OK here is a complete and detailed description of our first grow experiment!

DAY 1: Setup and Innoculation.

Using aspects of all three guides found above in the instruction section. We ordered Organic Brown Rice flour and Organic Rye Seeds from a
health food store in Orange Park, Florida named The Granary. It is absolutely IMPORTANT to make sure you have organicly grown products or you are doomed from the start. Funguscides present in commercial products are not found in the organic versions. We also ordered our spores about the same time and all things arrived on the same day! We picked up some vermiculite from the grocery store. Vermiculite is located in the plant section along with potting soil. We also purchased a dozen half pint "tapered" Ball canning jars. All total about $23 spent on all supplies. We took our vermiculite and Brown rice flour and mixed them in the following proportions for 6 of our 10 jars: 2/3 Cup vermiculite and 1/4 cup brown rice flour with 1/4 cup of water FOR EACH JAR. We mixed ingredients seprately for each individual jar this insured getting the right mixture. We Mixed ingredients fully until it became a pasty substance. We Then took our mixture and filled our jars 3/4 of the way full. Then we added dry vermiculite to the top of each jar to fill it up. This was done in an effort to further block any contamination by mold or mildew both of which will easily take over a fungus and kill or poison it. For the remaining 4 jars we decided to try the Mycelial culture technique using the rye grains as substrate. we mixed our grains and water as provided in the instruction. We filled those 4 jars full with each of the mixtures. Next we prepared our lids. To prepare the lids for the 6 jars with vermiculite mixture putting the lids upside down we used a small nail and hammer to poke 4 small holes in the lids (located at 12 oclock, 3, 6, &9) For our rye jars only one hole on the edge was necessary. After all lids were prepared we took the lids and screwed them on lightly. After screwing the lids on We place a piece off heavy duty Duct tape over each of the holes to prevent any contaminents from getting in during cooling. Then, we took a huge pot with a lid and filled it about 1/3 of the way with water we placed as many jars as would fit which was 5 inside the pot and boiled the water. This is done to kill any mold or other contaminets which may be inside the jar and on the lids. We boiled for about 10 minutes and put our second 5 jars in. After boiling we tightened the lids and let the jars cool for about 2-3 hours.
**NOTE Jars Must be at room temperature before continuing any further.
After cooling, it was time for the good part, Innoculation!!! For Inncoculation we had an empty aquarium with a plastic wrap "sheet" covering the open side. We turned the aquarium on it's side and sprayed mucho lysol inside to kill all contaminents. I sprayed my hands also with lysol. and put the jars inside our "innoculation chamber". once inside I removed the tape off of each hole to innoculate.Shaking the syringe well the moment had arrived. 1/4 cc per hole for the vermiculite jars and 1cc for the rye jars. I replaced the tape and moved the aquarium to the darkness of my closet.
***Note it is important to now maintain as close to 70 degrees or warmer inside your abode as possible.



Day 3 Transparent white fuzz started growing along the glass where innoculated in most jars except for one which had no growth.



Day 6 Almost one week and the vermiculite jars show impressive growth white fuzz covering up to 40% of one jar's surface. The rye jars are marginal at best. And one rye jar has nothing.



Day 8 January 26, 1997 - The vermiculite Jars are really taking off one jar has about 65% coverage of thick, opaque white growth. Most Jars have about 35-40% growth. The rye jars, however are not so hot they do have some thick white but only on the bottom of jar. This may indicate a lack of moisture. One Jar has nothing still I think it is a lost cause. I bought a vaporizer and some radiator overflow hose to use for humidity when it is time for the terrarium should be in about 7 or 8 days from now.



DAY 10 January 28, 1997 - My favorite Jar is now on display in my living room! It has 85% coverage of the fungus along the walls of the jar. It now has the awesome task of permeating the cake. I have 5 other vermiculite Mix jars that are trailing shortly behind. And the rye Jars disappointingly behind all of the vermiculite jars. If my Camera is working I will take photos and post them later on... I can see the one day growth is about an inch.



DAY 12 January 30, 1997 - We have our first casulty to contamination. It is in a really funky spot near the bottom of one of the vermiculite jars As far as the other jars they are doing great one jar has 100% coverage on the glass and most follow shortly behind the least vermiculite jar is 60% covered. The rye jars are now finally improving. Except for that one jar but it atleast has a trace of mycelium. I think it has too much water inside.

COWBOY'S FRUITING TECHNIQUE
I have now fashioned the mechanism by which to make fruiting occur. I used the aquarium I previously used for germination, a screen top, a piece of scotchbright which fits the top exactly, two milk crates and my vaporizer. I will turn the aquarium upside down and set it on the screen and scotchbright top. I will set this on top of two milk crates which are covering the vaporizer which is on the floor. I will only need to turn the vaporizer on 3-4 times a day for a few minutes to keep the moisture up around 90%. The reason for the milkcrates is because the vapoiser works by steaming the water and it gives off heat but at about 3 feet above the unit it is not too hot and is only about 80-85 degrees and humid to the max. This is perfect and I hope it works. I photographed my jars and the contamination and my fruiting setup. I should have the pix posted in about a week or so.



Day 14 February 1, 1997 - I tried extracting two of the rye jars today and I drank all of the liquid. I ended up staying up all night and being very creative and I feel very smart today(Sunday) but i did not trip I guess there wasn't enough psilocybin inside. I took two of the vermiculite cakes out of their jars and put them in the fruiting mechanism. Small balls look like they are forming on the surface of the mycelium looks like the start of some mushrooms. I turn my vaporizer on at regular intervals and it keeps the air inside saturated. The other vermiculite jars donot look like they are quite ready. I will give them another week before I remove them. the remaining two rye jars I am just going to let keep growing until the jar is saturated with fungus then extract. I will keep you all informed.



Day 18 February 5, 1997 - All Vermiculite Jars are now out and in my steam environment. I had to cut part of the second cake removed from the jar because it had some kind of white hairy looking stuff growing out of it. It was not normal fungus. I cut it off and it appears not to be growing back. I have almost given up on the rye jars. although there is slow growth.



Day 20 February 7, 1997 - This is the day we've all been waiting for!! A small sprout of a mushroom has appeared on the surface of the first cake I put into the environment. Even though it is only 1, I'm sure more are to follow soon This project has been a success no matter what else happens. I had some more of that white hairy mold stuff appear on one of the other cakes I cut off the infected piece of the cake. I took a picture of the first sprout which I am having developed and will scan tonight! So we will have pictures by the next update. Stay tuned!!!!



Day 21 February 8, 1997 - In 24 Hours I have gone from 1 sprout to 9 sprouts. 9 Mushrooms in 21 days. Listen up all!!! It is not fiction. This shit works!!!



Day 23 February 10, 1997 - I now have over 39 small mushroom babies the biggest ones are about 1 inch long and getting phat!! Most of these except for 2 are on the two cakes that were first out of the jars. There is two on the third cake out of the jar. That white fluffy stuff that I thought was mold is not mold. it seems to be part of the fungus because when i tried touching it it turned blue like when you bruise a mushroom so I am letting it grow on the two cakes where it resides. I cannot believe how many mushrooms are growing now I wonder if the other cakes will produce as much as these two. I hope so!!!!!



Day 25 February 12, 1997 - SUCCESS! Today, I picked 3 Shrooms from my cakes the veil had torn away from the three largest ones One was from the first cake in the environment and the other two were from the second. The two were twins which had the same bulb at the bottom. Those two didn't even have heads this morning WOW, they grow fast! I have about 4 or 5 which will probably be ready to pick tommorrow night and I will consume then. I took pictures of the finished product which I will get up saturday evening. Oh what JOY!!!! My method works really good. I now have over 50 small mushies on the way! Wow this is better than a bumper crop at bthe local field!!!!



Day 29 February 16, 1997 - This will be the last update until my cakes die or something goes horribly wrong. I have picked over 20 mushrooms from my cakes with plenty more on the way! I tripped On Thursday I ate 7 mushrooms and started tripping within 15 minutes. I kept thinking I was hearing moans from another realm. It was weird! And it was really eerie outside about 73 degrees from 7pm until midnight cloudy and strange(It stormed late that night) I started a painting and it is coming out very good so far. I will try to trip again later this week and finish it. It was probably the strangest trip I've had so far. I think seven was a bit too much and stopped me from having as much fun as I could've had. I think 5 is probably the good amount for these. Well the pix are delayed but they are coming.



Day 47 March 6, 1997 - Well, It looks as though My cakes are dead. They have stopped producing now. I will attempt to start a new culture this weekend. I am going to try and make a spore syringe from my spore prints. Thanks to All for the tips and questions. Through your help and my own imporvisations this project has succeeded!