April 6, 2012

Mushroom Substrate

After you have acquired your spore syringe(s) you will need to inject the spores into a substrate. Your substrate is made from a mix of grains and seeds and provides the nutrients and food your mushrooms need to thrive.

Once injected spores take hold on the substrate slowly turning into a white fungus (mycelium). This fungus grows and eventually colonizes the whole of your substrate. After your mycelium has fully colonized its substrate it is placed inside a terrarium where it begins to sprout fresh magic mushrooms.  

 

The Alien Substrate Formula is easy for beginners an all around great mushroom substrate. The unique substrate has highly balanced nutritional content and produces a very airy, spongy and evenly wet substrate which colonizes very quickly and produces a more potent magic mushrooms. 

 

Mushroom Substrate Video Overview

Step 1 | Step 2 |  Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5

 

Alien Substrate Recipe

1 1/4 cup of quinoa

1 1/4 cup long grain brown rice 

2 1/2 cups vermiculite (home garden)

3 1/2 cups spring water

1/4 cup millet (measured before grinding)

1/4 cup flax seed (measured before grinding)

 

 

Instructions

1. Cook the quinoa and rice (whole grains, not ground) bringing them to a boil with 3 cups of spring water, then turn the heat down to a simmer, cover the pot with lid and set a timer for 20 mins. (Important!! — cover the pot with a lid, reduce lost evaporation.)

2. While this is cooking, measure out your millet and flax seed and grind in a coffee grinder or similar. Then mix ground seeds with vermiculite. (Remember occasionally stir grains to avoid burning)

3. When grains are finished remove from heat and let cool for a minute. Dump grains and remaining water into a large mixing bowl and mix with the (dry) millet, flax and vermiculite. Mix carefully with a fork (no hands) to keep light and fluffy.  

[Watch this Step]

 

4. Cover mix and let cool for 15 minutes before spooning into canning jars and covering with vermiculite (PF topping technique eliminates contaminants).   

[Watch this Step] 

 

5. Add two small holes on opposite ends of your jars lid. Cover jars with tin foil and cook in a pressure canner at 15 p.s.i. for 35 minutes.

[Watch this Step]

 

Required tools

  • 12qt Pressure Cooker (minimum size)
  • 12 pack of 1/2 pint Wide Mouth Canning Jars
  • Large Mixing Bowl
  • Cooking Pot
  • Hammer, Nail & Screwdriver
  • Tin Foil

 

Save yourself the time… 
Buy Pre-Sterilized Alien Substrate Online

 

Next Step | Mushroom Inoculation  

Elite Growers Guide