Complete Guide to Psilocybe Cubensis Cultivation Complete Guide to Psilocybe Cubensis Cultivation Introduction The cultivation of psilocybe cubensis mushrooms seems to be a daunting task; however, with this quick, easy, and affordable guide I will demonstrate a method of cultivation that anyone can follow (see page 5 for procedure). With this, it is important that the steps I will lay out in this are followed within reasonable accuracy. DO NOT SKIP STEPS OR FAIL TO STERILIZE. That would be a grave and frankly, potentially fatal mistake. 2 Complete Guide to Psilocybe Cubensis Cultivation Inoculation In the magical (pun intended) world of psilocybe cultivation, inoculation refers to the act of “introducing mushroom spawn to a substrate.” This involves the introduction of mushroom spores (or small portions of mycelium) to an environment that can provide these spores with the nutrition needed to “germinate.” Because mushroom spores do not contain all the genetic information needed to procreate, each spore requires a partner spore of the same species to reproduce. Mycelium is the vegetative part of the fungus that fills similar roles for fungi that roots serve in plants, gathering nutrients from the environment. When two spores of the same species find themselves near each other in a favorable environment, they will each individually germinate into monokaryotic mycelium. Two monokaryotic mycelia of the same species can form a dikaryotic mycelium. This dikaryotic mycelium is then capable of sexual reproduction and is therefore capable of fruiting. The purpose of inoculation in this guide is to generate this dikaryotic mycelium that will then be able to bear fruits (wet mushrooms). Colonization Colonization refers the process of mushroom mycelium consolidating its hold on a substrate by extending new strands of mycelium into nutritious material. Hyphae are the long, stringy structural units of mycelium that are used by the fungus to collect nutrients from the surroundings but can also be modified by the fungus for various functions. During colonization, hyphae can become bundled together and form structures called rhizomorphs. This growth can either be rhizomorphic or tomentose. During rhizomorphic growth, the tips of each hyphae secrete a peroxidase similar to hydrogen peroxide that breaks down the food in front of it. The hyphae grow over it, digest it, and shuttle the nutrients around the colony, and eventually to Tomentose (left) vs Rhizomorphic growing mushrooms. Tomentose growth is similar to growth (right) rhizomorphic growth with the main difference being that in rhizomorphic growth the hyphae are of the same strain of mycelium and are therefore able to form rhizomorphs to expedite growth. In tomentose growth however, the hyphae of these competing strains of mycelium will fail to form rhizomorphs and 3 Complete Guide to Psilocybe Cubensis Cultivation therefore will slow the growth of the colony. The end goal of colonization is to establish a strong hold on substrate so that fungi can begin producing mushrooms (its “fruit”). Fruiting As the mycelium grows and gathers nutrients, it will approach the stage in cultivation where it can produce primordia, adolescent forms of a fruiting body (mushroom) that appear as miniscule spheres of biomass. As the primordia develops, it will begin to develop a “pinhead” or primordium before maturing into a full fruiting body. After the pin stage, the primordium will develop into a slightly larger “button,” which is the final stage of maturation before full mushroom growth. During fruiting, the mushrooms will require a steady stream of oxygen, nitrogen, and cold air. For our purposes, fruiting will take place inside of a monotub. A monotub is a container designed specifically for mushroom cultivation; it pulls in cold air through holes near the soil line within the tub and releases warm air through holes in the top of the tub. Similar to humans and other animals, fungi will intake oxygen and release carbon dioxide; therefore, our container will need to be able to replace the expended carbon dioxide with fresh oxygen to be consumed. Luckily, the air current within a monotub is such that as the fungi release carbon dioxide, it follows the flow of hot air and is released through the holes in the top of the monotub. In addition to fresh air, growing mushrooms require a damp environment that has water vapor readily available for the fungi to pull in and utilize. To account for this, the monotub requires the inside surfaces of its sides to be sprayed with sterile water twice daily during the fruiting stage. Bruising occurs when certain chemicals within the cell walls of mushrooms are damaged and/or exposed to oxygen and/or moisture. In psilocybe cubensis, this can cause the neutralization of psilocybin which some believe can lead to a less potent trip. To prevent bruising, water will not be sprayed directly onto the fruiting mushrooms and mushrooms should not be directly touched until they are ready to harvest. 4 Complete Guide to Psilocybe Cubensis Cultivation Harvest After mushrooms reach an acceptable size (there is really no specific size they should be), they will need to be harvested in such a way that allows for a second fruiting cycle to occur. This is typically done by carefully pulling the mushrooms from their mycelial base or carefully cutting the base of the mushroom. Generally, harvest will occur after the mushroom fruit begin to appear as though they are dropping a white dust onto the ground beneath their caps which is actually the mushroom dropping its spores. For psilocybe cubensis, the harvest process also includes a dehydrating process. This is necessary to keep the mushrooms from decomposing and bruising. Typically, a dehydrator is used to circulate warm air around the mushroom for extended periods of time, drawing the moisture out and leaving behind a dry, brittle, and imperishable fruit behind. However, this process does not necessitate a dehydrator and can be done in a variety of ways such as simply placing the clean mushrooms on a set of paper towels, leaving them within the reach of sunlight from a window and a powerful fan aimed at the array of mushrooms. This alternate process should take around 24 hours to complete depending on the idealness of the setup while a dehydrator will simply take around 8-10 hours to completely dry the mushrooms. Cloning The process known as cloning refers to the using of ready to fruit mycelial masses to start the process of inoculation without the need for additional spores. This step is not necessary, and this guide will skip the explanation (A follow up “deep dive” guide to cloning will be published shortly). Equipment Needed • Inflatable Monotub - $30 • Monotub filters (10) – w/ Monotub • Monotub plugs (10) – w/ Monotub • Whole Grain or PF Tek Spawn Bag - $20 • Vermiculite (500 grams) – $15 • Coco Coir (500 grams) – w vermiculite • Gypsum (100 grams) – w/ vermiculite • 5 Gallon Bucket – $5 (or just thug it out) • 70% Isopropyl alcohol - $3 • Dehydrator - $100 (optional) 5 Complete Guide to Psilocybe Cubensis Cultivation o Powerful fan and a week of time – Free • Spray Bottle - $1 • Parafilm – $5 (for cloning) • Agar – $10 (for cloning) • Petri Dish – w/ agar (for cloning) • Lighter - $1 • Psilocybe Cubensis Spores - $20 My Total Cost - $210 w dehydrator or $110 w/o dehydrator Procedure Inoculation 1. Wipe down the spawn bag and the syringe with 70% isopropyl alcohol 2. Using a lighter, heat up the needle of your syringe for about 30 seconds 3. Mix the spawn bag around through the plastic 4. Insert 3-5 cc of spore solution into the injection port on the spawn bag Colonization 1. After the spawn bag is about 10% colonized, mix the mycelium around evenly through the bag 2. Wait about two weeks or until full colonization 3. Prepare the bulk substrate by adding the gypsum, vermiculite, and Coco Coir into a bucket of some kind 4. Boil 16 cups of water 5. Pour water over substrate in bucket and close the lid 6. Wrap a towel around the bucket 7. Wait 24 hours 8. Spray and wipe down the monotub and red plugs with isopropyl 9. Plug all the holes with the red plugs 10. Wipe spawn bag down with 70% isopropyl 11. Break up spawn bag into pieces 12. Cut open bag and check to make sure it smells “earthy” 13. Dump spawn into monotub 14. Hand-mixed bulk substrate and put about ½ into the monotub 15. Pour substrate into monotub and mix with the spawn 16. Lightly flatten to mold to bottom of monotub a. Try to squeeze out air around edges b. Do not pack too hard to allow for mycelium to breathe 6 Complete Guide to Psilocybe Cubensis Cultivation 17. Add ½ inch layer of substrate and lightly pack down 18. Wait about a week or for tub to be about 80% colonized a. Check daily Fruiting 1. Remove red plugs and replace them with the filters 2. Delicately, open the lid of the monotub and “fan” the tub for roughly 30 seconds twice a day a. Wash hands and be as sterile as possible while opening tub 3. Continue until just after most mushrooms have broken their veil Harvest 1. Carefully, twist or cut the base of the mushroom 2. Begin dehydrating process a. Dehydrator method i. Place wet mushrooms evenly on dehydrator trays ii. Place trays inside dehydrator and run it for 8-10 hours b. Alternate method i. Place wet mushrooms onto an array of paper towels ii. Position array of mushrooms in near a window that has ample sunlight iii. Position a fan of sufficient power so that the air is blowing onto the array of mushrooms iv. Turn the temperature up in the room containing the mushrooms to ~70-80 degrees Fahrenheit 3. Store dried mushrooms in an airtight container in a cool, dark place a. (Optional) Add dry pack to container 4. Prepare for a Second Flush Second Flush The second flush repeats many of the same stages as the initial flush (Fruiting steps 1-3) 1. Using the spray bottle, lightly mist the sides of the monotub 2. Fan the monotub 3. Fan and mist the tub as needed every day 4. Wait about a week and repeat the harvest steps 1-3 7 Complete Guide to Psilocybe Cubensis Cultivation Cloning 1. Set aside a fresh mushroom and cut out a small piece of mushroom (small enough to occupy ~15% of petri dish) 2. Place the mushroom piece on the agar plate 3. Wrap petri dish/agar plate in parafilm 4. Wait 3-5 days 5. Wipe spawn bag with isopropyl 6. Cut open top of spawn bag and mix 7. With sterile blade, cut about 8 pieces of agar and mix into spawn bag 8. Reseal bag with tape, sealer, zip ties, etc 9. Repeat from colonization step 1 8 Complete Guide to Psilocybe Cubensis Cultivation Sources Inoculation https://mycology.fandom.com/wiki/Inoculation https://www.google.com/search?q=how+much+dna+do+mushroom+spores+have&oq=how+mu ch+dna+do+mushroom+spores+have&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i22i29i30.14448j0j7&sourceid=chr ome&ie=UTF-8 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycelium https://www.instructables.com/How-to-grow-wild-mushrooms-mycelium-from-spores- ex/#:~:text=When%20two%20spores%20of%20the,to%20make%20a%20viable%20offspring. https://surprisetest.com/e/neet-biological-classification-4_Basidiomycetes_- _%E2%80%98%E2%80%98Club_fungi%E2%80%99%E2%80%99 Colonization https://mycology.fandom.com/wiki/Colonization#:~:text=Edit,mycelium's%20hold%20on%20th e%20substratum. https://www.reddit.com/r/shroomers/comments/3tlbd5/cotton_myc_vs_string_like_myc/ https://mycotopia.net/topic/10676-rhizomorphicfluffy/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypha Fruiting https://ommushrooms.com/pages/mycelium-vs-fruiting-body- m2#:~:text=As%20the%20mycelium%20grows%20and,becoming%20a%20mature%20fruiting %20body. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushroom https://www.globalmush.com/process.html https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/identifying-mushrooms.html#sthash.bVytvD8K.dpbs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oGG1W5ZM-0 Harvest https://doubleblindmag.com/mushrooms/how-to-grow-mushrooms/how-to-dry-mushrooms/ 9 Complete Guide to Psilocybe Cubensis Cultivation https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/appliances/a31904157/what-is-a- dehydrator/#:~:text=Like%20ovens%2C%20food%20dehydrators%20work,temperatures%20tha t%20a%20dehydrator%20does. https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/20909521 https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/mushrooms/mushroom- harvesting.htm#:~:text=Home%20growers%20can%20harvest%20in,below%20the%20colony% 2C%20harvest%20them. General https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm1FgFFzQd4&list=WL&index=51 https://www.reddit.com/r/shroomers/comments/478q7a/my_experience_with_bulk_growing_pen isenvy_full/ https://doubleblindmag.com/mushrooms/types/penis-envy/ https://qualityspores.store/shop/ https://urbanspore.com.au/how-to-grow-mushrooms/pf- tek/#:~:text=The%20PF%20Tek%20is%20a,mushrooms%20such%20as%20oyster%20mushroo ms. https://www.shroomery.org/13869/Grain-spawn https://ancientpathnaturals.com/ancient-path-naturals-mushrooms-and-more-blog/-psilocybe- cubensis-shroom-strains-comparing-magic-mushroom-strains/ Links for purchases https://boomershroomer.com/monotub/ https://www.midwestgrowkits.com/spawn-bags.html https://www.etsy.com/listing/1086967562/dry-bulk-substrate-ingredients-cvg- coco?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_ a-craft_supplies_and_tools-floral_and_garden_supplies-greenery_and_gardening- greenhouses_and_hydroponics&utm_custom1=_k_Cj0KCQiAieWOBhCYARIsANcOw0yHmH 5Psc2W83IFXbmMbjdF9PiKB77aIdQG_S2mVdIxsDNl5iT0eA4aAiOdEALw_wcB_k_&utm_c ontent=go_12573075997_120353196140_507851684848_pla- 297994399338_c__1086967562_12768591&utm_custom2=12573075997&gclid=Cj0KCQiAie WOBhCYARIsANcOw0yHmH5Psc2W83IFXbmMbjdF9PiKB77aIdQG_S2mVdIxsDNl5iT0eA 4aAiOdEALw_wcB 10 Complete Guide to Psilocybe Cubensis Cultivation https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=142151&gclid=CjwKCAiAz-- OBhBIEiwAG1rIOrSe1Xk6d5FoER2TxDGtHrtrEtMc9WebKnCoX- VIB1d1vX9Pa9WgiBoC1J0QAvD_BwE https://www.etsy.com/listing/939242851/parafilm-for-mycology- 10ft?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_ b-craft_supplies_and_tools-floral_and_garden_supplies-greenery_and_gardening- greenhouses_and_hydroponics&utm_custom1=_k_CjwKCAiArOqOBhBmEiwAsgeLmUoJ84t6 ZSruiYMKtfCwHJNffXVPhdVrSbI1rLJJRFzMmSknqwtPoRoChRAQAvD_BwE_k_&utm_con tent=go_12560179592_125177353611_506995031195_aud-318110574626:pla- 297994399338_c__939242851_468298427&utm_custom2=12560179592&gclid=CjwKCAiArO qOBhBmEiwAsgeLmUoJ84t6ZSruiYMKtfCwHJNffXVPhdVrSbI1rLJJRFzMmSknqwtPoRoCh RAQAvD_BwE https://www.mycolabs.com/pre-poured-sterilized-malt-extract-agar-plates-5- pack.aspx?gclid=CjwKCAiArOqOBhBmEiwAsgeLmeZyhpqMn0BrwNi5LJQs- BHdipeGGaRquoNmMAyXBeBPY5h2zVJxnRoCiKYQAvD_BwE https://www.instacart.com/landing?product_id=20555153&retailer_id=1573®ion_id=396570 27720&utm_medium=sem_shopping&utm_source=instacart_google&utm_campaign=ad_deman d_shopping_rp_walgreens&utm_content=accountid-8145171519_campaignid- 14159369707_adgroupid-132339195504_device- c&gclid=Cj0KCQiAieWOBhCYARIsANcOw0zpAuam_VYber6Py_IoIy9bbF9h2MvLsu3EQrw me0iHkdSzW4xbONYaAipTEALw_wcB 11
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