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mushroommilitia
Stranger


Registered: 10/02/10
Posts: 42
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grain moisture is important!
#21632151 - 05/03/15 09:38 PM (9 years, 17 days ago) |
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Hello all. I have been having so some grain woes. First let me say I enjoy this hobby immensely. For me it's on and off but always enjoyable. This website has helped me so much so thanks for the info and input. Anyways back to the point... due to an incubation mishap I've narrowed my slow colonization times down to grain moisture. While moving my hobby into an unstable environment I decided to try to construct an incubator due to low temps in my new area. Long story short it got hotter than I wanted like 86 f. Creating patches of wetter grain. I considered this immediate failure but the jars I didn't shake overtook the wet grains with thick healthy mycelium. Which is what I want instead vof being plagued by thin wispy weak like I've been having. I always try to cook them on the dry side after a soak and simmer. Because bacillius is so disgusting and I hate cleaning jars after that type of infection. And many people claim a soak is enough moisture for success. Maybe that's their experiences however not mine. For example I have jars from March 24th just finishing now. So since then I've been plumping my rye berries more and more with every cook. I've had good success in the past but considering my enthusiasm and young ambition never really learned anything just got lucky. Just wanted to share some of my experiences if anyone else is having questions. Anyways I got one mono colonizing now and 10 bags on the way hopefully I'll have more success if I could get the pic upload working i'll be sharing. Thanks everyone
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Late2theparty
Rookie


Registered: 07/20/13
Posts: 58
Loc: Australia
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I can't say I have a lot of experience haha, but I was wondering if you'd tried brown rice? I've heard good things about it compared to other grains.
When there are inconsistencies in moisture, can you shake the rye berries just like brown rice? That's supposed to spread it around well, the moisture and the mycelium
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Mad Season
hookers and blackjack



Registered: 09/16/12
Posts: 12,666
Loc: Canada
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Can just make them a little drier next time? Also are you sure it wasn't wet looking from bacteria? I've found increasing pc times by 30 mins will help kill all the bacterial endospores.
90 minute pc jar 100% colonized with bacteria in it.
120 minute pc jar 100% colonized with a lot less bacteria in it.
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Buck513

Registered: 04/17/14
Posts: 5,682
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Re: grain moisture is important! [Re: Mad Season]
#21632761 - 05/04/15 12:01 AM (9 years, 16 days ago) |
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90 minutes at 15 psi is the bare minimum one should try and sterilize grain jars with. Even then, 90 minutes isn't guarnteed to completely sterilize it but it gives you a window to work with. Are you properly steam drying your grain? That's very important when it comes to trying to get your grain at the proper moisture content. 86f is way too hot for colonizing jars, sure it can work but anything past 80f starts to encourage contamination to take hold.
-------------------- Fail to plan and you plan to fail. Enter the Ban Lottery
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Buck513

Registered: 04/17/14
Posts: 5,682
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Re: grain moisture is important! [Re: Buck513]
#21632765 - 05/04/15 12:03 AM (9 years, 16 days ago) |
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And if you have grain jars JUST now finishing colonizing and its been like 5 weeks, I can almost assure you that is contaminated.
-------------------- Fail to plan and you plan to fail. Enter the Ban Lottery
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mushroommilitia
Stranger


Registered: 10/02/10
Posts: 42
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Re: grain moisture is important! [Re: Buck513]
#21632843 - 05/04/15 12:22 AM (9 years, 16 days ago) |
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Yeah not contaminated visibility or even scent wise. I've failed plenty of times lol. At least to the point to stall or halt growth. But yeah a month plus is way suspicious however I've left jars without knocking them up for months with no problems. My problem is not to wet but rather too dry. thanks for the input. And the incubation was not purposely kept at 86. The wet spot was more of when you pull warm jars out of the pressure cooker. Some of the grains look wetter than others. just needed a good shake. The jars I didn't shake the moisture away colonized those spots perfectly. That's why I'm thinking I'm cooking the grains too dry. No greasy look just wet or moisture against the jar. I'm working with syringes so yeah nothing is sterile. It's been awhile eh i guess I'm a little rusty. yeah I run my jars at 90min 15psi my bags at 120min 15psi. But I agree I think jars should also start cooking at 120min
Edited by mushroommilitia (05/04/15 12:24 AM)
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Buck513

Registered: 04/17/14
Posts: 5,682
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You're knocking up grain jars with syringes and you're complaining about contam?  There's no such thing as a sterile syringe man. And just because you don't see contamination, that definitely doesn't mean its not there. And yes, you can leave grain jars sitting around for a few weeks or longer, but I'm a bit skeptical about these "months". Again, just because no contam is visual doesn't mean its not there. You say you skip soaking? A big benefit for soaking is so you can hydrate the grain my friend...
-------------------- Fail to plan and you plan to fail. Enter the Ban Lottery
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mushroommilitia
Stranger


Registered: 10/02/10
Posts: 42
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Re: grain moisture is important! [Re: Buck513]
#21633438 - 05/04/15 05:59 AM (9 years, 16 days ago) |
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Is it just me or is everyone illiterate on this site? Hmmm no child left behind my ass....
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Pastywhyte
Say hello to my little friend



Registered: 09/15/12
Posts: 37,867
Loc: Canada
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Re: grain moisture is important! [Re: Buck513]
#21633440 - 05/04/15 06:02 AM (9 years, 16 days ago) |
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Temps above 80f will cause colonization speeds to drop off. 86f will not only greatly slow the mycelium but also really give an edge to bacteria. Proper steam drying is key but I am willing to bet most of the excess moisture your seeing is a combination of metabolites from the heat stressed mycelium and bacteria blooming.
What are the low temps that are making you want to incubate? If you can be in your house without a jacket chances are your mycelium is comfortable as well. If temps are above 65f then an incubator is an unnecessary risk.
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mushroommilitia
Stranger


Registered: 10/02/10
Posts: 42
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Re: grain moisture is important! [Re: Pastywhyte]
#21633453 - 05/04/15 06:18 AM (9 years, 16 days ago) |
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Low 40s at night. Incubation was not to heat the jars more or less hold closer to room temp and control fluctuations. grains are too dry...... When the incubator spiked it created wetter spots due to condensation not contamination. the jar recovered perfectly thick and fluffy. Which I concluded my jars slow wispy colonization times were because of grain moisture. Not contamination or temperature.
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Pastywhyte
Say hello to my little friend



Registered: 09/15/12
Posts: 37,867
Loc: Canada
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Okay. You should post a pic tho.
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UncleFester
Lord Moldy-Butt



Registered: 09/23/14
Posts: 460
Loc: Where The Sun Don't Shine...
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"Is it just me or is everyone but me good vibes on this site? Hmmm No good vibes left behind my ass...."
Some people don't really have the time to say pressure cooker so they just say PC. This site is full of abbreviations so you should probably get used to it
Not everyone here is an idiot and I don't really enjoy the negativity bro. Sure there are some exceptions but everyone on shroomery is not illiterate. Hell.. there's more than a couple handfuls of people on here that I'd love to get some knowledge from
Be nice man, if not people will detect your scent and get bad vibes from you.
--------------------
Looking for Penis Envy & Psilocybe Cubensis Cuba spores.
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taGyo
Strainiac/AMU



Registered: 10/16/14
Posts: 18,802
Loc: Journal Land
Last seen: 5 years, 6 months
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Re: grain moisture is important! [Re: Pastywhyte]
#21633767 - 05/04/15 08:53 AM (9 years, 16 days ago) |
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Quote:
Pastywhyte said: Okay. You should post a pic tho.
-------------------- Gyo's Better Grows TNF Q&A AMU Q&A Dominus fortunae meae sum
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mushroommilitia
Stranger


Registered: 10/02/10
Posts: 42
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Re: grain moisture is important! [Re: UncleFester]
#21633786 - 05/04/15 08:58 AM (9 years, 16 days ago) |
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....where is the smiley blowing his brains out...... Good vibes indeed.
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taGyo
Strainiac/AMU



Registered: 10/16/14
Posts: 18,802
Loc: Journal Land
Last seen: 5 years, 6 months
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-------------------- Gyo's Better Grows TNF Q&A AMU Q&A Dominus fortunae meae sum
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wowimflabbergasted
supercalifragilistic



Registered: 07/16/12
Posts: 18,919
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Re: grain moisture is important! [Re: taGyo]
#21633801 - 05/04/15 09:01 AM (9 years, 16 days ago) |
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taGyo
Strainiac/AMU



Registered: 10/16/14
Posts: 18,802
Loc: Journal Land
Last seen: 5 years, 6 months
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Oh man, good to see you bro.
-------------------- Gyo's Better Grows TNF Q&A AMU Q&A Dominus fortunae meae sum
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mushroommilitia
Stranger


Registered: 10/02/10
Posts: 42
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Re: grain moisture is important! [Re: taGyo]
#21633806 - 05/04/15 09:02 AM (9 years, 16 days ago) |
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Thanks! Just what was called for. I feel much better now. Reading is a dying art form. I'm selling shroomery on tape voice over provided by Gilbert Godfrey. Gonna be rich!
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wowimflabbergasted
supercalifragilistic



Registered: 07/16/12
Posts: 18,919
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Re: grain moisture is important! [Re: taGyo]
#21633816 - 05/04/15 09:04 AM (9 years, 16 days ago) |
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ItsScience
a dude


Registered: 12/12/12
Posts: 101
Last seen: 8 years, 5 months
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Mushroommilitia, when complaining about the illiteracy of others, I recommend using complete sentences; It really helps get the point across.
Regardlesss, what is your current grain perpetration procedure? As other have said, healthy jars should not take that long, so in order to help, give us a quick run down of what you are currently doing.
-------------------- -SCIENCE
Edited by ItsScience (05/04/15 09:17 AM)
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