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Mushroom cultivation => PF - Tek => Topic started by: sreya sabina on November 21, 2010, 05:18:47 PM

Title: Jars prepared but not innoculated - can I use them in a week?
Post by: sreya sabina on November 21, 2010, 05:18:47 PM
Greetings to each and every one. I'm glad to find this forum.

My first attempt to grow these. :-) I followed the PF Tek for Simple Minds directions pretty closely. Where I turned out to be inexperienced was in injecting the liquid into the jars; I used it up too quickly and have 9 jars left over - filled with substrate, sealed with aluminum foil and sterilized, but not innoculated.

My question: can I use those jars in, say, a week's time? (I have to wait for more spores.) I'm thinking I would re-sterilize them. But I'm not sure if that's a good idea.

Any information most appreciated,
Thanks in advance,

Sreya

Title: Re: Jars prepared but not innoculated - can I use them in a week?
Post by: darksyde on November 22, 2010, 02:03:46 PM
sreya sabina,

As far as still being sterile, as long as they've been kept covered that shouldnt be a problem.. If you have any doubts, it wont cost you anything to redo it though just to be on the safe side..

How many CC's of syringe are you using per jar?

You might want to make up some LC (liquid culture) if you are planning on doing alot of jars..

Add a tblsp of honey to a half pint jar, pour in some boiling water, cover and let it cool to room temps.. Inject 1-2 CC's of your spore syringe in and incubate for 10 days or so.. Sterilize your old empty syringe and fill it up with your LC.  Now you have plenty of live myc to innoculate all you want
Title: Re: Jars prepared but not innoculated - can I use them in a week?
Post by: sreya sabina on November 22, 2010, 03:11:08 PM
Hi Darksyde,

Quote from: darksyde on November 22, 2010, 02:03:46 PM
As far as still being sterile, as long as they've been kept covered that shouldnt be a problem.. If you have any doubts, it wont cost you anything to redo it though just to be on the safe side..

Yeah, I will definitely re-sterilize them in any case.

QuoteHow many CC's of syringe are you using per jar?

I'm afraid I don't know.. I didn't measure or notice.

QuoteYou might want to make up some LC (liquid culture) if you are planning on doing alot of jars..

Wow, interesting.. almost the same thing I do to start making bread. So you could keep a batch going indefinitely with this simple process? Awesome.

Thanks! I'll let you know how my first little batch does.   :-)

Sreya
Title: Re: Jars prepared but not innoculated - can I use them in a week?
Post by: darksyde on November 22, 2010, 04:12:25 PM
QuoteI'm afraid I don't know.. I didn't measure or notice.

You should use about 1/2 a CC per hole when noc'n up your jars

QuoteSo you could keep a batch going indefinitely with this simple process?

Indefinitely would involve taking prints after flushes.  To break it down though, if you're putting 1/2 CC into 4 holes each jar, thats only 6 jars from a $15 12 CC syringe.. Where as using 1 CC to make a half pint LC could noc up 50 or more jars.. once thats gone make another and so on.. If you store the syringe in a ziplock bag, in a dark cool place, they will last a long time.. Im using some right now that were purchased 15 months ago with no probs.. No sense spending any more than we need to  :mellow:
Title: Re: Jars prepared but not innoculated - can I use them in a week?
Post by: sreya sabina on November 23, 2010, 01:33:41 PM
Very interesting, I had no idea you could do that. Thank you!  :-)

Best,
Sreya
Title: Re: Jars prepared but not innoculated - can I use them in a week?
Post by: fungiguy on November 24, 2010, 04:52:49 AM
Darksyde, the lc sounds like a very cool concept. Just a couple ?'s......... after the jar is in the inncubator, it becomes liquid mycellium??? How long will the jar keep?? Can it be stored??
Title: Re: Jars prepared but not innoculated - can I use them in a week?
Post by: darksyde on November 24, 2010, 06:11:58 AM
The myc uses the honey as a food source.  After 10 days or so you will see little white strands of live myc floating in the water.  Draw the water/myc into a sterile syringe and use that to noc your jars.
As for how long it will keep, I use mine up as they're ready.. I would think they could last for a week or two, maybe longer if they were stored in the fridge to slow the myc down, but they would eventually consume all the honey and starve

Title: Re: Jars prepared but not innoculated - can I use them in a week?
Post by: fungiguy on November 24, 2010, 07:10:16 AM
Thanks Darksyde!! I am gonna give it a try. Don't have honey though, any kind of substitution that you know of? If not, I will have to run out and buy some. My guess is once inoculated with LC, the colonization of my grains should be faster than nocking with spores.
Title: Re: Jars prepared but not innoculated - can I use them in a week?
Post by: darksyde on November 24, 2010, 07:31:21 AM
Karo Syrup works well too.. I just realized I forgot to mention you need a breather hole for gas exchange.. drill a 3/16 or 1/4 inch hole in the lid and cover with micropore tape, or even a sterile bandaid works.. after you've noc'd your LC, cover with either a loose piece of foil, or a coffee filter to act as a dust gaurd..

Yes, noc'n your jars with live myc will colonize much faster than regular spores!
Title: Re: Jars prepared but not innoculated - can I use them in a week?
Post by: fungiguy on November 25, 2010, 03:15:08 AM
I use polyfill for my jars normally, I guess that will work.
Title: Re: Jars prepared but not innoculated - can I use them in a week?
Post by: HomeShroomStudent on January 19, 2011, 11:47:10 AM
Heres  a quick question, Does anyone sell LC's ?  because that would sure expedite the whole process as far as the colonizing of your jars
Title: Re: Jars prepared but not innoculated - can I use them in a week?
Post by: moorhS on January 20, 2011, 08:53:37 AM
I just take and use a flat head to poke a hole in the top of lid then twist it so the hole opens up some.... then stuff it with polyfill... polyfil is the best way that I have found to let the gas exchange still happen at a fast rate... the microcfilm tops I don't like, not as much air get's through them wich takes longer for the mycelium to grow..... anyways GL