Grow Bags: Yes or No for starters?

[treasuregirl]

Hi All
Just getting started and want to know if grow bags are a way to go initially?

[AnotherDimension]

That was how I started but they aren't as easy as they look, I have had several either contamn or just not fruit. Bags are good for beginners but I would also learn the PF tek & then you can transition from jars to substrate trays that have a much larger fruiting harvest in most cases:rolleyes:

[Fungus Maximus]

I would also learn the PF tek & then you can transition from jars to substrate trays that have a much larger fruiting harvest in most cases:rolleyes:

I agree, the PF Tek allows you to have success the first time, not saying that you wont succede any other way, but I too failed at grain cultures and eventualy succeded with jars the first time I tried the PF Tek, then later moved on to bulk subs.

Good luck!!!

[AnotherDimension]

I wouldn't start outdoors, it is a lot harder to keep the humidity up, start fruiting, etc and the myc won't fruit until it colonizes everything it can and I think you are shooting yourself in the knees if you haven't grown before indoors.

[mentat23]

A lot of my friends used the bags where you inject the spore and no results. They always got contamination at the injection site. Get the EZ Grow Kit from Homestead books. There's an ad also in the recent High Times. Basically you get a bag of rye and it has a a QTip w/ spores in the same bag seperated by a taped twist in the bag. Undo tape and drop QTip in rye then shake- u never even open it. When the rye is fully white you break it up and add it to the bag of compost then seal and let grow. It's fairly easy to transfer the rye safely, but you're adding a TON of mycelia at once, it really gives the shrooms a fighting chance against any contaminants. Fairly fool proof. I grew one 2 years ago, then they stopped selling them. I just bought a new one and I have fully colonized compost w/ hyphal knots all over it so I'm sure this will work too. It's $120, w/ a 3lb bag of compost. A "refill" (everything but the instructions) w/ a 5lb bag of compost is $85. The yield is totally awesome.

[AnotherDimension]

Ya, we don't have a local Psilocybe and the closest is weak so that won't work for me. I would use Oak Ridge for an outdoor shroom since it popped up in an area not known for lots of psilocybes...and it isn't a cubie but grows like one but packs more punch!

[living legends]

I use grow bags everytime I start a grow. I have been growing non stop for the past two years. I have had a 100% success rate so far. I haven't had one bag out of probably 200 contaminated.

Honestly I think growbags are much easier for a begginer. The Pf tek is much harder in my opinion and has a greater contam rate. A good grow bad with a little precaution can't go wrong.

[Jaxie]

So, I've grown from grow bag once before but was not to happy with the yield.
I did it with my roommate two years ago and we grew penis envy and like I said it just didn't seem very efficient. So... I ordered 5 3lb rye grow bags and some golden teacher liquid spores... looking to colonize all the bags with 2cc in each then transfer them to a tray for a more satisfying yield... and my question is can it be done? If so how? Sort of new to this but have looked into growing from a jar and transferring to a tray and what I have found is that once the rye is fully colonized you don't have to worry about contaminates and can transfer them to a tray no problem so it would seem this would be possible doing it from a pre-sterilized grow bag to a tray also. Just wanna make sure before hand so I don't end up doing something stupid. I know all the details about the growing once its in the tray about covering it with vermiculite and all that but am just wondering about the transfer itself... PLEASE HELP

[NHMI]

Bags are hit or miss and PE sucks most of the time for bag grows unless you use an isolate.

After you noc up your jars and they are fully colonized you mix equal parts spawn to poo or coir that has been pasturized or sterilized (the microbes aren't important with cubies, despite idiots saying they are) Cover the surface with plastic wrap or foil and cover, wait 5 days and then either case and put in the FC or just put in the FC.