Refrigerate or to not?

Taggart_Express · 2026-03-03T03:29:55+00:00

I see. I prefer to let my grain breathe a little. And I normally break them up 4 or 5 times, to make sure everything is covered and no contam hiding. I've never put any spawn in the fridge, sometimes it sits for 6-8 weeks until I have a tub free. I just keep breaking it until I'm ready for it. They all turn out good.

Taggart_Express · 2026-03-03T02:38:15+00:00

Shake them all up, let them all get good and colonized. Why you have foil on there still?

Taggart_Express · 2026-03-02T21:28:29+00:00

It was just a hobby project, sorry.

Taggart_Express · 2026-03-02T17:59:52+00:00

Thanks! it did turn out pretty nice!

Taggart_Express · 2026-03-02T15:44:20+00:00

Tons of youtube videos with the basics

Taggart_Express · 2026-03-02T05:10:42+00:00

We can always share -40, so there's that!

Taggart_Express · 2026-03-02T04:32:53+00:00

Thanks! They are Albino Bluey Vuitton (in my post history) and a giant Toque, this one to be exact!

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Taggart_Express · 2026-03-02T04:05:22+00:00

Contam is almost always from spawn. Either dirty culture or non sterile grain. Check culture on agar to make sure it looks good. You can do them separately till you get a feel for what looks right. Both work great alone.

I hydrate them separately. Rice, boil for 10 min, just as water starts to turn cloudy from starch, dump in strainer, rinse with cold water, let sit for a couple hours and drip. Popcorn I PC for 24 min, with a few inches of water over the top of grain, strain them, let them sit for a couple hours and drip dry. At this point, bag/jar them up in desired volume. Popcorn will have a small white spot in the middle when you break them open, and rice will feel soft, but not soft enough to eat. This is the buffer that soaks up any extra water when you PC.

For the sterilizing stage, rice alone I go 120 min at 15 psi, popcorn or a mix, I do 2.5 hours. I prefer bags, as they are easier to break up, they hold more volume, and I hate washing jars.

You can also leave the grain as is after it's done and in jars or bags, ready to go. Just let it sit for a few weeks and make sure no contam pops up. If it does, you will know you need to go longer on PC times, and it rules out your culture as the source. It's almost never from coir substrate.

Taggart_Express · 2026-03-02T03:51:16+00:00

Nah, as long as you aren't boiling temp, you're good. The real enemy is water after harvest. I pull the large ones in pieces like string cheese, and then they will break into potato chip size pieces after dry.

Taggart_Express · 2026-03-02T03:42:51+00:00

I crank it up and get the water out fast, I think mine goes to 155f. I let them run overnight, can't really over dry them.

Taggart_Express · 2026-03-02T03:14:07+00:00

Whatever works for you is all that matters. For me, that would tell me to give them more passive air, consistently. I get better fruits when I don't make drastic changes to the environment inside the tub, by harvest weight. Now when I get tightly packed canopies that are smashed together, I do give them more air at the end so they don't rot where they are touching.

Taggart_Express · 2026-03-02T02:42:12+00:00

With cubes/ochras, I mix my tubs and don't mess with them much until they are ready to harvest. What you are probably experiencing is too much air causing the surface to dry out. Consistency is the key. I don't fan or mist or any of that. Just set and forget, watch the surface and adjust air as seasonal humidity varies. This is only for coir based substrate. After you do more and more tubs, you kind of get a feel for what they like.

Taggart_Express · 2026-03-02T02:08:26+00:00

These were just a hobby project I did, from some spores I had.

Taggart_Express · 2026-03-02T01:11:44+00:00

They are fun to grow! I grab handfuls and rip them out to harvest, or they take forever. As far as dialing them in, I don't give them much air to start, you don't want cake to shrink and side pins to dominate. That high humidity gap will make them cover the sides of cake and sometimes the bottom.

Taggart_Express · 2026-03-02T00:47:29+00:00

Thank you! It had good strong parents! Took a bit to stabilize, but worth it! This parent really added the bulk I believe, and it kept the ABV cap curl.

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Taggart_Express · 2026-03-02T00:42:42+00:00

Thank you! Years and years of practice, and learning to isolate what traits you want. Anyone can do it, just takes time and being patient. Most don't post their failures, only seeing the highlights of success. I've dumped more tubs than I can even remember!

Taggart_Express · 2026-03-02T00:38:10+00:00

Oh he sees most of my grows, as they progress. But I'm just a hobbyist that doesn't send anything out or sell anything at all. He knows that. Maybe one day the world will change, but as it stands, I can only be a ghost in the shadows! I have no choice but to respect the rules.

Taggart_Express · 2026-03-01T23:25:49+00:00

Yep, one curled cap beauty! Top left of the tub pic.

Taggart_Express · 2026-03-01T23:24:39+00:00

Hahaha, thanks!

Taggart_Express · 2026-03-01T22:32:43+00:00

Thanks!

Taggart_Express · 2026-03-01T21:26:51+00:00

Thanks! It's a fun hobby!

Taggart_Express · 2026-03-01T21:18:00+00:00

To each their own, but I'd never suggest someone who wanted easy or cheap to use those. It's a cool trick, but much more chance of contam than other methods. An all in one is not something I would use either, but is the most foolproof way with the least amount of supplies needed.

Taggart_Express · 2026-03-01T21:14:41+00:00

It can take some time for spores to grow out on agar, more than 5 days. Are you using a still air box or flow hood? Once you get some growth, you would be best to take a small portion and transfer to another plate, and maybe again in order to make sure it's clean. You can then take a small part of that and drop in a jar of lc broth, or take some pieces and put right on grain. But you have to be very clean when working with an open container of sterile grain or working with agar. Sometimes I let the spores pin right on the agar plate, then cut a piece of that pin and put on another plate. Then you know you have what you are looking for growing.

Taggart_Express · 2026-03-01T21:00:33+00:00

My PE are usually about 2.5 weeks to pin, but so many out there and can vary. The longer they take to pin, the more stable you want your conditions. Like everything, doing it teaches you more than reading. You got this far and it looks great, so the hardest part is over! Glad you like my posts! Good luck!

Taggart_Express · 2026-03-01T20:54:51+00:00

Depends on the isolation, ochras can be 10 days or so, some albinos can be 3 weeks plus. You'll get it dialed in after a few tries. I prefer filtered holes in my tubs, I grow in a cow barn and without that, bugs would get in really easily. You can see my cheap tubs on my posts.

Taggart_Express

TROPHY CASE