How to Make a Monotub: The Complete Monotub Tek Guide for Mushroom Cultivation (2024)

FAQs

How do you make a perfect Monotub? ›

You will be drilling a total of six 2 inch holes around the perimeter of your tub: two holes on each long side and one hole on each end about 8 and a half inches from the base of the tub. Then, you will drill 1 inch holes positioned approximately 4 and a half inches from the base.

People also grow side fruiting species of oyster mushrooms in monotubs, including pearl oysters, pink oysters, blue oysters and phoenix oyster mushrooms. But these easy-to-grow mushrooms produce higher yields when grown in bags using a shotgun fruiting chamber or grow tent.

All monotubs have holes cut or drilled into them, typically four to six, with two on each side of the length of the tub and one on each side of the width. The number of holes depends on the size of the tub, but usually one every eight or so inches is right.

Once you begin seeing the formation of primordia, you have the option to case your tub, which means covering the entirety of the substrate with a very thin layer of 100% coco coir.

7-10 days later your monotub should be well colonized with a layer of white mycelium and barely any soil visible. It is ready to fruit.

Manure/Compost

Manure is the aged, dried excrement of horses, cows, elephants, etc. It is one of the most effective bulk substrates for dung loving species like psilocybe cubensis, panaeolus cyanescens and agaricus bisporus (Portobello). It is usually cheap or free if it can be located.

Gypsum is a mineral that helps speed up the mushroom growing process in small amounts.

The simple answer is generally yes, most monitors can be mounted on a monitor arm. Monitors come with the standard VESA hole pattern of 75 x 75 mm or 100 x 100 mm on the back of the monitor for attaching to a monitor arm.

Step 2: Once the monotub has been introduced to fruiting conditions, you need to mist the substrate once per day throughout the entire fruiting stage. Remove the lid from the monotub and lightly mist the substrate with a clean misting spray bottle that is capable of creating a fine mist.

Bulk substrates for monotubs are made from a combination of the following : manure, coco coir, vermiculite, and gypsum. Most modern growers are leaving out the manure and making their substrate from just Coco coir, Vermiculite and Gypsum, also know as CVG.

How to keep a monotub humid? ›

We set up our humidifier and humidistat to keep relative humidity between 75-90%. Our fan and cycle timer was set to one minute intervals. The fan in our monotub is set up backwards to blow fresh air in through its filter.

After about 10 days your MonoTub should be fully colonised and ready to fruit. Don't worry if it hasn't fully colonised by then, it can sometimes take as long as 2/3 weeks to fully colonise.

The shotgun fruiting chamber, monotub fruiting chamber, and Martha tent are the best techniques for fruiting mushrooms for beginners and even advanced growers. Since it is easy to set up these fruiting chambers anywhere in your house, it isn't necessary to convert an entire room into a fruiting chamber.

Introduce the colonized monotub to a scheduled light cycle and keep the bag in an area that will maintain a temperature between 60 and 80°F (this depends on the species you are growing). We recommend using a full spectrum fluorescent spiral bulb.

Spawn and bulk substrate should be mixed at a ratio if 1 parts spawn to 2/3 parts bulk substrate. If you have to much bulk substrate it could take to long to colonise and contamination could set in. Say you have 1l of spawn and you mix it with 2l ob bulk you would have a total of 3l to spawn to your tub.

You can tell when mycelium is fully colonized when the entire substrate (such as a jar or a bag) is covered with a dense, white, and fuzzy network of mycelial threads. There should be no visible uncolonized areas or contaminants, and the mycelium should appear healthy and vigorous.