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Macee
Stranger

Registered: 06/14/10
Posts: 29
Last seen: 10 years, 8 months
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I don't understand contamination + few questions
#13040536 - 08/12/10 09:15 AM (14 years, 5 months ago) |
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If contamination is that big of a deal when growing shrooms, how do they grow in the wild? I mean there is bacteria everywhere and if they are really that sensitive they shouldnt grow at all? :S
I'm saying this because im about to do an agar tek with spore prints, and am gonna sterilize everything that comes into contact with the agar, and inoculation loop. But is sterilizing the worksite really necessary if it's not gonna come in contact with anything? you wouldnt be able to stop all airbourne bacteria right?
Also the paper the spore print is on, is it possible to sterilize that? since id imagine its filled with bacteria?
Thanks
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Sgt. Frost



Registered: 04/16/10
Posts: 254
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Re: I don't understand contamination + few questions [Re: Macee]
#13040571 - 08/12/10 09:27 AM (14 years, 5 months ago) |
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In nature, a lots of far different factors are at work. The reason why everything isn't contaminated is due primarily to 2 things, sunlight and wind. The suns radiation kills plenty of bacteria. Not to mention, wind (think FAE) is always present, there's never a lack of it. And we all know FAE is very important in keeping those contams at bay
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Numinosum
President of Turd Town



Registered: 05/19/09
Posts: 1,175
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Re: I don't understand contamination + few questions [Re: Sgt. Frost]
#13042542 - 08/12/10 05:02 PM (14 years, 5 months ago) |
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Yes they occur in nature, where there are contaminants. But if they grew in our controlled environments at the same success rate that they grow in the wild, most people would have huge failure rates. That is why mushrooms produce such an insane number of spores.
The reason we strive for sterility is microbial antagonism. Yes if you have a grow that contaminates half way through, you will get fruits because the mushroom mycelium has a foothold.
But you are also increasing the number of contaminants in your home, thus increasing the chances for contaminants to gain a foot hold before the mushroom mycelium can.
You will see when you start with the agar, mushroom mycelium can usually live side by side with contaminants, but not the same space.
And yes you can stop all air borne contaminants from entering your medium, we do it all the time.
-------------------- ...within my memory is the knowledge of hyper-light drive ships and how to build them.
Doc_T's Efficiency Challenge
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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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Re: I don't understand contamination + few questions [Re: Numinosum]
#13042797 - 08/12/10 05:52 PM (14 years, 5 months ago) |
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There are plenty of contaminants in the wild and the mycelium grows in harmony with them. However, by practicing sterile culture, we can grow more on a 1/2 pint cake than nature can grow in half an acre. An analogy would be to compare sterile procedure to pulling the weeds out of your garden. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms
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"I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work."
Thomas Edison
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Macee
Stranger

Registered: 06/14/10
Posts: 29
Last seen: 10 years, 8 months
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Re: I don't understand contamination + few questions [Re: RogerRabbit]
#13043331 - 08/12/10 07:43 PM (14 years, 5 months ago) |
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hmmm yeah that makes sense. Thanks for the answers  Wish me luck hehe
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