Hello, I have a few beginner's questions about harvesting etc. ...
I have tackled the first harvest on the basis of a Maxikit Substrate Box McKenna...
1st harvest: In my box, the mushrooms have grown in all directions, even at the edges and underneath (hardly any caps are forming there, but the stems are clearly present). I've read about removing "everything" (including the side and bottom parts) in the 2nd pass because of contamination, right? Are the parts on the sides and underneath just as potent/usable without hats?
2. drying: I have dried a large part on your drying mat for 48 hours, and another part in the oven (50 degrees) for 90 minutes with circulating air - the result is similar. What does the professional recommend and why?
3. cleaning: When harvesting the mushrooms, some of the substrate sticks to the mushrooms, especially the shiny metallic "plates" are somewhat suspicious to me in terms of distortion and I notice that this is easier to scrape off when dried. What exactly is that? What should I do with it?
4. next round: remove all the mushrooms and then put the substrate box in the fridge for a day and then water again for 60 minutes, right? Because of lateral growth, do I still leave the substrate in the box or place it freely on a plate (inside the bag)?
Thank you in advance!
Greetings
Mark
Hello!
1. mushrooms grow where they want and it has no influence on their potency whether they grow here or there. Be sure to remove them all around and dry and use them all.
2. convection oven at 50 °C is "Russian roulette". The oven can get much warmer in some places when heated and many people have completely destroyed their harvest because they dried in the oven. It can look completely the same, you can't tell from the dry mushroom whether the active ingredient has decomposed or not. Psilocybin breaks down extremely easily in heat, in aqueous solution as well as on contact with oxygen. Gentle drying, so that the cell walls safely enclose the substance, is important.
3. this is vermiculite and it is harmless and indigestible.
4. do NOT refrigerate! Harvest, soak for 30-60 minutes and put up again. The refrigerator can be useful in some special cases - at high temperatures in the Soner, when the mushrooms do not want to come. But there are also many dangers, especially contamination pressure and frost. There is normally no reason for the refrigerator - it is just a potential source of danger.
The substrate block can be placed upright in the box (clean all residues from the box with clean water beforehand!) or you can place it on a plate (in the perforated bag) or simply place it in the bag in the classic bag.
There are risks involved in any handling. You may have a slightly higher harvest afterwards if it goes well. You may break something and have nothing left. In terms of support, the rule of thumb is: don't do what you don't have to do. But of course everyone can experiment as much as they like - you learn from your mistakes.
Best regards
Super! Thank you for your quick reply!
Hello everyone! Do you have any tips for drying the harvest in the air, without a dehydrator? Or can it also be done in dry mode in the airfryer?
I dried my first harvest from the growing box on the radiator, the second with a small heating mat - the third with a dehydrator (15€ classifieds). When drying, the mushrooms shouldn't get warmer than 50 degrees, and it probably shouldn't take too long either, otherwise they will start to rot. My dehydrator dries in 10-12 hours, on the heater and heating mat it was a little longer.
Have a look at the instructions or measure it yourself, if the Air Fryer doesn't get too hot I would give it a try.
@photon Thanks for your answer. I was able to set it to 40 degrees and think it is quite reliable. Just have to wait for an opportunity to test the results now. At least it looks good... 🙂
I have bought a small dehydrator. I can set it to 40 degrees. Works great 🙂