****I suggest someone sticky this so it remains for everyone to see****
Unmodified Tub Tek:
NO pressure cooker, no jars, nothing.
FAE= Fresh Air Exchange
I use spawn bags with unmodified tub tek works marvelous. I always crop 4-5oz per tub these are only 14g tubs. Never once has one tub fallen to contamination. It is a set it and forget it process. You can literally use any plastic tote, preferably the one I attached to this post. It works very well. You do not have to cut, tape or modify the tub in anyway shape or form.
- inoculate bags (use proper sterile techniques for god sakes) I use bought rye grain bags, pre prepped. $20 for two bags, it is about 5 quarts of spawn good for 15 gallon tub.
- 40-50 days to spawn bags and when they all nice and white you can spawn in your tub. ***TIP*** Break up your bags once they are about 40% covered with mycelium it will speed up the bag spawning by a good amount. Dont worry you wont damage anything. If mycelium is healthy she will bounce back in a day and start to really stretch out quick.
- I use coco,verm and gypsum for substrate. I don't even measure quantity anymore. But I do 1:1 ratio. SO if I have 5 quarts of spawn I use 5 quarts of substrate.
- Prepping substrate: I add my substrate mix ONLY (not spawn) to a 5 gallon bucket, add 4.5 quarts of boiling water for 5 quarts of substrate, close the bucket lid and let the coco swell up and soak up all the water. I leave it over night so it cools down to room temp. You do this do pasteurize the substrate. The temp in the pale should remain at 170 F for a few hrs, I have tested this. When you ready to spawn into tub and are prepping your substrate, MAKE SURE substrate is field capacity moist not soaked. If you can squeeze it and a few drops of water come out perfect! If you squeeze it and water runs down your hand its too wet. People lose their crop because they added way too much water.
- Ready to spawn: Mix substrate thoroughly with bag spawn in the tub, keeping it even and level. Break up the bag spawn really really well NO CHUNKS. I wear latex gloves for this just incase (i am told you do not need to, but I do anyway). You should have AT LEAST 3" depth of substrate mixed with spawn at the bottom of your tub, 4" is better. If you follow my method exactly and use 10 quarts of substrate which includes the spawn in it, and you use a 15 gallon tote, you will do just fine and you will have 3-4" depth no problem.
- Now the waiting game: Literally leave the tub closed (not locked, but lid resting on it. I flip my lid upside down the whole grow) until all substrate is nice and white
- Wait until pins show. once pins show I increase FAE a little by cracking the lid to the side, if any at all. I literally leave the tub like this until I harvest. If you leave the lid upside down the ENTIRE grow you have enough FAE for all stages. If you are going to be tending to it constantly checking it, than you can increase if you want but you are risking drying out your substrate and needing to mist.
- Mist ONLY if you must, other than that, that's it folks.
- Keep humidity at 90-100% at all times.
- Do not leave tub on the ground! Put it up higher at least 3-4ft.
People fuck with their shit too much. Stop opening the lid, stop touching it. Just let it do its thing. Patience. It is a 8-10 week process depending on the spores or what culture it is. This is not rocket science. It is sooooo much easier than growing bud. DO NOT worry about light hitting it while it is spawning there is no issue with that. Light can hit it as much as it wants throughout this entire process. I put a small 24w 6400 CFL light about 10" above the tub for 12hrs a day from the time the tub gets spawned until I am done.
With 3 tubs I can get 1lb dried and a total cost of $150 (spores and materials) plus the tote costs, or 1 tub for $50. Happy shrooming!!!
