oyster mushrooms straw substrate help please

I started these oyster mushrooms from organically grown store bought ones. I took tissue from inner part of the mushroom. (Strain unknown) but I think it is the pale oyster. The ones one cardboard colonized in approximately two weeks and the in BRF and Ver. took about three and a half weeks. I got some gallon clear plastic bags and filled the with pasteurized straw. Two of the three bags got green mold so I discarded them. I am left with one bag and it seems to be not colonizing as fast as it did on the cardboard and BRF and ver.. I keep the temperature around 65-70 degrees F. They are growing slowly but surely. I was just wondering when do I know they are fully colonized and ready to fruit. I added some pictures. If anyone has any helpful tips and tricks and I'd be very appreciative. If you need to see more pictures to understand where I stand I'd be more and happy to add. THANKS!

When it's fully colonized it will be a white netted mass.

Yeah the mycelium will hook everything together in a clump. It will all look white. It will be throughout.
John S
PDX OR

There is a website, shroomery dot org. That is mostly drug related, but have an outstanding forum, which I have found the best and most accurate information when it comes to fungi.
But, er to Mt experience, the bag looks like you have some cobwebs. No good. But good news is. Oysters love being outside. So let that bag colonize mold or not. You can make some spawn, spores, ect. I just wouldn't recommend eating what looks like to me, in my experience; mold. Let it grow nonetheless, it will smell like a big ball of mushers when it's done. I recommend a nice bath and cold shock before you pin those bags.

I tried several times to start with store-bought mushrooms, and did not have any luck. Sooner or later, all of them got moldy. (I blame not having a sterile environment). And the ones that got moldy later, still grew very slowly from the very start.
As a result, at this point I find buying grain spawn more economical. I then multiply it by sterilizing more grain in a pressure canner; so I can use more grain to inoculate the straw and it gets colonized really fast.

Did you make little holes in the bag so that the mycelium can breath? It does not look very healthy to me...

Yes I put several small holes in the bag. When I look at it up close it is white throughout. Little fine hairs connect ing it all together. The pictures don't do justice for it. My phone don't take the best pictures. I tried to add the photos of the BRF and ver and cardboard spawn I started. It had a mild sweet smell and the stuff was caked together tightly but the images would not upload kept saying error. The problem I think I'm having is, the bottom 1/4 of the bag has to much moisture. also since I brought the temperature up to around 75-80.degrees it seems to be growing faster. I'll try to take a better picture of the what I believe is mycilum growing throughout the bag.

Then maybe adding holes near the bottom could help get rid of the excess water?

Yes I tried that seems to be doing better. Thanks for all the help guys. Do any of you guys know anything about adding gypsum to your substrate for quicker colonization?

It is generally recommended. I have added some to an outdoor bed. Some species have recipes.
John S
PDX OR

Do i have to use wheat straw or can I use just straw for oyster mushrooms?

Darin,

I will state right now that I have not grown oyster mushrooms.  But I am thinking about trying to do so soon.  From what I have read on this site is that oyster mushrooms are quite aggressive colonizers of most substrates on which they grow.  They are a pretty good starter mushroom, especially if you plan to grow for the mushrooms themselves.  I personally grow wine Caps for the wonderful, rich compost they leave behind.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask,

Eric

You shouldn’t have moisture in the bottom of the bag. Looks and sounds like your straw was too wet.