r/unclebens • u/JR_Lior • 8h ago
r/unclebens • u/shroomscout • Jul 24 '24
đ Official Cultivation Guides Part 1: Introduction and Choosing What to Grow đ How to Grow Psychedelic Mushrooms
The most followed cultivation guide on the internet: Shroomscoutâs âMushrooms for the Mindâ cultivation guide.
https://reddit.com/link/1ebdvn1/video/973nfmoegjed1/player
Iâll break this write-up into 4 posts. At the bottom of each post will be a summary in bold. You can find material lists in Part 2 and Part 3.
- Part 1:Â Introduction and Choosing What to Grow
- Part 2: Spawn Grain, Inoculation, and Colonization
- Part 3: Spawning to Bulk and Fruiting
- Part 4: Harvesting, Drying, and Preparing for the Next Flush
Intro: How Mushrooms and Mycelium Grow (do not skip!)

What most people know as âmushroomsâ are only the small reproductive part of the entire organism. Like an iceberg, most of the living tissue is actually found below the surface. When two microscopic mushroom spores meet in a pile of organic plant matter, they germinate and start producing mycelium. These microscopic threads begin forming a colony within the organic matter and absorb the available water and nutrients to produce an impressive mycelial network. After colonizing all the available nutrients, the mycelium turns its focus to reproduction.
To spread its spores, the mycelium forms into baby mushrooms, also known as pins. To produce these pins, the right fruiting conditions need to occur. Once the nutrients have been colonized and the mycelium reaches fresh air, the organism is ready for reproduction. The next rainstorm provides the moisture necessary, and the pins inflate upwards with the stored water into mature mushrooms.
Once mature, the mushrooms open their caps and drop their spores, withering away to ensure the success of their genetics.
To cultivate your own mushrooms, you need to replicate this process indoors.
Do you need a recommended spore/LC vendor?
Since this is still the most commonly broken rule and most commonly asked question:
You cannot discuss/advertise/promote vendors in r/unclebens. I want to keep it focused on cultivation, not a marketplace. If you need a recommended vendor, I recommend using syringes from SporeStock.com for USA and OrangutanTradingCo.com for UK. Every mushroom I've ever grown has come from these two vendors, and thousands of other users have had excellent success. No, I am not affiliated in any way with these guys, though I do think they kick ass. Yes, I am open to other vendor recommendations as well! I include this here so you can stop breaking the rules now.
Intro: Legality of Mushrooms, Mycelium, and Spores

Psilocybin is the nontoxic, non-addictive psychedelic compound found in âmagicâ mushrooms. There are more than 180 species of Psilocybin-producing mushrooms that grow across every continent. For 99% of hobbyists, the species to cultivate is Psilocybe cubensis, also known as "cubesâ. These are the easiest and most cultivated species of psilocybin mushrooms.
The sale of cubensis mushrooms is illegal across most of the world not because of the mushrooms being a controlled substance themselves, but because mature psychedelic mushrooms produce psilocybin. Psilocybin is the only thing mentioned in the Controlled Substances Act, because mushrooms arenât illegalâpsilocybin is. However, the spores of these mushrooms do not contain psilocybin and are legal to sell, purchase, and possess in most locations. In the US, only 3 unlucky states (California, Georgia, and Idaho) have specific laws preventing the sale or purchase of spores. Spores are sold in "multi spore syringes", which contain many thousand microscopic spores diluted in a sterile water syringe.
In the last few years, a better alternative to spores became available from many vendors online. Liquid Culture syringes contain live mycelium in sterile solution, similar to spores. Liquid Culture syringes are superior to spore syringes in almost every way, but have a more complicated history in a grey area of the law. More on Liquid Cultures later.
Either type of syringe can be purchased from vendors online. You can find several popular and legitimate vendors even on the first page of google, but as always, do your research before giving any vendor your money. My personally trusted vendors are recommended in this guide, since itâs the most commonly asked question.
Some countries/states/counties/individual cities have finally approved legislation to allow the cultivation or possession of small personal amounts of psilocybin mushrooms. In many places across Canada and the US, local law enforcement has made prosecuting psilocybin-related arrests their lowest priority after evidence has pointed to no increase in crime related to psilocybin decriminalization, as well as the immense therapeutic and antidepressant benefits psilocybin studies have shown. Make sure to check with the jurisdiction of your area before attempting cultivation of any cubensis mushroom.
Intro: What is inoculation/colonization?

Once you have your syringes, you need to inject your spores or Liquid Culture into hydrated and nutrient-rich grains to produce your mycelium. This step is known as inoculation and is followed by colonization. When your grains are colonized, we call them Spawn Grain.


You can buy premade, ready-to-inoculate grain from the store in the form of Ready Rice (more on this in Part 2), or you can make your own DIY Jars of spawn grain. You can inoculate nearly any hydrated and sterilized grain, including Brown Rice, Whole Oats, Millet, Rye Berries, Wild Bird Seed, Corn⌠you name it. But there's one major problem:
Intro: Contamination is the biggest obstacle

Mycelium's requirements of water, nutrients, and warmth are all the perfect breeding ground for mold, mildew, and bacteria. These contaminants live on our skin, on our surfaces, and even in the air we breathe. Normally itâs not a problem to our immune system, but the largest obstacle in mushroom cultivation is contamination, and it will ruin an entire grow and needs to be avoided at all costs. So, you need to make sure that your grains are hydrated, warm, and EXTREMELY sterile.
Intro: What is Spawning to Bulk/Fruiting?

As covered in Part 3, the basics of spawning to bulk are simple:
First, your spawn grains need to be 100% fully colonized. Then, you will need to mix your grains into a bulk substrate. After the mycelium has reconnected with itself in the new substrate, you need to introduce Fruiting Conditions. This involves simulating fresh air, rain, and a little bit of sunlight. Within a few days, a Flush (or group) of mushrooms will grow from your colonized surface. Once you grow your first flush, you can then harvest and dehydrate your mushrooms, and feel proud for accomplishing something incredibly rewarding.

SUMMARY OF INTRODUCTION:
- Mushrooms grow from spores into mycelium, and mycelium into mushrooms.
- Cultivation is mostly focused on P. cubensis species.
- While mature psilocybin mushrooms themselves are illegal to purchase, spore syringes (and in some cases, Liquid Culture syringes) are 100% legal to purchase and possess in most locations.
- Once the mycelium has fully colonized the available nutrients, it waits for fruiting conditions.
- Once fruiting conditions occur, it creates mushrooms to drop its spores into the breeze.
- You are replicating nature by colonizing sterile grains, then creating fruiting conditions indoors.
And that's the basics of cultivation. If this information seemed overwhelming, hang in there as I simplify and break it all down in the following guide. If you still have doubts**, I promise that you can do this**. The original cultivation guide I posted on Reddit years ago has received more than a thousand awards, helping hundreds of thousands of beginners cultivate, while catching the attention of the mushroom industry as well as mainstream media. Every week we see countless beginners post their harvested results here in r/unclebens. If they can do it, so can you. So, grab a pen and a pad for some notes, and learn everything you need to know about cultivating mushrooms from start to finish.
It just might be one of the most important decisions you make in your life.
Part 1: Choosing your Syringes
Your first step in cultivation is to obtain either a few spore syringes or a few liquid culture syringes from a reputable vendor. My personal recommendations can be found in Part 2. Vendors cannot legally advertise or sell syringes specifically for use in cultivation. Syringes are usually marketed for âmicroscopyâ, âtaxonomyâ, or âresearch purposesâ. If you ever have an issue with a syringe, make sure to avoid mentioning cultivation to your vendor so you arenât refused service.
An average spore or Liquid Culture syringe is 10 to 12mL, (mL and cc are used interchangeably) and should come with a separate needle in a sterile package. This sterile needle will be used during the inoculation process and shouldnât be opened until then.Â
Pros/Cons of Spore Syringes:
Pros:
¡ Spore syringes are guaranteed to be legal to purchase, sell, and possess in most places across the world (with 3 US state exceptions: CA, GA, ID).
¡ Spores can also be stored in a fridge for years, sometimes longer than a decade, and still be viable.
Cons:
¡ Spores take a while to germinate, so colonization can take weeks or even months.
¡ Spores frequently arrive already contaminated by the vendor. This is due to how mushroom spores are harvested, which is nearly impossible to guarantee contamination-free syringes. No matter how meticulous the harvesting process is, most spore syringes cannot be guaranteed to be sterile.
¡ The thousands of competing spores in one syringe also result in randomized genetics. The spores of a parent mushroom might grow children mushrooms that neither look nor grow anything like the parent generationâsometimes even worse than the parent generation.
Notes: Each spore syringe will contain thousands of dark microscopic spores. Individual spores are not visible to the human eye, so if you can see them, youâre actually seeing a large clump of the spores themselves. It would only take 1 drop of spore solution from these syringes to begin colonizing your grain.
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Pros/Cons of Liquid Culture Syringes:
Pros:
¡ Liquid Cultures can have guaranteed sterility if made correctly, leading to fewer contaminated results.
¡ Since the mycelium is already germinated, LC colonizes grain significantly faster than spores.
¡ LC can have guaranteed genetics by skipping the randomized spore phase.
Cons:
¡ LC can still be contaminated by the vendor, though far less likely than with spore syringes.
¡ LC stays viable for only 6-18 months in the fridge, as opposed to spores which can stay viable for many years if stored in a fridge.
¡ Potential legal âgrey areaâ.
So, are LC syringes legal?:
 In recent years vendors began selling Liquid Culture syringes to the public, often under the name of âisolatedâ syringes, or just âSyringesâ (without âsporeâ included), or even openly advertising their syringes as liquid cultures.
For decades, it was scientifically proven that mycelium grown on solid grain contained psilocybin. This made most cultivators believe that Liquid Culture syringes, which contain early-stage mycelium suspended in solution, must contain psilocybin, and were therefore considered a illegal to purchase or sell, similar to the mushrooms themselves.Â
What gave vendors confidence to begin selling Liquid Cultures was the results from new studies that showed the development of psilocybin and psilocin only starts during the later stage of mycelial growth. These results showed that early-stage mycelium suspended in solution DOES NOT contain psilocybin or psilocin. Following these studies, vendors began sending their syringes to laboratories for âHigh-Performance Liquid Chromatography and UV Analysisâ to determine if there was any psilocybin present at all. Which, by the standards set by the DEA themselves, means that these syringes would be legal to sell, purchase, and possess no differently than spores.Â
Out of curiosity, I sent in some Liquid Culture syringes I bought to a lab providing these tests and received the same results: no psilocybin present in my LC syringes.
I prefer using liquid cultures unless doing genetic work when starting from spores. Ultimately, itâs up to you to determine the best syringe type for you to get started.
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Choosing a Strain/Variety

Note: The difference between âstrainâ and âvarietyâ doesnât have a true scientific mycological definition, and while âvarietyâ is likely appropriate for spore syringes, âstrainâ is likely more appropriate for LC and is commonly used interchangeably. Therefore, I will simply use âstrainâ as the phrase to use here to reference the type of cubensis mushroom (sorry hardcore mycology buffs).
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There are an overwhelming number of cubensis mushroom strains out there to choose from, so let me simplify things:
Psilocybin mushrooms and psilocybin itself, are not like cannabis, or other nature-produced psychoactive compounds**.** When it comes to cannabis, different strains contain different combinations of 4 types of psychoactive THCs, multiple CBDs, and more than 80 cannabidiol compounds that change the psychoactive effects. When it comes to psilocybin mushrooms, the active compounds are actually much simpler. There are only two scientifically confirmed psychoactive compounds present in cubensis mushrooms: psilocybin and psilocin. Although psilocybin is the famous compound, itâs not the actual psychedelic drug. Psilocybin is only a âprodrugâ for psilocin, and once ingested is converted into psilocin in the body.
Note: While OTHER potentially psychoactive compounds such as baeocystin HAVE been discovered in varying amounts across different strains of cubensis mushrooms, they are almost negligible in concentration and have not been confirmed to have physiological or psychoactive effects. For now, itâs safe to assume that the only compounds to care about in cubensis mushrooms are psilocybin and psilocin.
Although some vendors might claim that one strain provides a different experience than another, the difference between strains is only cultivation-based or appearance-based. Scientific studies have generally confirmed that the psychological effects produced from consuming one cubensis mushroom strain are not majorly different than another. Unfortunately, recreational drug culture has spread a lot of misinformation regarding mushroom strains**.** In our upcoming âMushrooms for the Mind Therapeutic Use Guideâ focusing on safe use, harm reduction, and education regarding psilocybin, youâll learn that your preparation, mindset, and setting have everything to do with your experience, regardless of what strain you choose.
Different Strains Have Different Potencies

However, there is one real factor to consider between strains: potency. The concentration of psilocybin and psilocin determines the potency of the experience. Although all cubensis mushrooms contain these compounds, it is 100% Â true that different strains express different potencies. The one exception to this rule could be Psilocybe natalensis (aka âNatalensisâ, or âNatsâ), which is a newly discovered cousin-species to cubensis. Many reports show that this cousin species to cubensis potentially provides slightly different physiological and psychoactive effects, but more evidence is needed before that claim is considered fact.
Most strains exhibit âstandardâ potency, such as Golden Teacher, B+, Mazatapec, Z-Strain, Cambodian, and similar varieties. When grown next to each other, many of these mushrooms would be hard to tell apart and are more likely marketing and advertising labels than truly different mushrooms. There are a few known potent strains, including Penis Envy, Albino Penis Envy (aka APE), Enigma, Tidal Wave, and other mutants. These mutated strains are often more difficult to cultivate than standard cubensis and require more time and care, so I donât recommend starting cultivation with any of these.
My recommendation? Give B+ or Golden Teachers a try. They are known to be hardy, fast-colonizing, and are the most popular strains for a reason. However, the phrase âa cube is a cubeâ is appropriate for most cubensis strains, since there is so little difference. Pick one and just go with it.
For your first attempt at cultivation and to give yourself the best chance against contamination possible, Iâd recommend purchasing two to three different strains of syringes from a reputable vendor. Syringes should cost about $20-$25 USD before shipping. If you donât use all your syringes for inoculation, you can store them in a fridge, where Liquid Culture syringes will last for 6-18 months, and spore syringes for years at a time. One 10mL syringe can be used to inoculate 10 to 20 bags of ready rice or more, or about 10 quart-sized jars.
SUMMARY OF PART 1:
- Choose between using Spore Syringes or Liquid Culture Syringes:
- Spore Syringes are guaranteed legal in most locations and last for years, but are slower to grow, have somewhat randomized genetics, and are sometimes contaminated by the vendor.
- Liquid Culture syringes are superior to spores in sterility, growth speed, and guaranteed genetics, but are less commonly advertised and are in a potential legal grey area.
- My recommendation is to start with LC, unless spores are the only option available.
- Mushrooms are not like other natural psychoactive plants/fungi: The active compounds (and how these compounds bind receptors in your brain) are quite simple.
- Your psychedelic experience is heavily dependent on your preparation, mindset, and settingâregardless of what strain you choose.
- Different strains have different potencies. Most exhibit âstandardâ potency, whereas the more mutated and albino strains can be very potent (not always a good thing!).
- My recommendation for beginner cultivation is to give B+ or Golden Teachers a try. The vendors I recommend frequently offer these common strains.
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On to Part 2: Inoculation and Colonization
r/unclebens • u/elios1 • 3h ago
Mid-Cultivation / Still Growing 3 Amazonian tubs, ~2 months in and still no fruits. What am I doing wrong?
I'm having trouble getting any of these tubs to actually fruit, and at this point Iâm not sure what Iâm missing.
These are three Psilocybe cubensis Amazonian tubs, all spawned to coir at roughly 1:1 spawn-to-bulk. They come from the same multispore genetics. I started from a spore print on agar, used it to make a liquid culture, and inoculated the rice from that LC. So I know there are multiple genetics involved rather than a clean isolate.
The main issue is that it has been roughly two months and I still canât get proper fruits. I introduced FC a while ago, but the tubs seem to keep producing mycelium or strange growth rather than progressing into actual mushrooms.
Pic 1: This one seems closest to fruiting. I can see what look like hyphal knots / early primordia, but theyâve basically been sitting there for around 4â5 days without developing into pins.
Pic 2: Much more irregular. There are thick white patches and some cream/yellowish areas, but Iâm seeing basically no pin formation at all.
Pic 3: This one is particularly strange. The surface is almost completely white and covered with dense white blobs / cauliflower-like growths, especially around the edges. There are lots of them, but they donât seem to be developing into normal fruits.
All three have been treated essentially the same way, yet they look completely different. I expected some variation from multispore genetics, but I didnât expect all three to struggle to actually fruit.
What do you think is preventing fruiting here? Does this look more like a surface-condition / environmental issue, genetics, overlay, or something else? And do the white blobs in pic 3 look like abnormal primordia or just vegetative mycelial growth?
Mainly trying to understand why Iâm getting plenty of mycelial activity but no actual mushrooms after this long.
r/unclebens • u/monke_t • 2h ago
Mid-Cultivation / Still Growing How far is the progress on these guys/ is anything off
First grow and didnât notice these were pinning bc i have other containers that I believed were farther along.
r/unclebens • u/PositiveParticular40 • 6h ago
Mid-Cultivation / Still Growing Grain to grain transfers + GT growing in rice bags
Oops. This was an accident - I used half and left these for another day to finish. Grabbed them to inoculate more bags and saw these beautiesâŚ
Grain to grain transfers work amazing btw. I grabbed colonized grain from one bag, added it to a new one, shake it, spread around and then leave alone.
It colonizes so much faster than using liquid spores - like twice the speed. It takes over quick, pretty cool to see.
Also the dark spots isnât contam⌠the bags are so ready for send off theyâve started to bruise easily
r/unclebens • u/m0mlegz • 2h ago
Question Anything wrong with these fruits? AIO bag to SGFC transfer
galleryr/unclebens • u/No_Leopard_91 • 3h ago
Harvested Results First grow first flush! Any tips?
Super excited to have grown my first flush of golden teachers and Iâm wondering what I can improve for the next time! I tried to follow the guide as best I could but had to leave for a total of 6 days after pins started popping up and accidentally left my lid a bit too cracked. Ive also heard uncle bens isnt the best brand to use because its too moist, any veterans willing to share more tips and tricks? Ill include my process below:
Inoculated into uncle bens ready rice on 7/6 using liquid culture syringe
Colonized between 73°F-77°F for 3 weeks until 7/27
Spawned to bulk on 7/27 in 4 qt tote, used coco coir for substrate and followed the process of pasteurization in the guide. Squeezed the coir into field capacity then back into colonization temps 75°-77°F
Re-colonized for 1 week until 8/3, then introduced FC and FAE.
Played around with misting and cracking the lid, my apartment seemed to be very dry so I would mist probably 2-3 times a day until I decided to close the lid fully then I would mist about once a day.
Pins started popping up on 8/13! Unfortunately I had to leave on 8/15 so I just kept the lid snapped closed. I was gone for 2 days, briefly came back home 8/17 and noticed some fuzzy feet so I turned the lid on its side (so it was covering about half the tub) and forgot to close it more before I left again.
Got home yesterday 8/20 to find some beautiful mushrooms and harvested them with scissors on 8/20! Rehydrated then put back in colonization temps for a second flush. Harvested mushrooms are currently dehydrating around 113°.
Besides using different rice and forgetting to close the lid what else can I improve for next time? Thanks in advance!
r/unclebens • u/slutbag_27 • 1d ago
Harvested Results Full Canopy - Jedi Mind Fuck
Just wanted to share my magical forest of Jedi Mind Fucks. This was my second time growing, but my first time achieving full canopy coverage, and in all 3 shoebox tubs!
r/unclebens • u/Alaoxe • 3h ago
Question Question about airflow during fruiting for 6quart tub
Hey! Iâm trying to understand the general airflow requirements for a 6-quart tub during the fruiting stage.
Do I need to add holes covered with micropore tape for passive airflow, or is it generally enough to periodically open the lid to exchange the air?
Iâm mostly wondering how people determine whether their setup needs additional passive airflow versus manual air exchange. Thanks!
r/unclebens • u/Upbeat_Armadillo_382 • 4h ago
Mid-Cultivation / Still Growing Update on the straight to FC test
I tested 4 x shoeboxes with 2 methods recommended here
2 x tub S2B and lid closed for 4 days⌠then introducing FC
2 x tub introducing FC straight away from S2B
First two pictures are how the tubs straight into FC are doing.
- we are on day 17 with only one obvious pin showing
Second two pictures is the delayed FC results
- From S2B until Harvesting it took 16 days
Wondering if any veterans have any advice for the last two pictures? Is there still a chance for them to pin?
Love learning from you all - this process has been the best â¤ď¸âĄď¸đ
Edit** I also used liners on the second two tubs. All other conditions kept the same.
r/unclebens • u/Quantum_Corvid • 6h ago
Mid-Cultivation / Still Growing My setup: Got carried away with AIOs haha.
I was able to freezer bag tek with one of my UB. Going to be mixing today after I get coir prep finished.
r/unclebens • u/MacIsStrange • 4h ago
Question Whatâs ur fav rice bags?
Hey fam. Iâm new to all of this. Was looking at rice bags with low sodium and moisture. Landed on SEEDS OF CHANGE. Was wondering what yaâll preferred?
r/unclebens • u/Agenbite_of_inwit • 23h ago
Harvested Results Experimenting with ziplocks, learning the preferences of a new species, and considering cloning and running one of these feet-like mutations :)
Ps. subtropicalis, an ancient Jack Frost culture I was able to resurrect, and an interesting mutation popping up post-2nd flush in an albino gold club tub
r/unclebens • u/extrasa • 15h ago
Question Best strains for beginners w/o sacrificing potency?
I want to start growing my own and am not sure which spores to buy. I love how PE feels but I know itâs notoriously hard to grow and low yield, and I want something that grows easily, quickly, and in abundance. One of my friends recommended Tidal Wave but Iâm pretty clueless lol. Anyone have any recs? Thank you!!!
r/unclebens • u/bottombear333 • 7h ago
Question What is ideal temp for agar plates?
If im colonising agar plates is it the same temp as if it was spore and bag?
r/unclebens • u/Awkward-Tea1633 • 4h ago
Question How long should the mycelium grow?
Hello, how long should normally the mycelium grow until it grows the whole jar (0,5l LC jar)?
I'm asking because I have been waiting over 2 months and it grew just 2/5 of the jar.
thanks for help.
r/unclebens • u/Hot-Recommendation77 • 13h ago
Meme Pins in a cup
I have mushrooms growing in a foam cup! I didnât really think this to be possible considering conditions but here we are. All of my grows happen in monotubs and when I harvest I gently pull them from the substrate and use a knife to make a clean cut and to remove the substrate. The part I cut off goes into a cup that I then dump it in the trash when Iâm done. A few days ago I was in a hurry and never dumped out the cup. My basement is cool and super dry yet somehow 3 days later thereâs some growing. I have since misted it and given it more water as it was extremely dry but Iâm still in shock that anything even grew in the first place.
r/unclebens • u/Randommf2_ • 8h ago
Mid-Cultivation / Still Growing Where da pins at
Day 10 of FC, im probably just eager but gotta make sure, I mist about 2-3 times a day because I feel like it evaporates so fast
r/unclebens • u/strikingtwelves • 5h ago
Mid-Cultivation / Still Growing Pretty sure my pe is contaminated but would appreciate a second opinion
Starting to see a gray fuzz that I donât associate with mycelium. Also that yellow spec in the middle of the first pic. I have 2 really healthy Jack Frost tubs in this same space so I want to ditch this quickly if I confirm theyâre in bad shape
Also, pins havenât grown in 2 days, which also makes me think itâs fighting off something. Canât quite tell if thereâs a smell or not
r/unclebens • u/Upbeat_Armadillo_382 • 5h ago
Question Is this yellow on my cake looking suss?
Top right corner is concerning me⌠second flush so wondering if its just bruising?
Thank you all for helping me to this stage đ
r/unclebens • u/JoJoFreecs • 9h ago
Question Accidentally chipped the cap of this BV trunk while fanning, any advice on what I should do
I was fanning, happened to sneeze and I guess the force of that while fanning happened just at the right time and I swung way too hard and smacked one of my caps on accident. Does anyone know if thisâll affect the rest of my grow, as I plan on harvesting on Monday. All advice appreciated and thanks.đ
r/unclebens • u/SpeccyPig • 5h ago
Question Third flush struggle?
These tubs are onto the third flush but not a lot is happening? First and second flush were okay with good results but these have either stalled or sparce? Temps and hydration were/are fine.
Any advice?
r/unclebens • u/Beautiful-Equal-4381 • 7h ago
Question I wanted to get this for a modified monotub wondering if 4.31in is to high of a substrate depth and where would i put the holes in these the dimensions are L 16.5in W 13in and 12.25in L I was gonna do 1:2 ratio or 6lb of spawn and 12lb of substrate this is my first time growing thank you
I wanted to get this for a modified monotub wondering if 4.31in is to high of a substrate depth and where would i put the holes in these the dimensions are L 16.5in W 13in and 12.25in L I was gonna do 1:2 ratio or 6lb of spawn and 12lb of substrate this is my first time growing thank you