u/Delicious-Job-5125

Took me a couple months to get here. Built a janky DIY flow hood, started from spores on agar, and failed a lot along the way. Contam, bad plates, you name it. But damn… worth it. Nothing beats the feeling of finally harvesting these beautiful creatures.

Things I learned:

1. Go heavy on the isopropyl. Treat every surface like it’s out to contaminate you.
2. Always were a face mask when doing sterile work.
3. Redundancy is everything. Contam is basically guaranteed outside a lab, so always run multiple plates/jars/tubs.
4. Experiment. Try different stuff every round. You’ll quickly learn what works and what doesn’t.
5. It’s better to run several small grain jars than one large jar to avoid wasting.
6. Favorite substrate so far: ~70% hemp fiber / 30% cocoa pods.
7. Watch out with vermiculite dust. Some of it can contain asbestos. Don’t breathe it in or consume it.
8. For multiple flushes: Adding water + a bit of limestone helped me get more out of the same tub (seems to help with acidity).
9. Dry your harvest properly. “Cracker dry” or don’t bother storing.

Hope this helps some of you. Happy growing, beautiful people! The world could use more shroomers! ❤️