DON’T OPEN YOUR SPORES BEFORE YOU ARE READY. THEY’RE IN THE FOIL. IF
YOU OPEN THE FOIL BEFORE YOU ARE READY, THEN THE SPORES COULD BE
CONTAMINATED. DO ALL OF THIS IN A ROOM WITHOUT MOVING AIR.
1. Build still air box. There are plenty of instructions on how to do this online. I personally
use a box that was for sandblasting. It has
doors that open on the side, a window to look
in, and to ports for your arms. I removed the
gloves from my box, and I would not
recommend building your still air box with
attached gloves. I cut squares from bandanas
and screwed them into place. I cut an opening
in them to create a curtain that allows me to
stick my hands through. I never did clean my
still air box. All I did was cover a piece of
cardboard with aluminum foil to create a place
to set my equipment that is easy to clean.
2. I take a small flask (mines around 50ml ) or
small glass jar and fill it with about 50 ml of
water. Take a piece of aluminum foil and seal
the flask with it. I usually lay it over the flask,
fold the sides of the foil down the flask, then
scrunch up the foil to create a lid. I would
recommend preparing multiple flasks this way
incase you have a fairly large print. There are
lots of prints that could easily make multiple
flasks worth of spores. It’s also good to do at
least two flasks with your first spore print, just in case one of the flasks is contaminated.
Cook the flasks in your pressure cooker for approximately 20 minutes. I use the timer on
my electric pressure cooker, which I set to high. Let these flasks complete cool before
putting spores in them. I like to let them cool down in my still air box to help keep them
clean.
3. Buy 12 ml syringes that have tips that are not
poky. It’s horrible dealing with syringe tips meant
to pierce the skin. I bought a hundred pack of
syringes that come with tips and screw caps, and
sterilization pouches so I can reuse the syringes. I
usually prepare about twelve syringes at once.
This is because that’s what fits best in my
pressure cooker. Place one syringe with one
screw cap into the sanitization pouch and seal. I
put four of these filled pouches into a pint wide
mouth ball jar. I fill three jars in my pressure cooker. I set the timer for 20 minutes. It’s
best not to leave these guys in the pressure cooker too long. Once they are done, it is
best to move them to a box that allows them to continue to stand up right. If you let them
dry lying down on a surface, then it’s possible for contaminates to soak through the wet
paper. I have a bunch of syringes sterilized ahead of time, waiting to be used. As for the
tips, I store those in a small glass jar full of 70% rubbing alcohol.
4. Prepare your still air box for transferring the spores
from your foil to your flasks. You will need a small
glass container of rubbing alcohol (the one full of
syringe tips), a small spray bottle of rubbing alcohol
(only meant for still air box), metal scalpel (I prefer
full metal one with tips that are exchangeable), a
candle or small hand held torch, your sterilized
flasks and syringes and gloves. I reuse my gloves
until they fall apart. I get nitrile gloves that are
non-sterile. I am constantly washing my gloved
hands with 70% alcohol and wiping them clean with a clean bandana. I keep a small
bottle of 70% rubbing alcohol just for washing my hands. I also always where a face
mask, which I also reuse. Clean everything in your still air box that you will touch during
this process, except the syringes still in their pouches, with 70% rubbing alcohol and
wipe it clean. I keep the pointed part of the scalpel in the rubbing alcohol until I’m ready
to scrape the spores. Then I take the scalpel out and run the pointy part through the
candle or blast it with the torch.
5. Inside the still air box, take the foil off of the flask(s). Unfold the foil containing your
spores. Fold back one side of the foil so that the edge of the foil is as close to the spores
as possible. Reducing the distance which the spores must travel over will decrease the
chances of contamination. I taco the foil and begin scraping spores into the flask of
sterilized water. Depending on the size of the spores you can do multiple flasks. The
spores are microscopic. The water doesn’t need to become dark with spores, nor do you
really need to see any evidence of spores in the water. Once all the spores have been
scraped, open a fresh syringe, attach one of the tips that’s sitting in the rubbing alcohol,
and run the tip through a flame to completely sterilize. Give a little stir of the water if you
would like with your freshly sterilized tip. Then suck up some water. Remove the tip,
placing the tip back in the rubbing alcohol, and closing the syringe with the screw cap.
Get a new tip for each new syringe and run it through the flame before sucking up more
water. You ought to get about 4 syringes worth from each flask. Label the syringes.
6. This next part does not require gloves or a face mask. Prepare the growing medium. It’s
2 parts vermiculite, 1 part organic brown rice flower and approximately 1 cup of water.
Mix these all together in a bowl. Then scoop this into wide mouth ball jars. For B+, Aztec
or Alacabenzi use quart ball jars. For any other mushroom use a pint ball jar. This is
because the former grow so much taller than the later. I fill the jars about up a knuckles
worth of medium. Think about making a little patty in the jar. You’ll want it thin enough
that you will be able to turn it on it’s side with room to grow fruit on both long sides
without being too cramped by the jar. Make sure to wipe of any medium sticking to the
sides or top of the jar by itself. These random pieces become
prime territory for contaminants. Cover the top with a piece of
aluminum foil like we did with the flasks. This time take a
second square of foil and place it on top of the jar and fold
the sides down over the jar. This leaves you with a solid lid
that won’t come off easily and a second lid that is easily
removable and replaceable. This also provides us with a
surface that remains sterile. If you filled up your syringes to
12ml, then I would prepare 12 jars of medium. Place your
jars in the pressure cooker for 30 minutes on high. Remove
and let cool.
7. Gloves and a face mask back on, but no need for the still air
box, unless you are in a room that has moving air, such as
A/C or heating. Have your jar of syringe tips and torch ready.
Remove the twist cap from the syringe, and attach a syringe tip. Run this tip through a
flame to sterilize. Gently remove the top piece of foil from one of the jars, so that you can
reuse it. Insert the syringe tip through the remaining piece of foil and inject 1ml of water.
Replace the piece of foil that you had removed. Run the needle tip through the flame
and repeat the process for all jars.
8. Build a home for your inoculated jars. I use a fish tank that I lined and topped with
styrofoam for insulation. You want this space to remain dark. I place a seed starting mat
in the tank to warm the tank to about 86 degrees Fahrenheit. I use the heating mat with
the thermometer. It’s ok to pack this tank with jars. Not all the jars need to be on the mat.
The jars will be ready when all the substrate has turned white or once you start to see
little pins appear.
9. Build a fruiting chamber for your jars. Once again I use a fish
tank. I use 5 or so pvc pipes that have been cut to about 4”
to hold up the tray that comes with an underground filtration
system. These trays fit your tank perfectly and are
permeable. I place a fish tank heater set to 86 degrees and a
fish tank aerator under the tray. Before I fill the tank, I clean
it, and everything going into it except the jars. You want to
wear your gloves, which you wash all the time with alcohol,
and mask during this time. I rinse them off with water. I spray
them down with white vinegar, and I leave them to sit for five
minutes. Wipe or rinse clean. Then I spray again with
hydrogen peroxide. Leave for five minutes and wipe or rinse.
I put a dash of hot tub chlorine in the tank before filling it up
to about an inch above the tray. Once you place all your jars
in the tank, the water should come up the side of the jar by an inch. This contact with the
water helps create a warm environment inside the jar. Cover most of the tank with plastic
wrap. I leave a gap on one side of the tank for air to come out. I cover this gap with a
bandana so that no germs can fall in. I cover the entire tank with a styrofoam top.
10. While the jars are being colonized, you can prepare sterilized water for them. I take four
quart jars, because that’s what fits in my pressure cooker, and I fill them with water. I
cover them with the two kids of aluminum foil just like the other jars. One foil lid that
prevents leaking and another to cover the first to keep things sterile. I sterilize these four
jars and their water for about 20 minutes in the pressure cooker.
11. Once the substrate in the jars is white, then it’s time for the fruiting chamber. Get one jar
ready at a time to prevent contamination. Where your gloves and use your alcohol to
wash your hands and a clean bandana to dry them off. Be sure to wear your face mask
too. Remove the foil from a jar. Pour the sterilized water into the jar, enough to cover the
mycelium. It may float, that’s ok. Cover the jar with a 2x2 inch sterilized gauze pad. Use
a rubber band to secure the top. This prevents infections from spreading like wildfire
throughout your colonies. Very cool. Very swag. Place the jar in the heated water of the
fish tank. Come back the next day with your mask and gloves. One at a time, remove the
water from the jars. I keep the scalpel tip in the rubbing alcohol jar with the syringe tips
during this time. When I go to pour out the water, I use the sterile scalpel tip to hold back
the mycelium. I then arrange the mycelium so that the disk is on its side standing up in
the jar. This allows for maximum surface area for the fruit to grow. Secure the gauze pad
back on top. Wait for mushrooms to appear! If it looks like the gauze will mess with your
fruit, then I pop the rubber band off the jar.
12. Prepare your still air box for making prints.
Inside the box you will need two squares of tin
foil, a tiny little dropper of sterilized water, 2
glass jars and some forceps. Clean the dropper
and the jars with at least the rubbing alcohol
and wipe clean with a clean bandana. I use a
little alcohol wipe to clean the pieces of foil.
13. Once you see a nice cap that has opened all
the way, then you can pick it. Use your gloves
and mask. I have the scalpel ready, but this
time I don’t let it sit in the alcohol. I dip it in alcohol and then run it through the flame to
sterilize it. I have a needle handy. I would clean or sterilize the needle, but it’s not super
important. Stick the needle through the cap and into the stem. This gives you a handle.
Now cut the stem off of the cap using the sterilized scalpel. Hold onto your cap using the
needle so that the gilled side is facing down. Using your hand as a shield from the
bandana of your still air box port, bring the cap into the still air box and place it gilled side
down on the foil. Remove the needle. Drop a drop of sterilized water on the cap. You
can place multiple caps on the same piece of foil so long as there is room. Cover your
cap with one of the jars. This will prevent your cap from drying out and not producing
spores. Leave the cap until the next day. The next day you will remove the jar and use
the forceps to remove the caps from the foil. Fold the foil over your print. Dry the cap.
You can now repeat this entire process for more spores and mushrooms.
14. The stem and any other mushrooms picked can be dried for later use. To do so, place
on a dehydrator on the lowest setting. Wait until it’s fairly dry and then place in a
container containing silica beads. I use three containers. One
big oxo pop top container and two quart jars. I fill them halfway
with silica beads, the kind that change color from blue to pink as
they collect water. They are reusable. I place paper towels over
the beads to protect the mushrooms. I use the oxo container for
the freshest mushrooms. The next day when I have picked
more, I love the mushrooms from the big container to one of the
jars. The following day I will move the mushrooms from the big
container to the empty jar. On the following day I’ll empty the
first jar I filled and use it for the mushrooms coming from the big
container.
15. I save nice mushrooms with caps still intact as for gifts to
others. The bone dry severed caps and stems are ground into a
fine powder using a coffee grinder. I prefer to take a .2-.3g dose of the powder by
making a tea. I have little tea bags that are sealable using an impulse sealer. I put my
tea bag in a thermos and pour in a bit of boiling hot water. Use as much water as you
would like to drink. I let the bag steep for 40 minutes. If you don’t have a thermos, then
let your bag steep twice for 20 minutes in the boiling hot water. Remove the tea bag and
enjoy.
If you come across a real beauty of a fruit, then you can clone it. Google the instructions for
making liquid cultures of mushrooms.