Setting up your Monotub (Mixing Grain Spawn and Bulk Substrate)
Step 1: Prepare Probiotic Liquid (Optional)
This step is completely optional, and depends on whether you opted to use a commercial product called TrichEvict with your grow. If so, start by preparing the probiotic liquid nutrient. Lightly disinfect the funnel, spoon and jug with alcohol and let it fully dry out. Measure out 1 gram of TrichEVICT powder (per 1 liter of water) and put it in the jug. Pour 1 liter of non-chlorinated water into the jug and mix. Don’t use tap water. Use distilled, mineral or water that has been boiled for 20 minutes and cooled to room temperature. Pour the Probiotic TrichEVICT liquid into a spray bottle using the funnel.
Otherwise, if you are not using the TrichEvict probiotic, just prepare about 1 liter of some distilled water, or clean pre-boiled non chlorinated water with no chlorine in it. This can be mineral water, distilled water, or boiled water which has cooled off. Water to add to your substrate in case it needs additional moisturization.
Step 2: Disinfect Tub, Extra Bucket and Metal Bowl / Pot
Now you are going to disinfect your tub, an extra bucket and a metal bowl or pot, in which you will put some bulk substrate for later use. Lightly mist a paper towel with alcohol. Get your first tub ready. Make sure it’s clean, and that there’s no debris inside. Lightly spray the inside of the tub, including its sides. Wipe down the alcohol with a paper towel. You don’t need to wipe the tub completely dry – the thin film of alcohol will evaporate in a few minutes. Wipe down the inside of the tub lid as well. Place both tub and lid aside and allow the alcohol to evaporate from them.
Disinfect the metal bowl or cooking pot which you will use to keep some extra substrate aside. This extra substrate will be used as a “casing layer” – a very thin top layer which you will eventually put on the surface of the grain / substrate mixture. Now it’s time to clean and disinfect the extra bucket which you will use to divide the substrate into two batches. Disinfect the bucket and lid. You will later use the buckets as “mixing bowls” for the grain spawn and bulk substrate. You need two buckets, because you want to divide your substrate/grain mixture between the two. This way, if one of the jars is contaminated, you will still have one viable tub.
Step 3: Open Bucket with Pasteurized CVG and Mix Well
Now it’s finally time to open your pasteurized bulk substrate. Touch the bucket to make sure it is at room temperature before using it. All the ingredients will need a good mixing now. Break up the coco-coir brick and pulverize all the small chunks. Slowly work your way down to the bottom of the bucket. The gypsum tends to accumulate in the bucket corners, so really dig down and mix everything well. By mixing, you’re also distributing the water content in the substrate more evenly.
Step 4: Check for Proper Field Capacity in Bulk Substrate
Ideally, you want there to be just enough water in the substrate for the mushrooms to be happy, but not so much that your tub gets waterlogged. This magical balance point is called “field capacity”. To test field capacity, tightly squeeze a handful of substrate. You should barely be able to squeeze out a few drops of water. Mix well every time you add water. You really want to spread the water around evenly. If you find that you have exceeded field capacity and the substrate is too wet, squeeze the excess liquid out until field capacity is reached. Close the bucket.
Step 5: Put a few Handfuls of Substrate Aside. Split the rest Between the two Buckets.
Next, take 3 large handfuls of substrate and put them in the metal bowl / cooking pot. Disinfect a ladle which you will later use to split the substrate between the buckets. Open the second bucket and use the ladle to divide the substrate evenly between the buckets. If you have a weight scale, you can check to see if the buckets weight the same when you’re done. If you don’t have a scale, you can estimate the 50% split visually. You can also lift the buckets to feel their weight. Cover both buckets and put one of them aside. You will use it later.
Step 6: Break up Grain Spawn Jars
Now it’s time to break up the spawn in the jars. Get something to soften the blow on the jars, like a book and / or a towel. Remove the aluminum covers from the jars. Inspect each jar for contamination. Green molds, black fluff or slime are all bad signs. Only use the jar if it has cleaned, white mycelium going all through the grain. Now take the jars one by one, and start tapping them on the towel and book. You want the grain to break up so that you will be able to pour it out of the jar. Don’t tap it too hard. Just go slow and steady. Once completed, leave the jars closed, and bring them back to the bulk substrate buckets.
Step 7: Pour Grain from 3 Jars into First Bucket and Mix Well
Grab the spray bottle and 3 grain spawn jars. Open the first grain spawn jar, and carefully sniff it. It should have a clean smell. Do not use a jar if it smells rancid or sour. Pour the grain into the bucket. Repeat this process with the remaining 2 jars. Don’t forget to sniff them too. Now you want to mix the grain spawn with the bulk substrate until the grain is evenly mixed throughout. Now we can add some more water spray. Shake the bottle around and spray the bulk substrate several times, as you mix it around. Occasionally, spray a bit more. Once everything is mixed well, close the bucket. You’re going to transfer this to the mono-tub now.
Step 8: Line the Monotub with a Bag and Transfer the Mixture Inside
Take out a new, large, clean trash bag and use it to line the tub. Take time to get the bag aligned well. You want to make sure it’s evenly placed in the tub and will be able to hold the substrate from all sides. Spray the bag lining evenly with some Dr MYC. Use the ladle to transfer the grain / substrate mixture from the first bucket to the mono-tub. Make sure not to get any grain / substrate between the tub and the bag lining.
Spread the mixture evenly in the lined mono-tub. Feel free to spray some more Dr MYC on the substrate between ladles. Pour any remaining substrate into the mono-tub. Gently pat down the mixture. You want to straighten it, not compact it. Make sure all the 4 corners of the tub are patted down and filled in well. You can use the 3-inch mark you drew earlier on the mono-tub to verify that you have an even thickness throughout the mixture.
Step 9: Apply a Thin Casing Layer on the Mixture
Take a handful of the clean substrate which you placed earlier in the metal bowl, and sprinkle it over the mixture. You want to create a thin, even layer of grain-less substrate that just covers the grain/substrate mixture. Spread this casing layer around evenly all over the surface, and gently pat it down. Spray a final round of Dr MYC on the surface of the casing layer. Make sure you get all the sides and corners as well.
Step 10: Cut Away the Excess Trash Bag Around the Mycelium Cake.
Get a scalpel or sharp blade. You’re going to cut the excess bag from about 2 inches above the substrate. Press the blade against the tub and cut across the plastic bag on all four sides of the tub. Give your tub a last pat down, just in case anything moved around as you were cutting the plastic bag. Add one last final spray with Dr MYC. Spray only the casing layer, don’t get the sides of the tub wet. Cover the tub with its lid.
Step 11: Cover Mono-tub and Put in Incubation for 10 Days.
Your Mono-tub is officially going into incubation for about 10 days now, and should not be opened until then. Mark and date and the sub species on your tub. Take your tub into a quiet dark room with ambient temperatures of about 24°C – 28°C, or 70°F – 80°F. Cover with a blanket or turn off the light. Incubation should be done in the dark. Repeat the process with the second tub and use a fresh pair of gloves for each tub. During the 10-day incubation period, you can peek into the tub through the lid, using a flashlight, but do not open the lid!
Step 1: Prepare Probiotic Liquid (Optional)
This step is completely optional, and depends on whether you opted to use a commercial product called TrichEvict with your grow. If so, start by preparing the probiotic liquid nutrient. Lightly disinfect the funnel, spoon and jug with alcohol and let it fully dry out. Measure out 1 gram of TrichEVICT powder (per 1 liter of water) and put it in the jug. Pour 1 liter of non-chlorinated water into the jug and mix. Don’t use tap water. Use distilled, mineral or water that has been boiled for 20 minutes and cooled to room temperature. Pour the Probiotic TrichEVICT liquid into a spray bottle using the funnel.
Otherwise, if you are not using the TrichEvict probiotic, just prepare about 1 liter of some distilled water, or clean pre-boiled non chlorinated water with no chlorine in it. This can be mineral water, distilled water, or boiled water which has cooled off. Water to add to your substrate in case it needs additional moisturization.
Step 2: Disinfect Tub, Extra Bucket and Metal Bowl / Pot
Now you are going to disinfect your tub, an extra bucket and a metal bowl or pot, in which you will put some bulk substrate for later use. Lightly mist a paper towel with alcohol. Get your first tub ready. Make sure it’s clean, and that there’s no debris inside. Lightly spray the inside of the tub, including its sides. Wipe down the alcohol with a paper towel. You don’t need to wipe the tub completely dry – the thin film of alcohol will evaporate in a few minutes. Wipe down the inside of the tub lid as well. Place both tub and lid aside and allow the alcohol to evaporate from them.
Disinfect the metal bowl or cooking pot which you will use to keep some extra substrate aside. This extra substrate will be used as a “casing layer” – a very thin top layer which you will eventually put on the surface of the grain / substrate mixture. Now it’s time to clean and disinfect the extra bucket which you will use to divide the substrate into two batches. Disinfect the bucket and lid. You will later use the buckets as “mixing bowls” for the grain spawn and bulk substrate. You need two buckets, because you want to divide your substrate/grain mixture between the two. This way, if one of the jars is contaminated, you will still have one viable tub.
Step 3: Open Bucket with Pasteurized CVG and Mix Well
Now it’s finally time to open your pasteurized bulk substrate. Touch the bucket to make sure it is at room temperature before using it. All the ingredients will need a good mixing now. Break up the coco-coir brick and pulverize all the small chunks. Slowly work your way down to the bottom of the bucket. The gypsum tends to accumulate in the bucket corners, so really dig down and mix everything well. By mixing, you’re also distributing the water content in the substrate more evenly.
Step 4: Check for Proper Field Capacity in Bulk Substrate
Ideally, you want there to be just enough water in the substrate for the mushrooms to be happy, but not so much that your tub gets waterlogged. This magical balance point is called “field capacity”. To test field capacity, tightly squeeze a handful of substrate. You should barely be able to squeeze out a few drops of water. Mix well every time you add water. You really want to spread the water around evenly. If you find that you have exceeded field capacity and the substrate is too wet, squeeze the excess liquid out until field capacity is reached. Close the bucket.
Step 5: Put a few Handfuls of Substrate Aside. Split the rest Between the two Buckets.
Next, take 3 large handfuls of substrate and put them in the metal bowl / cooking pot. Disinfect a ladle which you will later use to split the substrate between the buckets. Open the second bucket and use the ladle to divide the substrate evenly between the buckets. If you have a weight scale, you can check to see if the buckets weight the same when you’re done. If you don’t have a scale, you can estimate the 50% split visually. You can also lift the buckets to feel their weight. Cover both buckets and put one of them aside. You will use it later.
Step 6: Break up Grain Spawn Jars
Now it’s time to break up the spawn in the jars. Get something to soften the blow on the jars, like a book and / or a towel. Remove the aluminum covers from the jars. Inspect each jar for contamination. Green molds, black fluff or slime are all bad signs. Only use the jar if it has cleaned, white mycelium going all through the grain. Now take the jars one by one, and start tapping them on the towel and book. You want the grain to break up so that you will be able to pour it out of the jar. Don’t tap it too hard. Just go slow and steady. Once completed, leave the jars closed, and bring them back to the bulk substrate buckets.
Step 7: Pour Grain from 3 Jars into First Bucket and Mix Well
Grab the spray bottle and 3 grain spawn jars. Open the first grain spawn jar, and carefully sniff it. It should have a clean smell. Do not use a jar if it smells rancid or sour. Pour the grain into the bucket. Repeat this process with the remaining 2 jars. Don’t forget to sniff them too. Now you want to mix the grain spawn with the bulk substrate until the grain is evenly mixed throughout. Now we can add some more water spray. Shake the bottle around and spray the bulk substrate several times, as you mix it around. Occasionally, spray a bit more. Once everything is mixed well, close the bucket. You’re going to transfer this to the mono-tub now.
Step 8: Line the Monotub with a Bag and Transfer the Mixture Inside
Take out a new, large, clean trash bag and use it to line the tub. Take time to get the bag aligned well. You want to make sure it’s evenly placed in the tub and will be able to hold the substrate from all sides. Spray the bag lining evenly with some Dr MYC. Use the ladle to transfer the grain / substrate mixture from the first bucket to the mono-tub. Make sure not to get any grain / substrate between the tub and the bag lining.
Spread the mixture evenly in the lined mono-tub. Feel free to spray some more Dr MYC on the substrate between ladles. Pour any remaining substrate into the mono-tub. Gently pat down the mixture. You want to straighten it, not compact it. Make sure all the 4 corners of the tub are patted down and filled in well. You can use the 3-inch mark you drew earlier on the mono-tub to verify that you have an even thickness throughout the mixture.
Step 9: Apply a Thin Casing Layer on the Mixture
Take a handful of the clean substrate which you placed earlier in the metal bowl, and sprinkle it over the mixture. You want to create a thin, even layer of grain-less substrate that just covers the grain/substrate mixture. Spread this casing layer around evenly all over the surface, and gently pat it down. Spray a final round of Dr MYC on the surface of the casing layer. Make sure you get all the sides and corners as well.
Step 10: Cut Away the Excess Trash Bag Around the Mycelium Cake.
Get a scalpel or sharp blade. You’re going to cut the excess bag from about 2 inches above the substrate. Press the blade against the tub and cut across the plastic bag on all four sides of the tub. Give your tub a last pat down, just in case anything moved around as you were cutting the plastic bag. Add one last final spray with Dr MYC. Spray only the casing layer, don’t get the sides of the tub wet. Cover the tub with its lid.
Step 11: Cover Mono-tub and Put in Incubation for 10 Days.
Your Mono-tub is officially going into incubation for about 10 days now, and should not be opened until then. Mark and date and the sub species on your tub. Take your tub into a quiet dark room with ambient temperatures of about 24°C – 28°C, or 70°F – 80°F. Cover with a blanket or turn off the light. Incubation should be done in the dark. Repeat the process with the second tub and use a fresh pair of gloves for each tub. During the 10-day incubation period, you can peek into the tub through the lid, using a flashlight, but do not open the lid!
