Newsgroups: alt.drugs

                               PRESENTING:
            THE RESULTS OF THE GREAT GRAND SHROOM GROWERS SURVEY

I said I'd post the results of this "sometime around the first week of May", so
here we are.  (It was either this or start grading this big stack of lab
reports that I really don't feel like reading.)

Feel free to distribute this in whatever form you wish, and it couldn't hurt
for it to be archived.  I'm mailing a copy to the person who told me he was
working on a full FAQ for growing shrooms, so eventually some form of this will
wind up in that.

OK, for those who don't know/don't remember, I posted two requests asking how
successful people had been with growing shrooms.  I also asked that those
replying give as many details as possible regarding sources, methods used, etc.

A couple more things before we get to the results- I've summarized what people
told me, rather than directly quote the messages people sent.  I can change
that, especially if one of the respondents wants to see their reply quoted.  No
names have been used, but if you responded and want credit, let me know.  Also,
if anyone who hasn't responded before wants to,  I can update the results in 
future versions.

Besides posting to alt.drugs, I'm e-mailing this to anyone who asked me to.  If
you'd like a copy, feel free to e-mail and ask me.  (Although, how would you
know to do that if you weren't reading this to begin with?)

OK, last thing, and then the results:
ObStandardDisclaimer:  This information is for entertainment purposes only, and
I am in no way advocating any illegal activities.  This information does not
reflect the opinion of, nor does it have anything to do with, Pomona College.
(Although it would be nice if it did.)

(Whoops, OK, this, for sure, is the ABSOLUTELY LAST THING before I get to the
results:  I refer below to the "brown rice method".  This refers to a method of
cultivation that gets posted to alt.drugs from time to time.  It can be found
in the file "mushrooms-growing.z" on "ftp.u.washingtion.edu".  The path is
"/pub/user-supported/alt.drugs".  All files in this directory are in gzip
format, which is not compatible with either standard UNIX uncompress or
PKware's pkunzip.  First get any file in that directory called "000-Readme-Zip"
or "Readme-zipformat" or whatever it might be called (I forget exactly).  It
tells you where to get gzip, and gives "quick and dirty" compiling
instructions.  This explanation of this growing method might also be available
from the new archive at "fenris.claremont.edu", but I don't know what it might
be called there.  (Files at fenris are in standard UNIX compress format.)

OK, now the results:

I must admit I was a bit disappointed with the number of respondents.  To those
who did respond, thank you once again.  I had 4 people reply saying they knew
someone who'd been successful, and 2 who had friends who'd not been successful.


YES's

4 positive responses, detailing the attempts of 6 separate people.

1) 3 separate people, all successful.  Used the brown rice method.  Worked in 
   draft free areas, and used much Lysol to control dust and airborne
   contaminants.  All present wore germ masks.  They were able to repeat their
   success, and improved their yields in successive generations.

2) 1 person.  Used the brown rice method.  6 of 12 jars were successful. 
   Grower then tried to make spore prints from the product under non-sterile
   conditions, but was unable to get these to grow.

3) 1 person.  Respondent unsure of method used, but person observes very
   careful sterile procedure- has converted a closet to a "transfer area", 
   which resembles a shower stall w/plastic wrap.

4) 1 person.  Used the brown rice method.  Obtained initial print from FMRC.
   Typical success rate, 4-5 out of 7 jars.  Besides spore prints, has also
   used live culture taken from an active jar, and even dust from a bag of
   purchased shrooms, all with the same success rate.  (I guess this person
   emits some sort of sterile field that suppresses the growth of anything that
   isn't desired- no one else could get things to work starting from such a 
   non-sterile source of spores.)


And now, the bad news-

NO's

2 respondents, with a total of 3 people making attempts.

1) 2 people with a total of 4 attempts, no details of method used.

2) 1 person.  Used brown rice method, with spores from Homestead Books.
   Mycelial growth started, but then mold struck.  Person had covered the jars
   with paper towels to allow air exchange, but will not be doing this "next
   time."


Well, that's what I've heard so far.  What's it mean?  Well, it is possible to
cultivate your own.  From what I've read from what people have sent, it would
seem to be best to be as paranoid as possible about sterility.  A recent
posting mentioned the use of a "glove box"- you would have a transparent lid on
 a box, with gloves on one side you could put your hands in to work.  The
inside of the box would then be sterilized, and all transfers of spores would
be done inside this box.  I don't know if one would need to go that far, but
definitely avoid drafty rooms, spray down with Lysol first, wear a mask, etc.

Also, the brown rice method DOES work, apparently with a decent amount of
success.  This method would seem to have an advantage in not requiring separate
culture and growth media, so you eliminate the risk of contamination when
transferring from the culture medium to the growth medium.

Well, that's it for now.  Any feedback is welcome.  I started this because I
read a long string of messages saying how hard it was, it never worked, etc,
and it seemed a bit odd for so many places to sell kits if they didn't work.
Also note, I've never tried this myself, so I have no personal experience with
this.  Feel free to ask any questions if I've managed to confuse anybody.