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The cultivation process is divided into two Parts. Each Part consists of six Units, and each Unit is broken down into steps.
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Part 2 : Unit 5 : Fruiting and Harvesting Mushrooms
This is both the most nerve racking and rewarding step of them all. If everything has gone well, your monotub should be incubating for about 10 days now. Using a flashlight, you can peek through the clear plastic to see how the colonization of mycelium is going. Once it has fully covered the entire substrate with a snow-white blanket, jeweled with lots of tiny dewdrops, it’s time for the “fruiting process” to begin. Basically, this involves gently introducing a flow of fresh air, and bringing on a very slow process of evaporating the moisture on the surface of the mycelium. These conditions spark the fruiting process of the mycelium cake, where tiny knots start forming on the surface of the mycelium. These knots turn to mushroom pins, which in turn, become fully grown mushrooms – all within the space of a few days.
The video markers above 👆🏼correspond to the the various Steps in this Unit. Click on them to skip to a Step.
Pace the tub in an area which has indirect light. In the next week or so, FAEFAE – an acronym for Fresh Air Exchange. Allowing fresh air into the monotub. This in turn induces fruiting. in the tub will start evaporating the water inside it. This evaporation will trigger baby mushroom pinning on the surface of the mycelium. If the sides and lid of the tub become totally dry, spray them with some water using the fine-mist spray, although this should not generally be needed until the first flush.
The video markers above 👆🏼correspond to the the various Steps in this Unit. Click on them to skip to a Step.
Use a cutting board and knife to chop off the substrate-covered base of each mushroom, and gently brush off any substrate residue, until you have a pile of clean mushrooms. Do not wash them as this will reduce their potency!
The video markers above 👆🏼correspond to the the various Steps in this Unit. Click on them to skip to a Step.
Place freshly picked and cleaned mushrooms on the trays of the dehydrator. Very large or chunky mushrooms should be split in two to facilitate drying. Once in, run the dehydrator at temperatures around 95-100 F for between 12-24 hours.
Over the drying period, occasionally inspect the mushrooms by touching and bending them. They are considered “bone dry” when then snap on bending. Once all mushrooms have become bone dry they are ready for long term packaging.
Next Unit: Managing additional flushes. Learn how to rehydrate and feed your mycelium cakeA description for a colonized layer of bulk substrate which has been overtaken by mycelium and solidified into a consistency of a cake. so that it gives additional (up to 3-4) magic mushroom flushes. Love your cake, and it will love you back.