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lkelly2006
lkelly2006

Registered: 05/03/10
Posts: 27
Loc:
Last seen: 14 years, 7 months
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My TEK? EDIT: Ready to Pick? 5/13
#12497418 - 05/03/10 03:18 AM (14 years, 8 months ago) |
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Hello,
This is my first time growing and I'm hoping to get as many kinks out of my TEK early rather than late! I've done a good amount of online researching and purchased a few books on the topic prior to this attempt. I may have identified a few potential issues but would appreciate any additional input .
Inoculation Jars:
2 parts Vermiculite 1 part Water 1 part Organic Brown Rice Flower 1/2 pint vertical jars 80-87 F incubation temps (EDIT: 70-75 F)
Fruiting Chamber:
7.5 Gallon clear tub Tropical Aire Humidifier which also provides steady air exchange Moistened Perlite bedding Front of tub has holes drilled for air exchange (90% are sealed to keep humidity as I'm in the desert!) (EDIT all 6 sides now have holes) Saran Plastic Rap is lined under and around the lid for a good seal. (EDIT Saran rap has been removed)

Currently I'm attempting B+, Treasure Coast, and Mexican spores (syringes purchased from a trusted online vendor).
I mixed this batch about two weeks ago and the jars have been incubating in the dark at a high 80 F range. I mixed enough to fill 7 jars and so far B+ and Mexican have colonized the quickest. Three are close to full colonization and the others are developing a bit more slowly. As of four days ago, a B+ reached full colonization and I began the next phase. First, the cake was soaked in distilled water for a few hours. It was then coated with dry vermiculite and placed in a prepared fruiting chamber the next day. The humidity level ranges from 80-90% and the temperature ranges from 75-85 F.

For the first two days I had been misting the B+ cake at least twice a day and fanning briefly after-wards. It would receive indirect sunlight for most of the afternoon/evening and a good 8-10 hours of darkness. Yesterday I noticed that the tops and sides were forming small circular fluffy areas so I began to do some research online just in case.
On some of the forums here I read that the continued mycelium growth rather than fruiting may have been caused by misting them too often and that the temperatures may be too high. On some of the posts I read that my humidity levels may be too high but from my understanding they should be okay.

My Thoughts:
I'm contemplating on taking the foil off some of the jars in hopes that better air exchange will speed up the process or I just may take them out of incubation and move them to a mid to low 70 F area. I can see moisture inside the jars so I don't believe they could be too dry. Alternatively, it could just be that some of the strains I purchased colonize much quicker than the others.
As for the B+ cake, it has only been in the fruiting chamber for four days so it is early in the fruiting stage. I've been putting ice in the humidifier's water when the casing's temperature exceeds 85F - this seems to help. I also read that cracking open the lid may help it cool down. Additionally/alternatively I could move it's location to a cooler area and/or limit it's light exposure length. So far I have a positive outlook but would appreciate any suggestions or comments on the progress and if there is anything that I could modify that may positively benefit the outcome.
Edited by lkelly2006 (05/13/10 11:46 AM)
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audiophoenix
Find Peace



Registered: 08/28/09
Posts: 4,107
Loc: Upstate NY
Last seen: 3 years, 8 months
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I took the foil off of my jars after about half way. I have never had a contam from doing this but just be sure not to knock them over or anything so that the dry verm berrier would be compromised.
I moved to grains after my second grow and I would suggest if you have a good run at things the first couple of times then move up and try bulk growing, it's much less of a pain in the ass and a lot more can come out of it.
By the way happy growing and good luck.
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Josh84
Stranger


Registered: 05/03/10
Posts: 51
Last seen: 14 years, 7 months
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Lower incubation temps to 70-77, use WIDE mouth jars next time, drill holes on ALL 6 sides of your SGFC, and use about 3 more inches of perlite in your fruiting chamber.
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lkelly2006
lkelly2006

Registered: 05/03/10
Posts: 27
Loc:
Last seen: 14 years, 7 months
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Re: My TEK? [Re: Josh84]
#12497452 - 05/03/10 03:49 AM (14 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
Josh84 said: Lower incubation temps to 70-77, use WIDE mouth jars next time, drill holes on ALL 6 sides of your SGFC, and use about 3 more inches of perlite in your fruiting chamber.
Initially, I had all the holes on the front of the case uncovered but when I checked the next day the humidity levels dropped under 60%. I then covered about 80-90% of the holes and can maintain a good 80-90% humidity level. Outside, the humidity levels are under 10% right now so I don't think I can maintain high humidity levels inside the chamber if I drill more holes.
What do you think?
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lkelly2006
lkelly2006

Registered: 05/03/10
Posts: 27
Loc:
Last seen: 14 years, 7 months
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Quote:
audiophoenix said: I took the foil off of my jars after about half way. I have never had a contam from doing this but just be sure not to knock them over or anything so that the dry verm berrier would be compromised.
I moved to grains after my second grow and I would suggest if you have a good run at things the first couple of times then move up and try bulk growing, it's much less of a pain in the ass and a lot more can come out of it.
By the way happy growing and good luck.
Thank you. I will remove the foil on a few and see how that goes! Yeah, I will eventually move to bulk but this was easy to setup for now.
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Seagoat
~


Registered: 04/07/10
Posts: 306
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Don't incubate jars. 80-87 is too hot. Just use room temp. plastic wrap under the lid is unnecessary. FAE is very important for pinning and fruiting so covering up all those holes is not a good fix for your low humidity. Did you look at the shotgun tek? That is superior and less complicated than what you've got right now.
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RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure


Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
Last seen: 1 year, 10 months
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Since it's your first time, don't make up your own 'tek'.
Don't expose jars to over 80F while colonizing. 75F is better.
Remove foil as soon as the jars are removed from the sterilizer.
Taping holes in a shotgun chamber reduces both fresh air and humidity. Follow the tek.
There is no need or reason to keep jars in the dark, and lots of reasons to expose to ambient room light during daylight hours. It sounds like you're reading 25 to 30 year old advice, all of which is outdated and proved wrong. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms
semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat
"I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work."
Thomas Edison
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lkelly2006
lkelly2006

Registered: 05/03/10
Posts: 27
Loc:
Last seen: 14 years, 7 months
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Quote:
RogerRabbit said: Since it's your first time, don't make up your own 'tek'.
Don't expose jars to over 80F while colonizing. 75F is better.
Remove foil as soon as the jars are removed from the sterilizer.
Taping holes in a shotgun chamber reduces both fresh air and humidity. Follow the tek.
There is no need or reason to keep jars in the dark, and lots of reasons to expose to ambient room light during daylight hours. It sounds like you're reading 25 to 30 year old advice, all of which is outdated and proved wrong. RR
Good to know. I will modify the above. I will also keep an eye on the humidity and drill more holes in my casing.
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Nyawinge



Registered: 03/17/10
Posts: 254
Loc:
Last seen: 12 years, 2 months
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Yeah, definitely just go with the straight-up shotgun FC, it will save you time and money. You might have to run a humidifier in the room it's in to get it working properly, but as long as you keep the RH at least above 30-35%, fan/mist 3-4x daily, and follow the tek you should get good results. Here is a link to a thread I posted about a month ago when I was trying to troubleshoot my shotgun FC, it may have some helpful info for you....
Good luck!!!
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lkelly2006
lkelly2006

Registered: 05/03/10
Posts: 27
Loc:
Last seen: 14 years, 7 months
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Quote:
Nyawinge said: Yeah, definitely just go with the straight-up shotgun FC, it will save you time and money. You might have to run a humidifier in the room it's in to get it working properly, but as long as you keep the RH at least above 30-35%, fan/mist 3-4x daily, and follow the tek you should get good results. Here is a link to a thread I posted about a month ago when I was trying to troubleshoot my shotgun FC, it may have some helpful info for you....
Good luck!!!
Cool, I got a humidifier out of the closet and the RH is nearing 30%. Very useful article you posted, thanks!
Quote:
RogerRabbit said: Since it's your first time, don't make up your own 'tek'.
Don't expose jars to over 80F while colonizing. 75F is better.
Remove foil as soon as the jars are removed from the sterilizer.
Taping holes in a shotgun chamber reduces both fresh air and humidity. Follow the tek.
There is no need or reason to keep jars in the dark, and lots of reasons to expose to ambient room light during daylight hours. It sounds like you're reading 25 to 30 year old advice, all of which is outdated and proved wrong. RR
Alright, I removed them from the heat source yesterday and will expose them to ambient room light.
As for the FC, I followed the shotgun TEK and the humidity is hovering at 80% - even with the FC elevated. I cleaned out the first batch of Perlite and replaced it with a new 4 inch layer.
I still have the humidifier/AE device attachedn (image at top of post), would you recommend that I disconnect this? Do you think it will cause more harm than good?
Edited by lkelly2006 (05/04/10 06:45 PM)
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RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure


Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
Last seen: 1 year, 10 months
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You should never connect a humidifier or any fan to a shotgun terrarium. Build it per the tek and your humidity will be correct, as will fresh air exchange. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms
semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat
"I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work."
Thomas Edison
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lkelly2006
lkelly2006

Registered: 05/03/10
Posts: 27
Loc:
Last seen: 14 years, 7 months
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Quote:
RogerRabbit said: You should never connect a humidifier or any fan to a shotgun terrarium. Build it per the tek and your humidity will be correct, as will fresh air exchange. RR
Alrighty, will do! Will post pictures as it progresses.
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lkelly2006
lkelly2006

Registered: 05/03/10
Posts: 27
Loc:
Last seen: 14 years, 7 months
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Some progress 
5 out of 7 of my jars are fully colonized - will let them sit a few more days before birthing.
I fear 2 of them may be contaminated - one jar is showing spots of yellow and the other is very moist and I may see signs of pink. I moved these jars away from my other ones just in case.
The B+ cake that was birthed last week has some pins . Only about six visible so far.

This morning I noticed some pins on the bottom of the cake that are being squished. I just turned the cake on it's side so that both sides may grow. Do you think this is a good idea or should I just leave it sitting vertically?
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Shea25
Just some guy



Registered: 01/27/09
Posts: 7,772
Loc: Westcoast Canada
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Quote:
lkelly2006 said: Hello,
This is my first time growing and I'm hoping to get as many kinks out of my TEK early rather than late! I've done a good amount of online researching and purchased a few books on the topic prior to this attempt. I may have identified a few potential issues but would appreciate any additional input .
Inoculation Jars:
2 parts Vermiculite 1 part Water 1 part Organic Brown Rice Flower 1/2 pint vertical jars 80-87 F incubation temps
Fruiting Chamber:
7.5 Gallon clear tub Tropical Aire Humidifier which also provides steady air exchange Moistened Perlite bedding Front of tub has holes drilled for air exchange (90% are sealed to keep humidity as I'm in the desert!) Saran Plastic Rap is lined under and around the lid for a good seal.

Currently I'm attempting B+, Treasure Coast, and Mexican spores (syringes purchased from a trusted online vendor).
I mixed this batch about two weeks ago and the jars have been incubating in the dark at a high 80 F range. I mixed enough to fill 7 jars and so far B+ and Mexican have colonized the quickest. Three are close to full colonization and the others are developing a bit more slowly. As of four days ago, a B+ reached full colonization and I began the next phase. First, the cake was soaked in distilled water for a few hours. It was then coated with dry vermiculite and placed in a prepared fruiting chamber the next day. The humidity level ranges from 80-90% and the temperature ranges from 75-85 F.

For the first two days I had been misting the B+ cake at least twice a day and fanning briefly after-wards. It would receive indirect sunlight for most of the afternoon/evening and a good 8-10 hours of darkness. Yesterday I noticed that the tops and sides were forming small circular fluffy areas so I began to do some research online just in case.
On some of the forums here I read that the continued mycelium growth rather than fruiting may have been caused by misting them too often and that the temperatures may be too high. On some of the posts I read that my humidity levels may be too high but from my understanding they should be okay.

My Thoughts:
I'm contemplating on taking the foil off some of the jars in hopes that better air exchange will speed up the process or I just may take them out of incubation and move them to a mid to low 70 F area. I can see moisture inside the jars so I don't believe they could be too dry. Alternatively, it could just be that some of the strains I purchased colonize much quicker than the others.
As for the B+ cake, it has only been in the fruiting chamber for four days so it is early in the fruiting stage. I've been putting ice in the humidifier's water when the casing's temperature exceeds 85F - this seems to help. I also read that cracking open the lid may help it cool down. Additionally/alternatively I could move it's location to a cooler area and/or limit it's light exposure length. So far I have a positive outlook but would appreciate any suggestions or comments on the progress and if there is anything that I could modify that may positively benefit the outcome.
First off you want 1/2 pint short jars not vertical. Your incubation temps are way to high, try 70-75F. Shotguns can work in desert areas quite fine have holes in all six sides. No need to Saran wrap the lid to seal it shotguns should not be sealed. The foil lids should ALWAYS come off after inoculation. Jars do not have to be in the dark while colonizing.
Get more perlite and build a proper shotgun and ditch the humidifier. There is no need to use distilled water for the dunk. Mist 3-4 times a day and fan right after. Fan 5-6 time a day
Let jars sit for 1 week after 100% colonization
And don't have the cakes sitting right on the perlite use foil or the lids to keep them off. Keep your jars and fruiting chamber off the ground most contams are only 1 foot from the ground.
Calibrate your hygrometer by wrapping it in a wet towel for 1 hour then manually setting it to 100%
Give this a read http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/11585613/fpart/1
Edited by Shea25 (05/10/10 10:30 AM)
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lkelly2006
lkelly2006

Registered: 05/03/10
Posts: 27
Loc:
Last seen: 14 years, 7 months
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Re: My TEK? [Re: Shea25]
#12536350 - 05/10/10 10:54 AM (14 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
Shea25 said:
Quote:
lkelly2006 said: Hello,
This is my first time growing and I'm hoping to get as many kinks out of my TEK early rather than late! I've done a good amount of online researching and purchased a few books on the topic prior to this attempt. I may have identified a few potential issues but would appreciate any additional input .
Inoculation Jars:
2 parts Vermiculite 1 part Water 1 part Organic Brown Rice Flower 1/2 pint vertical jars 80-87 F incubation temps
Fruiting Chamber:
7.5 Gallon clear tub Tropical Aire Humidifier which also provides steady air exchange Moistened Perlite bedding Front of tub has holes drilled for air exchange (90% are sealed to keep humidity as I'm in the desert!) Saran Plastic Rap is lined under and around the lid for a good seal.

Currently I'm attempting B+, Treasure Coast, and Mexican spores (syringes purchased from a trusted online vendor).
I mixed this batch about two weeks ago and the jars have been incubating in the dark at a high 80 F range. I mixed enough to fill 7 jars and so far B+ and Mexican have colonized the quickest. Three are close to full colonization and the others are developing a bit more slowly. As of four days ago, a B+ reached full colonization and I began the next phase. First, the cake was soaked in distilled water for a few hours. It was then coated with dry vermiculite and placed in a prepared fruiting chamber the next day. The humidity level ranges from 80-90% and the temperature ranges from 75-85 F.

For the first two days I had been misting the B+ cake at least twice a day and fanning briefly after-wards. It would receive indirect sunlight for most of the afternoon/evening and a good 8-10 hours of darkness. Yesterday I noticed that the tops and sides were forming small circular fluffy areas so I began to do some research online just in case.
On some of the forums here I read that the continued mycelium growth rather than fruiting may have been caused by misting them too often and that the temperatures may be too high. On some of the posts I read that my humidity levels may be too high but from my understanding they should be okay.

My Thoughts:
I'm contemplating on taking the foil off some of the jars in hopes that better air exchange will speed up the process or I just may take them out of incubation and move them to a mid to low 70 F area. I can see moisture inside the jars so I don't believe they could be too dry. Alternatively, it could just be that some of the strains I purchased colonize much quicker than the others.
As for the B+ cake, it has only been in the fruiting chamber for four days so it is early in the fruiting stage. I've been putting ice in the humidifier's water when the casing's temperature exceeds 85F - this seems to help. I also read that cracking open the lid may help it cool down. Additionally/alternatively I could move it's location to a cooler area and/or limit it's light exposure length. So far I have a positive outlook but would appreciate any suggestions or comments on the progress and if there is anything that I could modify that may positively benefit the outcome.
First off you want 1/2 pint short jars not vertical. Your incubation temps are way to high, try 70-75F. Shotguns can work in desert areas quite fine have holes in all six sides. No need to Saran wrap the lid to seal it shotguns should not be sealed. The foil lids should ALWAYS come off after inoculation. Jars do not have to be in the dark while colonizing.
Get more perlite and build a proper shotgun and ditch the humidifier. There is no need to use distilled water for the dunk. Mist 3-4 times a day and fan right after. Fan 5-6 time a day
Let jars sit for 1 week after 100% colonization
And don't have the cakes sitting right on the perlite use foil or the lids to keep them off. Keep your jars and fruiting chamber off the ground most contams are only 1 foot from the ground.
Calibrate your hygrometer by wrapping it in a wet towel for 1 hour then manually setting it to 100%
Give this a read http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/11585613/fpart/1
Thanks but all of that has been modified already (info in posts/reply's below my original). I kept the humidifier as when I modified the FC to have holes on all 6 sides, with a fresh layer 4"+ of moist Perlite, the humidity would drop to 60-70%. I am able to maintain 80-85% but only with the humidifier now. The one I am using barely has any airflow but just enough to add a good 10% more humidity. I may try a Monotub next time.
I will elevate my FC higher to avoid the ground contaminates. As for my B+ cake, should I leave it on its side or move it vertically as it has been for the last 6ish days?
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Shea25
Just some guy



Registered: 01/27/09
Posts: 7,772
Loc: Westcoast Canada
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Have you calibrated your hygrometer
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lkelly2006
lkelly2006

Registered: 05/03/10
Posts: 27
Loc:
Last seen: 14 years, 7 months
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Re: My TEK? [Re: Shea25]
#12536371 - 05/10/10 11:01 AM (14 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
Shea25 said: Have you calibrated your hygrometer
The one I purchased was from Petco. There is no way to manually adjust this one. When wrapped in a wet cloth it does go to 100% though.
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lkelly2006
lkelly2006

Registered: 05/03/10
Posts: 27
Loc:
Last seen: 14 years, 7 months
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A bit more progress...

The pics above are of the top and bottom - currently have the cake resting on it's side. How does the progress look ?
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Nyawinge



Registered: 03/17/10
Posts: 254
Loc:
Last seen: 12 years, 2 months
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It doesn't really matter which way you stand the cake up, but I would go ahead and just leave it resting on the bottom rather than the side. You'll just continue to get bottom pins if you leave that side exposed to light, and you might risk having your cake topple over in the middle of the night or something. Pick whatever's on the bottom once it starts developing an actual cap and just keep your cakes upright from then on.
Good job responding to feedback and tweaking your setup, BTW. Looks like you're starting to see some good results. If you're still having trouble with humidity levels, try drilling some more 1/4" holes, adding another inch or so of pearlite, and ditching any fans, purifiers, or humidifiers in the room. I was doing everything right and still not breaking 85-90% until I got rid of the air purifier that was in the closet with my FC- it doesn't seem like a big deal, but any sort of air movement will suck all the moisture right out of your FC, especially in a dry environment. Try tweaking your setup and run it without the humidifier for a day or so and see if your humidity levels straighten out. If your setup is in a closet and you reaallly need the humidifier to keep the RH high (i.e. you live in an arid/desert environment) try moving it into the adjoining room instead- that might keep the RH up without disturbing the airflow around your shotgun FC.
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Edited by Nyawinge (05/12/10 02:02 PM)
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lkelly2006
lkelly2006


Registered: 05/03/10
Posts: 27
Loc:
Last seen: 14 years, 7 months
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Quote:
Nyawinge said: It doesn't really matter which way you stand the cake up, but I would go ahead and just leave it resting on the bottom rather than the side. You'll just continue to get bottom pins if you leave that side exposed to light, and you might risk having your cake topple over in the middle of the night or something. Pick whatever's on the bottom once it starts developing an actual cap and just keep your cakes upright from then on.
Good job responding to feedback and tweaking your setup, BTW. Looks like you're starting to see some good results. If you're still having trouble with humidity levels, try drilling some more 1/4" holes, adding another inch or so of pearlite, and ditching any fans, purifiers, or humidifiers in the room. I was doing everything right and still not breaking 85-90% until I got rid of the air purifier that was in the closet with my FC- it doesn't seem like a big deal, but any sort of air movement will suck all the moisture right out of your FC, especially in a dry environment. Try tweaking your setup and run it without the humidifier for a day or so and see if your humidity levels straighten out. If your setup is in a closet and you reaallly need the humidifier to keep the RH high (i.e. you live in an arid/desert environment) try moving it into the adjoining room instead- that might keep the RH up without disturbing the airflow around your shotgun FC.
I will definitely try that. I may be upgrading to a larger FC as I have about 6 cakes ready for birthing. Would you recommend I do a SG or Mono tub this time due to my dry area?
I currently have the FC in my living room elevated about 4-5ft high. I have a humidifier in the kitchen that keeps the RH at around 30%. Can't seem to get that any higher either lol. The only air movement besides the humidifier in the FC would be my air conditioner. I can feel a slight breeze in my living room but I turn off the A/C at night. Do you think this may also be an issue?
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