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Neller
Stranger

Registered: 10/18/13
Posts: 63
Loc: kentucky
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sawdust colonization weak
#19334821 - 12/27/13 10:38 PM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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I got some oak sawdust/shavings from a local woodworking shop and nothing seems to want to colonize the stuff. Reishi colonized it slowly but did ok in comparison to lions mane which I spawned on 11/30 and is still lookin' like the only hip-hop ma' fuckas on Schindler's List.
The bags/bottles were all non-supplemented with +-10% gypsum. I added verm to some later bags thinking maybe it was moisture content related. This might have helped a little bit if at all.
Spawn rate was maybe 10 to 20%. I'm leaning toward this being the problem but shouldn't it still at least colonize after a month.
Or it could be ge. I have some lm in quart ziplock bags with the last inch and a half left open. These are the ones I'm having the most trouble out of. The mycelium is just really thin and weak looking in all cases:bags, bottles, verm, reishi, lm
-------------------- "If there’s one generational difference I notice between my parents’ generation and mine, is that my generation values time over money. And not because we’re lazy either, but because we’re not willing to trade time with the people we love most for a gold watch at retirement." -BRETT Reaching for heaven is what I'm on earth to do.
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Forrester
aspiring sociopath


Registered: 02/05/13
Posts: 9,351
Loc: Northeast USA
Last seen: 25 days, 8 hours
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Re: sawdust colonization weak [Re: Neller]
#19334850 - 12/27/13 10:50 PM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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How did you hydrate? Sounds like too wet to me, just off the top of my head. Reishi is never weak or slow, unless it's way too wet, and lion's mane HATES too much moisture. More sensitive than most species I've worked with.
-------------------- Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here. ------------------- Have some medicinal mushrooms and want to get the most out of them? Try this double extraction method.
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Neller
Stranger

Registered: 10/18/13
Posts: 63
Loc: kentucky
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Re: sawdust colonization weak [Re: Forrester]
#19339071 - 12/28/13 09:34 PM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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The reishi bottles had about a half inch or less at the bottom that seemed to not colonize due to the water content(where it collected).
I just added water and gypsum(dissolved) to the sawdust until only a few drops came out when I squeezed it pretty hard. Then loaded into quart jars and pasteurized.
Then I used verm to hopefully absorb some excess water/hold more water but they also didn't perform well. This is the lions mane.
None of the bottles or blocks ever got totally white with mycelium.
I've spawned some dung lovers before and they ripped through the sub in like 5 to 7 days. Nice and white by the 10th day at least. The sub had a lot more moisture but it seemed to hold it better.
-------------------- "If there’s one generational difference I notice between my parents’ generation and mine, is that my generation values time over money. And not because we’re lazy either, but because we’re not willing to trade time with the people we love most for a gold watch at retirement." -BRETT Reaching for heaven is what I'm on earth to do.
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Forrester
aspiring sociopath


Registered: 02/05/13
Posts: 9,351
Loc: Northeast USA
Last seen: 25 days, 8 hours
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Re: sawdust colonization weak [Re: Neller]
#19339153 - 12/28/13 09:56 PM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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Ahh, yeah here's the thing - squeezing until just a couple drops run out is a great way to test field capacity for other substrates. But if you use this method for sawdust you will have way too much moisture. With sawdust, if you can squeeze ANY water at all out of it, it is far too wet. And like I mentioned, lion's mane is especially sensitive to this.
What you want to do with sawdust (I believe, and take this with a grain of salt because I've never used actual sawdust, only fuel pellets, but the method is similar) is basically keep adding small amounts of water and mixing well until you don't have dry spots. You want to JUST have enough water to barely wet everything, and no more. It's a pain in the ass, believe me, 80% of all my failures have probably been due to too much moisture. If you say your reishi bottles at the bottom weren't colonizing - that's definitely an overwet issue. Just try the method above and hopefully you have better luck 
-------------------- Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here. ------------------- Have some medicinal mushrooms and want to get the most out of them? Try this double extraction method.
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Neller
Stranger

Registered: 10/18/13
Posts: 63
Loc: kentucky
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Re: sawdust colonization weak [Re: Forrester]
#19341323 - 12/29/13 12:29 PM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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Ok. Thanks man. I've been wanting to try the fuel pellets but can't find them. I've seen a lot of people use them on here. I'll try what you said here and hopefully get different results.
Thanks
-------------------- "If there’s one generational difference I notice between my parents’ generation and mine, is that my generation values time over money. And not because we’re lazy either, but because we’re not willing to trade time with the people we love most for a gold watch at retirement." -BRETT Reaching for heaven is what I'm on earth to do.
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OICU812
NC Tree Farm owner


Registered: 11/06/11
Posts: 1,064
Loc: Foothills of NC
Last seen: 3 years, 4 months
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Re: sawdust colonization weak [Re: Neller]
#19342548 - 12/29/13 05:03 PM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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Log in to view attachment
Try my moisture calculator (attached at the top).
881g. (31ozs.)sawdust 4.75g. (0.17 ozs.)Calcium carbonate (1/2%) 19g. (0.67 ozs.)gypsum (2%) 1.31L. (1.39 Qts.)water
The above should yield 65% moisture and a 2.27Kg.(5 lb.) substrate bag.
Also,here is how you can test your substrate mixture for moisture content.
Edited by OICU812 (12/29/13 08:15 PM)
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Forrester
aspiring sociopath


Registered: 02/05/13
Posts: 9,351
Loc: Northeast USA
Last seen: 25 days, 8 hours
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Re: sawdust colonization weak [Re: OICU812]
#19342684 - 12/29/13 05:35 PM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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Nice! I was actually hoping you or someone would chime in with a much better method 
I knew there was a better way than by feel, but I couldn't remember if you weighed the water and sawdust, or what...
-------------------- Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here. ------------------- Have some medicinal mushrooms and want to get the most out of them? Try this double extraction method.
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OICU812
NC Tree Farm owner


Registered: 11/06/11
Posts: 1,064
Loc: Foothills of NC
Last seen: 3 years, 4 months
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Re: sawdust colonization weak [Re: Forrester]
#19343018 - 12/29/13 06:45 PM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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Quote:
Forrester said: Nice! I was actually hoping you or someone would chime in with a much better method 
I knew there was a better way than by feel, but I couldn't remember if you weighed the water and sawdust, or what...
Feel free to download and play with the moisture calculator. I created it about six months ago and it helps tune-in the exact quantities needed, then it will also help with larger "batches".
-------------------- -------------- "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!" --Benjamin Franklin "Those who give up liberty for security won't have, or deserve, either.". . . Benjamin Franklin ----> Read: The Fight of our Lives - Defeating the Ideological War Against the West - by Victor Davis Hanson
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Neller
Stranger

Registered: 10/18/13
Posts: 63
Loc: kentucky
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Re: sawdust colonization weak [Re: OICU812]
#19343337 - 12/29/13 08:20 PM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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Man, I love this forum. Thanks so much OICU812 and Forrester!!!!
How do I know how much initial moisture my substrate has? Is there a tool for this?
-------------------- "If there’s one generational difference I notice between my parents’ generation and mine, is that my generation values time over money. And not because we’re lazy either, but because we’re not willing to trade time with the people we love most for a gold watch at retirement." -BRETT Reaching for heaven is what I'm on earth to do.
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Neller
Stranger

Registered: 10/18/13
Posts: 63
Loc: kentucky
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Re: sawdust colonization weak [Re: Neller]
#19343590 - 12/29/13 09:09 PM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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Never mind, I just found your tek OICU812.
-------------------- "If there’s one generational difference I notice between my parents’ generation and mine, is that my generation values time over money. And not because we’re lazy either, but because we’re not willing to trade time with the people we love most for a gold watch at retirement." -BRETT Reaching for heaven is what I'm on earth to do.
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Neller
Stranger

Registered: 10/18/13
Posts: 63
Loc: kentucky
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Re: sawdust colonization weak [Re: Neller]
#19365035 - 01/03/14 06:45 PM (10 years, 27 days ago) |
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Thanks for the calculator. I figured out that my moisture wasn't too far off but my gypsum was waaaayyyy!!!! too high. I'm too ashamed to tell you how much I was putting in there.
Thanks for your help guys. I jumped a big hurdle today, thanks to you all... and I think I've pulled a muscle... and it hurts.
-------------------- "If there’s one generational difference I notice between my parents’ generation and mine, is that my generation values time over money. And not because we’re lazy either, but because we’re not willing to trade time with the people we love most for a gold watch at retirement." -BRETT Reaching for heaven is what I'm on earth to do.
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