BigGameHunter
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south-central, Pa.
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Hunting, fishing, hunting mushrooms, camping, computers
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Question on growing your own spawn
BigGameHunter replied to Kevin Hoover's topic in What Kind of Mushrooms are you Growing?
Did you gently shake or turn your jars once inoculated to distribute the spawn? Doing this usually speeds up colonization. -
Question on growing your own spawn
BigGameHunter replied to Kevin Hoover's topic in What Kind of Mushrooms are you Growing?
I previously soaked my grain (wheat) overnight then sterilize but now I do it differently. I measure my grain out for each quart jar using a quart jar with measurements on it. For each quart jar I measure to the 400ml mark of grain and then pour into a large pot. After all the grain is in the pot I rinse the grain 4 - 5 times with water depending on how dirty the grain is. I then add a little gypsum (not sure if it's necessary) put water in the pot (about the double depth of the grain) and bring to a boil stirring often (I don't soak overnight). After it starts boiling I set the timer for 9 minutes. When the timer goes off I check a few grains for proper hydration. For proper hydration break open a a few grains and when the bright white inside the grain is barely there in my experience it is properly hydrated (approximately 9 - 15 minutes). Once it reaches proper hydration I turn the heat off and pour the grains into several colanders/strainers and let the grains set for about a couple of minutes for the excess water to drain. I then transfer the grain to a framed screen and spread evenly to dry the surface of the grains (usually 2 - 3 hours). Once the surface of the grains are dry I fill each quart jar to the 600ml measurement mark on the jar. After the jars are filled I put the filtered lids on the jars then put aluminum foil over each top of the jar and then put them into the pressure cooker and once the pressure cooker reaches 15 psi I set the timer for 2 hours. For my filtered lids I use plastic lids with a hole drilled in the center and a nickel size piece of synthetic filter disc siliconed to it. -
Macrolepiota procera or something else?
BigGameHunter replied to BigGameHunter's topic in Identifying Mushrooms
Thanks Dave and JOHNY! -
Found this lone specimen in south central Pa. in a primarily oak forest with some birch and maple mixed in. Pics are from a several days span of the same mushroom. I'm leaning toward Macrolepiota procera but would like input from others. The stem is hollow and I didn't notice any staining/bruising when I cut the stem or cap. I was able to move the ring down the stem until it reached a larger portion of the stem which was about an inch or two. Spore print is white. The darkness on the first spore print image is from the dampness of the paper when the cap was on it causing the paper to warp thus creating a shadow effect but the print is definitely white. The second spore print image is on foil.
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Thank you The Mushroom Whisperer!
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Thanks brendan!
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Leucoagaricus americanus is the what I come up with these. Found them in a wood chip bed under oak trees. Spore print is white
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After looking through several ID books, I think these are Sparassis spathulata (minus the two stemmed mushrooms in the first pic, not sure what they are). I found them around dead oak trees and stumps. In the general area there were a total of 10 clusters of these.
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Ok, Things Are Coming Together
BigGameHunter replied to Kevin Hoover's topic in What Kind of Mushrooms are you Growing?
As long as they get ample moisture & ventilation (ventilation is important too) should be okay. I usually kept mine in a hardwood area because that's all I have on my property. It was great when there was foliage on the trees but when the foliage was gone I had to water them regularly if we had a dry spell especially in the spring. Since you're doing oysters and shiitake I would probably keep the logs separated just because the oysters colonize faster and once they fruit they give off a fairly heavy spore load and the oyster spores may colonize your shiitake logs if they are nearby. -
Thank you shroomersue and Dave!
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I think what I found here is Bondarzewia berkeleyi but not 100% sure. I found it a the base of a mature oak tree. I tore a couple of pieces of the fungus apart and there was no bruising or staining of any color. Unfortunately I was unable to get a good spore print just very faintly white. I think it already dropped most of its spores because some of the underlying shelves looked as if they had a thin white layer of powder (spores) on top of them. It had a woody type mushroom smell to it with a very slight hint of black licorice also.
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Thank you Dave!
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Found these in south-central Pa. yesterday. They were growing in wood chips under oak trees. I'm not sure what type of wood the wood chips were though. After looking through my mushroom identification books and on mushroom expert online, the closest id I can come with is Pluteus petasatus. Is this an accurate id? I appreciate any input on this.
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Thanks GJC and Dave. I think that may be a reflection on photo #7. I was hoping by the time i was able to visit the area where I found these there would be more so I could take a better spore print but there wasn't
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I found these in wood chips/mulch/soil surrounding a magnolia tree in south-central Pa.. I know the spore print is a little lacking, probably should have left the cap set longer.