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machineelf368
self-transforming

Registered: 09/05/02
Posts: 119
Loc: in the mountains, awaitin...
Last seen: 19 years, 1 month
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that HORRIBLE fruity smell
#1037300 - 11/08/02 06:43 PM (21 years, 3 months ago) |
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This is the first time I've ever tried casings, so I have two pint cakes that I crumbled up with enough verm on the bottom to block out light and about 3/4" verm on the top. It's been exactly a week and I opened the container to see if there were any pins and it SMELLS LIKE FRUIT! I'm so dissappointed. I took all the right precautions: microwaved the verm (Glad makes these really nice microwavable plastic containers that are just the right size) for 12 minutes, sprayed with h2o2/h2o solution, crumbled cakes using the oven door tek (or whatever it's called), sprayed more h2o2/h2o, spooned on moist verm, sprayed more h2o2, covered and waited for a week. God this pisses me off.
ANYWAY, the reason for this post is that I'm not sure what to do now. You see I can smell fruit, which is bad, but I can't see anything. I dug around a little bit with a clean fork but didn't see any growth, good or bad. I can see some white growth on the sides, but it looks like the good kind of white. I know I probably should throw the thing out and start from scratch, but I don't want to. On the one hand I want to visually confirm the contams first, but on the other hand I don't want to mess up the casing if I can avoid it. Like if the contams are on one side could I use some of the substrate from the other end of the contianer, 6" away?
Is there any hope? -m
-------------------- (the above was deciphered from phi (~1.62) using an advanced alphanumeric conversion algorhythm and should not be perceived as meaningful.)
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Penguin
You can't be me I'm a Rockstar

Registered: 02/10/02
Posts: 1,830
Loc: On the Arctic ice shelf.
Last seen: 1 year, 6 days
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patience young grasshopper....time.As long as there is no FLUFFY growth. Cobweb can be misinterpreted as mycelium;but, Cobweb looks lighter.
-------------------- The fear of loss is always greater than the desire for gain
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DreaMaTrix
Shaman I am


Registered: 02/11/02
Posts: 3,125
Loc: Falling into place
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I have had colonised grain that smells like fruit. Its smells of apples. I have fruited without a problem. I think it is bacteria.
IMO procceed as planned, and check in with further updates 
Good luck
--------------------
"We are the one's we have been waiting for" - Hopi saying
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hyper_dermic
stranger withcandy

Registered: 06/26/02
Posts: 736
Loc: the land of excess
Last seen: 19 years, 5 months
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ive noticed that fruity smell on older cakes... its espically evident after dunking a post 2nd flush cake..... sorta sickly-sweet... not very plesant at all.... my cakes usually die soon after......
[hyp]
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matts
matts

Registered: 01/28/02
Posts: 3,649
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machineelf368
self-transforming

Registered: 09/05/02
Posts: 119
Loc: in the mountains, awaitin...
Last seen: 19 years, 1 month
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Re: that HORRIBLE fruity smell [Re: DreaMaTrix]
#1055618 - 11/15/02 12:10 PM (21 years, 3 months ago) |
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well i initiated pinning last night by placing it in a perlite terrarium. it smells very very strongly of apples. the only growth i can see is white, so that's good. i've never done a casing before, so i'm not really sure what the white stuff poking through the casing is supposed to look like. pictures help, of course. i wish i had a camera. anyway, i have two questions: 1. what does cobweb mold smell like? 2. what are the chances that breathing this apple smell will make me sick and have to go to hospital? if there's mold, it's cobweb. i don't know exactly what the cakes were made of, they were two mycobags. the casing layer's pure verm. i'm not worried so much about whether it's infected as i'm worried that it might infect me next. that would suck. -m
-------------------- (the above was deciphered from phi (~1.62) using an advanced alphanumeric conversion algorhythm and should not be perceived as meaningful.)
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Shrooms4e
LSAuser theScale Whore :)
Registered: 11/13/02
Posts: 160
Last seen: 21 years, 2 months
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Re: that HORRIBLE fruity smell [Re: hyper_dermic]
#1056060 - 11/15/02 02:19 PM (21 years, 3 months ago) |
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"ive noticed that fruity smell on older cakes... its espically evident after dunking a post 2nd flush cake....."
same here. after the first flush its a strong musty smell. could be bacteria
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Suntzu
Geek


Registered: 10/14/99
Posts: 1,396
Last seen: 3 months, 24 days
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In general, the apple smell is going to be your Bacillus, a more grape-like odor is often Pseudomonas. Bananas might be a combo?  There really isn't much risk in smelling bacterial contams of grain, however, you may not even be able to see the wispy mold that could also be there. Regardless, some people are allergic and this could be cause for concern with any contam. Be cautious, no one ever learned anything new by smelling these things.
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MAIA
World-BridgerKartikeya (DftS)


Registered: 04/27/01
Posts: 7,396
Loc: Erra - 20 Tauri - M45 Sta...
Last seen: 1 month, 6 days
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In reply to:
. On the one hand I want to visually confirm the contams first, but on the other hand I don't want to mess up the casing if I can avoid it.
Most bacterial contams cannot be seen without a microscope, they have no color at all, at first all you see is the substrate getting moist and a bit darker, then most of the times, it begins to disolve wich is due the bacteria digesting and excreting. So the visual change you'll see in the substrate would be more clear in texture rather than color. On the other hand, odor can be spoted even before the bacteria is at full dinner time. So, i personally smell the jar if i see no germination after a week of being inoculated, if it smells, then no more wait, just restart with a marginal time loss. If after germination, the growth stops and you haven't changed any incubation parameters but you also don't see any contam, don't open it, wait less than a week, if it's bacterial contamination you'll see that change in texture and also a moisture build up, mainly at the bottom of the jar.
MAIA
-------------------- Spiritual being, living a human experience ... The Shroomery Mandala
 Use, do not abuse; neither abstinence nor excess ever renders man happy. Voltaire
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Dancing Iceman
Chronic Smoker
Registered: 10/16/02
Posts: 65
Loc: WA
Last seen: 20 years, 10 months
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Re: that HORRIBLE fruity smell [Re: MAIA]
#1069177 - 11/20/02 08:51 AM (21 years, 3 months ago) |
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9 out of my 12 jars fully colonized. The remaining 3 each have about 1 square cm left (1 week after the others were done), and smell like fruit. I'm guessing that I'm lucky 9/12 made it?
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MAIA
World-BridgerKartikeya (DftS)


Registered: 04/27/01
Posts: 7,396
Loc: Erra - 20 Tauri - M45 Sta...
Last seen: 1 month, 6 days
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Quote:
I'm guessing that I'm lucky 9/12 made it?
With 9 out of 12 i don't think so, you're just unlucky for losing 3 jars .
MAIA
-------------------- Spiritual being, living a human experience ... The Shroomery Mandala
 Use, do not abuse; neither abstinence nor excess ever renders man happy. Voltaire
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