The SGFC will suit smaller grows but in time as you increase the size of your grows you will find you need larger and more efficient fruiting chambers. Congrats! The beauty of the uncle ben tek is simplicity and convenience, but buying rice this way is more expensive than buying it dry and cooking it. Liquid culture in a syringe will also work for the following teks. The conditions. Uncle Ben's will now be known as Ben's Original. You dont want to fully seal it closed with tape. Use an indoor thermometer to keep temps between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit for fastest colonization rates. Now, you need the colonization to happen. Shoebox Tek . Heres a great timelapse example from /u/tornadic_Vortex, colonized the majority of the surface to 75% coverage, or you see knots or pins, [CLICK HERE for PART 4: Harvesting, Drying, and Preparing for the next Flush]. A lamp or bulb, 6500k, on a timer for 12h on/off works perfectly. As mentioned, consider the placement of the armholes before you cut, in time you may find yourself working longer and longer hours, so comfort is essential. I prefer to not do either; I simply crack my lid with BODs Unmodified Monotub Tek. It comes in multiple flavors but the one you want is just plain brown rice.. Their grow kit costs $105.16, but you have to purchase your spores separately. The tek is straightforwardyou inoculate satchels of pre-cooked rice (conveniently pre-sterilized) using a spore syringe. The alcohol or methylated spirits need to either be 70 percent or diluted to 70 percent. About time to break and shake the PF, 13 days after injecting, but still several days away for the other two. Keep a close eye on the jars in this scenario. Let the Lysol settle. If you're using a SAB, do everything inside the SAB except flame sterilization. Done! For more information, please see our of course. I only use 100% coco coir as my substrate, pasteurized with the Bucket Tek. Put the lid on, and let it sit HOT for hours until cooler to the touch. Micropore tape is essential. Depending on how you made the hole seal it with micropore tape. There you have it! Add the boiling water, stirring with a knife, to the bucket. Prior to taking ANY supplements you should consult a health care professional. Make sure your Lysol settles, though. This instructable will go over one of the most basic grow techniques (PF Tek) for growing a wide variety of mushrooms including Shaggy Mane, Lion's Mane, and P. Cubensis. Most SABs are made from large clear plastic storage boxes (although my first SAB was a cardboard box with a cling wrap window!) Dont get Uncle Bens Basmati or Uncle Bens Quinoa with Garlic. It is fully cooked, loaded into bags, sterilized so that its stable and safe to be stored at room temperature, then shipped to the store. The coir will soak up the water and expand. Fool proof. Ever wondered why some Mushroom Supplements are so cheap? Boil gallon of water. For each jar, remove the foil and inject 0.5-1 mm of spore solution into each hole below the vermiculite layer. Mushroom cultivation is a rapidly evolving field, and there are always problems to be solvedor shortcuts to be developed. Leave your bags alone until around day 5-7. Wipe down your gloves, wipe down your next bag, then shake your syringe again, wipe it down, dry it out, flame sterilize it, and inoculate your next 9 bags. Then when well-mixed pour into clean plastic food storage containers or foil trays and gently pat flat. Note that the above materials list and the following instructions do not include the bulk substrate fruiting stageweve covered that already in a separate article. Once you get your pinset, try not to mist directly on the pins. Drop your temps down from colonization temps (75-79*F), to fruiting temps: 72-76*F. Instead, I went with the first method: I let my bulk substrate colonize, 50-75%, until I saw primordia, knots, and a few pins, then introduced fruiting conditions. Break up the rice through the bag with your hands. Theyre probably right, but I also believe it will lead to contamination. When you can see mycelium at the bottom of the bag, break up the clumps a bit and then wait a week to ensure full colonization. 2021 DoubleBlind Mag | Privacy Policy | Refunds. There are more complicated designs, but heating mats tend to make things easier to manage. Break it apart as finely as you can. If you add extra coffee grounds, manure, or potting soil to your substrate, I believe you are asking for contaminants. Rather than tap the cake, you can spoon out the colonized substrate (rice / vermiculite_brf+gypsum) into a clean bowlhence why you can use mason jars or ordinary glass jars, too. Part 1: Understanding how mushrooms and mycelium grow (Very important, do not skip! I dont measure my water amounts TBH. They need to be cracker dry, meaning they snap easily. You need 100% colonization before proceeding to Fruiting. The mycelium will colonize from the top of the satchel, where you injected the spores, down through the rice. My preferred tub is in the Materials section below. Its essentially a plastic tub that has tons of holes in it as though someone shot it a lot of times with shotgun pellets, hence the name. Heres our full guide on how to store mushrooms. Using a ruler, mark out the holes in a 10 cm grid on all four sides of the box, offset the holes vertically, so the holes form a diamond shape. Fruiting chambers can get complicated, with humidity sensors, fans, humidifiers, piping, and timers, but you can start simple with a shotgun fruiting chamber. Take your lighter and flame sterilize the needle until its glowing red hot. Below 75, and it can take weeks to months allowing contaminants to beat the mycelium. Mycelium is at its strongest when the substrate is fully colonized, it realizes there is no more food and begins the process of digesting the substrate to produce mushrooms. Read this Tek on surface conditions, for the love of god. Colonization Of Substrate & Introducing Monotub Fruiting Conditions. Its not the end of the world if it is, though. Youll know because the whole rice bag will turn rock hard and youll be able to see that the whole mass has turned white through the window at the bottom of the bag. Leave the chip clip on. Wait a few seconds for it to cool. Theres no one right way to grow mushrooms, but having support is helpful as you shop for supplies and attempt this for the first-time on your own**. Its a lifelong journey thats joyous and empowering. Fungi breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide (CO2). Alcohol/Isopropyl alcohol/methylated spirits (we like 70% like this one), Water Spray Bottle for 70% alcohol/methylated spirits, Still Air Box (SAB) & Shotgun Fruiting Container (SGFC), **Note a SAB is optional and there are also many kinds of fruiting chambers, but we choose to teach SGFC in this guide**, Drill and a 4-12 mm step Drill Bit or Soldering Iron, Heating mat for reptile closure / Horticulture. This step is to provide FAE (fresh air exchange). I like to set my syringe down on a paper towel soaked with ISO until I need it. These processes increase physicochemical ac- The food which get digested in proper time cessibility of micronutrients and decrease the without disturbing the balance of Dhatus and . Wear hat, mask, and gloves. The Basics/Why Uncle Bens? instructions: break up the rice in the bag with your fingers. ogun iferan ose; lan option rom msi; nicole nielsen instagram; asian granny cant take big black My first time inoculating pre-sterilized bags of Uncle Ben's Ready Rice with mushroom spores. If you mist too much, it will pool and suffocate the mycelium underneath. With that being said, Uncle Bens Tek is a fantastic way to start, and I grew 3 dry ounces from $12 of Uncle Bens and knockoff brand rice bags. Let the tubs colonize until knots/pins show up. Refrigerator Repair Chicago - Chicago refrigerator repair Chicago provides clients with affordable refrigerator repair service in Chicago and surrounding suburbs. These varieties are not like weed 'strains', and arent all that much different. I ended up soldering my own LED strips into fixtures for my closet. Inoculating Uncle Bens for Colonization ? 8) Add your casing layer. This will get you close to perfect field capacity every time. If you use an SGFC, mist and aerate using the lid twice daily, and soon enough you should see primordia form, and then your mushrooms grow. You cant really overdo the sterility here. You could opt for a mushroom grow kitbut growing from scratch can be a lot more rewarding and cost effective so thats what well cover here. Note: this is optional, you can also just airdry your mushrooms on a sushi mat, but a dehydrator is the best way to go. SGFCs form the basis of a more advanced Tek, the Monotub, where the mycelium is grown on grains, and the whole tub becomes the fruiting environment. This casing layer is critical to help maintain moisture and create the perfect microclimate for pins to develop. If you made it this far without any contamination in your bags, get hyped! Whew! Clean the base of the mushroom removing any coir or vermiculite that may be sticking to the flesh. Heres the timer I use. Plus, many Uncle Bens enthusiasts say they get excellent results with the method. Place the cakes/bulk substrates into the fruiting chamber only when they are fully colonizedwhen the substrate is all covered with mycelium and the mycelium starts becoming thicker. Regular jars are easier to find and a lot cheaper than mason jars. Its that simple. Find a warm, dark place in your home to put your bags, that is free from extra humidity and mold (under a kitchen sink or in a bathroom are both terrible ideas). If you have to use two pieces of micropore tape, tape it vertically to try to only use one piece. You could fruit them in your bathroom, but it is best to fruit them in a stable environment such as a Shotgun Fruiting Chamber (SGFC). See this post for proper surface conditions. I use a home depot 5 gal bucket with lid. You will soon get mushrooms. Looking for a reputable spore vendor? Place the jars in your pre-prepared SAB and mist with 70 percent alcohol. Methods involve sterilizing grains in jars like PF Tek, or sterile plastic bags filled with pounds of grains. Tape over it with a micropore tape, and youre almost done. You can use a SGFC to fruit PF Tek cakes, Spiderman Tek rice satchels, or bulk grows in plastic/foil trayssitting them on the perlite and using the lid to fan the contents twice a day, you create a very effective growing environment. : unclebens . modified, unmodified, or dub-tub? Mycelium colonizes faster with steady temperatures. The PF Tek forms the basis of many other teks including the Spiderman Tek. If youre using a SAB, flame sterilize outside of your box so you dont light any ISO inside on fire. When you have removed all the mushrooms, let the cakes sit for a few days, then submerge them in clean water for 12 to 24 hours, remove and drain. Drying is best done somewhere that has warm air movement. Pick by pulling gently from the substrate, being careful not to pull up too much of the substrate or mycelium. Contamination is the lead cause of failure when growing mushroom. Read this Tek on surface conditions, for the love of god. a. This method has worked much better for me. You can create a simple incubator by purchasing a reptile heating mat, or horticultural heating mat, to make an incubation chamber using another plastic storage box. You may need more later. They score 5 stars over 21 reviews. First, you inoculate (i.e. Finally, you will want to harvest your tub, rehydrate your substrate (as mushrooms are 90%+ water weight), and prepare for a Second Flush (More on that in Part 4: Harvesting). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Luckily, to make growing mushrooms easier and more accessible, a variety of Guerrilla techniques exist that allow beginners to quickly start the journey of mushroom cultivation. Youll want to spray the shit out of your now-still air in your selected room with Lysol, and wipe everything down with 70% ISO. If there are a few grains uncolonized, thats ok. Make sure to brush off these grains and dispose of them properly. Be careful only to add as much water as can be absorbed by the vermiculite. The tek is straightforwardyou inoculate satchels of pre-cooked rice (conveniently pre-sterilized) using a spore syringe. The plastic in many of these types of boxes are quite brittle, so the step drill allows a slow increase in sizestandard drill attachments have a tendency to cause the plastic to fracture. Inoculation seems to have gone well, and the mycelium looked healthy. Once inoculated, you need to store the jars/sachets somewhere warm, ideally around room temperature (18 to 24 degrees C) for the mycelium to colonize their substrate. With the steam sterilization technique, you may find you have to add some water to the pot during steaming due to evaporation. insert the spores into a substrate like brown rice which is in either bags, for Spiderman/ Uncle Bens Tek, or mason jars, for PF Tek). This triggers mushrooms to grow. In addition to this guide, we have tons of free videos on our YouTube on mushroom growing. The ideal temperature for colonization is around 78 F. Check your bags every couple of days for signs of contamination. b. Let it dry. Moving air circulates contaminants. Uncle Bens is one example of a brand that offers this product. wipe down the outside of your rice bags with alcohol or another disinfectant. Essentially, you bulk out your spawn to increase your yield. Wipe down your scissors with ISO and let them dry. Table 1: Overview of different growing conditions for various mushroom species [2] Light only tells the mushrooms which direction to grow towards. All bags were successful and I hope that yall try this out too. DO NOT GET 90% or higher. Many people cut holes and stuff with polyfill, or cover with micropore tape. At this point, I cracked the lid. Interested in having a psychedelic experience, but don't know where to start? Mist the SGFC and aerate using the lid twice daily, and soon enough you should see primordia form, and then your mushrooms grow! My Method for creating the perfect Uncle Bens Monotub: I basically follow Bods Bucket tek, except I dont bother measuring my water amounts, and I use a home depot bucket. Blog Inizio Senza categoria uncle ben tek colonization time. Mushrooms need regular fresh air, so remember to use the lid to fan the container at least twice a day. Sometimes it's good to learn from your own mistakes, other times it's enough to learn from others. [i] CrazyCatLushie (2019). This will usually take between two to four weeks, but sometimes can take even longer. $5/brick, and 1 brick is enough for like 6 tubs at least. Many growers use Liners, cut black plastic bags, to prevent a microclimate developing on the sides and bottom of the tub. You DO NOT want standing water, or for it to be soaking wet on the bottom. There are more than 100 different kinds of psilocybin mushrooms, but the most popular ones for growing are B+, Penis Envy, and Golden Teachers. and our wipe down your scissors with alcohol or another disinfectant. Stick your sterilized syringe into the cut corner of the bag, only as far as the needle reaches inside, and squirt 0.5cc (half of one mL) of the shaken spore solution. This is what I do with my monotubs. Innoculation (uncle ben's tek) S tep one of this process is simply the injection of microscopic mushroom spores into grains of microwavable rice such as Uncle Bens. Heres my closet. Heres an example of a corner that was cut too much, but is still useable. Uncle Ben's Tek is a death sentence for spores. After mixing, check your substrate depth. Heres our full guide on how to harvest mushrooms. Notes on particular items: Sporesthere are a variety of websites that sell spore syringes, or you can make your own from a spore print. The tub. Regardless of which approach you take, use a torch lighter or (gas stove) to heat the needle of the syringe til it is red-hot. A syringe of liquid spore solution. by calling or texting 6-2FIRESIDE. Virgenu sells a kit based on the PF Tek that includes all the equipment you need to go from colonization to fruiting. (It's the equivalent of seeds for mushroom growers). Once your surface conditions are proper, you should see pins develop across the top. Contaminants spread quickly and dont take long to become visible if they are present. Put on your cleanest clothes, and wear a hat or a hairnet. Once theyve colonized the majority of the surface to 75% coverage, or you see knots or pins, flip/crack the lid. Once dry, store in a self-seal bag (or twoone inside the other) with a satchel or two of desiccant and store in an airtight glass jar or plastic container in a cool dark place. Before adding the coir, break up the colonized rice, then add a layer of coir. Youll break up your cakes from your Uncle Bens bags into the tub, add your field capacity substrate, mix thoroughly, then move onto the conditions. The Spiderman Tek, originally known as the Uncle Bens Tek is a quick, cheap, and low tek way to grow magic mushrooms. If contamination is suspected, throw the bags away and try again. Now, youre on to creating the perfect climate for your monotub: Let your tubs colonize the surface 75% before introducing fruiting conditions. On the inside, these bags are miniature, pre-sterilized, perfect-humidity-water-weight nutrient-filled grains, just waiting for some spores to grow mycelium. Expect to have a few losses to contamination, especially for your first time. Bon Voyage! You can also dry out your bags with extra heat, especially if you have massive gas exchange micropore holes. It will need some way to introduce airflow. To be clear, whether you choose the PF Tek or Uncle Bens Tek will affect the first stage of the process: inoculation. Furthermore, this Tek can be used to prepare spawn for use in the spawn + bulk substrate Tek. Uncle Bens), the tek we teach in our beginners course on how to grow mushrooms. I use 6000K color temp light bulbs or LEDs. how to make a chi ball visible for beginners Keagy's Best Price Plumbing Yes, like the juice pouch, you simply stab your heated needle into the center of the bag (after sterilizing the bag and needle of course) and inject your 0.5-0.75cc spore solution. If you do the Capri Sun method for injecting, make sure to cut a vent or use a hole punch to add a GE vent. Pour water slowly over the vermiculite that you have in a large bowl while stirring with a spoon. Also, cakes dont produce the same size harvests as Spawning to Bulk. The materials needed are cheap and widely available, especially once you invest in your original setup. You still need to add a Gas Exchange hole in the form of a corner cut or a hole punch. Use only approximately 5 to 10 cm of water at the bottomdepending on the size of the jars. Note on pressure cookers: There is a huge range of pressure cookers available from homewares stores or catering suppliers. You want your surface as uniform as possible. The mycelium will colonize from the top of the jar, where you have injected the spores, down through the vermiculite+brf+gypsum. Heres a great timelapse example from /u/tornadic_Vortex. Give them some light. A good quality stainless steel pressure cooker that reaches 15 psi is recommended. When in doubt, add more boiling water than necessary. Moisture? At the bottom of each post will be a summary in bold. There may be a perfect method which combines all 3: Follow sterile procedures as listed in the Corner Cutting Method. Wipe your Uncle Bens bag up and down with ISO. Incredibly useful if you are working in an area that is difficult to clean (your back shed or garage), where you may expect regular interruptions or air movement (such as your kitchen, especially if you have housemates). It may seem counterintuitive, but picking one from the cluster will disturb the remaining mushrooms, and they will stop growing. Put bags away and keep warm Place bags on a shelf in a damp warm location away from contamination sources like the bathroom or kitchen. Mushroom Fruiting Timelapse and Harvest/Dehydration. Heres an example of a corner that was cut too much, you should break up the mycelium chunk and shake vigorously to redistribute your mycelium. Most importantly, you want fast and health mycelium growth, so it can outcompete any potential contams inside the bag. You can also combine this method with the next method for ultimate anti-contamination efforts: The Capri-Sun Method will likely be the next big thing, if it works well. Above 79/80 degrees, and it may be too hot and will contaminate as mycelium cant grow in that heat, but bacteria can. Let the air stop moving entirely in your house/apartment. Youre a bit confused, lost, or overwhelmed by the whole process, the many different Teks, or even the basics and where to start. Youve come to the right place! As a bonus, if you dont modify (drill) your monotub, you can use BODs Floating Harvest Tek to harvest. Take your micropore tape, and tape over the open corner in a way that holds the corner-hole open to create a gas exchange vent. Plastic storage box (53 quart is ok, but bigger boxes will provide more room), Medium-sized Peach tin, or tomato tin (800g to 1kg). Click here for the video version of this post! MIX THAT SHIT UP. [ii] SettledNomad (2021). You are simulating the fruiting phase that occurs in nature. The plastic in most plastic storage tubs is brittle, so rather than trying to cut holes, heat a medium-sized tin can (a medium-sized 800g/1kg peach tin or tomato tin) till it is hot and then being careful not to burn yourself, cut two holes in the plastic with a placement where you think your arms would feel most comfortable. You may be able to induce the fungus to fruit in the jar, though few people do that. Ill break this write-up into 4 main posts. Its best if its a steady temperature. Fruiting chambers are essentially the home or planter box for your mushrooms. I first read about it from /u/CrazyCatLushies Full Instructions post, which I quote now: >Humans can be incredibly lazy. If your tub doesnt have a clear lid, you can cut the center of the lid and tape saran wrap over it. Check out the Chip Clip Method from u/ThisIsMyShroomAcct. The essential items for this tek are the satchels of pre-cooked rice, spore syringe, 70 percent alcohol, micropore tape, the flame lighter, and optionally, a Still Air Box. A lot of times folks will mistake bruising (which is normal) for contamination and vice versa. 05:22. But by being careful, the risk of contamination from airborne spores or bacteria is small, especially when using a Still Air Box* (more on that below), because air exposure is minimal and the layer of vermiculite we add to the top of the substrate acts as a filter. In PF tek and most other teks, either a pressure cooker is involved, or Tyndallization, which is very wasteful of both time and energyalthough effective. A little water is ok. Heres a video of my pins the day before they were ready to harvest. Pops shows techniques used at the Mushlab to increase your successful inoculation of Uncle Bens brown rice bags Follow him on IG @popshrooms2 This method has worked much better for me. You won't lose them to "wet rot" or contamination, and you'll be much happier. What ratio of spawn: substrate? This is the tek we decided to teach in our course on how to grow mushrooms as we find its the easiest for first timers. Link to Uncle Ben's Tek part 2 Uncle Ben's Tek Shopping List: Part 2 If you have an outdoor compost, it is safe to add contaminated vermiculite+brf+gypsum, as some contaminants are beneficial in compost. Casing layers are prone to contamination, so do keep an eye out for discoloration. When the jars are fully colonized, it's time to move on to fruiting. USA Shipping. To start, youll want to close any windows, turn off any fans, heaters, or AC that move your air, and find a relatively small and clean room to begin. Either way, were so happy youre interested in growing mushrooms. This Tek is a great choice for beginner cultivators as it requires minimal materials, is inexpensive, and is resistant to contamination. I do not use liners. Our services include refrigerator repair, freezer repair, icemaker repair and cooler repair. You can either use the shotgun fruiting chamber, or create something more sophisticatedwhich includes adding fans, timers, and humidifiers. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The statements made on healing-mushrooms.net have NOT been evaluated by the FDA. There are several stages to the mushroom growing process: inoculation, colonization, harvesting, drying, and storing. Break that shit up! Your colonized spawn grains already contain all of the nutrients required to fruit mushrooms, but the grains are 100% colonized by mycelium and wont be contaminated. It helps maintain moisture levels even better than coco coir, but I have had great success with 100% coco coir. If you have nasty tap water, Id recommend using distilled gallons for this step. Mushroom Substrate Colonization Requirements. If you feel hard colonization about 20% worth, break it and shake it! You are more likely to succeed by shooting the spores directly into a trash can full of dirty diapers. Cover all the holes with micropore tape to allow airflow, but to stop unwanted spores or insects. Seriously, DO NOT BUY/USE brand name Bens Original unless you have to. Explanation: That was the inoculation step. Unlike the panhandlers, broken shelter-dwellers and small-time hustlers of San Francisco's Tenderloin and other skid row zones, the recyclers orient much of their existence around work. The substrate. ATL #7: Psilocybe galindoi vs Psilocybe atlantis vs Psilocybe tampanensis. You also need to provide some kind of Gas Exchange in the form of a small micropore tape vent. When you want to attempt a bulk grow, mason jars or ordinary jars are ok as you will be breaking up the myceliated substrate to mix with the coco coir. Use the Chip clip method to hold your top of your bag separate. A contaminated bag may show signs of mold or put off a foul smell. Briefly, this article is going to cover the following: Still Air Box (SAB) & Shotgun Fruiting Container (SGFC), Spiderman Tek aka Uncle Bens Tek (which we chose to teach in our course), Growing, including bulk grows and casing, How to Dry Mushrooms (you can also watch our video on drying, here). Just leave them to colonize like they did in the rice bags. After a while, you should see mycelium growth through the jar, When the jars are colonized, you can fruit from the cake or do a bulk grow, Wearing food-safe gloves, clean and wipe down your working area/ SAB, Clean all your tools thoroughly with 70% isopropyl alcohol, Using a torch lighter or (gas stove) heat the needle of the syringe til it is red-hot. This is what we teach in our course. Ill break this write-up into 4 main posts. If youre looking for peer support during or after a psychedelic experience, contact. Spider-Man Tek) Full Instructions. A really quick but toxic alternative is to use a soldering iron to melt the holes. All you need is a bit of sterile-mindedness, a spore syringe, and some patience. Remove the lids of the jar, place the foil over the top of the jar, then turn upside down, tap the jar for the cake to drop onto the foil. Then, induce fruiting conditions with light, FAE, and misting. Wipe your syringes body down with ISO. Depending on where you live you may want to dispose of contaminated satchels or jar content straight into the bin, do not open them inside as that color that you see is the color of the spores and opening the satchel will distribute them. Some jams come in wide mouth jars so keep an eye out if you cannot afford the more durable canning versions from homeware stores. You can either buy these pre-made or make your own. In your clean monotub, add 1 deep coco coir at field capacity. I like using unmodified monotubs, 4-6 quarts in size. The satchel should maintain some humidity, and you can keep the satchel in the bathroom where it is humid or in an SGFC. I find that my bags fully colonize in 1-2 weeks, but sometimes faster. Uncle Ben Tek (A.K.A. This is not needed for the Uncle Bens tek, but it is for PF tek. Growing mushrooms can look incredibly daunting. DoubleBlind Mag is devoted to fair, rigorous reporting by leading experts and journalists in the field of psychedelics. Using a large pot to steam sterilize the jars will not guarantee all the contaminants are killed. You want to keep adding boiling water until the substrate is generally hydrated and broken up. The tub. Psylocybe Fanaticus, shortened to PF, was the business name of Robert Billy McPhersonaka Professor Fanaticuswho pioneered a method of mushroom cultivation called the PF Tek. Come find out the supplement industry's dirty secret. Mushrooms dont need light to grow. Here is a great example of a bag that is NOT CONTAMINATED, only bruised. The pressure cooker step is needed because the grains you buy are not sterile, nor is the water you add. This started to change with the introduction of the PF Tek, a simple technique which allowed people with minimal skills and no knowledge of lab technique to grow mushrooms at home easily. Optional: If you want to add vermiculite, its a good idea. An insulated cooler-style bucket might work better, but this is really fine. By using a hole punch to add your air holes, you open even less of the bag up to contam chances. Incorrect sterilization is the lead cause of . We wont be using this method, because it doesnt work super well with the irregular shaped cakes from Uncle Bens bags. Make sure you clean the satchel as you have everything else. Some would-be growers get confused about exactly what this tek requires, so we need to be very clear; this is PRE-COOKED rice, the kind where you could simply cut open the bag and eat it cold with a spoon, if you wanted to.