How do you grow shrooms during the Winter?

I have been wanting to grow magic mushrooms for a while now, but I never could get the money together. I was planning on growing them this spring when the weather gets warmer. However, I noticed that shrooms are still being sold right now. Which means people are growing them in this cold weather.

If you were to grow them in cold weather, how would you go about doing it?
I know you would have to keep temperatures up to about 80 degrees and stuff. What would be a good idea to keep the temperature around where it needs to be? Is there a UV lamp out there that you can set to a certain temperature?

If I could figure out a way to grow the mushrooms in my house although its cold outside, I could start growing them in a month or so.

Can anybody help me out?

~metalguitarist420 :guitarist:

 

Hop over to the shroomery, they have everything you need to know and more about growing some mushies. :2thumbsup:

 

I did go there. I made an account and I posted there, and all I got were asshole responses. Here I am trying to ask them nicely for help, and all they have to say are rude responses.

Fuck them!

I'll grow mushrooms without their help.

 

you probably got asshole responses because you haven't looked at the forums, you simply posted.

there is sooooo much info on shroomery it's crazy. just read FAQs, stickies and click any link that interests you, really

 

http://www.shroomery.org/search.php?terms=pf+tek

Read this then come back and ask questions, its not hard, at all, to grow cubes.

 

I already know HOW to grow the mushrooms.

My question is what's the best way to keep temperatures where they need to be in the house. In the PF tek, it says you should have around 86 degrees for incubation. Then while they are actually growing, you should have in direct sunlight, with as close to 100% humidity as possible, and temperatures in the 70's. My thermostat could be up in the 70's no problem. But what would be the best way to get to 86 degrees in the house? I have heard that for incubation you can just put the dark bag filled with substrate jars up in a cabinet above a fridge and you'd get the desired heat. Would that work for incubation? Then I just leave the shrooms out in the normal room temperature?

 

86 degrees is good for optimal mycelia growth but not necessary, if the temps are a little lower, like 70-75 its ok it will just take a little longer to colonize. If you can get a heating pad and put it in a cooler with a screen to elevate the jars off the pad, that would work, or anything similar. Check the temp above your fridge, it may be close enough. You gotta go into this with a Mcgyver mindset, cause some stuff your going to get creative with.

Yea, technically you want as close to 100% hum. as possible, you can't do it a couple ways. Water will evap and make humidity, so you could get perlite damp and line the bottom of your FC with that or actually hook a humidifier up to your FC, but the later requires more attention/more fanning.

They don't NEED to be in sunlight, any light will suffice. The light just tells the mycelia to produce mushrooms, again, if its too cold you could use a heating pad under the FC or a heater in a small area, I.E. closet.

I hope this helps, continue searching on the shroomery, there are so many variations its crazy. Good luck as well, growing mushrooms is a great thing to do.

 

Huh, that's an interesting bit of information there. The light source doesn't NEED to be sunlight? If I use a basic lamp, would the growth take longer than if I use sunlight?

 

I have never actually used sunlight, it might be better(?), mushrooms do need light though and they actually do use it for energy.

Use a CFL 15w in the 6500k spectrum, its the "daylight" kind, it will work fine.

 

Thanks, I might start growing some in a few weeks.

 

I can understand you getting asshole responses.... there is a difference between a noob that is willing to put the work in and needs clarification and someone that just wants people to spoon feed them everything. You obviously are the latter as you do not seem to grasp even the most basic knowledge.

So I will attempt to spoon feed.........

I would focus on keeping one particular area of your home warm enough to grow mushroom. The best way I have found to do this when incubating is to use a cooler as your incubation chamber and use a sealed glass jar with a submerible aquarium heater in it as your heater..... this will provide a nice gentle heating source that will not over dry your jars. Used with a thermometer you can adjust it to get your incubator at exactly 80-85F (see attached picture)



Or you can use this tek which is fantastic:

I incubate my jars by using a plastic storage tub filled to about 2 inches of h2o2 water (1/8-1/4 cup peroxide per 1 gallon of water). I put one of those submersible fish tank heaters in and set it at 80 degrees. I use one of those small stick on thermometers sold for fish tanks and stick it on the outside of the large tub right where the water is to regulate temperature. I then get a smaller tub with a lid, punch air holes around the container right under where the lid overhangs so water cannot drip in. Put the jars in the smaller tub, close the lid and sit this in the warm water. I cover the main tub with its lid and have some air holes in this also.



Water will condensate on the lid in the large tub and drip down on the smaller one but no water should get inside the smaller tub. This will regulate itself and provide the perfect environment for the mycelium to colonize in the jars.

Tip: If your jars seem to stall near the bottom; the upper 80% percent or so is colonized but the last half inch or so at the bottom isn't, don't worry, this is very common. C02 can tend to accumulate like this in the bottom since its heavy and sinks. The remedy to this is to turn the jars upside-down for 2 or 3 days, this will allow the gas to escape and you will see them really take off and finish colonization. Don't worry if a few particles of the vermiculite falls out of the needle holes, most of it will stay in. The vermiculite seal is not as important at this point anyway since the upper section is colonized and protects itself well.

Colonizing the substrate at 80 degrees F. is the ideal temperature for several reasons. First, the mycelium will grow faster and the substrate will be colonized in the shortest amount of time. Secondly, when the cakes are removed from the jars, shocking the cakes with a temperature drop, lower CO2 levels, and light enhances initiation of fruiting.

If you plan to have your terrarium at normal room temperature, then colonizing at 80 degrees will help you initiate a massive flush of mushrooms when you place your cakes in the terrarium.


As for when you are fruiting your jars I would just a adjustable space heater in your grow room on the opposite side of the room from your fruiting chambers. Keep the fruiting chambers off the ground or insulate the bottoms to keep the cold floor in your place from sucking the heat out. You can do this by putting them on a table or shelf or by putting foam insulation under them.

Then keep the room closed up as much as possible to ensure the temperature is maintained and use a thermometer to tweet the heater thermostat to keep the room at 75F.

 

And def do not put your fruiting chamber in direct sunlight unless you want to bake your cakes. Think "Green House Effect"

You only need enough light that you can see your mushrooms . I have used everything from xmas lights, CFL, to indirect filtered sunlight.

 

I like the aquarium heater idea. I always used a heating pad, but that seems like it would keep a more predictable temp. Thank you.

 

lol.... they can be very rude. Try not to go there with noob questions that can be answered with a search engine..

now go away NOOB.. /jk/ :love:

Seems like its all been covered for you here.. :sunny: