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kiromana
Stranger
Registered: 10/27/03
Posts: 16
Loc: Finland
Last seen: 20 years, 1 month
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No growth, need advice.
#2136772 - 11/26/03 03:02 AM (20 years, 4 months ago) |
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Hello everyone. This is my fifth time trying to make ricecakes without success (apparentally). I'm getting so sad because i wanna grow my own shrooms but they don't want me to grow them My first cakes we're a complete success but after that, nothing.
I've followed PF-tek for simple minds from word to word every time. I bought organic rice from the local healthfood-store and ground it into fine powder with a coffeebean blender. I've kept my vermiculite sack in my balcony for a year now. Temperatures range from -25C to +25C. Could extreme temperature fuck up the vermiculite?
When i water the vermiculite, there's about 10ml extra water when bowl is tilted. I then add the correct amount of BRF and mix well. Can the mixture be too wet for spores?
After filling the jars with the mixture, i add dry vermiculite on top and close them with foil. Then i steam them 3 jars at a time in a normal pot with lid on for 90 minutes. The jars are cooled down for over 24 hours. I bought a sporesyringe from Mushmush (Cubensis cambodia), so i can't believe they're junk. I inoculated them with extra care (as always) and sterilized the needle with a disinfectant and a lighter after each jar (6 jars). Four inoculation holes on each jar.
After this, i placed all the jars in an incubator which keeps the temp at 28C all the time. This is the 6th day since inoculation and still no visible signs of success. The jars are exposed to a non-direct sunlight for ~2 hours every day.
I know, patience, patience. but i have a Mushmush instant-growkit also in the incubator and it showed first signs of life two days after pressing the button.
So please, if you have any idea, i mean _any_ idea what i'm doing wrong or not doing, let me know. I'm so sad, i want to be self-sufficient but the Mushroom-god seems to be saying no no..
--------- kiromana ob
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kiromana
Stranger
Registered: 10/27/03
Posts: 16
Loc: Finland
Last seen: 20 years, 1 month
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Re: No growth, need advice. [Re: kiromana]
#2136775 - 11/26/03 03:09 AM (20 years, 4 months ago) |
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Ok shame on me. Might've made the vermiculite too wet. I'll keep on trying
--- kiromana ob
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Anno
Experimenter
Registered: 06/17/99
Posts: 24,166
Loc: my room
Last seen: 19 days, 13 hours
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Re: No growth, need advice. [Re: kiromana]
#2136777 - 11/26/03 03:12 AM (20 years, 4 months ago) |
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Is there absolutely no growth? For how long? How much spore suspension do you use? What were you doing differently the first time you had success? Did you use the same spore syringes then?
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kiromana
Stranger
Registered: 10/27/03
Posts: 16
Loc: Finland
Last seen: 20 years, 1 month
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Re: No growth, need advice. [Re: Anno]
#2136788 - 11/26/03 03:28 AM (20 years, 4 months ago) |
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On second time, one of the 6 jars had a small block of mycelium which stopped growing. It was about 2x2cm size. This block was located at the upper portion of the jar. After that try, not a single white spot. I used a 10cc syringe for 6 jars, evenly distributed. In my opinion, i didn't do anything differently either time i tried. Didn't use same syringes, but same strain. Tried also with ecuador and thai (i made syringes myself from these)
----- kiromana ob
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Anno
Experimenter
Registered: 06/17/99
Posts: 24,166
Loc: my room
Last seen: 19 days, 13 hours
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Re: No growth, need advice. [Re: kiromana]
#2136819 - 11/26/03 04:04 AM (20 years, 4 months ago) |
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Do the jars have a smell? if this is the case, you could have problems with a bacterial contamination.
The procedure as you described it, is sound. It should work.
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kiromana
Stranger
Registered: 10/27/03
Posts: 16
Loc: Finland
Last seen: 20 years, 1 month
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Re: No growth, need advice. [Re: Anno]
#2136831 - 11/26/03 04:23 AM (20 years, 4 months ago) |
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Well the jars do smell a bit tainted after being in the incubator for a month But after the sterilization&inoculation process, it has a slight ricey-odor, which i presume is normal. Doesn't smell bad. I'm pretty sure that i made the substrate too wet. FAQ says too that better too dry than too wet. I'm relieved to know that the proceduce is correct. Thanks for clearing it out for me. I wont give up
--- kiromana ob
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Anno
Experimenter
Registered: 06/17/99
Posts: 24,166
Loc: my room
Last seen: 19 days, 13 hours
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Re: No growth, need advice. [Re: kiromana]
#2136839 - 11/26/03 04:30 AM (20 years, 4 months ago) |
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>Well the jars do smell a bit tainted after being in the incubator for a month
Then you have a bacterial contamination problem.
You should try and get a pressure cooker and pressure cook the jars for 45-60 minutes. Also try to change the brand of your rice. Some brands have higher bacterial loads than others. Also, set the incubator lower, to 26?C.
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kiromana
Stranger
Registered: 10/27/03
Posts: 16
Loc: Finland
Last seen: 20 years, 1 month
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Re: No growth, need advice. [Re: Anno]
#2136844 - 11/26/03 04:37 AM (20 years, 4 months ago) |
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Are you sure? I thought the rice smells bad naturally after a while because it contains fat and is prone to become rancid. Especially in warm temperatures.
----- kiromana ob
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Anno
Experimenter
Registered: 06/17/99
Posts: 24,166
Loc: my room
Last seen: 19 days, 13 hours
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Re: No growth, need advice. [Re: kiromana]
#2136854 - 11/26/03 05:01 AM (20 years, 4 months ago) |
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>I thought the rice smells bad naturally after a while because it contains >fat and is prone to become rancid. Rancidity is partially caused by bacteria. http://www.inra.fr/presse/oct01/gb/nb2.htm If the substrate is properly sterilized, it should stay as it is, without any change to the smell or look. The smell it should have after sterilization is by cooked rice and vermiculite.
Edited by Anno (11/26/03 05:09 AM)
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DMJ
creepyatmosphere
Registered: 10/10/03
Posts: 233
Loc: Dungeon
Last seen: 14 years, 8 months
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Re: No growth, need advice. [Re: Anno]
#2136862 - 11/26/03 05:09 AM (20 years, 4 months ago) |
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Why do you expose the jars to light during incubation? I never read that anywhere. Anno is a genius, but what is the smell? I had some pungent smelling jars once, but they were absolutely wonderful.b
-------------------- I come alive in the darkness.
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kiromana
Stranger
Registered: 10/27/03
Posts: 16
Loc: Finland
Last seen: 20 years, 1 month
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Re: No growth, need advice. [Re: DMJ]
#2136894 - 11/26/03 05:45 AM (20 years, 4 months ago) |
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I don't know why I didn't expose the jars to light during first three times but then i got creative since no signs of growth appeared. I know they don't want light, but desperate times, desperate measures.
----- kiromana ob
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peleg
Gypsy
Registered: 10/03/03
Posts: 535
Loc: Christ Light
Last seen: 19 years, 8 months
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Re: No growth, need advice. [Re: kiromana]
#2136907 - 11/26/03 06:09 AM (20 years, 4 months ago) |
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try cooking jars for 60 min. instead of 90. my jars stay a lil on the wet side too and have great results. i use like a 1/4 cup of water for each jar. anyway hope this might help,
-------------------- "Well the first days are the hardest days." When life looks like easy street there is danger at your door.....
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