The garden

[Mad6string]

I have a "garden" going and was wondering what  some more experienced growers thought about the temp. I can't keep it at exactly 86 degrees. It fluctuates between 80 and 86. It's the best I can do. Is that going to mess them up? Also, when it comes time to change them over to the fruiting chamber, does it have to be exactly 10 degrees cooler? Any advice would be great. Thanks

Donnie

[Bonkers]

Hi Donnie,

Nature isn't "exact" and they seem to do fine out there. I'm no expert but I'm beginning to understand that mushroom cultivation for our needs isn't rocket science. Most of us just try to keep the incubation chamber dark, dry, warm and as close to 86 as we can with the control on the heating pad or the aquarium heater. It's more important not to get too warm than it is not to get too cold. Too cold and colonization slows down. Too hot (above 90) and mycelia start to die.

Light, normal room temperature and high humidity are needed in the fruiting chamber. Air conditioning if it gets above 80 or a wet towel and a fan if it's unavailable are the least expensive and/or low-tech cooling methods. Vermiculite and bubblers of various kinds for humidity, holes at vermiculite(ground) level covered with Tyvek or filled with poly-fill for air exchange and you're good to go.

Good luck,

Ron

[clustermom13]

Why do my shrooms keep turning gray?  I read that you should harvest before they turn, but I left my crystal ball on the bus! 

[Bonkers]

When the cap begins to open up, a veil forms underneath which covers the mushroom's gills. The time to pick is just as the veil begins to break exposing the gills.

[clustermom13]

You mentioned a bubbler and tyvek in your fruiting chamber.  Do you lay the tyvek along the bottom before putting in the perlite?  And could you give me more explanation on your bubbler setup, please?  Thanks Ron

[Bonkers]

Tyvek is used for envelopes, hazmat suits and as an extremely good filter medium for recreational mycologists. It is used in jar lids for pressure cooking and to cover holes to allow air exchange but not contams.

I don't know how effective they are, but some use an aquarium air pump and plastic tubing to bubble air into a  closed plastic container 3/4-full of water with other tube(s) exhausting humid air above the water in the container to the growing chamber to raise relative humidity.

There's lots of info about these and many other hobbyist helpers on http://forums.mycotopia.net/fungi-growing-edible-medicinal-magic-mushrooms/ and http://www.shroomery.org/4/Grow-Mushrooms. You're very welcome.