burying spent cakes/casings

[sparrow]

Hi folks. In most of the grow guides/teks I've read, they always mention that you should bury your spent cakes or casing outdoors (using manure and straw usually).
But what about climate? Say fall in the midwest (US) when the temps get down into the 30's and 40's? I'm not expecting them to fruit, but would the mycelium survive and perhaps fruit next year under these conditions?

thanks

[llamabox]

Not out in the open, but if it is in a semi enclosed area with a few inches of straw or mulch covering it it may survive till the spring. I have seen beds in West Virginia and Ohio.

[sparrow]

Not out in the open, but if it is in a semi enclosed area with a few inches of straw or mulch covering it it may survive till the spring. I have seen beds in West Virginia and Ohio.

Thanks Llamabox, exactly the answer I wanted to hear. ;-)

[Xochipilli2012]

In the late 90s at an apartment I was living at in Seattle, I was having a hell of a time getting some cubensis to fruit on a bit of cased rye-grain. It kept getting attacked by mold, so I just gave up on it. Rather than dump the spawn in the compost, garbage, or toilet, I buried it outdoors (Seattle) in kind of a cool spot. It was late winter/early spring.

My building's laundry room was on the ground floor, if approached from the back/alley side of the building, but in "the basement" in terms of the front--as the neighborhood was on a terraced hill.

The laundry room had a big sliding glass "window" that was frosted, but it opened to a sunken enclosure with some ferns and grass growing within it, about 8 feet by 2, more than 6 feet below the ground above. It was ideal in that a casual passerby wouldn't even notice any mushies growing down there. Plus, it had good moisture characteristics and little to no direct sunlight.

It was mid-summer before I remembered that I buried the rye grain out there. I figured nothing was happening--or if it something had fruited, they had long ago rotted. However, when I checked I was delighted to find a bed of fruit bodies, many were just breaking their veils. Talk about timing! (It would have an even better story if I didn't have anything going on at the time indoors...but I did. So it was more an "icing on the cake" sort of deal.)

Doesn't relate to Sparrow's question as the mycelium didn't spend a whole winter outdoors. But I wonder it would have survived anyway as it was in a somewhat insulated spot next to a part of the building that was frequently warmed by the dryers running within?

It was a good lesson in any case--even if something is "going off" it may be worthwhile to give it a chance to thrive in a different environment. I'm wondering if mixing some more sterile, cooked grain or some pasteurized straw with the buried spawn might be an even better idea.

What do you think, Llamabox? :o

[llamabox]

Outdoor beds need replenished every year. Cubensis will do well with straw or manure where woodlovers do well with wood chips and cardboard.

[Pursewarden]

Once winter arrives, the beds cease fruiting, and enter a period of dormancy. All of the species described in this chapter are tolerant of periods of below-freezing temperatures, and can survive even the harsh winters of many northern climates. If you live in an area that recieves long periods of below-freezing temperatures, you will need to take special measures. To insure the survival of an outdoor garden, cover your beds with a layer of straw, leaves, plastic, cardboard, or fabric shade cloth, to insulate and maintain adequate moisture levels in the bed throughout the winter months.

Alternatively, if local winter temperatures are EXTREMELY harsh, you can dig up the bulk of th e bad and store it indoors in covered trays or ubs in a cool dark place until warmer temperatures return.

--Outdoor Cultivation pg. 151, Psilocybin Muchroom Handbook: Easy Indoor & Outdoor Cultivation by L.G. Nicholas and Kerry Ogame.

Don't know if that answers the question you were asking, but I hope it helps.

[sparrow]

Once winter arrives, the beds cease fruiting, and enter a period of dormancy. All of the species described in this chapter are tolerant of periods of below-freezing temperatures, and can survive even the harsh winters of many northern climates. If you live in an area that recieves long periods of below-freezing temperatures, you will need to take special measures. To insure the survival of an outdoor garden, cover your beds with a layer of straw, leaves, plastic, cardboard, or fabric shade cloth, to insulate and maintain adequate moisture levels in the bed throughout the winter months.

Alternatively, if local winter temperatures are EXTREMELY harsh, you can dig up the bulk of th e bad and store it indoors in covered trays or ubs in a cool dark place until warmer temperatures return.

--Outdoor Cultivation pg. 151, Psilocybin Muchroom Handbook: Easy Indoor & Outdoor Cultivation by L.G. Nicholas and Kerry Ogame.

Don't know if that answers the question you were asking, but I hope it helps.

Yes, thanks much. I used leaves, but may put some cardboard on top too.

[Pursewarden]

Outdoor beds need replenished every year. Cubensis will do well with straw or manure where woodlovers do well with wood chips and cardboard.

Restoring Depleted Beds

Once established, woodchip beds should fruit for two or three years without further amendment. However, to insure the longevity of a bed, it is best to provide additional material for the fungus to consume each year.

In spring, after the bed has had a month or so to recover from the winter freezes, dig down with your hand into its core in several locations. If the woodchips are still quite firm, and the bed is uniformly colonized by healthy white mycelium, it can be amended by simply stirring more fresh, moist woodships throughout the mixture. Scrape away most of the old casing layer, add the fresh chips, and incubate as before.

If, on the other hand, the bed is old or otherwise depleted, it is best to use healthy portions of it to create a new bed, either in the same location or elsewhere.

Psilocybin Muchroom Handbook: Easy Indoor & Outdoor Cultivation pgs. 151-152, by L.G. Nicholas and Kerry Ogame

Just remember, I have zero practical experience, but I've read this book about 50 times in preparation for the day when I get some spores for 'scientific study.'