mushi newb needs help...

Started by mushinewb, June 05, 2004, 06:54:22 PM

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mushinewb

Hey anno-
   
   I needed some help with my mushroom growing.  I have followed the pf tek method but I cannot succeed in growing the mushrooms.  when I inoculate a jar, it grows perfect until it is about 75% grown.  about that time a small green mold starts growing.  This green mold is  very small since there is no room for it to grow ( all is white ).  the approximate size of the mold is about as big as my fingernail.  one jar that this happened to already looks like it's dying.  The white mycelium around the green mold started to turn a shade of yellow.  I tossed it away.  i have 3 other jars growing and by the looks of it it seems like the same thing might be happening.  fingernail size green mold -  

is there any chance these can be saved?
is it possible to birth the cake and somehow slice that cornor off???

what can I do anno. i've been attempting this for a while now.

mushinewb

the cake is not contaminated!!!  Opening 2 jars today i found out that the cakes don't get contaminated....the top layer of vermiculite gets contaminated and gets nasty black/green moldy (every time? why is the top layer of verm. introducing contamination to my jars) ...... i sliced this top layer off and a little of the cake w/ clean hot knife. The rest of the cake looks oh-so healthy so I broke it up in a cup to restart the network.  I read somewhere this was good for cake? ( not sure about this ) ....anyway I'm going to wait and see what happens....

anno

Where does the mold begin to grow? Towards the top of the jar? How are the conditions in the room the jar is in, is it very dusty?
It sounds as if the contaminations come into the jar after the inoculation, during the colonization phase.

mushinewb

anno- thanks for your reply.  I keep my jars under my bed on a little blanket warmer with a towel inbetween.   I was begining to think that my spores were contaminated.

Any further tips on how to store my jars?  I will clean out under my bed but can I also put the jars in a plastic bag or something?  would this mess with the air circulation the jars get?

anno

> I was begining to think that my spores were contaminated.

If this was the case, the contamination would likely begin to grow directly from the inoculation points.

> put the jars in a plastic bag or something? would this mess with the air
>circulation the jars get?

Probably, yes. Air is important for the colonization.