First time grower, help with drying?

my 5 out of 6 pf style cakes are in their first flush right now, Golden teacher strain btw. ive put way too much time into growing these, to lose them to being unable to dry properly. my question is, jow long does it take a fresh mushroom to rot? As i said im new, and don't know the best methods of drying yet. i built a desiccant chamber quite similar to the one described in the shroomery, with something called Oil Dri (Crystalline Silica) on the bottom of a tupperware container, with a paper towel on top, mushies on top of the paper towel, sealed and stored in an air conditioned room. i dont want to lose any to rotting, so to all you experienced growers, does this method sound efficient enough to you? and if not, what are your preferred methods of drying? Sorry for the long post, any and all responses are appreciated!

 

bad idea to use dessicant when they are dripping wet.

You need to put them in front of a fan or a food dehydrator until they are mostly dry then use th dessicant chamber to get the last drop of moisture out.
They are done when they are crisp cracker dry and you can clearly hear a snap when you bend the stem.

 

I concur

Fan dry and then to the dessicant chamber

 

Congratulations!

I had an old dehydrator I used to use, but I openned it up and disconnected the heater. If you use a dehydrator, it might be best to make sure the heat is off or disconnected. I guess it was pretty much the same as just using a fan, but it had a bunch of racks that made it really convenient.

They should be pretty dry within a couple days unless they are huge.

(Then dessicant in tupperware, like you have until brittle.)

After they are dry, keep them sealed up tight in a mason jar or something. Especially in humid weather, they can re-absorb water from the air. (Some people said they got some moisture/oxygen absorbing packets and dropped them in the jar with them. That would be a good idea.)

 

Everyone I know uses a small house fan. Very simple and effective, and they are good to go in a few days.

Isn't it satisfying to trip off your own creation?

 

thanks everyone, right now i have them in front of my air conditioner, dude to them losing potency to heat, i figure using an A/C won't degrade the potency. im gonna go out tomorrow and get some dry rid, i think it is. i just dont want to lose my babies to not being able to correctly dry them. planning on dosing up for my first time at a carnival next week.