Home | Community | Message Board
You are not signed in.
Sign In New Account
Forum Index Search Posts Trusted Vendors Highlights Galleries FAQ User List Chat Store Random Growery

PlanetSpores.ca
This site includes paid links. Please support our sponsors.

Mushrooms, Mycology and Psychedelics > Mushroom Cultivation
Threaded Mode Threaded  Previous topic Previous  View all topics Index  Next topic Next 

Welcome to the Shroomery Message Board! You are experiencing a small sample of what the site has to offer. Please login or register to post messages and view our exclusive members-only content. You'll gain access to additional forums, file attachments, board customizations, encrypted private messages, and much more!

Shop: MagicBag.co All-In-One Bags That Don't Suck   Sporeworks.EU Spores for European Microscopy   Original Sensible Seeds Autoflowering Cannabis Seeds   North Spore Bulk Substrate   Myyco.com Isolated Cubensis Liquid Culture For Sale   Mushroom-Hut Mono Tub Substrate

Jump to first unread post Pages: 1
Some of these posts are very old and might contain outdated information. You may wish to search for newer posts instead.
Not managing to increase humidity inside terrarium (Ultrasonic Fogger)
    #12913571 -

Hello,

this is my first serious attempt at mushroom cultivation. Actually, I had an earlier attempt last year, but all of my jars got contaminated. This time, I tried to be more careful about cleanliness and sterility and looks like I made it past the mycelium stage successfully. I have 3 jars almost fully colonized by now.

I am following MMGG (Magic Mushrooms Grower's Guide) from Erowid as thoroughly as I can for being my first time. I chose the 4th setup option for a growing chamber described in the document regarding a method of providing humidity (Using an ultrasonic humidifier), because it said it was the one that required the least attention with respect to air renewal (fanning) and misting.

The only deviations with respect to the materials and building of the terrarium from how it is specified in MMGG that I can recall (see pictures below) are: the terrarium, instead of being made out of one Styrofoam cooler, is made out of TWO Styrofoam coolers placed on top of each other (the upper one had the bottom part cut out) and glued with silicone, because I couldn't find a Styrofoam box which was high enough to accommodate the Plexiglas dripping shield at a decent angle; and, instead of using an ultrasonic humidifier, I am using an ultrasonic fogger from Exo Terra.

I got the (mini?) ultrasonic fogger from Exo Terra because at first I didn't know where to get an ultrasonic humidifier (I asked some pet shops and they told me no idea). Later on I came across some ultrasonic humidifiers at a grow shop (where they sell cannabis seeds and growing paraphernalia) but they were quite pricey (90 - 100 odd euro) compared to the Exo Terra US fogger (also expensive, 47 euro). I figured out the Exo Terra fogger might as well work. I saw some other posts here from people who say they're using the Exo Terra fogger; and also I saw an ultrasonic fogger as one of the options described in some document here as one of the possible alternatives for humidification/air exchange (others being US humidifier, perlite and cool mist humidifier I think).

The thing is this mini US fogger doesn't have a chamber for holding water of its own, so you have to put inside a container with water covering it 5 to 30 mm. Also, one end of the power cord is attached to the fogger thingy, so you have to drill a hole in the water container to be able to pass the power cord out. As a water container, I am using a cheap high and small plastic tupperware from the corner shop. The hole for passing out the power cord is one side of it and "sealed" with duct tape. The hole for the vinyl tube to conduct the air out is on top, on the lid (see pictures below).

The fogger itself seems to be working properly, since it creates a dense mist on the top of the water container (the space without water), perfectly visible when I remove the container's lid. There seems to be no visible point through which vapor is leaking out of the water container. It looks like vapor is not moving out of the top of the water container and through the vinyl tubes and the coke bottles into the terrarium. At most, I am seeing some signs of condensed vapor in the walls of the first tube going out of the container, but nothing more, nothing into the first bottle or out of it into the following stretches of vinyl tube. If I press on the lid of the plastic tupperware (like compressing the air on top) a little bit of vapor goes out by the hole for the power cord (the thing covered with duct tape) and sometimes a little goes out the other end of the first vinyl tube.

As you can see, I am using three 2 l coke bottles (as suggested in the MMGG) to allow water droplets to collect. The black rubber grommets surrounding the vinyl tube at the lid and the holes in the bottles are not sealed with silicone or anything, but they are quite tightly fitting in the holes in general. The terrarium has an entrance hole for the vinyl tube on one side, above the Plexiglas dripping shield, which allows the vinyl tube a little movement but not much. It is not sealed with silicone either. The terrarium has another hole at the bottom, in the center, to allow air exchange (this was also suggested in the MMGG in the section for "Ultrasonic humidifier setup").

After 12 hours of leaving the ultrasonic fogger on, I am not managing to get the humidity level inside the terrarium to increase (I was testing the setup before I had to bring in the mycelium cakes, likely next week). The hygrometer inside keeps marking 50% humidity, same as before connecting all this ultrasonic fogger setup, and either the whole setup is not doing anything, or the (analog) hygrometer is telling the wrong thing, which looks highly unlikely to me.

Any ideas what I may be doing wrong and how to solve it? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Picture of the setup here (sorry about the lousy quality, they were taken at night with the cell phone):










Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Re: Not managing to increase humidity inside terrarium (Ultrasonic Fogger) [Re: gilrod]
    #12913664 -

That guide is full of old info.
I made the mistake and trusted MMGG when I started growing.

It's far better to start from here http://www.mushroomvideos.com/BRF-Pf-Tek


--------------------
My shroom inspired photo gallery



- One of god's own prototypes. Too weird to live, too rare to die -

I highly recommend www.genesisgeneration.us and Freedomainradio.

Jii

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Re: Not managing to increase humidity inside terrarium (Ultrasonic Fogger) [Re: Jii]
    #12913737 -

i read parts of it. lol.

from what i've heard that's all old info. you should just make a SGFC

i supplement mine with an ultrasonic, it gets things nice and damp in there when left on for a little while.

be sure to fan lots!! :thumbup:


--------------------
AMU - AMU Q & A - MyVideo Teks!

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Re: Not managing to increase humidity inside terrarium (Ultrasonic Fogger) [Re: Jii]
    #12913802 -

Jii said:
That guide is full of old info.
I made the mistake and trusted MMGG when I started growing.

It's far better to start from here http://www.mushroomvideos.com/BRF-Pf-Tek



Good call!!
I made the same mistake of following the MMGG years ago and grew some great trichoderma cakes with a few measly mushrooms attached

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Re: Not managing to increase humidity inside terrarium (Ultrasonic Fogger) [Re: ruckusman]
    #12913876 -

I stopped reading at "Drip shield".  Do not use Erowid for growing shrooms, the shroomery has everything you could possibly need, and is accurate and up-to-date as long as you read teks and stuff from trusted Cultivators.

Here's what you do.  Make a shotgun fruiting chamber, and use a ultrasonic to replace misting.  Have it run for 15 mins every few hours or so.  You will need to watch it for a few days to make sure your cakes are drying a bit before the next mist.  They shouldn't stay wet all the time.

And that is basically it.  I have no idea what kind of contraption you were trying to make from Erowid, but it is totally out-dated and WAY more complicated than it should be.  A SGFC is all you need.


--------------------

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Re: Not managing to increase humidity inside terrarium (Ultrasonic Fogger) [Re: Nanoid]
    #12914186 -

Speaking from experience those reptile/fish tank style foggers will only provide sufficient fresh air for a very small fruiting chamber.  Maybe 2 quarts worth.

For a full size shotgun terrarium you're going to need a larger unit and set it on a timer.

I recommend a vicks 5100N ultrasonic.  Pipe it directly into the terrarium(s) for about 15 minutes every 2 hours.

We've come a long ways since the MMGG was written :-D


--------------------
Spongiform's Plastic Tek - An Alternative to Glass
Spongi's PF Block Tek & Automated Shotgun Project.

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Re: Not managing to increase humidity inside terrarium (Ultrasonic Fogger) [Re: Spongiform]
    #12914202 -

Thank you for your answers guys.

I've been giving a quick look at part 3 of those videos about the Shotgun terrarium, and at the text descriptions. I think I'll probably try that for the time being, seems simple enough and already have the perlite at home. I'll probably build it tomorrow when I can get hold of another plastic container.

It's a shame the wasted money and time invested in following the MMGG instructions though, specially for the most pricey items, the plexiglas and the fogger :frown:

I knew about this site before and had read some things from here, but chose to stick to the MMGG from erowid because when you arrive to the past-the-mycelium stage of growing (design of fruiting chamber, method of humidification, cakes vs. casing, etc, etc) there are a lot of possibilities and choices to be made with pros/cons, and it seemed overwhelming to ponder all that info if you are a complete newbie. The MMGG seemed like a good place to start, providing a all-in-place description that I could stick to.

By the way, when was MMGG last revised, 2001 I seem to recall?

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Re: Not managing to increase humidity inside terrarium (Ultrasonic Fogger) [Re: gilrod]
    #12914267 -

Usually you can find other uses for used mycology equipment.  I have several monotubs being used as laundry hampers for the moment and one is currently a cat litter box.

You're looking at about $100-$120 to automate a terrarium properly but you can set it up to run 2 or 3 terrariums simultaneously and save a lot of time misting/fanning.




--------------------
Spongiform's Plastic Tek - An Alternative to Glass
Spongi's PF Block Tek & Automated Shotgun Project.

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Re: Not managing to increase humidity inside terrarium (Ultrasonic Fogger) [Re: Spongiform]
    #12914529 -

Personally, I disagree strongly with attempts to automate a terrarium, especially by new growers just learning the ropes. 

When you mist a few times daily, it gives a chance to really inspect the substrate for any sign of mold.  If you automate it, you might go too long without looking and find the darned thing covered with mold, puking trillions of trichoderma spores into your growing area.  Misting by hand also lets you read each substrate and determine exactly how much to mist.

As already said, the MMGG is outdated, but was crappy at best ten years ago.  Fruiting parameters for mushrooms haven't changed in thousands of years. . .we just know a lot more about them now.
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

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Jump to top Pages: 1

Shop: MagicBag.co All-In-One Bags That Don't Suck   Sporeworks.EU Spores for European Microscopy   Original Sensible Seeds Autoflowering Cannabis Seeds   North Spore Bulk Substrate   Myyco.com Isolated Cubensis Liquid Culture For Sale   Mushroom-Hut Mono Tub Substrate

Mushrooms, Mycology and Psychedelics > Mushroom Cultivation
Threaded Mode Threaded  Previous topic Previous  View all topics Index  Next topic Next 

Similar ThreadsPosterViewsRepliesLast post
* Humidity inside the jars.Humidity outside? LostMetropolis 856 4 04/23/03 06:20 AM
by Macey Howard
* Temperature Inside terrarium vader 965 1 06/05/02 09:20 AM
by dirk gently
* humidity of terrarium tayua 1,105 5 10/28/02 01:02 PM
by SmashedMe
* Tips for controlling humidity in terrarium fIsh in my head 1,190 3 06/16/03 07:16 AM
by shirley knott
* Problem maintaining humidity in terrarium TheHobbit 1,983 9 11/16/02 06:20 PM
by Fred Garvin
* Trouble checking out terrarium MushroomMatt 978 6 10/04/01 06:12 PM
by MushroomMatt
* Larger style terrariums bassplayer74 1,934 13 01/24/02 04:30 AM
by Anonymous
* Building a Automatic terrarium (Mr. Pink chime in conan6901 4,006 3 10/25/01 10:58 AM
by Mr. Pink

Extra information
You cannot start new topics / You cannot reply to topics
HTML is disabled / BBCode is enabled
Moderator: Shroomism, george castanza, RogerRabbit, veggie, mushboy, fahtster, the_chosen_one, LogicaL Chaos, 13shrooms, hamloaf, cronicr, Stipe-n Cap, Pastywhyte, bodhisatta, Tormato, Land Trout, A.k.a
8,484 topic views. 12 members, 109 guests and 149 web crawlers are browsing this forum.
[ Show Images Only | Sort by Score | Print Topic ]
Search this thread:

Copyright 1997-2026 Mind Media. Some rights reserved.

Generated in 0.028 seconds spending 0.008 seconds on 14 queries.