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Messages - jabwemet

#81
PF - Tek / 73 days, no full colonization
March 30, 2009, 07:57:57 AM
ok these cakes are pretty much stagnant.  i haven't noticed any growth at all for the last month.  they did great for the first 5 weeks.  all 6 jars are pretty fluffy and full but lack as little as a dime size of sparse coverage up to quarter size area of no coverage!  one of the jars is totally covered, but the bottom is still extremely thin as in this picture:



all of the bottoms look pretty much like that.  i flipped them about 4 weeks ago so that they would colonize the bottom but they all look like that- just a very fine layer covering the substrate.

i have tried lowering/raising the temperature.  the jars have stayed covered and in the dark except the minute or so every other day that i check on them.  what do i do?  some of the slower jars are starting to look kind of dry and yellowish around the edge of the colonizing mycelium.  they just don't seem to want to go that last little bit to full colonization. 

i hope you guys say "just wait longer", that works for me.  i just don't want them to die or anything.  how long can this go on before i just need to birth them and hope for the best?
#82
PF - Tek / Re: pictures and questions (new grower)
February 27, 2009, 06:14:33 AM
ok, a couple of these jars are getting close.  how long after full colonization can they stay in the jars?  I ask because I will be out of town for most of the next two weeks.  even my fullest jar won't be ready to be birthed until a week from now- would an extra week hurt it?

i'm getting excited!
#83
PF - Tek / Re: pictures and questions (new grower)
February 17, 2009, 02:14:05 PM
OK here's what I've got, 25 days after innoculation.  The other side of these jars are totally white, they look great, but these areas seems to be a little stalled, or just weak:





Anything wrong?  I know the PF tek website says that you should reach full colonization within 29 days, but I don't think I'm gonna get there that soon.  I'm guessing that the definition of full colonization is when you can't see any substrate, yes?


#84
PF - Tek / Re: pictures and questions (new grower)
February 08, 2009, 02:53:15 PM
Is it ok to stack my jars or will this keep the bottom ones from getting enough air circulation?  I just stacked them because they get more even heat and I don't have to use two space heaters (it makes my room too hot).  Is this ok-


The one of the jars on the bottom is now getting sweaty enough that there is a tiny bit of water pooled on the bottom of the jar.  Is that ok?

Thanks for all the help. 
#85
PF - Tek / Re: pictures and questions (new grower)
February 05, 2009, 03:40:55 PM
ok, i think i have my temp under control.  It's hard to get it right since I'm just using space heaters in a very bumbling amateurish kind of way.  What happens when mycelium gets over heated?  Does it bruise or die or just stop growing?  I mean what happens to it when it reaches temps of 90 and above?  Can you see damage by looking at it?
#86
PF - Tek / Re: pictures and questions (new grower)
February 05, 2009, 07:59:12 AM
I used organic brown rice flour from the bulk section at a local food co-op.  The vermiculite I used is pretty fine. It doesn't say anything on the bag about it being "medium fine" or "fine" or anything but I would guess it is probably "fine".
#87
PF - Tek / Re: pictures and questions (new grower)
February 03, 2009, 03:56:30 PM
The inside of my jars are starting to look pretty humid.  How much is too much?  There's a good bit of condensation.  The jars are approaching full colonization and seem to be getting wetter.  Is it too hot in there?
#88
PF - Tek / Re: pictures and questions (new grower)
February 01, 2009, 02:31:00 PM
I think I read somewhere that T. Mckenna started the Penis Envy strain.  Not that it really matters at all, but it is interesting.  Anyone confirm or deny?
#89
PF - Tek / Re: pictures and questions (new grower)
January 31, 2009, 06:08:52 PM
Oh an regarding how warm I've kept them- no idea!  They are sitting between two space heaters.  It's probably in the mid 60's in my bedroom, and the area that the jars are in are probably 10 degrees hotter.  The jars feel pretty warm to the touch.  It's hard to judge though, as it is in the middle of winter and my sense of warm temperature is greatly exaggerated!

#90
PF - Tek / Re: pictures and questions (new grower)
January 31, 2009, 06:05:46 PM
I got my spores from sporeworks.com.  Honestly, I don't remember how many ccs per jar... on the first jar, I was really nervous and I used way too much.  My fiance stopped me and reminded me that I had to stretch it out and I barely made it... there was only enough left on the last jar to do one of the four holes.  But they all have been colonizing as well as jar #1.

Can anyone tell the difference in potency from B+ strains to any others?  I'm using them just because they have a reputation for being flexible regaring temp, etc.   Should I be more bold with the next round?  Can someone recommend a potent strain?
#91
PF - Tek / pictures and questions (new grower)
January 31, 2009, 04:57:55 PM
Hi!  I am new to mushroom cultivation and I am so excited about what I've got so far that I can't resist sharing these beautiful pictures of my mycelium growth.  These were taken yesterday, exactly one week after inoculation.







Now my main question:  does this look right??  Also, is it ok to expose the jars to light like this for a minute or so a day to check them out?

I'm using a B+ strain.  I sterilized jars in a normal pot with a lid for 90 min.  I did all my work in front of a HEPA filter, I wore latex gloves, I swapped almost anything involved with rubbing alchohol, I flame-sterilized the needle between each jar.  So far I can't identify anything in the jars that looks like a contaminant. 

The speed of growth kind of took me by surprise.  For the first few days, there was nothing and all of a sudden BAM!  I was worried because my "incubator" is a foot-high wooden stool sitting between two space heaters but I guess the temperature range must be pretty right on. 

Here are some additional questions:

I read to wait a week after full colonization to birth cakes.  Is this just to let them pin?  Should I birth as soon as pinning starts?  Do I start exposing to light once the jars are fully colonized or a week after full colonization?

I'm planning on doing a dunk after birthing, can I dunk even if pins/mushroom heads have formed?  This is all hypothetical of course, none of this has happened to my jars yet, just want to be prepared.

By the way I love these forums, I've been poring over them for the last two weeks and I've based everything I do off of what I read here.  So thanks for giving me what I needed to know to get to see this beautiful mycelium!  Hopefully nothing terrible will happen from here!