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 KnobleJunga
journeyman
Registered: 02/01/04
Posts: 70
Last seen: 19 years, 11 months
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 Sour Smell 
#2299423 - 02/04/04 01:18 AM (20 years, 2 months ago) |
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Hello all. AFOAF openend his incubator (20 PF jars) and there was an extremely sour smell. Looked around the shroomery and it looks like it could be bacillus. Should he dump the cakes that this is coming from (how does he determine each one). Also, what is the likelihood of the contam spreading to other jars in the incubator (it's the double rubbermaid w/ fishtank heater tek with jars placed all right next to eachother)? Also, is it possibly not bacillus (this is his first time growing, so he's not sure, but it smells REALLY sour). Thanks in advance.
PS Any tips to prevent this type of thing besides sanitation? Is it important to get fresh air into the incubator? 
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This is a great community. Thanks for all your help, you are accruing merit!
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 utopianglory
Spunkmuffin
Registered: 07/20/02
Posts: 965
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First your friend should look at all jars for evidence of the substrate getting sloppier, darker or reduced/slowed growth. If he finds some where he believes this has happened he will likely have found atleast some culprits.
Next, he must pull out each jar and carefully try to smell around them, do not take big whiffs with tops open (do not open at all) or anything like this, try to isolate strong from weak smells (infected and just near jars that are infected).
Because of the overpowering smell some jars or jar is/are likely in the throes of extreme breakdown, it should be easy to spot a bacterially contaminated jar, it will be wet, dark and nasty.
If either of those two steps do not work then post more and we'll try other things. Resist the temptation to open the jars.
Regarding sanitation in the advanced cultivation section Joshua has just posted some useful tips for keeping sterile, read them, they are fairly good.
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utopianglory
Spunkmuffin
Registered: 07/20/02
Posts: 965
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PS: This type of thing usually happens because of having substrate that is to wet. I would imagine that you would have had some wetter substrate than the rest (usually in the bottom of the mixing bowl) and this is where it has likely come from.
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KnobleJunga
journeyman
Registered: 02/01/04
Posts: 70
Last seen: 19 years, 11 months
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All right, let me clarify the situation. Half the jars have been colonising for 2.5 weeks. Half were just innoculated 3 days ago. After following your [Utopia] advice, I sniffed each jar lightly, from the side, w/o removing the tops (I know some mold spores can be poisonous if inhaled. Can one get sick from inhaling bacillus?)
He seems to have isolated the jars that are responsible for the smell: 4 of the jars that were innoculated 3 days ago. Each of these jars has been isolated in its own ziploc bag (to check for smell in half hour or so). All other jars had no distinguishable odor, aside from slightly damp.
The problematic jars show no colonisation--not surprising as they were innoculated three days ago. Also, they look very nice, not too damp. They show no signs of sliminess or any visible contamination, only the smell. I read in another post that sometimes the wet vermiculite can smell this way before the mycelium begin to colonise. Is this a possibilty, or is it definitely contam if these jars end up being really sour smelling (i.e., should I incubate them in their plastic bags or just get rid of them?).
Also, again, is it helpful to exchange the air in the incubator? I was under the impression that it should be left completely undisturbed for several days at a time. Thank you, Utopia, and any other advice is welcome.
--Shanti
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This is a great community. Thanks for all your help, you are accruing merit!
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utopianglory
Spunkmuffin
Registered: 07/20/02
Posts: 965
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Quote:
KnobleJunga said:
All right, let me clarify the situation. Half the jars have been colonising for 2.5 weeks. Half were just innoculated 3 days ago. After following your [Utopia] advice, I sniffed each jar lightly, from the side, w/o removing the tops (I know some mold spores can be poisonous if inhaled. Can one get sick from inhaling bacillus?)
He seems to have isolated the jars that are responsible for the smell: 4 of the jars that were innoculated 3 days ago. Each of these jars has been isolated in its own ziploc bag (to check for smell in half hour or so). All other jars had no distinguishable odor, aside from slightly damp.
The problematic jars show no colonisation--not surprising as they were innoculated three days ago. Also, they look very nice, not too damp. They show no signs of sliminess or any visible contamination, only the smell. I read in another post that sometimes the wet vermiculite can smell this way before the mycelium begin to colonise. Is this a possibilty, or is it definitely contam if these jars end up being really sour smelling (i.e., should I incubate them in their plastic bags or just get rid of them?).
Also, again, is it helpful to exchange the air in the incubator? I was under the impression that it should be left completely undisturbed for several days at a time. Thank you, Utopia, and any other advice is welcome.
--Shanti
Right, first thing is that its your choice on whether to keep the jars that are suspect. I would very heavily doubt that they are going to get any better and sour is sour, verm does not smell very bad atall ever unless it is infected. If it is strong then there is bacteria. The bacteria has likely attacked the core of your cakes, which is why you cannot yet see it. In reality it may never take over the outside.
Inhaling the bacteria? I would say not, I have been at its mercy quite a lot and not suffered any problems however I do not go out of my way to breath around it, if something smells off that is the last time I will try to breathe around it. So be careful and you'll be fine.
Airing the incubator out, your jars do not churn through oxygen like a fruiting cake does. It is up to you, I would say that with you opening up your incubator a lot then there is probably enough air exchange anyway however regularly airing it out will probably help to remove that awful smell you probably have in there.
Definitely isolate the ones that are dodgy. Do not necessarily through them out but it is pretty much impossible that they will recover and I personally would never trust a bacterially infected cake, mold maybe, bacteria is just terrible.
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MikeOLogical
Doctor ofShroomology
Registered: 01/30/04
Posts: 4,133
Loc: florida
Last seen: 5 years, 15 days
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toss those smelly jars... they will never grow anything but smellier
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We got Nothing!
we're no longer selling jars. 
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MikeOLogical
Doctor ofShroomology
Registered: 01/30/04
Posts: 4,133
Loc: florida
Last seen: 5 years, 15 days
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er... what I meant was... toss the smelly substrates... waash your jars and reuse em... no need to throw out a good jar over a little stinkiness...
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We got Nothing!
we're no longer selling jars.
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