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mycomyke
Stranger
Registered: 04/02/11
Posts: 25
Last seen: 12 years, 9 months
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Fruiting Chamber question
#14228854 - 04/02/11 11:01 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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First off, total noob to this whole experience. (Both cultivation as well as eating.) I'm working on my first crop, and up to this point everything had gone terrifically well. However, I'm at the stage where the cakes are supposed to be pinning, and I'm getting nothing. I put my first cake in the FC about a week and a half ago, and I don't see even the first hint of any type of pinning. I don't see any contaminants, either, but I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong. Due to my growing situation, I'm severely limited on space. (Trying to remain discrete.) Because of space issues, I've got sort of a hybrid SGFC. It has holes in 5 sides, (not the top) because I've got another tote with colonizing jars stacked on top, but it should be getting plenty of ventilation. 12/12 with a flourescent bulb. It's a pretty small tote, (roughly 18" x 14" x 14") but I'm only working on 5 cakes ATM. Because this is in a basement, and the temperature is barely 60 degrees, I put a tub of water underneath with a heater to try to keep the FC at >70 degrees. The water is at 84 degrees. It's just beneath the top tote, not touching, and it's got a baffle around the edges to keep the water vapor more or less in the tub, escaping through the FC. I've got three inches of perlite with the cakes on foil squares on top. In theory, the heated water should be evaporating creating an upward draft giving me plenty of GE in the chamber. I fan and mist three times a day. My hygrometer never goes over 80% humidity, but there is tons of condensation on the walls of the FC, and even on the inside of the hygrometer, so I think it's pretty humid in there. (Maybe not enough?) I mist and fan at least three times a day. I've seen conflicting advice on different threads, but should I:
1) Switch to another tote without holes and put in an air pump for GE. This would increase humidity, and I could set the tub down into the water and get the temp up a little but. Sometimes it has trouble getting to 70 degrees. 2) Put the air pump into my existing setup, possibly in a cup of water and perlite to facilitate more GE and humidity. 3) Just settle the hell down and wait for a while.
I'm a little discouraged because I see absolutely nothing so far on any of the cakes. I'm very excited to kick off this whole experience and I tend to over-think things anyway.
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Doc_T
Random Dude




Registered: 03/06/09
Posts: 42,395
Loc: Colorado
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Re: Fruiting Chamber question [Re: mycomyke]
#14228884 - 04/02/11 11:06 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Wow.
Pics are required, but I think the answer is going to be "build a proper FC".
-------------------- You make it all possible. Doesn't it feel good?
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Primal Call
Earth Mage



Registered: 09/05/10
Posts: 2,766
Loc: Here until here
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Re: Fruiting Chamber question [Re: mycomyke]
#14228990 - 04/02/11 11:27 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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I've seen WAY worse posts from new members, but try not to assume we have any idea what you are working with when you ask questions. give a lot of details. and yeah, like doc says, pics are very important.
I'm not too familiar with cakes and if the lid without holes will be an issue.
- be sure to change your incubator-water eventually. it will turn nasty in a couple weeks.
- 65-75F for all stages of growth is fine.
- you might want to add more perlite to a 4" mark if you are having humidity problems... sometimes hygrometers are inaccurate
- did you dunk and roll?
- if you are fanning then misting, like you put in that order in the OP, reverse that. you want to mist then fan so you get moisture to evaporate from the sub "pulling" the pins up.
- how long have you been in fruiting conditions?
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RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure



Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
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Re: Fruiting Chamber question [Re: mycomyke]
#14229002 - 04/02/11 11:29 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
In theory, the heated water should be evaporating creating an upward draft giving me plenty of GE in the chamber. I fan and mist three times a day. My hygrometer never goes over 80% humidity, but there is tons of condensation on the walls of the FC, and even on the inside of the hygrometer, so I think it's pretty humid in there.
Wrong.
In theory, the heated water will cause your humidity to condense on the sides of the terrarium where there is a temperature differential with the outside air. This leaves your cakes in a low humidity environment.
Build a shotgun terrarium per the tek, and if necessary heat the room, not the terrarium. There will never be condensation on the walls of a properly built shotgun terrarium. 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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Damion5050
Mush Doctor


Registered: 05/01/08
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Re: Fruiting Chamber question [Re: RogerRabbit]
#14229011 - 04/02/11 11:30 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
RogerRabbit said:
Quote:
In theory, the heated water should be evaporating creating an upward draft giving me plenty of GE in the chamber. I fan and mist three times a day. My hygrometer never goes over 80% humidity, but there is tons of condensation on the walls of the FC, and even on the inside of the hygrometer, so I think it's pretty humid in there.
Wrong.
In theory, the heated water will cause your humidity to condense on the sides of the terrarium where there is a temperature differential with the outside air. This leaves your cakes in a low humidity environment.
Build a shotgun terrarium per the tek, and if necessary heat the room, not the terrarium. There will never be condensation on the walls of a properly built shotgun terrarium. RR
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mycomyke
Stranger
Registered: 04/02/11
Posts: 25
Last seen: 12 years, 9 months
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Re: Fruiting Chamber question [Re: Damion5050]
#14229033 - 04/02/11 11:34 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Here's a crude diagram. I don't think pics will help too much. It's cramped.

I don't think it's too terribly improper. I wanted to go with a simple SGFC, but my basement is too damn cold. I don't think anything will grow at 60 degrees will it? That's the only reason for the water tub underneath. And even with that, it struggles to get to 70 degrees.
Heating the room isn't really an option. When I was colonizing jars, I set a tub down into the water, and it was a great way to get the temp up to 75 degrees, but it doesn't seem to be working very well at this stage.
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Primal Call
Earth Mage



Registered: 09/05/10
Posts: 2,766
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Re: Fruiting Chamber question [Re: mycomyke]
#14229102 - 04/02/11 11:49 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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I've seen someone say they grow, or have grown, at 58F. It's possible, just not ideal. Looks like you are definitely missing some holes and it sounds like you need to move the project out of the basement if possible. you could even call it project mayhem if you stop posting about it.
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mycomyke
Stranger
Registered: 04/02/11
Posts: 25
Last seen: 12 years, 9 months
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Re: Fruiting Chamber question [Re: Primal Call]
#14229199 - 04/03/11 12:07 AM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Thanks for all the quick feedback. RogerRabbit, I think you're definitely on the nose about the condensation from the cooler outside. I didn't really think of it that way, but it makes a lot of sense. Moist, warm air going up through the perlite then sticking to the side walls because of the cool outside.
What about abandoning SGFC altogether? I could put a tub with no holes (at least none in the bottom) into the bottom tub. (This is what I did to incubate the jars for colonization.) I could put damp perlite in the bottom of that tub and use a pump/bubbler for gas exchange. I've seen similar setups talked about here. (Without the added heat.) It would be warmer than my current setup, more humid, and I think it would have plenty of fresh air.
Thoughts? Again, I can't move it out of the basement. Way too many logistical problems. I'm not looking for huge harvest by any means. I have no intentions for mass production or distribution, just enough crop for a few personal experiences.
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