From: an37998@anon.penet.fi
Date: Mon, 20 Dec 1993 00:31:52 UTC

I am an aspiring 'shroom grower myself.  I have completed the
single-strain isolation phase and I am ready to move on to the grain
cultivation stage.  After I have completed a harvest, I hope to post a list
of my trials and tribulations to 'alt.drugs' including any tips or hints I
discover along the way.  This article contains one important tip.  Read on!

P.D.A. and M.E.A. are great alternatives to buying pre-packaged agar from
somewhere like a scientific supply.  I purchased 4 oz. of pre-mixed malt
extract agar and spent $20 for it...and when you use 15-20 g of that mix
per liter, it's not nearly as cost effective as doing it from scratch.

Please note that most of my info comes from McKenna's definitive book: 
_Psilocybin: Magic Mushroom Grower's Guide_.  No rights reserved, and while
Terry's publisher might have something to say, I think he would be happy to see
the spread of the information that leads to successful shroom cultivation.

I mixed up a batch of PDA (Potato Dextrose Agar) from scratch.  I have had
great results and it's easy to make.  After the recipe process, I'll explain
how/where to obtain the materials and what to look for.  McKenna says:


For 1 liter total volume of liquid PDA agar you need:

        250 g potatoes
        15 g agar
        10 g dextrose
        1.5 g nutritional yeast (or yeast extract)

Shred the unpeeled potatoes into a colander and then rinse them for thirty
seconds with cold tap water.  Combine the rinsed potatoes with one liter of 
water and gently boilf for 30 minutes.  Filter the resulting potato broth
through muslin or cheescloth and discard the potatoes.  To the liter of 
potato broth add the agar, dextrose and yeast which you have previously
weighed out, mixed together, and set aside.  While stirring gently add in the
mixed powdered indgredients.  Gently boil for ten minutes or until the solution
is clear.  Take care to not allow the solution to boil over.  Add enough water
to return the total volume of the solution to one liter.  Pour the solution
while still hot and liquid into petri plates, baby food jars, or slant culture
tubes.  Use just enough to cover the bottom of the containers, about 1/4 inch
deep or a little more.  The solution may be allowed to cool or sterilized
immediately.

There are a few different recipes for different types of agar.  McKenna 
recommends changing agar types every few batches to prevent your P. cubensis
mycelium from experiencing the "senescence" factor, or the tendency of the 
mycelium to "age and lose vigor."  Here are some other agar recipes, mixed and
used in much the same manner as PDA.


For 1 liter total volume of MEA you need:

        20 g malt or malt extract (powdered or syrup)
        25 g agar
        0.1 g potassium dibasic (K2HPO)
        0.1 g calcium carbonate (CaCO3) (basically powdered oyster shell)

Add these ingredients to one liter of boiling water.  After they have dissolved
it is ready to be poured.


There is another agar recipe which McKenna says is good for long-term
maintenance.  It is MYP or Malt-Yeast-Peptone agar.  The procedure for
preparing this mixture is the same as for MEA.

For 1 liter total volume of MYP you need:

        7 g malt extract (powdered or syrup)
        1 g peptone or soytone
        0.5 g yeast extract
        15 g agar


A note on the ingredients.  Agar (agar-agar) itself is a powdered extract of
the gelatinous elements of sea-kelp.  It may be found in health food stores,
food co-ops or places that specialize in natural foods.  It can be expensive
(I have seen it for $50 a pound) but you don't need much to make a batch.

Dextrose is CORN sugar and may be found for about $1 a pound at a beer/wine
brewing supply center.  Be sure to get CORN sugar and not CANE sugar (sucrose).
The same goes for malt extract, easily found in syrup or powder form in a 
brewing supply store, or in some health food stores.

Soytone and Peptone are commercial brands of a protein hydrosylate and can be
purchased form scientific or microbiological supply houses.

The other ingredients can be found at scientific supply houses and are 
definitely not on any controlled subtance lists.  This is one of the beauties
of 'shroom cultivation as opposed to manufacture of other substances.


Here's some info on agar sterilization.  And by sterilization I am referring
to the use of a pressure cooker/canner which is a substitute for a lab-
grade autoclave.  I don't know much about the kits you see advertised
everywhere, but these sterilization-free kits tend to suffer from a high
contamination rate.  Even though I am relatively new to growing mushrooms,
after nearly 50 cultures cultivated in baby food jars in a few weeks, I have
not had one contaminated culture.  You just need to sterilize properly and
keep all you surfaces clean.  A fume hood is nice, but not necessary:  I use
a polyethylene tarp draped over my table work-area.  Be ruthless with the 
Lysol or whatever disinfectant you use...but look out for the flammable ones
(like Lysol) and keep them away from open flame.

And my tip on agar sterilization:  don't overdo it!  In McKenna's book, he
cites how the standard sterilization time at 250 degrees (15 psi) for agar
is 15 minutes.  But he claims this is not long enough and recommends 45 minutes
to an hour.  Presumptious of me as it is, I say NO!  Several of my agar
cultures were ruined by the intense heat of the pressure cooker.  After they
were done, they would cool but not congeal...the molecules that do the gelling
had been severed by the heat.  They just sort of sloshed around in clumps and
actually should set into flat, glassine material (like JELL-O!).  In a few
experiments, I found that 250 degree, 15 psi was good, but I only needed to
sterilize the cultures at this temperature for 30 MINUTES.  I have had no
problems with contamination so far.

I urge everyone to post their comments, stories, and findings on mushroom
cultivation here on the net.  Maybe a FAQ just for shrooms could be drawn
up...separate from the natural high FAQ.  Just wondering.  As of late, there
seems to be quite an interest in shroom cultivation on the net and this is
good.  The "power" of LSD in a "natural" form and with a little effort, you
can have as much as you and your friends might want.

+++Nyquist
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
To find out more about the anon service, send mail to help@anon.penet.fi.
Due to the double-blind, any mail replies to this message will be anonymized,
and an anonymous id will be allocated automatically. You have been warned.
From: an37998@anon.penet.fi
Date: Mon, 20 Dec 1993 00:31:52 UTC

I am an aspiring 'shroom grower myself.  I have completed the
single-strain isolation phase and I am ready to move on to the grain
cultivation stage.  After I have completed a harvest, I hope to post a list
of my trials and tribulations to 'alt.drugs' including any tips or hints I
discover along the way.  This article contains one important tip.  Read on!

P.D.A. and M.E.A. are great alternatives to buying pre-packaged agar from
somewhere like a scientific supply.  I purchased 4 oz. of pre-mixed malt
extract agar and spent $20 for it...and when you use 15-20 g of that mix
per liter, it's not nearly as cost effective as doing it from scratch.

Please note that most of my info comes from McKenna's definitive book: 
_Psilocybin: Magic Mushroom Grower's Guide_.  No rights reserved, and while
Terry's publisher might have something to say, I think he would be happy to see
the spread of the information that leads to successful shroom cultivation.

I mixed up a batch of PDA (Potato Dextrose Agar) from scratch.  I have had
great results and it's easy to make.  After the recipe process, I'll explain
how/where to obtain the materials and what to look for.  McKenna says:


For 1 liter total volume of liquid PDA agar you need:

        250 g potatoes
        15 g agar
        10 g dextrose
        1.5 g nutritional yeast (or yeast extract)

Shred the unpeeled potatoes into a colander and then rinse them for thirty
seconds with cold tap water.  Combine the rinsed potatoes with one liter of 
water and gently boilf for 30 minutes.  Filter the resulting potato broth
through muslin or cheescloth and discard the potatoes.  To the liter of 
potato broth add the agar, dextrose and yeast which you have previously
weighed out, mixed together, and set aside.  While stirring gently add in the
mixed powdered indgredients.  Gently boil for ten minutes or until the solution
is clear.  Take care to not allow the solution to boil over.  Add enough water
to return the total volume of the solution to one liter.  Pour the solution
while still hot and liquid into petri plates, baby food jars, or slant culture
tubes.  Use just enough to cover the bottom of the containers, about 1/4 inch
deep or a little more.  The solution may be allowed to cool or sterilized
immediately.

There are a few different recipes for different types of agar.  McKenna 
recommends changing agar types every few batches to prevent your P. cubensis
mycelium from experiencing the "senescence" factor, or the tendency of the 
mycelium to "age and lose vigor."  Here are some other agar recipes, mixed and
used in much the same manner as PDA.


For 1 liter total volume of MEA you need:

        20 g malt or malt extract (powdered or syrup)
        25 g agar
        0.1 g potassium dibasic (K2HPO)
        0.1 g calcium carbonate (CaCO3) (basically powdered oyster shell)

Add these ingredients to one liter of boiling water.  After they have dissolved
it is ready to be poured.


There is another agar recipe which McKenna says is good for long-term
maintenance.  It is MYP or Malt-Yeast-Peptone agar.  The procedure for
preparing this mixture is the same as for MEA.

For 1 liter total volume of MYP you need:

        7 g malt extract (powdered or syrup)
        1 g peptone or soytone
        0.5 g yeast extract
        15 g agar


A note on the ingredients.  Agar (agar-agar) itself is a powdered extract of
the gelatinous elements of sea-kelp.  It may be found in health food stores,
food co-ops or places that specialize in natural foods.  It can be expensive
(I have seen it for $50 a pound) but you don't need much to make a batch.

Dextrose is CORN sugar and may be found for about $1 a pound at a beer/wine
brewing supply center.  Be sure to get CORN sugar and not CANE sugar (sucrose).
The same goes for malt extract, easily found in syrup or powder form in a 
brewing supply store, or in some health food stores.

Soytone and Peptone are commercial brands of a protein hydrosylate and can be
purchased form scientific or microbiological supply houses.

The other ingredients can be found at scientific supply houses and are 
definitely not on any controlled subtance lists.  This is one of the beauties
of 'shroom cultivation as opposed to manufacture of other substances.


Here's some info on agar sterilization.  And by sterilization I am referring
to the use of a pressure cooker/canner which is a substitute for a lab-
grade autoclave.  I don't know much about the kits you see advertised
everywhere, but these sterilization-free kits tend to suffer from a high
contamination rate.  Even though I am relatively new to growing mushrooms,
after nearly 50 cultures cultivated in baby food jars in a few weeks, I have
not had one contaminated culture.  You just need to sterilize properly and
keep all you surfaces clean.  A fume hood is nice, but not necessary:  I use
a polyethylene tarp draped over my table work-area.  Be ruthless with the 
Lysol or whatever disinfectant you use...but look out for the flammable ones
(like Lysol) and keep them away from open flame.

And my tip on agar sterilization:  don't overdo it!  In McKenna's book, he
cites how the standard sterilization time at 250 degrees (15 psi) for agar
is 15 minutes.  But he claims this is not long enough and recommends 45 minutes
to an hour.  Presumptious of me as it is, I say NO!  Several of my agar
cultures were ruined by the intense heat of the pressure cooker.  After they
were done, they would cool but not congeal...the molecules that do the gelling
had been severed by the heat.  They just sort of sloshed around in clumps and
actually should set into flat, glassine material (like JELL-O!).  In a few
experiments, I found that 250 degree, 15 psi was good, but I only needed to
sterilize the cultures at this temperature for 30 MINUTES.  I have had no
problems with contamination so far.

I urge everyone to post their comments, stories, and findings on mushroom
cultivation here on the net.  Maybe a FAQ just for shrooms could be drawn
up...separate from the natural high FAQ.  Just wondering.  As of late, there
seems to be quite an interest in shroom cultivation on the net and this is
good.  The "power" of LSD in a "natural" form and with a little effort, you
can have as much as you and your friends might want.

+++Nyquist
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
To find out more about the anon service, send mail to help@anon.penet.fi.
Due to the double-blind, any mail replies to this message will be anonymized,
and an anonymous id will be allocated automatically. You have been warned.
From: Moonflower's.Garden@p19.f3323.n106.z1.fidonet.org (Moonflower's Garden)
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1993 19:01:16 -0500

 EH> Can someone send me a "recipe" for a potato-dextrose or rye-grain
 EH> dextrose(?) medium for growing psylicybe cubensis mushrooms?
 EH> There is one in the Anarchist Cookbook but I seem to have lost ti
 EH> (oops) it and not sure if it was any good anyway.... Thanx in
 EH> advance.

    I soundly recommend Stamets book.


    Moonflower's Cheap ---Rice Malt /alfalfa/ Brewer's Yeast Agar
    =============================================================

    1 ea Quart Jar (Mason/Ball type with lids)

    Take 2 cups of rice and place in a 3 quart bowl or pan.

    Pour approx. 1 1/2 quarts of clean (bottled or rev osmosis) water into
    bowl.

    Stir in 1 cup of alfalfa (like in the health food stores) meal.

    Add 1 standard dolomite (oyster shell-crushed) tablet and allow to
    dissolve in resultant slop.

    Allow to sit for 2 hours/stir every 20 minutes or so. It is ok to warm
    the mixture to speed up the expression of nutrients, but cold soaking
    seems to be the best. (takes longer, but has a better quality) The water
    should be about 70-80 degrees F. for best results not _chilled water.

    Strain out rice/alfalfa and throw it away.

    Mix 1 pkg of your regular baker's yeast into liquid and stir in.

    Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes to an hour or until it is obvious that
    the yeast are activated. (usually a foamy looking bubble mas will be
    floating on top and the mixture may appear more opaque)

    Strain out and throw away solid yeast grains. Boil the resultant liquid
    rapidly for 5 minutes and then turn off the heat and add 18 grams of agar
    agar (aka red algae) that you bought at the health food store.

    Pour mixture into mason/Ball jar and put lids on (seal down).

    Sterilize in pressure cooker for 20 minutes at 15lbs and allow to cool.
    (this is at sea-level...people in high altitudes should consult a
    conversion table for equiv. pressures and times)

        You will now have 1 quart of a very good agar media for mycoculturing
that will support _luxuriant_ mycelial growth. It is more than sufficient for
starting spores as well and seems to produce a lot more "banding" than other
media I have tried. Banding is when the mycelia (dikaryotic) grows in a pattern
that resembles circles of threadlike fungal strands similar to tree rings on
the petri dish. I have seen carpophores form directly on the agar and fruit in
a covered dish on this media and permeation time seems to be cut in half in
grain media spawn.

    Good luck!

From: Billy.Pilgrim.@f0.n214.z17.mtlnet.org (Billy Pilgrim )
Date: Mon, 20 Dec 1993 23:33:34 -0500

250 g potatoes
 15 g agar
 10 g dextrose
1.5 g nutritional yeast (or yeast extract)

Shred unpeeled potatoes into a collander and rinse for 30 seconds with cold
water.  Combine with 1 liter of water and boild gently for 30 minutes. 
Filter
the broth through cheesecloth and discard pulp.  To the broth, add agar,
dextrose and yeast, previously weighed and mixed together.  Stir into broth.
Gently boil for another 10 minutes or until clear.  Do not allow to boil
over.
Add enough (boiled & reasonably sterile) water to make volume up to 1 liter
again.  Pour into dishes, slant tubes, or baby food jars.  May be easier to
stack the dishes in the pressure cooker and pour there, put lids on and stack
another layer on top, repeat. Good luck!

 * Origin: SlackLand [214-307-8437] (17:214/0)


