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Growing on Brown Rice Flour cakes is probably the easiest way to grow mushrooms at home for beginners. It requires little knowledge of mushroom cultivation to get a decent harvest. I’ll teach you how to do it.
Step 1
What you’ll need to buy:
- 5 half pint glass jars with metal lid
- Brown Rice
- Vermiculite
- Perlite
- Micropore tape
- A large rubbermaid tub your jars easily fit into next to another
- Latex gloves
- Mouth mask
- Rubbing alcohol
- Spore syringe ordered online
Step 2
Grind the brown rice until you have 1 cup of brown rice flour (using a coffee grinder). Mix the flour with 2 cups of vermiculite and 1 cup of water.
Step 3
Now it’s time to take out your glass jars. Unscrew the lids and puncture 4 small holes in them using a nail and a hammer. The holes should be about half an inch from the side.
Grind down any metal that’s sticking out. You can seriously hurt your fingers with that.
Step 4
Fill the jars with the mixture. Leave about an inch of space from the top of the jar. Then fill the rest of the jar with dry vermiculite. Put the lids on. Stick micropore tape on the outside the holes. If you haven’t got micropore tape, you can use a coffee filter but contaminants still get through the holes in coffee filters. You decrease the chances of getting a contamination, but only slightly.
Wrap your lids and jars with tin foil. Make sure you don’t make any holes or tears in it, that is crucial.
Step 5
Put your jars in the cooking pot. Fill the cooking pot with water until the jars are halfway under. Put the water to a boil for about 2 hours with the lid on the pot. Make sure there’s always some water present in the cooking pot.
After this, take the jars out and let them cool down to room temperature. The simplest method is to leave them to cool over night. Remember that the inside of the jar is hotter than the outside. So it’s better to wait a bit longer. 12 hours should be sufficient. Leave the tinfoil on the jars!
Step 6
Take the rubbing alcohol and wipe your entire work area clean. Your work area should be under a flow hood. If this is impossible, work in a chamber where there’s no moving air or drag.
Take your jars into your work area, take the tinfoil off and rub the outside down with rubbing alcohol. Put on your latex gloves and mouth mask and rub your gloves with the alcohol. Now your completely sterile and ready to work.
Take the spore syringe you ordered online and hold the needle into a flame until it’s red hot. Then wipe it with some rubbing alcohol to completely sterilize and cool down. Now gently stick the needle inside one of the holes in the lid, through the micropore tape in one fluid motion. Tilt the syringe so that the needle touches the side of the jar. Gently insert 1cc of spore solution into the jar. Repeat this process for all holes of all jars.
Always take your needle through a flame and clean it with some rubbing alcohol in between two jars.
Step 7
Now place your jars somewhere where it’s not too bright. The jars should stay at a constant temperature. For most fungi room temperature should be fine. The jars should stay there for about 21 days. Until you see that the cakes are fully colonized by the fungus.
Step 8
Take the large rubbermaid container and drill 1/4″ holes in it on all 6 sides, 6 or 7 inches apart. This is your fruiting chamber
Step 9
Take the perlite, put it in a colander and run it under tap water until it is completely saturated. Then let it drain until it doesn’t drip any more. Then fill your rubbermaid with it so that you have about 2″ or 3″ of perlite.
Step 10
Gently unscrew the lids of the jars, turn them upside down and tap them on a hard surface so that the cakes come out. Place the cakes in a bucket and submerge them in cold tap water for 24 hours. Use a plate to hold them under water.
Step 11
After the 24 hour dunk (= the submerging of a substrate so that it can reabsorb water), gently roll the cakes in dry vermiculite so that you get a layer of vermiculite all around the cake.
Step 12
Place your cakes in the fruiting chamber. Put the fruiting chamber in a bright spot at room temperature. Mist the fruiting chamber once a day if needed. There should be a constant condensation on the sides of the fruiting chamber. Mushrooms need moisture to grow. Don’t overdo your watering though because this damages the mycelium. Your fruiting chamber should be humid, but the substrate can’t get wet.
Below is the picture of Psilocybe cubensis on two BRF cakes.
Picture taken by Joshua Hutchins
Now place your jars somewhere where it’s not too bright. The jars should stay at a constant temperature. For most fungi room temperature should be fine. The jars should stay there for about 10 to 15 days. Until you see that the birdseed is fully colonized by the fungus.
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I’m going my cakes its been 25 days I think there getting a little dry because they are condensing inward. Can I add a little sterile water many 25cc
I live in southern New Hampshire and I plan on going on some forays this spring. My question is: Does anyone know which wild mushrooms will grow well in brf cakes? I plan on making my own spore prints and siringes for inoculation. Maybe even some slants.
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Works great just foil before you put the lid on then another after the lid is on .This helps keep out excess water .
Hi I inoculated my jars 21 days ago but I injected the spores into the middle of the jar not on the outside. Would that cause it to take longer?
Dont worry about it,I did this too it will just take a little while longer to colonize.Have patience.
After two attempts at producing BRF cakes I have run into problems both times at step 5 – sterilizing the jars. Covered in foil the first time, and the second time in two layers of foil held tight with elastic bands, most of the jars come out of the pressure cooker filled with excess water – I assume from steam finding its way into the jars – and ruining the cakes. I have followed the instructions carefully, filling the pot with water only halfway up the jars and ensuring that the jars are not rolling around or falling over, but are securely in place. I have not encountered anyone else mentioning this problem. Any ideas or advice?
I am also having this issue. If anyone has any ideas, it would be greatly appreciated.
i solved this problem by placing a layer of foil over top of the mouth of the jar before putting on the lid. cover with foil, then with the lid and secure tightly with the screw cap. i put another layer of foil secured with an elastic band over top of the lid for good measure, then boiled the jars in the cooker without any excess moisture getting in to the jars.
after letting them cool overnight i injected with the spore syringe and have had successful mycelium colonization in all of the jars without any contamination.
i think with this method there is added protection against contamination because you innoculate the jars by piercing through the layer of foil underneath the lid, and this is the first and only time the substrate in the jar becomes exposed. after innoculation quickly cover again with the second layer of foil. in a few days you should see the magic of mycelium growth
After filling the jars with the BRF/Ver mix, leave 1″ space, and put 1/2″ dry vermiculite on top to soak up any excess water.
I never encountered this problem and don’t know what could be the cause, sorry. If there’s anyone who does have an idea, please share
So I’ve had my own garden for a while, and was interested in growing a variety of mushrooms, as it just seems so more complicated and fun. My one problem? I live in colorado, in the mountains. I done the research and it seems keeping the humidity up if just as simple as constantly spraying them, or using soaked vermiculite. I live at about 9000ft, and its extremely cold. Avg temp outside is about 15, and stays about 60-65 inside. I’m trying to figure out how to create a fruiting chamber with a sustainable temperature, that will be warm enough, but no too warm. I’ve heard some species grow at a cooler temp, but what about species that need 80+ F? Dont want to use a space heater, so thoughts? As this is only for fun atm, and im not making any profit, trying to find some very affordable ideas. Just any ideas would help, thanks. Could obviously elaborate later on once I get the hang of it.
This might help: http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/3314778#3314778
Try a heating pad under the container in a small cubbard/closet….
I would like to know the reason why we have to soak the cake for 24 hours. For my part, that’s when the contaminasion appears. After this 24 hours.
The cakes rehydrates itself when submerged under water. This is essential for fruiting
To let the cake hydrate. It evaporates a lot of water during fruiting and also puts a lot of it’s moisture into the development of the mushrooms.
Contamination doesn’t appear as much after the cake is colonized.
and also, ive read lots of methods on harvesting….. some like sooner, later, as it tears, after it opens all the way, before the spores drop, after they drop, just so many dif things, whats your take? and ive read and wondered if/will spores dropping on the cake prevent further growth? thanks.
hey, quick question, i have a handful of cakes just about ready to birth, in one of the jars there is a very small amount not colonized but it would appear i already see pinning starting, should i go ahead and birth it and skip the dunk n roll?
also, is there a way i can clone from the cake(take a small piece and inoculate other jars) or is my best method to make spore prints??
Hello,
I recently have been doing research so I can possibly cultivate mushrooms. I understand that the rice patties are fairly difficult to create and keep sterile. So after I complete this process once, would I be able to continue growth on the patties without any further process after the first harvest? I assume that I will have to eventually create new ones and reintroduce spores, but I’m not sure.
Also, I have been reviewing websites on buying spore syringes, and I’m not sure which one I find more reliable. Do you have any recommendations?
Thanks for your help,
-Hannah
Sporeworks.com is excellent. Nice, dark syringes filled with spores. Mention you are a member of Shroomery and they will give you 1 free.
Good luck!
What about re-using rice patties? Do I need to make new ones after my first harvest? I know that I can’t add spores from a syringe, but will mushrooms still grow after I harvest my first batch?
You can expect anywhere from 3 to 5 flushes from a brown rice flour cake, after which you’ll have to start over. Cakes are just as hard to keep sterile as any other growing method.
All the spore vendors on our price lists are reliable.
Kind regards,
MP
How long after colonization should I expect my first harvest?
Somewhere after 1 or 2 weeks.
http://www.micro-supply.com/ here is were i buy mine there great
Indeed, they are. Good tip!
When inserting the spore seringe into the jar do you also put it into the cake? Or just on the jars? Also if I don’t really have a tall rubbermaid container is it ok if I lay the cakes on their side in the fruiting chamber?
Hi,
If you can’t even put your cakes upright, your fruiting chamber is definitely too small. You should look for one that has proper size.
You also put it in the cake.
Kind regards,
MP
I was wondering wat is better to do double stack the brf cakes in the fruiting chamber or doing them singles cakes….
There are people out there who double stack, but I think it’s better to just let them be single cakes.
When cultivating should i leave the tape on the jars or do they need oxygen. I already have small patches of thick ropey misilium growing without having anything covering the openings so im guessing this isnt a problem?
The tape prevents contaminants from entering your jars. So yes, the tape needs to stay on during colonization.
I was wondering I’m growing brf cakes and was wondering once their.done flowering what is the procedure to letting them dry and what do I need for.them to.dry.
You can dry mushrooms by putting them on a paper towel and letting them dry for a couple of days until they’re cracker dry.
Are the mushrooms edible, or do people dry them and smoke’m? How many grams would be considered relatively safe.. (a small trip)? (I’ve read that a few drop (.5 CC) in four spots in a jar is plenty, but assuming a typical yield how many doses is that?!)
Speaking of yields, how does cakes differ from casing? Is Cakes basically pf jar-size yields (everythingmushroom.com), and casing is bulk tub-size yields (mushbox)?
I’ve read casing involves inoculating a bag of rye berry grain substrate (which starts the week-long spawning/feeding phase), but then there’s an extra step of transplanting it over to a subtrate box when it’s ready (i.e. sweet smell, not contaminated bad smell).
The substrate box contains ground up brown-rice (flour) as the nutritional base, and then a non-nutritional casing layer that goes on top of the colonization. The casing layer can be made of vermiculite, coir bricks (small amount of nutrition), Coconut husks, gypsum, Wild Bird Seeds (WBS) , peat(moss) , calcium carbonate / calcium hydroxide additives, crushed oystershells…
But what is meant by drying out the cakes/casings? Especially when you read about things like submerging the cakes underwater overnight (Force Dunk and Roll Tek).
Also, if not picked at the right time, does it start to contaminate and/or go bad? I’ve read mycelium start to poke out around 1-5 days later.. Can you freeze the mushrooms after pinning for later consumption, or does that contaminate or reduce the psilocybin in it?
I’d love to try this with rye bags, and then moving it over to pf jars for casing (doing the pressure cooking sterilization of course).. only hiccup is Ecuador spores are to get shipped to california!
http://www.shroomery.org/8410/Simple-Cubensis-Growing-Technique
http://www.fungifun.org/English/Pftek
http://www.sporelab.com/pftek.htm
Hi sir,
Your question clearly states that you intent to consume hallucinogenic mushrooms. This is illegal in almost every country and I do not condone it. It would be illegal if I would advise you on how to grow your own illegal substance. I will not do it. So no, I will not answer your questions.
Kind regards
An alternative that seems to work for me as could’t find decent glass jars is with microwaveable Tupperware….
All the same procedure but except sterilising jars in boiling pan i add 20% more water (some evaporates) in mix and cook on full heat in microwave for 10 mins to sterilise and make sure you leave at least 10 mins before taking out as they will be insanely hot!
A microwave is not a alternative for a pressure cooker. Use a regular pot to sterilize, if you haven’t got a pressure cooker. A microwave doesn’t belong in a mycologist’s lab.
How long do the cakes have to be in the fruiting chamber? Do they need to be surounded by light? And how long per day do they need to be lighted?
Mushrooms normally start to pop up after 7 days and it can take up to 14 days for them to mature.
Yes, most of them do need light. Just place them in a bright spot and they’ll grow.
Are there any legal mushrooms that you know of that fruit on brown rice like P. Cubensis? I’m thinking about the possibility of growing legal mushrooms for profit. Thank you.
BRF cakes are designed for cubensis mushrooms. You can grow other mushroom on it, but yields will be very small. I advise straw or sawdust as a substrate for other mushrooms
hi im trying to grow edible mushrooms for the first time. im trying to figure out if once you cut off the mushrooms when they reach potential will mushrooms continue to grow or will i have to repeat the process of making the brf cakes? also would thumping the caps befor cutting help them continue to grow as it would in the wild? i have done everything by the instructions on here. also followed the instructions for making my spore syringe on this site, http://www.zauberpilz.com/sporesyringe.htm. any tips or knowledge would be greatly appreciated.
Hi,
Mushrooms will keep growing. It is best to dunk your cakes after each harvest so they can reabsorb water, which they lost when producing mushrooms.
Thumping the caps is absolutely pointless and a big waist of spores. You should cut of the caps and save the spores for a spore print so you can use them again later or trade with friends for new strains or species.
If you have any other questions now or in the future, feel free to contact us again. We’re here to help mushroom growers like yourself.
Kind regards,
Mushroom Palace
should the next soak after harvest be another 24 hrs or could it just be like a 30 min or hour soak just long enough to get it soaked all the way through?
You should soak them for 12 to 24 hours.
What happens if the holes in the lid arent close to the edge, if theyre kinda towards teh center of the jar?
That’s not a problem. It’s just easier to work with if you do it the way described in the tutorial.
Does that mean that it will take longer to show any growth
I am growing mushrooms for the first time and I was wondering if I am supposed to dunk the cakes for 24 hours after I take em out of the jars or do I just put the cakes in the terrarium?
This is all described in step 10 and 11.
Kind regards,
Mushroom Palace
Are there any alternatives to perlite?
Clay pebbles, but they are not recommendable. Perlite is much better. You could try a sponge. But I’m just guessing now. It’s better if you take perlite.
Kind regards,
Mushroom Palace
hi there! Should verm for casing be sterelized.
Hi springbok,
Vermiculite is a mineral and therefor it’s impossible that bacteria or molds can germinate on it.
However, vermiculite can easily contain mold spores. To kill those a sterilization process is needed.
So to answer your question: yes you should sterilize vermiculite when using it in mushroom cultivation.
My english isnt so good … I apologize .
My spanish isnt so good … I apologize .
Theres alot of information on the web about drying mushrooms . It seems that most books published before the “era” of the internet suggested oven drying mushrooms . Now a days it seems like this is a major no no . Ive been collecting wild P. Cubensis in Mexico . In the state of Jalisco . More than I knoe what to do with them . The major problem is drying them . Ive been using my stove to dry my mushrooms . I place a screen about a 12 inches or so away from the stove . It dries the mushrooms within a matter of hours . If read that the more the mushrooms “bruise” the less potent they become . Theres minimal “brusing” from the mushrooms that Ive been drying. Ive also dried mushrooms by placing them on a screen and just letting them sit for a couple days. Ive bioasseyed P.Cubensis that Ive dried using my stove and those that Ive just let air dried … I honestly cant tell the difference . Both methods seem to preserve psilocybin fairly well. If people can cook with “magic” mushrooms and it doesnt lessen the potency of the mushroom then why is there a lot of debate about drying them? Is it a proven fact the heat will effect the potency of the mushroom?
ANY information will be greatly appriciated . Thank you .
I’m looking for some articles on this, but can’t find any right now.
I’ll check for you and get in touch with you within a couple of days.
If your looking to dry large quantities of (edible!) muchrooms, you might look for a dehydrator:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=dehydrator
I hope this helps.
Drying temperature should be under 95 degrees F to avoid loss of alkaloids. A lot of professional dehydrators have temperature settings from 85 to 160. The store bought dehydrators are too hot. They start at 95. Get a professional one and set it at 85. You’ll never stop bruising entirely. A good pro dehydrator is the following: LEM Food Dehydrator – 10 Tray $146.99 @ everythingkitchens.com.
There is no shipping charge and no tax. I also managed to get an xtra $5 off using coupon code: returncustomer
Thank you for sharing that info!
Greatly appreciated
i am growing golden teacher shrooms for the first time and could use any knoledge you have to offer. my first question is how much dry wieght i should harvest. i am using 1/2 pint jars and i have 12 of them going, just inoculated them last night.would like to think i will get 3 or 4 ounces. is that to much to ask?
For legal reasons we can’t give you any advise on growing Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms.
What I can say is that you’re confusing dry weight with fresh mushroom weight. You can harvest 4 ounces of fresh (edible) mushrooms if you do what the tutorial says. In my experience most first timers don’t get these results. Feel free to surprise me though…
For the record: 4 ounces of fresh (edible) mushrooms will give you a dry weight of approximately 0.4 ounces.