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Messages - dumbfounded1600

#1
Cultivation / Re: First time idiot's Q
March 20, 2008, 07:49:22 AM
Take off the foil, you'll stall the jar as it needs Gas Exchange to grow. The top dry layer of vermiculite is what's preventing it from contaminants.
#2
Cultivation / Re: casing 50 50 mix
March 20, 2008, 07:47:03 AM
Peat Moss, Vermiculite, Gypsum, Lime

50% Peat Moss, 50% Vermiculite, 10% Gypsum, Teaspoon or Tablespoon of Hydrated Lime per cup of Peat Moss. Commercial Farms use the same recipe. When using gypsum also your yield will increase.
#3
Light has no little to no affect during colonization. Paul Stamets used to believe this but now disagrees. If you go to www.fungi.com you'll see Thousands of jars under 12/12 lighting. If it does pin spawn it anyways. Paul believes the pin of the mushroom will speed up fresh healthy fast live mycelium because of the hormones in it.
#4
PF - Tek / Re: CAsing
February 29, 2008, 03:28:34 PM
As much as needed to get to field capacity. Field capacity is you pick up a small handful and squeeze it not your hardest. A few drops should drop. When you squeeze your hardest a small stream should start and them stop after only a few seconds. Now a pasteurization tek because the microwave doesn't cut it. It's full of bacteria and mold.


Casing tek

Measure the appropriate amount of dry peat moss for your application. For the first few times you make up casing mix, youll just have to take an educated guess as to how much to prepare, then add or subtract from that amount as needed for future projects.

Place the dry peat into a large bowl, five gallon bucket, wheelbarrow, etc., depending on amount. Leave room for the quantity to double, and still allow space to stir. Break up the dry peat very well. There should be no chunks when you get finished, having carefully broken up the peat until its all the same consistency. To each cup of peat moss, add one teaspoon of hydrated horticultural lime, and one to two tablespoons of gypsum. Certain species can benefit from two tablespoons or even more of gypsum per cup, so dont be afraid to experiment, up to ten percent of the amount of peat.

Mix these dry ingredients together well. After mixing, slowly add water to the mix, stirring constantly. Add moisture until field capacity is achieved. I define field capacity as being reached when you can pick up a handful of the mix and no water drips out. If you squeeze lightly a few drops will come out, and if you squeeze very hard, a small rivulet or stream will flow out. Remember, the peat will not absorb all the water at once, so when you reach field capacity, let the mix sit for ten minutes and check again. Chances are, youll have to add more moisture.

In a separate bowl, place an equal amount by volume of vermiculite. Fill the bowl with water so the vermiculite begins to float a bit. Turn the bowl over and allow all the water to drain off. A fine mesh strainer works well for larger amounts.

Mix the moistened vermiculite with the moistened peat/lime/gypsum very well and pasteurize at 140F to 160F for one hour. Use as soon as its cooled. If you dont use it all, its best to discard or use for your houseplants. Make a fresh batch every time for best results.
RR

Pasteurization tek

Load the pre-moistened to field capacity casing mix, compost or manure into quart mason jars. Place a lid and/or foil over the top. Put the jars into a large covered pot of cold water, with the water filled to 2/3 to ¾ of the way up the jars. A large kettle or pressure cooker works well. If necessary, put a plate or some other weight over the jars to prevent them from floating. Make sure you have a spacer or dishtowel under the jars to prevent the direct heat of the stove burner or flame from cracking your jars. Place the lid on the pot and turn on the stove. Bring the water to a boil, but watch over it and as soon as the water actually reaches a boil, shut off the stove, but leave the pot sitting on the burner. The preceding is for an electric stove that will remain hot for a little while after shutting off power. If you use gas, allow the water to boil for one to two minutes before shutting off the stove. After a couple of hours when theyve cooled, the jars can be removed and used.

The first time or two you use this technique, monitor the interior of your jars with a meat thermometer. Place it right into the center of the peat or compost. You want to make sure the center of the jar reaches at least 140F and stays there for an hour, but dont allow it to exceed 170F. Depending on the thickness and capacity of your kettle and lid, you may need to adjust the above times slightly. This tek works because glass is an insulator, so the temperature inside the jars lags the water in the kettle. When I use the above procedure with 7 full quart jars in my All American 921, it comes out perfectly just as written. If you use a smaller pot, you may need to turn the stove on briefly at the ½ hour mark for a few minutes.

The advantage to this tek is there is no pillowcase, etc., to drain and little to no mess or stink is made in your kitchen or pressure cooker. The disadvantage is you have a bunch of jars to wash when youre done.
RR
#5
PF - Tek / Re: Casing
February 29, 2008, 10:59:31 AM
No you don't want a nutritional casing layer as this will colonize. You want a non nutritional layer. The only reason for a casing layer is to provide the substrate with more humidity%, Moisture, barrier for contamination...not really though as its virtually contaminant resistant once it's fully colonized. Use Peat/Vermiculite/Gypsum/Lime in your casing. The 50% Peat, 50% Vermiculite, 10% Gypsum, Teaspoon of 'HYDRATED LIME' per cup of peat. Remember. Sudden Decrease In C02 when introduced into fruiting is a massive pinning trigger. As well as FAE!
#6
PF - Tek / Re: rye grain prepeation
February 29, 2008, 10:15:52 AM
I wouldn't recommend that method as look how sticky the starches of the grain made it. Best to soak for 24 hours. Boil for 5-10 min NO LONGER. The excess steam will evaporate all the moisture off the rye berries. PC and their will be no sticking. Wait till they cool to room temperature. Make sure you know how to pressure cook lolololol. Anno I Love You. You've made mycologists mycologists. One of them is agar and i'm now reading through his posts. He praises you like a god.
#7
PF - Tek / Re: alchol instead of peroxide
February 29, 2008, 10:12:42 AM
Quote from: Skavenger55 on February 25, 2008, 06:00:09 AM
when casing can you use rubbing alchol in the water instead of peroxide

Who in hell told you that? Peroxides only use in a casing is to Melt Cobweb mold.
#8
PF - Tek / Re: my mycellium jar doesn't get white
February 24, 2008, 09:34:40 PM
Start over. That's way too long. Your moisture is probably dry and nothings happedning... I wouldn't toss them just yet. Keep waiting and see what happends.. But for future grows watch the tek on youtube. Type in 'Let's Grow Mushrooms' Pf Tek 1-4
#9
PF - Tek / Re: mycellium problem
February 24, 2008, 09:33:14 PM
Quote from: lagartixa88 on February 23, 2008, 01:48:04 AM
i did care to inoculate only the rice cake and not the dry vermilculite but i did stick the needle a little closer to the middle than to the side of the jar... but i already figured that the problem may no be it but too high temperature. i already took off the reptile pad i used do heat the jars and the alluminium foil i used to cover them.. i'll wait now.

thank you  :mellow:

They'll colonize slower because you didn't inoculate and have the spores lay down. Now all that spores are growing from the inside out.

Don't use a reptile pad as this is a fire hazard. If you do put it on the top of the jars not on the bottom. It will sweat the jar and incubate to high. You'll end up frying your entire jar. REMOVE THE ALUMINUM FOIL mycelium needs gas exchange to breathe or it will stall...How long has it been??



For the record, light has no effect on colonizing mycelium, good or bad. The old advice of "incubate in total darkness" is bunk. Those words were written by Stamets in TMC 20 years ago, and he disavows that advice today.
RR

We hear of ten times as many problems with incubators going south on people as we hear of people complaining that a jar took an extra two or three days to colonize due to being at room temperature. If it's winter in your area, just run a small space heater in your room. If you're comfortable in a t-shirt, your mycelium will be quite happy sitting on a shelf in that same room. If you're a polar bear and keep your AC at a very low temperature, just find a closet or other out of the way place to keep your jars at 75F or so and they'll do just fine. You also don't need to worry about normal indoor lighting. It has little to no effect on colonizing mycelium. Light only becomes a pinning trigger when the other pinning triggers are also induced.
RR


Condensation is the enemy of mushroom cultivation. It breeds bacteria and any moisture that is stuck to the walls is moisture that is NOT in the air any more, making your crop suffer. Condensation is in no way a reflection of humidity. You get condensation on your can of beer in Arizona in the summer time.
RR


*Let me tell you guys a story. My fellow moderator Roadkill and I were filming a video segment on pf jars over at my brother's house a month or two ago. Later that day, my non-mycologist brother moved everything we left behind out to his garage, jars included, just to get them out of the way. I told him it didn't really matter as I just wanted to film the process of making/inoculating the jars. Three weeks later, I went over there and guess what? All of the jars were fully colonized. The temperature of his garage during this time varied from the mid 30's to the low 50's.(He lives about 50 miles from the Canadian border) So, if properly made pf jars can colonize in three weeks at those low temps, why bother with silly incubators?
RR



80F is optimum for growth of mycelium, NOT 86F. The guy Stamets quoted in his book found 86F to give the fastest linear growth on a petri dish where no heat was produced by the mycelium. In the three dimensional space of a substrate or jar, the mycelium produces heat on its own. Mycelial growth declines rapidly at 86F and above.
RR




RR, Agar, Roadkill are some of the best and smartest mycologists I've come across. Listen to his advice and your success will grant your wishes
#10
PF - Tek / Re: mycellium problem
February 22, 2008, 03:33:24 PM
No. how long has it been?
#11
PF - Tek / Re: my mycellium jar doesn't get white
February 22, 2008, 03:32:12 PM
That's extremely hot. Colonizing jars do NOT need to be incubated. If you can be in your room with a shirt on and be comfortable you're fine. There's problems after problems of threads with noobs trying to colonize there jars faster in an incubator. If your house is too cold get a space heater and heat up the area. NOT THE JARS because when the jars are incubated they start to sweat which makes condensation, condensation drips down and causes water on the bottom which then can easily contaminate your cake. At 75-78F this problem will not arise and they'll just colonize a few days later which I see no hurry in getting the faster time.

How long has it been since you inoculated? Get it off the reptile heating pad NOW.

If you have the aluminum foil still on take it off now...Mycelium need gas exchange for them to breathe OR They Will Stall.
#12
PF - Tek / Re: innoculation question
February 22, 2008, 03:26:27 PM
You can add too much moisture. That's about it. but you can shoot too many SPORES in it at one time which will just cause more problems later on. 1.5cc's is plenty enough for a half pint pf jar.

You can shoot to many spores into a jar though heres the why?
It doesn't make them germinate one second sooner. It just causes such a mass of mycelium you SEE it sooner. It's a horrible idea by the way because your mycelium spends needless energy combining cells(anastomosis) in order to become a single organism. You're much better off using a minimum of spores. Dark syringes or the over use of spores is also a good way to get contaminants. Remember, more mushroom spores also means more contaminant spores that hitch hike along for the ride. Since it takes longer for all those strains that germinate to combine, it gives the contaminants a better chance of getting the upper hand.
#13
Cultivation / Re: perlite
February 19, 2008, 09:34:28 PM
done
#14
PF - Tek / Re: Newbie questions
February 19, 2008, 09:23:12 PM
The more the FAE, The better
Pinsets
Decrease in Contamination risk
#15
PF - Tek / Re: mycellium problem
February 19, 2008, 09:19:00 PM
Quote from: anno on February 18, 2008, 11:06:45 PM
Old spores would be more than 2 years old if on print, or more than 6 months if in syringe.

>if i dont see anything after 7-9 days then should i try again

Well, using the same spores wouldn't make much sense in that case, but give it at least 14 days before calling it quits.

You say the temperature is perfect, how warm is it?

That's nonsence...I've had spores for longer then 3 years in a syringe at room temperature and had no trouble with them...keeping them in the fridge would be better...freezer would kill the cell walls of the spores because of it freezing.


Quote from: Skavenger55 on February 19, 2008, 09:17:47 AM
the tempature is about 80 degrees
i used the spores the day after i got them in the mail
what usually kills the spores, too hot too cold, ?
i know if the verm-brown rice is still hot from the steralization but i let it set for at least 6 hours and 3 set more more then 9 hours

where do recomend the best place to get spores is?

was it still HOT to the touch when you inoculated?




Quote from: Skavenger55 on February 19, 2008, 09:22:14 AM
i was thinking about using rye seed next dry if this doesnt work
do you have to use a pressure cooker or can you use a pot like you steralize the brown rice cakes

You NEED a pressure cooker for grains.



#16
Cultivation / Re: Full Spectrum Lighting
February 11, 2008, 05:15:56 PM
6,500k is recommended by many mycologists.
#17
Cultivation / Re: perlite
February 11, 2008, 05:15:14 PM
Once it's fully colonized it's vurtially contaminant resistant, you still want to be sterile though. Use foil, I haven't really got into it but I do know don't put your cakes on the perlite, I recommend going to shroomery, this site has died out and barely any one goes here anymore

Follow that tek, RR's a very good teacher
#18
Cultivation / Re: shroom shaker
February 05, 2008, 10:13:18 AM
AHAHAHAH...YOU BOUGHT A SHROOM SHAKER...LETS ALL POINT AND LAUGH
#19
Cultivation / Re: perlite
February 04, 2008, 06:22:10 PM
NO! WTF? what is wrong with this? You don't know want any kind of cake going on your perlite...you don't know what kind of mold spores have been on there ever since you put it into your FC...that is why people use FOIL.....
#20
Cultivation / Re: incubation
February 04, 2008, 06:18:58 PM
Kelvin 6500k Flourescent Colored is the best and recommended by most mycologists