The new and improved TEK for germinating EPHEDRA SINICA

Germinating ephedra sinica... the new TEK!

The previous method I used was too unreliable so I decided to try something else.

It's pretty simple and gives a good germination rate, always assuming you are using reasonably fresh seed. The seed seems to last about 10-12 months before losing any of its vitality, so no need to panic!

Place your seeds on a paper towel/kitchen roll. 

A spray misting bottle is best for moistening the paper towel and seeds, 

Put the damp tissue and seeds into a zip-lok bag and leave out at room temperature over night.

Now put it into the fridge for 24 hours.

Almost there! Open the bag to allow air exchange, re-seal and then place somewhere warm and light. About 18-25C will be good. Remember no direct sunlight, just the light of the room.

If it has no condensation on the inside of the bag, feel free to give it a light misting.

They will start to germinate after a week. Once they have sprouted, pot into sandy potting compost or cactus soil/compost mix and keep warm and humid. The period of humidity needs to be only a few weeks after germination. After that they adapt to lower humidity very well. 

Soil needs to be free draining. Water when the soil is nearly bone dry. They seem to like full sun too.

Remember they are quite slow growers after the initial germination spurt!

Good luck,

BAG-TEK MUSHROOM GROWING KIT INSTRUCTIONS *NOW WITH POPCORN!!*

 Using the Bag-Tek mushroom growing kit is one of the simplest and most cost effective methods of growing a relatively small amount of mushrooms in your home.

The Bag-Tek will teach you about the life-cycle and requirements of mushrooms, from germination to harvesting, with possible yields of over 400g over several flushes! The kit can be used to grow many different types of mushroom.

  Please note that since 2005 the cultivation of any mushroom (or truffle) containing psilocybin is illegal in the UK.

Included in the Bag-Tek kit are...

• 1 x 500g bag of sterilized popcorn, complete with filter patch for air exchange and a self-healing silicone injector port.
• 1 x bag of vermiculite casing
• 1 x filtered humidity tent bag with perlite
• 2 x alcohol sterilizing swabs
• 1 x syringe of Oyster mushroom liquid culture

We used to print out instruction sheets, but its possible to explain everything so much clearer here, so there will only be these instructions. A link to them will also be on the sampedros.com store.

Getting started...

First of all, it will pay you to have a clean, uncluttered work-space. Using the Bag-Tek kit is simple, but it can never hurt to keep your surroundings clean. 

Wash your hands well before starting!

In

Use one of the alcohol wipes to clean the self-healing injection port.

 

Use the other alcohol wipe to clean the syringe tip and needle.

 Inject around 2-4 ml of the spore solution into the bag, taking care not to push the needle right through it!

Now place your injected bag in a warm (20-24C) place, with ambient light, for about 2 weeks. 

I built an incubator for this purpose (you can find how I built it HERE), but if your room is reasonably warm you can just put it on a shelf or similar.

After this time you should see many white patches spreading out on the grain.

Break the grain up gently inside the bag. This will help to spread the growing mycelium throughout the bag and speed up the colonization. Then put it back into your chosen incubation place for a further 2 weeks, or until the entire bag is full of solid white mycelium on the grain like this...

Casing...

It's now time to add a casing layer to your colonized BagTek bag. This layer holds moisture on top of the grain and provides a perfect environment for primordea (baby mushrooms) to take hold.

Add 100ml of boiling water to the bag of casing layer, taking care not to burn yourself on the plastic bag! Seal the bag and allow to cool. 

                      

Drain off any excess water and gently squeeze, It needs to be moist not soaking.

Cut the top off the bag as shown.
 Pour the casing layer onto the top of the now exposed mycelium and level.

Fold the top of the bag over gently and wrap the whole thing in aluminium foil and place back into 24C temperature for 5 days, keeping it upright the whole time.

This will allow the mycelium to start to grow through the casing layer.

Fruiting...

After 5 days the mycelium has started to grow through the casing layer, this is an indication that your BagTek bag is now ready to put into fruiting!

Roll the sides of the bag down, making sure to keep the foil around the bag. This stops light getting into the grain and causing mushrooms to grow from the bottom of the bag instead of the top!

Pour about 300ml of clean water onto the perlite in the fruiting bag. This will provide the humidity needed to grow mushrooms.
Place the grain bag on top of the damp perlite, mist gently and fold the top of the fruiting bag over, using clothes pegs or paperclips to keep it folded down.
For fruiting, the temperature needs to be a couple of degrees cooler, about 20C is ideal.
The pinning triggers are lower temperatures, light and fresh air.
Fresh air exchange is very important otherwise you can end up with smaller mushrooms.
The fruiting bag should be opened and 'wafted' 2-3 times per day and lightly misted once. This introduces fresh air into the bag.
Mushrooms will start to form after 10 days.

HOW TO MAKE A TUB-IN-TUB INCUBATOR FOR LESS THAN £30

Making a tub-in-tub incubator.

I have built a few of these things in the past and now I have got the design just right!

They work a treat and keep seeds, mushroom cultures, petri dishes and grow-bags at a perfectly regulated temperature!

They cost under £30 to build, if you shop wisely and do the job of much more expensive commercially available products.

You will need...  

One 35 litre plastic storage tub, and one 25 litre one. They should both fit flush into each other. 

(They can be clear or coloured, it dosent matter, I just use clear ones so so I can keep an eye on the water and the electrics)

One 25 watt aquarium heater. I found this from E-bay for £6!

One small aquarium submersible circulation pump (150watt is perfect). Make sure the measurements of your pump allow it to fit in the gap between the two tubs. I found this on E-bay too for £7.00!

One lemonade bottle (for the neck and screw cap)

One tube of No more nails or similar. (And a skeleton gun to apply it)

Twelve 1" size 6 stainless self tapping screws (pan head, phillips or hex drive)

Putting it all together...

Set your thermostat on the heater for 24 degrees. This can be altered later if needed, but it saves hassle if you have already done it. Site the heater in one corner of the large tub and hold down the wire with a bit of sticky tape for now.

Do the same with the circulation pump in the opposite corner, on the same end of the large tub.

Make sure the pump outlet is pointing along the side of the tub and not inwards. Stick the wire to the outside of the tub with sticky tape to hole the pump in position while you assemble the rest of the incubator.

Put the smaller tub into the larger one, They usually have concave and convex ends to aid stacking.

Pre-drill 5mm holes from the inside of the rim of the large tub, through to the outside rim of the smaller one. By slightly lifting and bending the outer rim you can get a screw started in the holes you have drilled. Screw them all in until the gap in between the two tubs is as narrow as you can make it, without straining or cracking the plastic. 

Don't let the screw pierce the inner wall of the small tub!

Time to get your no more nails (or whatever its called; Homebase and B&Q sell it at £1.99 per tube) and start filling in the gap around the edge. There will be the two corners with the pump and heater in that will be much wider gapped than the others. Leave these until last.

Fill the gap in and clean it up so you have a nice neat bead of sealer. This keeps the water from evaporating too much and it keeps dust etc out of the water jacket. The pump won't like muck in it!

Here you can see, I've left the two widest gapped corners, where the electrics are, 'till last.

In the corner with the heater you need to leave enough room to be able to adjust the thermostat. It can be a fiddly job, especially if you have big fingers, so that's why I suggested you set it before installation! Use the No More nails to stick the heater wire in place. When its set you can remove the sticky tape that you put on to hold it temporarily.

In the other end, where the pump is situated,  cut the screw-neck out of the top of your lemonade bottle. This is going to be inserted into the hole and glued in. The capped hole will act as a filler and a drain for the water jacket you have created!

Finish filling all remaining gaps with your sealer and smooth it down to give a nice clean finish.

 A neatly cut sheet of 1" thick polystyrene makes an ideal lid, as the original lids wont fit anymore.

When its all dry you can fill the water jacket up with clean cold water and plug in your pump and heater. Replace the cap on the filler and put the lid on. Its handy to have a thermometer inside the box just to keep a check on how accurate the heater thermostat is.

TOOTHACHE PLANT

Toothache plant (Acmella oleracea) is a species of flowering herb in the family Asteraceae. In Brazil it is called jambu.
 Its native distribution is unclear, but it is likely derived from a Brazilian Acmella species. It is grown as an ornamental and it is used as a medicinal remedy in various parts of the world.
 A small, erect plant, it grows quickly and bears gold and red inflorescences. It is frost-sensitive but perennial in warmer climates.
 For culinary purposes, small amounts of shredded fresh toothache plant leaves are said to add a unique flavour to salads.
 Cooked leaves lose their strong flavour and may be used as leafy greens. Both fresh and cooked leaves are used in dishes such as stews in Brazil.

They are combined with chilies and garlic to
 add flavor and vitamins to other foods. Toothache plant prefers well-drained, black (high organic content) soil.
Toothache plant seeds are simple to grow. Sprinkle some on damp, rich soil and cover with cling-film. The seeds will take about 2-3 weeks to germinate at room temperature.
They like partially shaded sunlight. Frost will kill them though.

SOME PEYOTE WE HAVE HERE :)

Happy caespitosa!

Peyote Cactus is a small, spineless cactus, (Lophophora williamsii), whose principal active ingredient is the hallucinogen mescaline.

                                                              Lots of clumps!

             From earliest recorded time, peyote has been used by natives in northern Mexico and the southwestern United States as a part of traditional religious rites.

 Peyote is also sold in Mexico as a medicine against blindness, fever and many other diseases.Although the areas Lophophora Williamsii is commonly found in are usually very dry and receive much harsh direct sunlight, the cactus itself often grows in the shade of another cactus or nearby shrub.

Healthy roots

Once Peyote reaches a diameter of around 7cm, Peyote begins producing side pups, and may eventually form large clumps. Peyote will do well in any free draining compost mix. Although to promote flowering it is recommended to add Gypsum.

 Calcium is also thought to benefit Peyote. A good mix would be: 1/3 coarse sand**1/3 Perlite**1/3 Potting compost.

A couple of new babies!

 Due to it's naturally slow growth rate, some growers prefer to graft Peyote onto faster growing species, such as San Pedro (trichocereus pachanoi)or a pereskiopsis species, to cut down on the time it takes to produce fully grown plants.

Peyote usually responds well to grafting, a six month old seedling, once grafted, may reach flowering size in as little as six months

  This is a big improvement on conventionally grown Peyote, which may take 3 to 5 years to reach flowering size. 

As with all cacti, don't graft Peyote just for the sake of it. As not all grafts are successful, it can be a terrible waste of plants.

MAKING YOUR OWN ABSINTHE!

"Sam Pedro's Absinthe kits work a treat! Thanks very much Sam." Charlie (Dover, UK)

Since we started making our own Absinthe kits back in 1999 we have had nothing but positive feedback from them!

The kit comprises of a pack of pre-prepared herbs, including Wormwood, Hyssop and Calamus root.

There are full instructions (detailed below) and even a couple of paper filters to get your finished result as clear as possible.

We’ve been making absinthe kits since 1999 and our recipe has been steadily improved over the years!

Our kit has been tried and tested by many friends and customers

and they have always found the flavours of the ingredients we use to be excellent.

In the kit you will find a pack of mixed herbs and spices, including Wormwood & Calamus

organically grown and dried in Cornwall.

 Simply add the herb mix to 1litre of 50% (100 proof)or more alcohol.

 A strong rum or vodka will do.

Using anything lower than 50% will leave your drink very cloudy.

Leave to steep for 2-3 weeks, then strain the herbs from the liquid. Filter 2 or 3 times with the filter paper provided to attain clarity.

It’s now ready to drink. Pour over a sugar cube using a traditional Absinthe spoon.

*Note: our Wormwood gives the drink a high content of Thujone. Use caution!

Please enquire for more details!

SALVIA DIVINORUM W&H STRAIN

Back in stock now after many requests!

Salvia divinorum is a psychoactive plant which can induce visions and other hallucinatory experiences.

 Its native habitat is in cloud forest of Oaxaca, Mexico, where it grows in shady and moist locations.

Salvia divinorum rarely produces seed, and when it does they are nearly always sterile. That is why Salvia divinorum is usually propagated by cuttings.

 Once acclimatized it can live as a normal houseplant, otherwise it needs an humid environment to mimic its natural habitat.

 The W&H strain (named for R. Gordon Wasson and Dr. Albert Hoffman) is said to be the most potent of the known strains. 

It is faster growing than the Blosser strain of Salvia Divinorum although its reputed to be less palatable.

                                       We also have Blosser strain back in stock.