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Mushrooms, Mycology and Psychedelics > Mushroom Cultivation
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Shotgun Airflow
    #14261117 -

Working on my first grow. All was going really well until we get to the fruiting chamber. Birthing was 2 weeks ago, and I've got nothing at all from any cakes. Fully colonized, and they smell of mushrooms, but no detectable growth of any kind. Also, I did a stupid noob thing and used 4 different strains for 4 different cakes, so I would think that it's a systematic problem with the chamber.

Situation:
My fruiting chamber is a smallish clear plastic tote. Classic SGFC. It's got holes every 2 inches, and 5 inches of damp Perlite. It's elevated about 3" above the surface it's on, so the box itself should be getting good airflow in theory. I've got a fluorescent light above on a 12/12 timer, and I'm opening the whole thing up to mist/fan 3-5 times a day. Humidity is nice, staying at 95% - 100% all the time.

Suspected problem:
The whole apparatus is in a metal box roughly 2 feet by 2.5 feet by 1.5 feet. For my grow, discretion is critical, so it's the only option I have. I think that while the FC inside has plenty of holes, maybe the air in the whole box is getting stale. The metal box is elevated several feet off the ground, and has two 5" holes in the bottom. It also has large grilles in the sides, but I've covered them with black fabric to keep out prying eyes. It shouldn't completely restrict the airflow, but it certainly has an effect.

My question:
I've constructed a fan that fits nicely over one of the holes in the bottom. I could either pump air into or out of the box. (not the fruiting chamber) However, being a good reader of the forums, I know what an important role the natural air flow of the SGFC plays, and I'd be concerned that if air was being forced past the FC, it would do something bad. I don't know whether it would be better to pump air in from underneath, or pump it out, causing it to get sucked into the sides of the box. Also, the whole apparatus is in a basement. While it's not filthy, I'd be concerned that maybe all that unfiltered air moving in 24/7 might contaminate the cakes. I'd appreciate feedback on that specific aspect above all else.

Another option to increase airflow would be to get an aquarium pump and pump air directly into a glass of water inside the FC from the outside. Again, I'm nervous about messing with the wisdom of the SGFC and wanted feedback on whether this might be a good or bad idea. Contamination would be less likely, because filtered air would be going into the FC.

Third, I could continue to wait. Nothing bad seems to be happening now, but nothing good, either. If I choose this route, how long should I wait before I consider the whole thing a failure and go back to chicken farming?

Thanks, I always get awesome feedback to my stupid questions from you guys, and for that I am truly grateful.

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Re: Shotgun Airflow [Re: mycomyke]
    #14261308 -

Quote:
The whole apparatus is in a metal box roughly 2 feet by 2.5 feet by 1.5 feet.


Yeah.


--------------------
You make it all possible. Doesn't it feel good?

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Re: Shotgun Airflow [Re: mycomyke]
    #14261941 -

A shotgun terrarium needs to be out in the open to work properly. It won't work in a box.  I don't see an aquarium pump having enough effect to help.  You need to find an arrangement to keep your terrarium sitting on a desk or table.
RR


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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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Re: Shotgun Airflow [Re: RogerRabbit]
    #14262018 -

RogerRabbit said:
A shotgun terrarium needs to be out in the open to work properly. It won't work in a box.  I don't see an aquarium pump having enough effect to help.  You need to find an arrangement to keep your terrarium sitting on a desk or table.
RR


:imwithstupid:


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Re: Shotgun Airflow [Re: Damion5050]
    #14262065 -

::sigh:: Yeah, I was worried this was the case.

Maybe it's a sign that God just doesn't want me eating mushrooms. :undecided:

I guess it was worth a shot anyway. I'll probably see what happens, but I'll let down my expectations.

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Re: Shotgun Airflow [Re: RogerRabbit]
    #14264661 -

Quote:
I don't see an aquarium pump having enough effect to help.


I'm most definitely not doubting your wisdom here, just trying to understand why this is the case. After all, I'm trying to learn how this all works.

My aquarium pump pumps 2800cc/min. I have a 30 liter tote, meaning it can pump that much air in just over 10 minutes. And this is fresh air, from outside the box of death, not more stale air.

So what is the mechanism that would cause this not to work?

Again, I don't want to sound like I think you're wrong. You're obviously right, as I tried something like this setup earlier with no effect. I just want to understand the mechanics behind it.

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Re: Shotgun Airflow [Re: mycomyke]
    #14264814 -

If you're trying to do a stealth or limited-space grow, there are other techniques more suitable than an aquarium pump chamber (search for PmP for an example of what you're doing).

Might be time to go monotub or mini-mono. They're whatever size you need them to be and don't require much, if any, maintenance on your part.

...and the reason a regular aquarium pump in a box is a bad idea is because you're getting fresh air exchange, which is great, but nothing is keeping the humidity up. The shotgun design works by having fresh air enter the bottom, wick moisture from the perlite into the chamber air, then exit through the top and sides. So...you get the best of both worlds, high humidity and fresh air.


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Re: Shotgun Airflow [Re: afrosheen]
    #14266501 -

Hmm... I've been thinking of going to PmP anyhow. I didn't know if it would work in my environment, but it sounds like it might. I've got some questions about it, but I'll start a new thread for that. Thanks for this info!

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Mushrooms, Mycology and Psychedelics > Mushroom Cultivation
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