After the jars have been injected with the inoculum‚ it is then time to transfer them to your incubation chamber. This is what the large Rubbermaid container with lid is for. Make sure the container as well as the fish tank heater have been thoroughly cleaned with bleach. As a matter of fact‚ your entire work area should have been properly sterilized before you began any of the aforementioned work (as previously outlined in Chapter 2).

Attach the fish tank heater to the inside of the container‚ place all of your newly inoculated substrate jars inside as well. Now fill the container with enough distilled water to submerge the heater but not so much that it engulfs the tops of the jars or causes them to float around. This will take a little bit of “finesse” on your behalf. But once you get to this stage‚ I’m sure you will be able to find a happy medium for the three variables involved. The fish tank heater should be set so that the chamber maintains a steady temperature of around 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the optimum range for the mycelium to “run” throughout the substrate.

This incubation chamber design will also automatically allow for the 100% relative humidity level required for optimum growth. The mycelium should be pure white in color and will exhibit a “ropey” rhizomorphic pattern. You will notice the jars being colonized quite rapidly at first and then you will begin to see a gradual “tapering off” of growth. Do not be alarmed, as this is a natural byproduct of the exhaustion of oxygen and accumulation of carbon dioxide within the jars.

During this stage you should constantly be on the lookout for any strange colored growths that are any color other than white, usually greens or yellows. You should also be on the lookout for any severe slimy looking yellowish appearance which would indicate the presence of a bacterial infection. Also any dramatic slowing of growth coupled with a putrid smell may indicate a virus.

These are all of the reasons why “sterilization” is of utmost importance. If it is not․ then you will almost certainly be overrun with contamination‚ which in 99% of cases will not produce even one mushroom‚ and even if it did - I wouldn’t recommend eating it! However‚ if you will follow my instructions - then you should have a 99% success rate instead.

It is highly recommended that you allow the cakes to progress to 100% colonization before you initiate the “birthing” process. However‚ my own personal experience has confirmed that if everything has been completed properly up to this point‚ then it is relatively safe after approximately 75% of surface area colonization of the entire substrate has been achieved. This process may take up to (6) weeks to complete. After this stage you are ready to “birth” the cake.