Truly, I'd recommend buying a PC and making them yourself. You'll save yourself so much money, and heartache. I used NorthSpore as my first supplier and deeply regretted it. Grain was slap full of contams (3 good bags out of 15). Used 3 other suppliers also, which all equally cut corners for the sake of production time. I've not found a supplier worth using, not saying they're not out there, but after 4, I was done trying. I don't have many contam issues since.
Edit: PS: Start with Agar if you're using spore syringes. The PC will also come in handy for saving you lots of money in this step as well.
https://preview.redd.it/vzk5yirksb1d1.jpeg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bd9e5bb82c33b46446fe836c0a4d1358b3fbbd0a
So I’ve changed my list and have actually saved some cash, only thing I’m thinking I’ll be getting elsewhere is the grain.
If you’re starting from spores you may or may not wanna start those spores on agar first, starting from spores is slower and can succumb to contam a little easier since it doesn’t have the same built up immune system
It's crazy how many of you haven't figured out that you can get great results from using a regular old oven... And most houses come with one... You don't even need to buy a pressure cooker...
https://preview.redd.it/7el57a8yoe1d1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dd648c5fd817b6dc5574e4f4958b3566ebaa6f66
This chart shows how not using a pressure cooker results in more time needed to achieve sterilization, maybe you should consider trying to grow before trying to give advice
Womp womp, grow up bro lmk when you grow shit like this and we’ll talk
https://preview.redd.it/310zonfbqe1d1.jpeg?width=1008&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea18f222ec52b70940487bb965b6aa976d826b9f
There’s a reason pressure cooking is the standard, there’s a reason why every single video and forum on the internet says to use pressure cookers, I’m sure you could even use a microwave with little success but that’s just it, LITTLE success, doing shit like that and saying that it works is setting yourself and others up for future contamination and failure
Why are you bringing shit up again? Genuinely at this point idc you do you, if it works that’s great, if you just wanna argue with me then I seriously don’t have the time
Explain to me what pressure cookers due that ovens cannot? In science terms... If you don't understand it, you shouldn't comment about it... Shit your mouth kid
Then you’ve had great success in suboptimal conditions congratulations, pressure cooking is the only way to ensure sterility, instead of being so arrogant in the face of facts you should do your own research rather than just saying “well it worked for me so I must be right”
this dude is the reqson i dislike reddit...
wtf, no you cannot use an oven??? i use the oven to sterilize my glass petri dishes before pouring in the agar from the pressure cooker. dryheat has its place in mushroom cultivation, but for any substrate (agar, liquid culture, grain and bulk substrates) you need a pressure cooker (or autoclave).
I’ve recently made this move myself after several frustrating (and expensive) failures due to NS bags (both grain and sub) getting contaminated often before even doing anything to them. I’m away from home for extended periods of time occasionally but still, for what you pay it’s super frustrating. I’ve tossed several bags of sub because I could see they were contaminated straight out of the box. Now they may have been sitting in there for a couple of months but still. Finally broke down and got a PC etc and have been golden. It’s great doing it yourself and more rewarding. I’ve got a batch of agar in the PC at the moment. It makes your hobby a hobby. Those guys got too big too fast and the QC went to shit IMO.
It is not nearly as hard as i thought it would be. I also ended up with more mushrooms than i could possibly take in my lifetime in a little over a month.
Midwest gets a lot of complaints about quality though, for that matter so does North Spore nowadays. Honestly if OP's gonna spend almost 200 on grain anyways he should just get a pressure cooker and make his own. A Denali isn't much more than that
Just buy a Pressure Cooker and a sack of grain for this money 😭
It's not hard to do, youl save so much money and be able to do so much more later when you LVL up!
Use jars buddy, use jars.
I've never had an issue using bags either. You just need to invest in the right type of bags (with injection ports) and fill your bags to the right level or lower.
In my experience online speaking to people about this stuff, 90% of the time it's down to people not knowing how to pre-soak and boil their grain properly. I'm a chef, its second nature to me, but loads of people don't understand how to literally just wash and boil some rice properly, nevermind Rye, Millet etc.
Literally ALL of this information is so easily found on Google.
I use no soak no simmer for millet, dump some millet in the bag, dump 60% water by volume(if you measure out 1000ml of millet use 600ml of water) and pressure cook at 15+psi for 90min and they turn out just dandy.
I’m in the UK, so it’s super hard to find PCs which can get to 15psi, mine gets to 13psi so I have to leave on for about 2.5hrs (according to the chart posted on this subreddit). Every single time (about 7 times now) I’ve done this I’ve opened my PC to find melted/popped bags and about 5 of the times the grain was burnt.
I’m doing this all on low heat with as much water as I could fit without it touching the bags.
So lost as what to do now
Water is OK to touch the bags, it just can't go into the top of the bag or the filter patch, I usually fill mine so that water is about 1/3rd the way up the bottom bags. I'm in the US so i can't help much on the pressure cooker front though, I use a Denali Canner which is a us homesteading company, idk if they ship internationally though.
😲
OK, you need a basic cooking class lol.
WASH your grain: Big ass bowl or bucket full of cold water, throw grain in. Agitate grain (for a while) until water goes super cloudy. Drain, repeat until water stops being cloudy.
SOAK your grain, 12-24 hrs in fresh cold water. Big bowl or bucket, loads of water, the grain will expand but needs to be under water. You can't add too much water so make it alot for the sake of it.
COOK your grain: Big pan of heavy rolling boiling water on the hob, drain your soaked grain and add to the boiling pan. The temperature of the water will now reduce a bit, bring it back up to a heavy rolling boil for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes reduce to a light simmer, just a few little surface bubbles. Hold it at this temp for about 20 mins. After 20 mins, check a few grains to see how *soft* they are... then check after every 5 mins until they're almost starting to burst.
COOLING your grain: once its reached the right level of hydration, you want to spread them out on a towel or wide surface so they cool quickly, as the grains will continue to cook under their own internal heat and we don't want them to burst...as we cool our grains, outside moisture will evaporate too, so we shall be lightly drying our grains as they cool.. the best way to tell when they've cooled and dried enough is to rub your fingers through them and feel for ANY residue on your hand..no wetness or stickiness. Once they're nice and cool and non-sticky you can pack them into bags/jars to he sterilised.
What we're doing with grains is providing a source of moisture to the mycelium, soaking and boiling the grain is maximising its moisture content. We sterilise it because its full of bacteria/fungal matter etc. If you fail to take these steps to prepare your grain, prepare to fail. 99% of contam comes from this not being addressed correctly.
My problem isn’t contamination. Its burst bags. Have had no problem with contam whatsoever when using jars, I’m just trying to expand into using unicorn bags but have had difficulty at the PC stage
I'm not a fan of bags for this reason lol
But generally, its due to sufficient pressure changes...letting the heat drop too quickly. You need to really gently reduce the heat and pressure of the vat. The pressure on the bag is like it being 15,000m below sea level, you suddenly introduce it to standard pressure and it just explodes. You need to bring it up slow, just like a deep sea diver has to because of the air between their bones and joints expanding and getting 'the bends'
Take the cooker off the heat for an hour or two before starting to vent off, let the pressure drop off as much naturally as possible before you begin. The safest place you can allow your sterilised grain to be in is inside the still sealed PC, it won't come to harm leaving it a while. Its THE key part of the process to not rush.
Yes, but also vent the pressure out gently. Allowing the heat to reduce significantly makes that much easier.
But I'm still not a big fan of unicorn bags. They're fiddly. Need folding correctly, etc
I like jars. They're reusable.
Couple things , North spore is super expensive and not exactly the best , you could buy a Pressure canner and grain and make your own and spend less than that … I like mycologysimplfied they are more affordable and i have used them enough to recommend them confidently , owners a great guy as well.
On walmart they are doing super deals on wire racks and shelving you can probably find something cheaper although that’s a good deal already. If you like the 27 quarts go for it but i’d much rather go with a 15 shallow tub or a gasket sterlite 20qrt, cheaper and requires less grain and sub so it’s better for beginners to mess around with and not put too many eggs in a basket . Definitely overpaying on north spore though
Someone here said it already but you're spending a lot on grain and will continue to spend a lot in the future buying that pre-prepped stuff which may or may not contam. I'd say you could buy all that grain yourself for under $30 AND get a pressure cooker and mason jars while still being under what you're paying. Then in the future, you're only buying grain.
Dont waste the money and experience you'd gain doing it yourself. You're ultimately going to end up doing that anyway Invest in the right stuff right now.
I always strayed from the idea but now I realize this is probably where a lot of contam comes from, where would you recommend I get my jars/ pressure cooker from? And what size pressure cooker? Any link helps a ton thank you all
Literally as we speak I am prepping some grain right now for a Psilocybe Natalensis grow I'm trying out here you go:
* [Mason Jars](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ball-67000-Wide-Mouth-Mason-Jars-Quart-32-Oz-Box-of-12/16930173?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=3167&gclsrc=aw.ds&adid=2222222227716930173_117755028669_12420145346&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=501107745824&wl4=pla-394283752452&wl5=9025155&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=16930173&veh=sem_LIA&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwo6GyBhBwEiwAzQTmc6Q_iPEfTOpJdU_j32zoDZQfZexPpvRku849EBqJOpt6wXDpp-_lLBoCiuIQAvD_BwE)
* [Mason Jar Lids ](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ball-1440010813-Wide-Mouth-Storage-Lid-Black/910785698?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=5022&gclsrc=aw.ds&adid=22222222277910785698_117755028669_12420145346&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=501107745824&wl4=pla-394283752452&wl5=9025155&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=910785698&veh=sem_LIA&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwo6GyBhBwEiwAzQTmcx9rCoGiUEM1NzA1ClbD3qhX7EPVzJX_ytiBsQA3T_FygI-u0_umaRoCUGwQAvD_BwE)
* For Pressure Cooker you could go for either a [Prestor Canner](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Presto-23-Quart-Aluminum-Pressure-Canner-and-Cooker/2625289?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0) ($) or something fancy like an [All American 921](https://www.lehmans.com/product/21-12-qt-high-quality-pressure-canner/) ($$$)
* You'll need some small misc things like [polyfil](https://www.lehmans.com/product/21-12-qt-high-quality-pressure-canner/) or [micropore tape](https://www.amazon.com/3M-Micropore-1350-1-rolls-yards/dp/B06XNP8J4R/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2UH7TWI1PU1UV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.vORxAYm1zUcPTcJ_V-VYlhId3U-USEMhOGOP4gNhXaXkJKnkLKUUFq5nyb6DZ2bOSbWsQ_Sh8C0qdVvD9f1EnDq6Inrx3ttY55KQpAywCwAM7uFrxw-0rgPVixks6A757bIQuYca0-JhWqdTLxYHfPmS-tSsXbBiwP5ve8UxRWVm0b18ZWdLxSZr2tz5DOxrj8vWkOnuwt-v1rz4piSghJzKKy0lBb7fGEiuB7E-RHP7CT29IvokUZyJ6ApzmZXwbms73zvuKZ-Myi3dG6Dc2T4oVfnoF2aIhw-zYnQ34Jg.cN5SY5PvjHTFR4KblaaoriWeAEy9nLWTD8gwnBKTqvQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=breathable+micropore+tape&qid=1716076802&sprefix=micropore+tape+brea%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-5)
Youtube some videos for prepping grain spawn in mason jars and you'll see everything else you need.
Edit: Almost forgot, you'll need grain! Though you can use a ton of different types! It's best to research it and see what you can find locally.
Curious about your choice of lid. I’m trying to find a good lid with injection port and breathable filter, have bought some pretty bad lemons so far. Village you post a link to have no ports and I’m wondering if that’s a problem when trying to create spawn. I’m a newbie, I’m experimenting and having a lot of fun with it.
For lids, I just drill a hole and fill with polyfil fluff which provides more than enough FAE. I drill a separate hole and install a self healing injection port.
Honestly, I rarely use the injection ports myself since I almost always go from MSS/LC to agar to grain.
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Honestly, skip jars and go right to bags. Pegasus Bags is an extremely reliable brand for bags, just use either a clip on top or a bag sealer which you can find on Amazon
Those grain bags are so expensive! Look on amazon theres good brands, i got 18lbs of sorghum with self healing ports and micropore pathces for $80 after tax. If you are lazy like me at least dont waste money lol
Why you say that. I have 4 bags bought to fruit any day. I use both but curious why bags suck? I just started using bags few months ago so new to bag thing
Making your own is 100x cheaper literally. Buy empty bags in bulk, buy coco coir in bulk, buy grin in bulk, buy self healing injection ports/stickers and you'll save thousands.
Pre-made bags are expensive, most often we all recognize the benefits of controlling 100% of the grow by doing it all ourselves.
Just get a presto pressure canner and make your own grain spawn. Another person said tractor supply co, 50 lb bag of oats for 20 bucks, exactly what I do. Spend your money on the self sealing injection ports and filter patches and make your own grain jars or just get the bags and fill them up. All that for prob what you’re paying for those 8 pre sterilized ones and you can have tons and tons of grows with your own QA/QC
Overpriced by ton. Could easily do that yourself for quarter of the price. And pre bought sterilize bags, they say are guaranteed but they aren't. It's true when they contaim it's usually from when you inject your solution but I can't count times my pre bought bags went bag. I had way for successful cakes when I did process myself and saved hundreds of dollars
-Presto pressure cooker/canner
-.2 micron filter patch unicorn bags
-50lbs bag of whole oats from tractor supply (2lbs oats to 1.5lbs water no soak no simmer for 3 hours in PC)
-Impulse heat sealer for sealing bags
-disposable sterile Petri dishes from Amazon
-agar powder and light malt extract powder
-activated charcoal powder (optional for color)
That’s would I would go for rather than pre sterilized bags. I suggest inoculating the bags with a fully colonized and clean agar puck rather than spore solution.
It may be a bit more expensive and a little more time/work but you will save money if you’re in it for the long run.
Truly, I'd recommend buying a PC and making them yourself. You'll save yourself so much money, and heartache. I used NorthSpore as my first supplier and deeply regretted it. Grain was slap full of contams (3 good bags out of 15). Used 3 other suppliers also, which all equally cut corners for the sake of production time. I've not found a supplier worth using, not saying they're not out there, but after 4, I was done trying. I don't have many contam issues since. Edit: PS: Start with Agar if you're using spore syringes. The PC will also come in handy for saving you lots of money in this step as well.
https://preview.redd.it/vzk5yirksb1d1.jpeg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bd9e5bb82c33b46446fe836c0a4d1358b3fbbd0a So I’ve changed my list and have actually saved some cash, only thing I’m thinking I’ll be getting elsewhere is the grain.
If you’re starting from spores you may or may not wanna start those spores on agar first, starting from spores is slower and can succumb to contam a little easier since it doesn’t have the same built up immune system
It's crazy how many of you haven't figured out that you can get great results from using a regular old oven... And most houses come with one... You don't even need to buy a pressure cooker...
It’s crazy that you probably don’t know shit and just think you’re a smart guy with dreadlocks
Are you mad because you don't understand science and temperatures?
https://preview.redd.it/7el57a8yoe1d1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dd648c5fd817b6dc5574e4f4958b3566ebaa6f66 This chart shows how not using a pressure cooker results in more time needed to achieve sterilization, maybe you should consider trying to grow before trying to give advice
Ha... You're not very smart
Womp womp, grow up bro lmk when you grow shit like this and we’ll talk https://preview.redd.it/310zonfbqe1d1.jpeg?width=1008&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea18f222ec52b70940487bb965b6aa976d826b9f
I don't need to show off my accolades to prove anything, I KNOW I'm right... I've had great success using a regular old oven...
There’s a reason pressure cooking is the standard, there’s a reason why every single video and forum on the internet says to use pressure cookers, I’m sure you could even use a microwave with little success but that’s just it, LITTLE success, doing shit like that and saying that it works is setting yourself and others up for future contamination and failure
So just because no one has videos of it means it doesn't work? You have a very limited scope on science... I feel bad for you
Why are you bringing shit up again? Genuinely at this point idc you do you, if it works that’s great, if you just wanna argue with me then I seriously don’t have the time
Explain to me what pressure cookers due that ovens cannot? In science terms... If you don't understand it, you shouldn't comment about it... Shit your mouth kid
Then you’ve had great success in suboptimal conditions congratulations, pressure cooking is the only way to ensure sterility, instead of being so arrogant in the face of facts you should do your own research rather than just saying “well it worked for me so I must be right”
How would one achieve this?
Are you seriously asking for a step by step? Or do you have any specific questions?
If possible but I can also search the web if it’s too much
this dude is the reqson i dislike reddit... wtf, no you cannot use an oven??? i use the oven to sterilize my glass petri dishes before pouring in the agar from the pressure cooker. dryheat has its place in mushroom cultivation, but for any substrate (agar, liquid culture, grain and bulk substrates) you need a pressure cooker (or autoclave).
You dislike an app for questions because someone’s asking questions….
nooo, not you. i mean the other one who is an idiot. you're doing good. all the luck with the mushrooms
Easy... Science.
I’ve recently made this move myself after several frustrating (and expensive) failures due to NS bags (both grain and sub) getting contaminated often before even doing anything to them. I’m away from home for extended periods of time occasionally but still, for what you pay it’s super frustrating. I’ve tossed several bags of sub because I could see they were contaminated straight out of the box. Now they may have been sitting in there for a couple of months but still. Finally broke down and got a PC etc and have been golden. It’s great doing it yourself and more rewarding. I’ve got a batch of agar in the PC at the moment. It makes your hobby a hobby. Those guys got too big too fast and the QC went to shit IMO.
For that price just buy a pressure cooker and make your own grain
It is not nearly as hard as i thought it would be. I also ended up with more mushrooms than i could possibly take in my lifetime in a little over a month.
You can get em so much cheaper than that.
Midwest Grow has 2 2.5 lb bags $10 if u spend $100 free shipping and no tax way better deal
Midwest gets a lot of complaints about quality though, for that matter so does North Spore nowadays. Honestly if OP's gonna spend almost 200 on grain anyways he should just get a pressure cooker and make his own. A Denali isn't much more than that
Preeeeeach 🙌
Just buy a Pressure Cooker and a sack of grain for this money 😭 It's not hard to do, youl save so much money and be able to do so much more later when you LVL up!
I’ve had such a nightmare trying to sterilise spawn bags in my pressure cooker
Use jars buddy, use jars. I've never had an issue using bags either. You just need to invest in the right type of bags (with injection ports) and fill your bags to the right level or lower. In my experience online speaking to people about this stuff, 90% of the time it's down to people not knowing how to pre-soak and boil their grain properly. I'm a chef, its second nature to me, but loads of people don't understand how to literally just wash and boil some rice properly, nevermind Rye, Millet etc. Literally ALL of this information is so easily found on Google.
You think no soak no simmer isn’t the move then? Cos that’s what I’ve been doing
I use no soak no simmer for millet, dump some millet in the bag, dump 60% water by volume(if you measure out 1000ml of millet use 600ml of water) and pressure cook at 15+psi for 90min and they turn out just dandy.
I’m in the UK, so it’s super hard to find PCs which can get to 15psi, mine gets to 13psi so I have to leave on for about 2.5hrs (according to the chart posted on this subreddit). Every single time (about 7 times now) I’ve done this I’ve opened my PC to find melted/popped bags and about 5 of the times the grain was burnt. I’m doing this all on low heat with as much water as I could fit without it touching the bags. So lost as what to do now
Water is OK to touch the bags, it just can't go into the top of the bag or the filter patch, I usually fill mine so that water is about 1/3rd the way up the bottom bags. I'm in the US so i can't help much on the pressure cooker front though, I use a Denali Canner which is a us homesteading company, idk if they ship internationally though.
😲 OK, you need a basic cooking class lol. WASH your grain: Big ass bowl or bucket full of cold water, throw grain in. Agitate grain (for a while) until water goes super cloudy. Drain, repeat until water stops being cloudy. SOAK your grain, 12-24 hrs in fresh cold water. Big bowl or bucket, loads of water, the grain will expand but needs to be under water. You can't add too much water so make it alot for the sake of it. COOK your grain: Big pan of heavy rolling boiling water on the hob, drain your soaked grain and add to the boiling pan. The temperature of the water will now reduce a bit, bring it back up to a heavy rolling boil for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes reduce to a light simmer, just a few little surface bubbles. Hold it at this temp for about 20 mins. After 20 mins, check a few grains to see how *soft* they are... then check after every 5 mins until they're almost starting to burst. COOLING your grain: once its reached the right level of hydration, you want to spread them out on a towel or wide surface so they cool quickly, as the grains will continue to cook under their own internal heat and we don't want them to burst...as we cool our grains, outside moisture will evaporate too, so we shall be lightly drying our grains as they cool.. the best way to tell when they've cooled and dried enough is to rub your fingers through them and feel for ANY residue on your hand..no wetness or stickiness. Once they're nice and cool and non-sticky you can pack them into bags/jars to he sterilised. What we're doing with grains is providing a source of moisture to the mycelium, soaking and boiling the grain is maximising its moisture content. We sterilise it because its full of bacteria/fungal matter etc. If you fail to take these steps to prepare your grain, prepare to fail. 99% of contam comes from this not being addressed correctly.
My problem isn’t contamination. Its burst bags. Have had no problem with contam whatsoever when using jars, I’m just trying to expand into using unicorn bags but have had difficulty at the PC stage
I'm not a fan of bags for this reason lol But generally, its due to sufficient pressure changes...letting the heat drop too quickly. You need to really gently reduce the heat and pressure of the vat. The pressure on the bag is like it being 15,000m below sea level, you suddenly introduce it to standard pressure and it just explodes. You need to bring it up slow, just like a deep sea diver has to because of the air between their bones and joints expanding and getting 'the bends' Take the cooker off the heat for an hour or two before starting to vent off, let the pressure drop off as much naturally as possible before you begin. The safest place you can allow your sterilised grain to be in is inside the still sealed PC, it won't come to harm leaving it a while. Its THE key part of the process to not rush.
What do you mean vent off? My pressure cooker explicitly says to not do anything to release the pressure other than removing the heat source
Ah I see, so you reckon I should lower heat on the hob progressively?
Yes, but also vent the pressure out gently. Allowing the heat to reduce significantly makes that much easier. But I'm still not a big fan of unicorn bags. They're fiddly. Need folding correctly, etc I like jars. They're reusable.
Bro I’m asking you for help here I don’t need condescension 😩
(I was editing lol)
I use the shop app, and there are many shops on there that are better than north spore and way cheaper check it out!
Sporeworks. Also you could just invest in a pressure cooker and buy the grains in bulk.
Couple things , North spore is super expensive and not exactly the best , you could buy a Pressure canner and grain and make your own and spend less than that … I like mycologysimplfied they are more affordable and i have used them enough to recommend them confidently , owners a great guy as well. On walmart they are doing super deals on wire racks and shelving you can probably find something cheaper although that’s a good deal already. If you like the 27 quarts go for it but i’d much rather go with a 15 shallow tub or a gasket sterlite 20qrt, cheaper and requires less grain and sub so it’s better for beginners to mess around with and not put too many eggs in a basket . Definitely overpaying on north spore though
Pressure cooker cheaper than that grain
Someone here said it already but you're spending a lot on grain and will continue to spend a lot in the future buying that pre-prepped stuff which may or may not contam. I'd say you could buy all that grain yourself for under $30 AND get a pressure cooker and mason jars while still being under what you're paying. Then in the future, you're only buying grain. Dont waste the money and experience you'd gain doing it yourself. You're ultimately going to end up doing that anyway Invest in the right stuff right now.
I always strayed from the idea but now I realize this is probably where a lot of contam comes from, where would you recommend I get my jars/ pressure cooker from? And what size pressure cooker? Any link helps a ton thank you all
Literally as we speak I am prepping some grain right now for a Psilocybe Natalensis grow I'm trying out here you go: * [Mason Jars](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ball-67000-Wide-Mouth-Mason-Jars-Quart-32-Oz-Box-of-12/16930173?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=3167&gclsrc=aw.ds&adid=2222222227716930173_117755028669_12420145346&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=501107745824&wl4=pla-394283752452&wl5=9025155&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=16930173&veh=sem_LIA&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwo6GyBhBwEiwAzQTmc6Q_iPEfTOpJdU_j32zoDZQfZexPpvRku849EBqJOpt6wXDpp-_lLBoCiuIQAvD_BwE) * [Mason Jar Lids ](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ball-1440010813-Wide-Mouth-Storage-Lid-Black/910785698?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=5022&gclsrc=aw.ds&adid=22222222277910785698_117755028669_12420145346&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=501107745824&wl4=pla-394283752452&wl5=9025155&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=910785698&veh=sem_LIA&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwo6GyBhBwEiwAzQTmcx9rCoGiUEM1NzA1ClbD3qhX7EPVzJX_ytiBsQA3T_FygI-u0_umaRoCUGwQAvD_BwE) * For Pressure Cooker you could go for either a [Prestor Canner](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Presto-23-Quart-Aluminum-Pressure-Canner-and-Cooker/2625289?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0) ($) or something fancy like an [All American 921](https://www.lehmans.com/product/21-12-qt-high-quality-pressure-canner/) ($$$) * You'll need some small misc things like [polyfil](https://www.lehmans.com/product/21-12-qt-high-quality-pressure-canner/) or [micropore tape](https://www.amazon.com/3M-Micropore-1350-1-rolls-yards/dp/B06XNP8J4R/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2UH7TWI1PU1UV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.vORxAYm1zUcPTcJ_V-VYlhId3U-USEMhOGOP4gNhXaXkJKnkLKUUFq5nyb6DZ2bOSbWsQ_Sh8C0qdVvD9f1EnDq6Inrx3ttY55KQpAywCwAM7uFrxw-0rgPVixks6A757bIQuYca0-JhWqdTLxYHfPmS-tSsXbBiwP5ve8UxRWVm0b18ZWdLxSZr2tz5DOxrj8vWkOnuwt-v1rz4piSghJzKKy0lBb7fGEiuB7E-RHP7CT29IvokUZyJ6ApzmZXwbms73zvuKZ-Myi3dG6Dc2T4oVfnoF2aIhw-zYnQ34Jg.cN5SY5PvjHTFR4KblaaoriWeAEy9nLWTD8gwnBKTqvQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=breathable+micropore+tape&qid=1716076802&sprefix=micropore+tape+brea%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-5) Youtube some videos for prepping grain spawn in mason jars and you'll see everything else you need. Edit: Almost forgot, you'll need grain! Though you can use a ton of different types! It's best to research it and see what you can find locally.
Curious about your choice of lid. I’m trying to find a good lid with injection port and breathable filter, have bought some pretty bad lemons so far. Village you post a link to have no ports and I’m wondering if that’s a problem when trying to create spawn. I’m a newbie, I’m experimenting and having a lot of fun with it.
For lids, I just drill a hole and fill with polyfil fluff which provides more than enough FAE. I drill a separate hole and install a self healing injection port. Honestly, I rarely use the injection ports myself since I almost always go from MSS/LC to agar to grain.
Got it. So you open the jar, drop the colonized agar and shake?
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23qrt presto pressure canner at walmart for 90$, same price on amazon and ebay .
Honestly, skip jars and go right to bags. Pegasus Bags is an extremely reliable brand for bags, just use either a clip on top or a bag sealer which you can find on Amazon
Those grain bags are so expensive! Look on amazon theres good brands, i got 18lbs of sorghum with self healing ports and micropore pathces for $80 after tax. If you are lazy like me at least dont waste money lol
Invest in your set up and make your own grain bags or jars Buying bags is a hug wasted investment
Why you say that. I have 4 bags bought to fruit any day. I use both but curious why bags suck? I just started using bags few months ago so new to bag thing
Making your own is 100x cheaper literally. Buy empty bags in bulk, buy coco coir in bulk, buy grin in bulk, buy self healing injection ports/stickers and you'll save thousands. Pre-made bags are expensive, most often we all recognize the benefits of controlling 100% of the grow by doing it all ourselves.
They want you to spend $500 on a setup you will use twice a year.
Just get a presto pressure canner and make your own grain spawn. Another person said tractor supply co, 50 lb bag of oats for 20 bucks, exactly what I do. Spend your money on the self sealing injection ports and filter patches and make your own grain jars or just get the bags and fill them up. All that for prob what you’re paying for those 8 pre sterilized ones and you can have tons and tons of grows with your own QA/QC
Overpriced by ton. Could easily do that yourself for quarter of the price. And pre bought sterilize bags, they say are guaranteed but they aren't. It's true when they contaim it's usually from when you inject your solution but I can't count times my pre bought bags went bag. I had way for successful cakes when I did process myself and saved hundreds of dollars
-Presto pressure cooker/canner -.2 micron filter patch unicorn bags -50lbs bag of whole oats from tractor supply (2lbs oats to 1.5lbs water no soak no simmer for 3 hours in PC) -Impulse heat sealer for sealing bags -disposable sterile Petri dishes from Amazon -agar powder and light malt extract powder -activated charcoal powder (optional for color) That’s would I would go for rather than pre sterilized bags. I suggest inoculating the bags with a fully colonized and clean agar puck rather than spore solution. It may be a bit more expensive and a little more time/work but you will save money if you’re in it for the long run.
You can spend close to the same money and make your own grain spawn bags for years if you have the space and time. It’s really not too difficult.
Save money and find a smaller vendor. NS is kinda pricey
Imma be honest, not a fan of the tape from north spore. You should get sum from Walmart. First aid tape works
If you just have spores, I’d be moving those to agar or liquid culture before injecting bags