye Berries, Wild Bird Seed, Corn⌠you name it. But there's one major problem:
Mycelium's requirements of water, nutrients, and warmth are all the perfect breeding ground for mold, mildew, and bacteria. These contaminants live on our skin, on our surfaces, and even in the air we breathe. Normally itâs not a problem to our immune system, but the largest obstacle in mushroom cultivation is contamination, and it will ruin an entire grow and needs to be avoided at all costs. So, you need to make sure that your grains are hydrated, warm, and EXTREMELY sterile.
As covered in Part 3, the basics of spawning to bulk are simple:
First, your spawn grains need to be 100% fully colonized. Then, you will need to mix your grains into a bulk substrate. After the mycelium has reconnected with itself in the new substrate, you need to introduce Fruiting Conditions. This involves simulating fresh air, rain, and a little bit of sunlight. Within a few days, a Flush (or group) of mushrooms will grow from your colonized surface. Once you grow your first flush, you can then harvest and dehydrate your mushrooms, and feel proud for accomplishing something incredibly rewarding.
And that's the basics of cultivation. If this information seemed overwhelming, hang in there as I simplify and break it all down in the following guide. If you still have doubts**, I promise that you can do this**. The original cultivation guide I posted on Reddit years ago has received more than a thousand awards, helping hundreds of thousands of beginners cultivate, while catching the attention of the mushroom industry as well as mainstream media. Every week we see countless beginners post their harvested results here in r/unclebens. If they can do it, so can you. So, grab a pen and a pad for some notes, and learn everything you need to know about cultivating mushrooms from start to finish.
It just might be one of the most important decisions you make in your life.
Your first step in cultivation is to obtain either a few spore syringes or a few liquid culture syringes from a reputable vendor. My personal recommendations can be found in Part 2. Vendors cannot legally advertise or sell syringes specifically for use in cultivation. Syringes are usually marketed for âmicroscopyâ, âtaxonomyâ, or âresearch purposesâ. If you ever have an issue with a syringe, make sure to avoid mentioning cultivation to your vendor so you arenât refused service.
An average spore or Liquid Culture syringe is 10 to 12mL, (mL and cc are used interchangeably) and should come with a separate needle in a sterile package. This sterile needle will be used during the inoculation process and shouldnât be opened until then.Â
Pros:
¡ Spore syringes are guaranteed to be legal to purchase, sell, and possess in most places across the world (with 3 US state exceptions: CA, GA, ID).
¡ Spores can also be stored in a fridge for years, sometimes longer than a decade, and still be viable.
Cons:
¡ Spores take a while to germinate, so colonization can take weeks or even months.
¡ Spores frequently arrive already contaminated by the vendor. This is due to how mushroom spores are harvested, which is nearly impossible to guarantee contamination-free syringes. No matter how meticulous the harvesting process is, most spore syringes cannot be guaranteed to be sterile.
¡ The thousands of competing spores in one syringe also result in randomized genetics. The spores of a parent mushroom might grow children mushrooms that neither look nor grow anything like the parent generationâsometimes even worse than the parent generation.
Notes: Each spore syringe will contain thousands of dark microscopic spores. Individual spores are not visible to the human eye, so if you can see them, youâre actually seeing a large clump of the spores themselves. It would only take 1 drop of spore solution from these syringes to begin colonizing your grain.
Â
Pros:
¡ Liquid Cultures can have guaranteed sterility if made correctly, leading to fewer contaminated results.
¡ Since the mycelium is already germinated, LC colonizes grain significantly faster than spores.
¡ LC can have guaranteed genetics by skipping the randomized spore phase.
Cons:
¡ LC can still be contaminated by the vendor, though far less likely than with spore syringes.
¡ LC stays viable for only 6-18 months in the fridge, as opposed to spores which can stay viable for many years if stored in a fridge.
¡ Potential legal âgrey areaâ.
 In recent years vendors began selling Liquid Culture syringes to the public, often under the name of âisolatedâ syringes, or just âSyringesâ (without âsporeâ included), or even openly advertising their syringes as liquid cultures.
For decades, it was scientifically proven that mycelium grown on solid grain contained psilocybin. This made most cultivators believe that Liquid Culture syringes, which contain early-stage mycelium suspended in solution, must contain psilocybin, and were therefore considered a illegal to purchase or sell, similar to the mushrooms themselves.Â
What gave vendors confidence to begin selling Liquid Cultures was the results from new studies that showed the development of psilocybin and psilocin only starts during the later stage of mycelial growth. These results showed that early-stage mycelium suspended in solution DOES NOT contain psilocybin or psilocin. Following these studies, vendors began sending their syringes to laboratories for âHigh-Performance Liquid Chromatography and UV Analysisâ to determine if there was any psilocybin present at all. Which, by the standards set by the DEA themselves, means that these syringes would be legal to sell, purchase, and possess no differently than spores.Â
Out of curiosity, I sent in some Liquid Culture syringes I bought to a lab providing these tests and received the same results: no psilocybin present in my LC syringes.
I prefer using liquid cultures unless doing genetic work when starting from spores. Ultimately, itâs up to you to determine the best syringe type for you to get started.
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Note: The difference between âstrainâ and âvarietyâ doesnât have a true scientific mycological definition, and while âvarietyâ is likely appropriate for spore syringes, âstrainâ is likely more appropriate for LC and is commonly used interchangeably. Therefore, I will simply use âstrainâ as the phrase to use here to reference the type of cubensis mushroom (sorry hardcore mycology buffs).
Â
There are an overwhelming number of cubensis mushroom strains out there to choose from, so let me simplify things:
Psilocybin mushrooms and psilocybin itself, are not like cannabis, or other nature-produced psychoactive compounds**.** When it comes to cannabis, different strains contain different combinations of 4 types of psychoactive THCs, multiple CBDs, and more than 80 cannabidiol compounds that change the psychoactive effects. When it comes to psilocybin mushrooms, the active compounds are actually much simpler. There are only two scientifically confirmed psychoactive compounds present in cubensis mushrooms: psilocybin and psilocin. Although psilocybin is the famous compound, itâs not the actual psychedelic drug. Psilocybin is only a âprodrugâ for psilocin, and once ingested is converted into psilocin in the body.
Note: While OTHER potentially psychoactive compounds such as baeocystin HAVE been discovered in varying amounts across different strains of cubensis mushrooms, they are almost negligible in concentration and have not been confirmed to have physiological or psychoactive effects. For now, itâs safe to assume that the only compounds to care about in cubensis mushrooms are psilocybin and psilocin.
Although some vendors might claim that one strain provides a different experience than another, the difference between strains is only cultivation-based or appearance-based. Scientific studies have generally confirmed that the psychological effects produced from consuming one cubensis mushroom strain are not majorly different than another. Unfortunately, recreational drug culture has spread a lot of misinformation regarding mushroom strains**.** In our upcoming âMushrooms for the Mind Therapeutic Use Guideâ focusing on safe use, harm reduction, and education regarding psilocybin, youâll learn that your preparation, mindset, and setting have everything to do with your experience, regardless of what strain you choose.
However, there is one real factor to consider between strains: potency. The concentration of psilocybin and psilocin determines the potency of the experience. Although all cubensis mushrooms contain these compounds, it is 100% Â true that different strains express different potencies. The one exception to this rule could be Psilocybe natalensis (aka âNatalensisâ, or âNatsâ), which is a newly discovered cousin-species to cubensis. Many reports show that this cousin species to cubensis potentially provides slightly different physiological and psychoactive effects, but more evidence is needed before that claim is considered fact.
Most strains exhibit âstandardâ potency, such as Golden Teacher, B+, Mazatapec, Z-Strain, Cambodian, and similar varieties. When grown next to each other, many of these mushrooms would be hard to tell apart and are more likely marketing and advertising labels than truly different mushrooms. There are a few known potent strains, including Penis Envy, Albino Penis Envy (aka APE), Enigma, Tidal Wave, and other mutants. These mutated strains are often more difficult to cultivate than standard cubensis and require more time and care, so I donât recommend starting cultivation with any of these.
My recommendation? Give B+ or Golden Teachers a try. They are known to be hardy, fast-colonizing, and are the most popular strains for a reason. However, the phrase âa cube is a cubeâ is appropriate for most cubensis strains, since there is so little difference. Pick one and just go with it.
For your first attempt at cultivation and to give yourself the best chance against contamination possible, Iâd recommend purchasing two to three different strains of syringes from a reputable vendor. Syringes should cost about $20-$25 USD before shipping. If you donât use all your syringes for inoculation, you can store them in a fridge, where Liquid Culture syringes will last for 6-18 months, and spore syringes for years at a time. One 10mL syringe can be used to inoculate 10 to 20 bags of ready rice or more, or about 10 quart-sized jars.
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r/unclebens • u/MulberryWu • 5h ago
Do these look safe for consumption? My spore supplier says these donât drop spores, is that correct? How much more should I let these mature?
r/unclebens • u/No_Bid_6893 • 3h ago
r/unclebens • u/SinfulBlessings • 1h ago
r/unclebens • u/weenythebooty • 2h ago
Never really got what I would consider âmarshmallow softâ but their little veils did start breaking so, we harvested! Super excited. 480 grams wet.
r/unclebens • u/ilmemessm • 7h ago
I think I had a very low yield cos the cake got very dehydrated, going for a second flush with all the pins that were left after a little rehydration. Harvest was about 90g wet so pretty good going for a first attempt. I have more bens bags and made my own MSS to start more bags later this evening.
r/unclebens • u/corndog54 • 3h ago
r/unclebens • u/Redditmostwantedmyco • 5h ago
r/unclebens • u/Vivid_Match6423 • 22h ago
10 tubs are pinning all from uncle Benâs rice , oh and for all who was saying oh most of them will get contam haha only lost 5 out of 108âŚ
r/unclebens • u/Ok-Kaleidoscope2461 • 1h ago
Inoculated March 7th
r/unclebens • u/muted_hellokitty • 1h ago
Good to eat, lowkey kinda forgot about them. When I flushed them I wrapped them in foil and left them to dry openly (rookie mistake) good to eat? Havent cleaned the dirt off I keep forgetting about them 23g wet havent weighed dry. Add picture of when I wrapped it in foil after a few hours or so
r/unclebens • u/Groundbreaking-Army9 • 54m ago
r/unclebens • u/Redditmostwantedmyco • 55m ago
r/unclebens • u/CornheadMega • 7h ago
Do you need to sterilize the Jars with rubbing alchohol before putting rice in them &&& steaming ???
Or will the sterlization of the jars frick with the process.
Thank you, Broke girl beginner đ¤ˇââď¸
r/unclebens • u/mrbadassmotherfucker • 8h ago
Hey guys, new here looking for feedback.
Think itâs looking good, though I just want to check in with the experts and see.
Iâve read a shit ton on this now and think I pretty much know how to do everything. Hopefully these look on track.
Been about 2 weeks.
Having to grow in garage, so temp control has taken a while to get to grips with.
Cheers and have a good Saturday
r/unclebens • u/SuburbNacho • 6h ago
This cake is from a larger, contaminated cake that I tried to salvage, but it does not look like the same contam
r/unclebens • u/Rilkespawn • 11h ago
On this sub I see many questions seeking clarification of contamination versus bruising. Frequently I see photos during the stages of spawning to bulk and fruiting. My question is where is this contamination coming from? If the substrate has no nutrients, and the grains were fully colonized before adding them to the substrate, then it must mean one of the following is true:
âcontamination entered during the inoculation and colonization stage and simply didnât show up until a few weeks later
âthe grains were not fully colonized before moving to the spawn to bulk stage, thus allowing bacteria to feed on the grain nutrients still existing from colonization
ârandom bacteria was preexisting somewhere in the setup prior to spawning to bulk and the cleaning step with alcohol wasnât thorough enough.
What other potential avenues of contamination am I not thinking of?
r/unclebens • u/himynameisbeyond • 1h ago
Every damn plate pins but that really is a good problem to have. If you want my agar recipes just ask.
r/unclebens • u/wavyy_dreamer • 1h ago
Iâm a new grower and I inoculated some UB bags and some pre bought malt extract agar plates with a blue meanie cubensis mss 8 days ago. I inoculated using a diy laminar flow hood and Iâm keeping everything stored at a solid 76-78 degrees Fahrenheit using a temperature monitor and a humidifier on low to make sure nothing dries out keeping it at around 55% RH. Nothing. All the plates look the exact same from when they came. I messed up my first plate underestimating the pressure needed to push out the spores and ended up spraying some everywhere, but the rest only got one or two drops straight from the syringe no needle, wrapped in micropose parafilm. I also left two plates empty. One that I immediately sealed after opening the bag they came in, and one I left in front of my flow hood for about two minutes. Absolutely nothing. Nothing from the grain either. I used 3 uncle Benâs and 3 off brand, all whole grain brown with no other additives, all being stored together with monitored temperature and humidity. I know mss syringes can take a while bc the spores need to germinate but I thought after a week I wouldâve seen SOMETHING, even contamination. Any advise? Is it possible I got a dead syringe? Thereâs very clearly a lot of spores in the syringe and I shook it up pretty good before inoculating and Iâve only ever heard good things about this vendor. Any advise? Is it possible I got a dead syringe? Thereâs very clearly a lot of spores in the syringe and I shook it up pretty good before inoculating and Iâve only ever heard good things about this vendor. Could it be the agar plates? I donât have a pc yet which is why I opted to buy the pre poured plates. Honestly Iâm just about to get a LC syringe and try again to compare results and colonization speeds
r/unclebens • u/tyty5869 • 1d ago
r/unclebens • u/BikeOne1950 • 11h ago
Looking like this ones contaminated :( I've got 1 other bag which I innoculated at the same time, that one's looking kinda the same, but without the bluey greenie patch. Should I throw this bag out now?
r/unclebens • u/bleonard02 • 3h ago
I was under the impression that the right process to grow was 1. Inoculate an all in one grow bag 2. Let it fully colonize for a few weeks 3. Transfer the block of substrate to a monotub 4. Break up all the mycelium and substrate to create a flat layer 5. Introduce free air exchange 6. Give it another week or so and youâll have mushrooms
My question is if I follow through on step 4 will that fuck my grow up? I just found this sub and donât see many people doing that. Thatâs the step Iâm getting ready to take my bag is pretty much fully colonized, if thatâs wrong what should I do instead?