Golden Teacher

ape shrooms

What Are Ape shrooms?

ape shrooms are one strain or variety of Psilocybe cubensis. There are many varieties of this species of mushroom, but Golden Teachers are one of the more popular strains.

So what is the difference between a species and a strain? Well, a species is a distinct genetic lineage that typically cannot interbreed.

However, there are some exceptions to this interbreeding quality that tends to define species: lions and tigers can interbreed (to create the liger), as can horses and donkeys (to create the mule). We’re not currently aware of any hybrids of distinct magic mushroom species.

ape shrooms is the most commonly cultivated species of magic mushroom. Psilocybe is the genus the species belongs to. Genus is a taxonomic category in biology that ranks above species (and contains several species) and below family.

The family that Psilocybe belongs to is Hymenogastraceae. Because Psilocybe cubensis is a different species to Psilocybe mexicana, you couldn’t naturally cross them.

Terms like strain and variety are a bit more ambiguous. Scientists will disagree about what these terms mean. Also, you have vendors inventing new strains without explaining what makes them distinct.

Nonetheless, we can characterize strains as all originating from the same species, and these strains can interbreed freely.

For example, you can interbreed Penis Envy mushrooms and B+ (both strains of Psilocybe cubensis), which leads to the Tidalwave strain.

Having a truly distinct strain, like Golden Teachers, means the mushrooms should display stable characteristics that can be reproduced every time you grow them. Growing strange-looking shrooms one time doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve created a new strain.

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What ape shrooms Look Like

Part of what makes strains distinct is their appearance. Let’s describe what Golden Teachers look like.

• Cap. An ashy red color, with a yellow or golden center, hence the “golden” in the name. The cap is slightly curved and can reach up to 8 cm in diameter (although they are usually about 5 cm in diameter). The cap is larger in comparison to other varieties of Psilocybe cubensis.
• Stipe. Hollow and thicker toward the base.
• Gills. Vary from whitish to purple-brown.

You will get a medium-sized Golden Teacher mushroom from the first flush (crop), but mushrooms in later flushes can be massive in size. Cultivators tend to like Golden Teachers because they grow in great flushes.

 

It’s worth noting that the appearance of the mushroom does not necessarily reflect potency. The genetic characteristics that translate into potency are independent of those that translate into aspects like color and size.

We do have some scientific studies on the differences in potency between species of psilocybin mushrooms.

For example, Psilocybe azurenscens is one of the most potent, containing 1.78 percent psilocybin, 0.38 percent psilocin, and 0.35 percent baeocystin. Baeocystin is another compound found in psilocybin mushrooms.

It could potentially contribute to an entourage effect, with baeocystin modulating certain psychedelic effects.

The entourage effect is said to apply to cannabis, too, with compounds other than THC synergistically acting on it to modulate the overall psychoactive effects.

Psilocybe cubensis is a moderately potent magic mushroom. It contains 0.63 percent psilocybin, 0.60 percent psilocin, and 0.25 percent baeocystin. However, the various strains of Psilocybe cubensis, like the strains of any other species, can differ in their potency.

Until very recently, we didn’t know much about the potency between different varieties. Mushroom connoisseurs would hold up Penis Envy as one of the most potent strains. But this was based on anecdotal self-experimentation. There wasn’t high-quality data to back up this claim.

Nonetheless, Penis Envy mushrooms still have the reputation of being a highly potent magic mushroom.

 

Growing ape shrooms

If you want to find out how to grow golden teachers, you should consult our guide on how to grow psilocybin mushrooms. This explains all the ingredients and equipment you need to obtain, as well as step-by-step descriptions of how to grow, harvest, and store your mushrooms.

Golden Teachers are a good choice for cultivation. If you’re just starting out, any Psilocybe cubensis strain is easy to grow and all the strains have similar cultivation requirements (e.g. temperature, humidity, and light).

To grow Golden Teachers, you’ll first need Golden Teacher spores. Just make sure that you spend some time researching vendors and select one that is trusted with good reviews.