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Topics - substrate

#1
PF - Tek / bunch of new pics - finally uploaded
August 05, 2010, 08:09:33 PM
just uploaded a buttload of pics on photobucket.com user alt0182
#2
PF - Tek / What tek tweaks have worked for you?
April 29, 2010, 04:09:34 PM
Seems like things have been really quiet on the forum lately, I guess the weather got nice and everyone is out enjoying the sunshine.  I thought I would throw this out and see what ideas are out there. 

For instance, on my most recent batch I inoculated with LC from a spore print.  Instead of using pure water, I diced and boiled some potatoes and used the potato water with the rice flour and verm mix.  It only took SEVENTEEN DAYS for complete colonization - way faster than any other batch of pf cakes I've done.

I boiled some water and added honey and let it cool with the lid on.  Then when I birthed my cakes I dunked them for about 20 hours in the honey water.  Just for kicks I rolled half of he cakes in verm and half of the cakes in sterilized steer manure compost.

Now, three days later, I already have PINS on the (lovingly dubbed) poo cakes.  The verm cakes look good, but are running way behind those with the poo.

These tweaks combined have gotten me to pinning in less than half the time of my previous batches.

What tek tweaks are working for you?
#3
I'm trying the blender-tek again, but would like to test the LC prior to destroying all of my prepped grains.  any suggestions?

Also, has anyone heard of using H2O2 on the mushroom stem prior to or during the process of cutting it and transferring to the LC?  My thought is that it would likely kill the outside tissue on the stem, but also kill all contams.  Then shredding the stem in the blender would "free" the living uncontaminated inside of the stem.
#4
Cultivation / blender-tek cloning - just an FYI
March 22, 2010, 10:47:38 AM
I had read about the "blender-tek" method of cloning:  cutting an uncontaminated portion of the mushroom stem, putting in blender with clean water, then inoculating the substrate with the juice.

Tried it with oyster mushrooms (picked same day) from the store.  Inoculated six jars pf-tek-style and two 6lb bags of pasteurized wood chips just for kicks.  I've been interested to learn if one can go direct from liquid culture to bulk substrate - if you use enough (a LOT) of LC.

Myc IS growing.  Unfortunately all of the 1/2 pints have trich right at the point of inoculation.  I'm guessing i was not clean enough when cutting the insides of the oyster stems.  jars are almost fully colonized at three weeks - but since they also have trich - they are all going into the compost. 

The trich had to come from the LC itself (unclean piece of stem to create LC) or from the re-used/sterilized syringe.  Thus far the wood chips are not contaminated, so I will let the myc run and see what happens.  If they grow I can assume the trich came from the syringe and not the LC.

So my point - blender-tek works!  You just have to do it cleaner than I did...

pics are hard to make out (crappy phone camera), but you can take a look here if interested:

http://s979.photobucket.com/albums/ae279/alt0182/lolie%20gaggin/?action=view&current=Photo_031810_001.jpg&newest=1
http://s979.photobucket.com/albums/ae279/alt0182/lolie%20gaggin/?action=view&current=Photo_031810_002.jpg&newest=1
http://s979.photobucket.com/albums/ae279/alt0182/lolie%20gaggin/?action=view&current=Photo_031810_003.jpg&newest=1
http://s979.photobucket.com/albums/ae279/alt0182/lolie%20gaggin/?action=view&current=Photo_031810_004.jpg&newest=1
#5
Cultivation / soft white stems - or contamination?
March 08, 2010, 01:53:25 PM
I thought the HI strain might just have very soft white stems, but now I'm wondering if this is some sort of mold or contaminate eating away at the stems.  If some of the better versed could take a look at the pic it will be much appreciated:

http://s979.photobucket.com/albums/ae279/alt0182/lolie%20gaggin/?action=view&current=Photo_030710_002.jpg

Of the ones you see here, the tops never fully developed, just drooped over.  They also did not drop spores, though the veil had broken.

Is this a common factor of the strain?  Any insights will be appreciated.

[PS] much better pic here:  http://s979.photobucket.com/albums/ae279/alt0182/lolie%20gaggin/?action=view&current=DSC02160.jpg
#6
Cultivation / almost 4 weeks - only partial colinization
February 11, 2010, 09:47:06 AM
i have a batch of jars inoculated on MLK Day, another inoculated right after the playoffs.  both colonized quickly, but have come to a halt for the last two weeks.  the bottoms of the jars are not colonized, and the mycelium is pulling away from the sides of the jars.

my incubator has been running about 80 degrees F, and 40% to 60% RH.  I thought the heat from the bottom of the incubator might be transferring into the bottom of the jars = too hot for the myc to spread down. 

over a week ago i put the jars up on plates to diffuse the heat transfer into the bottom of the jars, but they still have not finished colonizing.  i also birthed a couple cakes, and there is no contamination to be found.

Do I keep waiting to see IF the jars will colonize?  or am i better off birthing all the cakes, washing away the uncolonized substrate, and getting them into the FC?

any suggestions are appreciated!