|
Some of these posts are very old and might contain outdated information. You may wish to search for newer posts instead.
|
TerrapinSunrise
Stranger
Registered: 01/27/03
Posts: 350
Loc: KY
|
dried-out substrate - need help
#1528042 - 05/07/03 03:35 PM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
so my friend innoculated a mycobag of treasureCoast and it was doing well until somehow the reptile heater got a little too hot and dried out the substrate too much. he is using a mycobag to avoid sterilization issues, but now he needs help with how to go about re-hydrating the substrate. he is aware that it may be a posibility to inject sterile water through the injection port, however he does not know what "sterile" water means. how can he go about getting sterile water? can you buy sterile water and, if so, would it be called "spring" water or "distilled" water or what? if you cannot buy it, how can he go about creating the water necessary to save his stalled, getting-drier-by-the-day, mycelium and substrate? he obviously does not want to lose his only substrate since it cost money and he has been waiting for it to colonize for far too long at this point. he believes that if he can somehow get the right kind of fluid into the substrate (he has a syringe), the mycelium will take off and finish colonizing in nearly no time. I thank all of you so much on his behalf.
|
shirley knott
not my real name
Registered: 11/11/02
Posts: 9,105
Loc: London
Last seen: 7 years, 2 months
|
|
sterilise some water in a syringe, by wrapping the syringe in foil, then pc-ing it (or steaming for longer).
do several at once. also useful for syringe-making
-------------------- buh
|
TerrapinSunrise
Stranger
Registered: 01/27/03
Posts: 350
Loc: KY
|
Re: dried-out substrate - need help [Re: shirley knott]
#1528091 - 05/07/03 03:54 PM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
he doesnt have a PC. Could he suck up some filtered water in a syringe, wrap it in the foil, and toss it in a pot of boiling water for an hour? he doesnt have a steamer either, so would it still work if it is in contact with boiling water i.e. the foil-wrapped syringe floating in the boiling water? also, as a side note: for spore syringe making, this method applies (?). that is really cool if that is how you make spore syringes.... i am guessing that the spores survive the heat whereas all bacteria die off? but what if there are foreign spores in the mix that also survive? that would be bad - or no?
thanks
|
shirley knott
not my real name
Registered: 11/11/02
Posts: 9,105
Loc: London
Last seen: 7 years, 2 months
|
|
i meant to make the water sterile before adding spores.
-------------------- buh
|
moldmaster
mold fighter forlife
Registered: 01/24/03
Posts: 160
Loc: contamville, Trich
Last seen: 20 years, 8 months
|
|
Distilled water will work fine. Go to Wal-Mart and buy a gallon for 58 cents, put some water in a pot, let it boil, then fill the syringe and let cool. This tech. is used for making syringes and it will work to rehydrate your cake.
-------------------- Wham bam kick yo ass contam. Mold doesn't even dare to enter my shit because I have the remedy
|
TerrapinSunrise
Stranger
Registered: 01/27/03
Posts: 350
Loc: KY
|
Re: dried-out substrate - need help [Re: moldmaster]
#1528135 - 05/07/03 04:10 PM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
thanks moldmaster. he has an OPENED gallon of distilled water - will that work or does he need a fresh gallon? how long to boil it? an hour? also, what would you recommend for making sure the syring is clean - (it's the syring he used for the spores originally - he assumes it is sterile inside, but should he suck up some h202 or alcohol and push it back through to clean it or not?) - ?
shirley - after PCing or boiling the syringe of water, how can you add spores? syringes are a one-way object - how do you get spores into a full syringe? im confused, elaborate please! thanks
|
moldmaster
mold fighter forlife
Registered: 01/24/03
Posts: 160
Loc: contamville, Trich
Last seen: 20 years, 8 months
|
|
The opened distilled water is fine because when the water is boiling the contams will be killed. You can suck up some alcohol just to be safe, but it isn't neccessary. You can take apart a syringe and clean all the pieces with alcohol, then once the water is boiling, suck up some of the water and push it out a few times. Next, you want to know how a spore syringe is made. Here is my tech. for making spore syringes. 1. Make your own spore print 2. Make your own glove box 3. Take a glass(2-3 oz bar glass) and cover it will foil. 4. Take a butter knife and break of the handle, then put foil around the knife part. 5. Throw them into a PC for 25min at 15PSI 6. Since I reuse all my syringes, I take a syringe, boil some distilled water, and fill it up. Since I am already going to sterlize my glass and knife I might as well throw in the syring too. 7. Put the spore print, syringes, knife, and cup into glove box. 8. Take foil off the glass and add a little distilled water. 9. Cover the glove box with saran wrap. 10. Scrap spores with knife into glass. 11. Mix around so that I don't have clumps and then release about 1 cc of water from the syringe into the box and put the rest into the glass. I do this to make the syringes more concentrated. 12. Finally, suck up your ten cc's and your finished.
-------------------- Wham bam kick yo ass contam. Mold doesn't even dare to enter my shit because I have the remedy
|
Zwieback0
Baby Bread
Registered: 08/23/02
Posts: 3,473
|
Re: dried-out substrate - need help [Re: moldmaster]
#1528175 - 05/07/03 04:27 PM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
Or you could just simply take a spray bottle, fill it with water, and spray the casing down and spray some on the side of the casing so the water can trickle down to the myc. in the bottom. Thats easier and more productive.
|
moldmaster
mold fighter forlife
Registered: 01/24/03
Posts: 160
Loc: contamville, Trich
Last seen: 20 years, 8 months
|
Re: dried-out substrate - need help [Re: Zwieback0]
#1528179 - 05/07/03 04:28 PM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
He is using a mycobag and probably doesn't want to open the bag to contamination.
-------------------- Wham bam kick yo ass contam. Mold doesn't even dare to enter my shit because I have the remedy
|
TerrapinSunrise
Stranger
Registered: 01/27/03
Posts: 350
Loc: KY
|
Re: dried-out substrate - need help [Re: moldmaster]
#1528215 - 05/07/03 04:48 PM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
thanks for your knowledgeable responses and also your understanding of the situation (the fact that my friend is using a mycobag and not regular teks...), moldmaster.
one more question(s) for now: how much boiling is necessary? does 5 minutes of boiling accomplish the same as an hour of boiling in terms of contam-killing and whatnot? he doesn't want to take apart the syringe, but he may consider sucking up alcohol and then sucking up the boiling water to rinse it out - is that risky? can syringes handle boiling water, or do they crack? thanks for bearing with me through these questions.
|
TerrapinSunrise
Stranger
Registered: 01/27/03
Posts: 350
Loc: KY
|
|
ok, my friend just called me and said that he did boiled the distilled water. he sucked up some alcohol and air and swished it around, and shot it out. he then sucked up boiling water twice and shot it out twice. finally, he sucked up 10cc of boiling distilled water, and then let the syringe sit in the pot and it got steamed/boiled for 10 minutes. 2 hours later, after it cooled, he injected all 10cc of the sterile water into his mycobag substrate. he said he also broke it up and massaged it well to disperse the mycelium, substrate, and water as evenly as possible. i told him i thought he did a good job. does it sound like he did it right? is 10cc enough or too much or just right? thanks again all of you wonderful people. peace.
|
aobnoxious
newbie
Registered: 03/18/03
Posts: 123
Last seen: 1 month, 16 days
|
|
10cc, sounds like quite a bit. How hot was a little too hot that made him think he dreid out the substrate? These bags are made with specific moisture and substrate conditions for colonization and fruiting...10 cc's of water sounds a little extreme. However, it will probably work, just take take a month or two longer.
|
|