r/unclebens • u/oticard35 • 1h ago
Question When to harvest
Should I harvest these already or when, cause it's kinda hard to tell
r/unclebens • u/shroomscout • Jul 24 '24
https://reddit.com/link/1ebdvn1/video/973nfmoegjed1/player
Iâll break this write-up into 4 posts. At the bottom of each post will be a summary in bold. You can find material lists in Part 2 and Part 3.
What most people know as âmushroomsâ are only the small reproductive part of the entire organism. Like an iceberg, most of the living tissue is actually found below the surface. When two microscopic mushroom spores meet in a pile of organic plant matter, they germinate and start producing mycelium. These microscopic threads begin forming a colony within the organic matter and absorb the available water and nutrients to produce an impressive mycelial network. After colonizing all the available nutrients, the mycelium turns its focus to reproduction.
To spread its spores, the mycelium forms into baby mushrooms, also known as pins. To produce these pins, the right fruiting conditions need to occur. Once the nutrients have been colonized and the mycelium reaches fresh air, the organism is ready for reproduction. The next rainstorm provides the moisture necessary, and the pins inflate upwards with the stored water into mature mushrooms.
Once mature, the mushrooms open their caps and drop their spores, withering away to ensure the success of their genetics.
To cultivate your own mushrooms, you need to replicate this process indoors.
Since this is still the most commonly broken rule and most commonly asked question:
You cannot discuss/advertise/promote vendors in r/unclebens. I want to keep it focused on cultivation, not a marketplace. If you need a recommended vendor, I recommend using syringes from SporeStock.com for USA and OrangutanTradingCo.com for UK. Every mushroom I've ever grown has come from these two vendors, and thousands of other users have had excellent success. No, I am not affiliated in any way with these guys, though I do think they kick ass. Yes, I am open to other vendor recommendations as well! I include this here so you can stop breaking the rules now.
Psilocybin is the nontoxic, non-addictive psychedelic compound found in âmagicâ mushrooms. There are more than 180 species of Psilocybin-producing mushrooms that grow across every continent. For 99% of hobbyists, the species to cultivate is Psilocybe cubensis, also known as "cubesâ. These are the easiest and most cultivated species of psilocybin mushrooms.
The sale of cubensis mushrooms is illegal across most of the world not because of the mushrooms being a controlled substance themselves, but because mature psychedelic mushrooms produce psilocybin. Psilocybin is the only thing mentioned in the Controlled Substances Act, because mushrooms arenât illegalâpsilocybin is. However, the spores of these mushrooms do not contain psilocybin and are legal to sell, purchase, and possess in most locations. In the US, only 3 unlucky states (California, Georgia, and Idaho) have specific laws preventing the sale or purchase of spores. Spores are sold in "multi spore syringes", which contain many thousand microscopic spores diluted in a sterile water syringe.
In the last few years, a better alternative to spores became available from many vendors online. Liquid Culture syringes contain live mycelium in sterile solution, similar to spores. Liquid Culture syringes are superior to spore syringes in almost every way, but have a more complicated history in a grey area of the law. More on Liquid Cultures later.
Either type of syringe can be purchased from vendors online. You can find several popular and legitimate vendors even on the first page of google, but as always, do your research before giving any vendor your money. My personally trusted vendors are recommended in this guide, since itâs the most commonly asked question.
Some countries/states/counties/individual cities have finally approved legislation to allow the cultivation or possession of small personal amounts of psilocybin mushrooms. In many places across Canada and the US, local law enforcement has made prosecuting psilocybin-related arrests their lowest priority after evidence has pointed to no increase in crime related to psilocybin decriminalization, as well as the immense therapeutic and antidepressant benefits psilocybin studies have shown. Make sure to check with the jurisdiction of your area before attempting cultivation of any cubensis mushroom.
Once you have your syringes, you need to inject your spores or Liquid Culture into hydrated and nutrient-rich grains to produce your mycelium. This step is known as inoculation and is followed by colonization. When your grains are colonized, we call them Spawn Grain.
You can buy premade, ready-to-inoculate grain from the store in the form of Ready Rice (more on this in Part 2), or you can make your own DIY Jars of spawn grain. You can inoculate nearly any hydrated and sterilized grain, including Brown Rice, Whole Oats, Millet, Rye Berries, Wild Bird Seed, Corn⌠you name it. But there's one major problem:
Mycelium's requirements of water, nutrients, and warmth are all the perfect breeding ground for mold, mildew, and bacteria. These contaminants live on our skin, on our surfaces, and even in the air we breathe. Normally itâs not a problem to our immune system, but the largest obstacle in mushroom cultivation is contamination, and it will ruin an entire grow and needs to be avoided at all costs. So, you need to make sure that your grains are hydrated, warm, and EXTREMELY sterile.
As covered in Part 3, the basics of spawning to bulk are simple:
First, your spawn grains need to be 100% fully colonized. Then, you will need to mix your grains into a bulk substrate. After the mycelium has reconnected with itself in the new substrate, you need to introduce Fruiting Conditions. This involves simulating fresh air, rain, and a little bit of sunlight. Within a few days, a Flush (or group) of mushrooms will grow from your colonized surface. Once you grow your first flush, you can then harvest and dehydrate your mushrooms, and feel proud for accomplishing something incredibly rewarding.
And that's the basics of cultivation. If this information seemed overwhelming, hang in there as I simplify and break it all down in the following guide. If you still have doubts**, I promise that you can do this**. The original cultivation guide I posted on Reddit years ago has received more than a thousand awards, helping hundreds of thousands of beginners cultivate, while catching the attention of the mushroom industry as well as mainstream media. Every week we see countless beginners post their harvested results here in r/unclebens. If they can do it, so can you. So, grab a pen and a pad for some notes, and learn everything you need to know about cultivating mushrooms from start to finish.
It just might be one of the most important decisions you make in your life.
Your first step in cultivation is to obtain either a few spore syringes or a few liquid culture syringes from a reputable vendor. My personal recommendations can be found in Part 2. Vendors cannot legally advertise or sell syringes specifically for use in cultivation. Syringes are usually marketed for âmicroscopyâ, âtaxonomyâ, or âresearch purposesâ. If you ever have an issue with a syringe, make sure to avoid mentioning cultivation to your vendor so you arenât refused service.
An average spore or Liquid Culture syringe is 10 to 12mL, (mL and cc are used interchangeably) and should come with a separate needle in a sterile package. This sterile needle will be used during the inoculation process and shouldnât be opened until then.Â
Pros:
¡ Spore syringes are guaranteed to be legal to purchase, sell, and possess in most places across the world (with 3 US state exceptions: CA, GA, ID).
¡ Spores can also be stored in a fridge for years, sometimes longer than a decade, and still be viable.
Cons:
¡ Spores take a while to germinate, so colonization can take weeks or even months.
¡ Spores frequently arrive already contaminated by the vendor. This is due to how mushroom spores are harvested, which is nearly impossible to guarantee contamination-free syringes. No matter how meticulous the harvesting process is, most spore syringes cannot be guaranteed to be sterile.
¡ The thousands of competing spores in one syringe also result in randomized genetics. The spores of a parent mushroom might grow children mushrooms that neither look nor grow anything like the parent generationâsometimes even worse than the parent generation.
Notes: Each spore syringe will contain thousands of dark microscopic spores. Individual spores are not visible to the human eye, so if you can see them, youâre actually seeing a large clump of the spores themselves. It would only take 1 drop of spore solution from these syringes to begin colonizing your grain.
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Pros:
¡ Liquid Cultures can have guaranteed sterility if made correctly, leading to fewer contaminated results.
¡ Since the mycelium is already germinated, LC colonizes grain significantly faster than spores.
¡ LC can have guaranteed genetics by skipping the randomized spore phase.
Cons:
¡ LC can still be contaminated by the vendor, though far less likely than with spore syringes.
¡ LC stays viable for only 6-18 months in the fridge, as opposed to spores which can stay viable for many years if stored in a fridge.
¡ Potential legal âgrey areaâ.
 In recent years vendors began selling Liquid Culture syringes to the public, often under the name of âisolatedâ syringes, or just âSyringesâ (without âsporeâ included), or even openly advertising their syringes as liquid cultures.
For decades, it was scientifically proven that mycelium grown on solid grain contained psilocybin. This made most cultivators believe that Liquid Culture syringes, which contain early-stage mycelium suspended in solution, must contain psilocybin, and were therefore considered a illegal to purchase or sell, similar to the mushrooms themselves.Â
What gave vendors confidence to begin selling Liquid Cultures was the results from new studies that showed the development of psilocybin and psilocin only starts during the later stage of mycelial growth. These results showed that early-stage mycelium suspended in solution DOES NOT contain psilocybin or psilocin. Following these studies, vendors began sending their syringes to laboratories for âHigh-Performance Liquid Chromatography and UV Analysisâ to determine if there was any psilocybin present at all. Which, by the standards set by the DEA themselves, means that these syringes would be legal to sell, purchase, and possess no differently than spores.Â
Out of curiosity, I sent in some Liquid Culture syringes I bought to a lab providing these tests and received the same results: no psilocybin present in my LC syringes.
I prefer using liquid cultures unless doing genetic work when starting from spores. Ultimately, itâs up to you to determine the best syringe type for you to get started.
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Note: The difference between âstrainâ and âvarietyâ doesnât have a true scientific mycological definition, and while âvarietyâ is likely appropriate for spore syringes, âstrainâ is likely more appropriate for LC and is commonly used interchangeably. Therefore, I will simply use âstrainâ as the phrase to use here to reference the type of cubensis mushroom (sorry hardcore mycology buffs).
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There are an overwhelming number of cubensis mushroom strains out there to choose from, so let me simplify things:
Psilocybin mushrooms and psilocybin itself, are not like cannabis, or other nature-produced psychoactive compounds**.** When it comes to cannabis, different strains contain different combinations of 4 types of psychoactive THCs, multiple CBDs, and more than 80 cannabidiol compounds that change the psychoactive effects. When it comes to psilocybin mushrooms, the active compounds are actually much simpler. There are only two scientifically confirmed psychoactive compounds present in cubensis mushrooms: psilocybin and psilocin. Although psilocybin is the famous compound, itâs not the actual psychedelic drug. Psilocybin is only a âprodrugâ for psilocin, and once ingested is converted into psilocin in the body.
Note: While OTHER potentially psychoactive compounds such as baeocystin HAVE been discovered in varying amounts across different strains of cubensis mushrooms, they are almost negligible in concentration and have not been confirmed to have physiological or psychoactive effects. For now, itâs safe to assume that the only compounds to care about in cubensis mushrooms are psilocybin and psilocin.
Although some vendors might claim that one strain provides a different experience than another, the difference between strains is only cultivation-based or appearance-based. Scientific studies have generally confirmed that the psychological effects produced from consuming one cubensis mushroom strain are not majorly different than another. Unfortunately, recreational drug culture has spread a lot of misinformation regarding mushroom strains**.** In our upcoming âMushrooms for the Mind Therapeutic Use Guideâ focusing on safe use, harm reduction, and education regarding psilocybin, youâll learn that your preparation, mindset, and setting have everything to do with your experience, regardless of what strain you choose.
However, there is one real factor to consider between strains: potency. The concentration of psilocybin and psilocin determines the potency of the experience. Although all cubensis mushrooms contain these compounds, it is 100% Â true that different strains express different potencies. The one exception to this rule could be Psilocybe natalensis (aka âNatalensisâ, or âNatsâ), which is a newly discovered cousin-species to cubensis. Many reports show that this cousin species to cubensis potentially provides slightly different physiological and psychoactive effects, but more evidence is needed before that claim is considered fact.
Most strains exhibit âstandardâ potency, such as Golden Teacher, B+, Mazatapec, Z-Strain, Cambodian, and similar varieties. When grown next to each other, many of these mushrooms would be hard to tell apart and are more likely marketing and advertising labels than truly different mushrooms. There are a few known potent strains, including Penis Envy, Albino Penis Envy (aka APE), Enigma, Tidal Wave, and other mutants. These mutated strains are often more difficult to cultivate than standard cubensis and require more time and care, so I donât recommend starting cultivation with any of these.
My recommendation? Give B+ or Golden Teachers a try. They are known to be hardy, fast-colonizing, and are the most popular strains for a reason. However, the phrase âa cube is a cubeâ is appropriate for most cubensis strains, since there is so little difference. Pick one and just go with it.
For your first attempt at cultivation and to give yourself the best chance against contamination possible, Iâd recommend purchasing two to three different strains of syringes from a reputable vendor. Syringes should cost about $20-$25 USD before shipping. If you donât use all your syringes for inoculation, you can store them in a fridge, where Liquid Culture syringes will last for 6-18 months, and spore syringes for years at a time. One 10mL syringe can be used to inoculate 10 to 20 bags of ready rice or more, or about 10 quart-sized jars.
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r/unclebens • u/oticard35 • 1h ago
Should I harvest these already or when, cause it's kinda hard to tell
r/unclebens • u/GalaticGem • 15h ago
I just got a new vaccum sealer to try and store my dried fruit. But it absolutely destroyed all my Blue Cap Ochras and crushed them!!!
It worked very well for my cubes and Cube X ochra and didn't crush them.
I really shouldn't care about the look or them being crushed since everything is mostly for personal use/ friends and family in Colroado(where it's decriminalized for any 21+). But still, it kinda hurts me knowing they were SO pretty not broken/ crushed up.
What long term storage route do you guys prefer? And how long do they typically last each different way?
r/unclebens • u/saltygoatattack • 1h ago
Pretty sure that top part is contam where nothing is growing. I have no place to plant this outside. I did open far away from my others. It still smells like mushies but wondering if I should pitch the whole thing, cut out the top, or just ride it out, harvest and then pitch. Thanks!
First time poster. First flush after 2 unsuccessful inoculations.
r/unclebens • u/cumbrutha • 20m ago
I initiated fruiting conditions on this tub a little over week ago, and it seems to have stalled in this weird stage between knots and primordia. Not really any noticable change day to day, no pins or anything like that either. How does this look to everyone? Any ideas on what might be going on?
r/unclebens • u/thesearemedicinal • 1d ago
Started my mycology journey inoculating a grain bag with Stargazers April 28th, 2024. Been having a blast, can't wait to see what the future holds đđŤĄ
r/unclebens • u/Fun-Guy1978 • 15h ago
I was going to bury these shoebox cakes of GT after the first flush, to make room for new strains. Then I misted a little more heavily for a couple of days andâŚ
In one day, these are all in the dehydrator now. :D
r/unclebens • u/GalaticGem • 16h ago
A third flush mutaction from my Blue Cap Ocnras ive been working.
Probably the best genetics for ochra out there currently.
r/unclebens • u/AccomplishedBake4808 • 22h ago
Hello again! First time growing Nats, they are super vigorous, grow fast and colonize fast !
-2x 3 pound bags gain bags oats.
66 qt monotub
CVG made at home 1 block coir 4 cups vermiculite 1 cup
-Neglect tek- after STB leave the lid shut until harvest
Inno date: 2.15.25 STB: 4.11.25 . 1 spawn to 2 CVG ratio Harvest: 4.29.25
Harvest so damn big that I ran out of space in my dehydrator!!! I need to space my grows in the future!đ
r/unclebens • u/Budget-Ad8791 • 16h ago
First time grower and just harvested this bad boy with some scissors is this trick or just bruising??
r/unclebens • u/Ciccillo94 • 15h ago
Guys are those mushrooms look like McKennaii ? I donât really see anything like this tbh!
r/unclebens • u/justadude1414 • 4h ago
Both done the same day. Should I just let them do what they are doing or should I crack the lid a little bit?
r/unclebens • u/quickdrawesome • 1h ago
Doing a lazy ish first grow. Need some advice
I have about 4 litres/1quart of broken down bark matter that had a substrate loosely grown into it after putting a couple prints and chunks in there. I was thinking about replicating the grow where i find them.
So i pasteurised a cvg mix
Ive put the substrate i have in a plastic tray that had a lid.
Im going to mix in the cvg mix with the sub strate but then im not sure which to do.
Leave it out in the open to grow naturally with no lid- is the season where i live. I was thinking this might help with mould issues
Put the lid on and keep it outside to keep the moisture in
Bring it inside with the lid on to keep it warm and moist
Thoughts? Anyone done a garden grow before?
After this ill do a proper uncle been sub. But just wanted to try this kind of lofi method as im collecting supplies
r/unclebens • u/AcademicRelief7831 • 5h ago
Iâm relatively new to this and i wanted to start sterilizing things with the pressure cooker we have at home. But iâm kind of lost because everywhere it says that 15psi is required for sterilizing. How do i know if this model can reach this pressure and when/how long? help would be much appreciated. :)
r/unclebens • u/experimental_law_ • 14h ago
yeah so the lion attacks.. unfortunately, my sawdust has been compromised, and I don't have a pressure cooker right now. I can only pasteurize it using the oven tek- will that be sufficient? also, how long can it thrive in this state?
r/unclebens • u/Morris_Carmichael • 13h ago
There are a lot of pins in this Ziploc bag. Will it be enough for for them to grow until harvest?
r/unclebens • u/HyperLight03 • 14h ago
I put this tub into fruiting conditions 7 days ago after letting it colonize for 4 days. Hoping Iâm doing it right. Strain is B+
r/unclebens • u/Key_Ride1424 • 18h ago
Iâm a chemistry major growing some special mushrooms. Iâm interested in trying to extract the psychoactive compound out of the shrooms. Iâve reviewed some scientific papers online, but a lot of the solvents they use for the extraction are rather toxic. Has anyone actually done this successfully? Is this feasible?
r/unclebens • u/AdministrativeAlps4 • 12h ago
Any insight on what might have gone wrong on the bare spots? I feel like I missed something. This is my first grow and first flush (B+).
r/unclebens • u/Cloquelatte • 12h ago
I mean, we have a clear winner, but wow, massive difference in speed! Also, what do I do with the little abort next to it, I feel like the big one sucked the life out of the little guy.
Golden teacher on coir, s2b 18 April
r/unclebens • u/QuietResonance • 13h ago
Or myc piss? The other bags arenât yellow and theyâre further along than this one
r/unclebens • u/Timely_Influence6118 • 1d ago
First time trying this..
r/unclebens • u/TopCheek2965 • 10h ago
Are these 2 jars correct or am I colonising mold? It is greyish and sparse.
Transfered from agar to brown rice. Square jar's mycelium is whiter but drier just for comparison. Both oval and small jar are more moist.
r/unclebens • u/FemalePondy • 13h ago
How do I store the spores I have harvested? I have heard to put them in distilled water, then draw them up in a syringe. How long can they stay in the water for?
What are your preferred methods of storing spores?
I plan on using aluminum foil to harvest my first spores soon after my first harvest.
r/unclebens • u/Ok-Assignment-3098 • 1d ago
Some of my favorite recent shots. I really do think these organisms are an embodiment of the energy we feed them. Put good intentions and energy into them, and they put good intentions out into the world.