I feel ya. It is a lot of details. Some details are more important than others. The very demanding guides out there are maximizers. Not all of that is absolutely necessary, especially if you’re growing a faster species like Golden Teachers. Basically every mushroom grow is a race against contamination. Every batch will eventually show contamination. The better the methodology you use, the more time you get until contamination. Practicing and experimenting with your methodology will reveal what steps are important for your situation and species. There are many ways to manage contamination and each guide is just one way to do it.

I say, give it a go and do what you can to inoculate in a sanitary environment. I’ve had some luck with those pouches without a perfect SAB. Maybe 50/50 and it depends a lot on the strain you’re using. I’ve had better luck with inoculating straight to BRF cakes.

I was in a similar boat just recently. Spectrum in lieu of Comcast. I figured anybody would almost certainly be better than Spectrum. It’s such a low bar, really. Boy was I wrong. Despite the attractive pricing and all the advantages of fiber, the fiber company, Clearnetwerx, was a total shit show. I’m talking about the basics, like, do what you say you’re going to do, make a plan in advance, make an appointment when you need to access the property, call your customer back when they leave a message. Stuff like that. I got so fed up that I canceled my service request. I’ll pay a bit more to avoid the headache of a clown car company. Maybe I’ll try again next year and see if they get their shit together.