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beastcoast
Stranger
Registered: 03/29/15
Posts: 92
Last seen: 4 years, 7 months
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Slow oyster colonization?
#21898199 - 07/04/15 07:34 PM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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I have some straw logs inoculated with oyster spawn from amycel that I have been packing throughout the week.
The first two bags I packed are doing pretty well; I'd say they are around 60% colonized. I think I made those ones up 8 days ago. The rest seem to be moving much slower, and some have even stagnated a bit.
The logs are sitting in my basement which remains dark throughout the day. Temp is around 65. And the tubing came pre-holed.
I'm not sure if this is slower than what should be expected or if my expectations are simply too high.
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drake89
Mushroom Magnate



Registered: 06/26/11
Posts: 4,168
Loc: TN
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Re: Slow oyster colonization? [Re: beastcoast]
#21898318 - 07/04/15 08:07 PM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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I prefer 70F but you could have gotten some heat killed spawn. Quite common in these hot months.
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Toadstool5
A Registered Mycophile



Registered: 01/22/15
Posts: 1,359
Loc: The Golden State
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Re: Slow oyster colonization? [Re: drake89]
#21899143 - 07/04/15 11:40 PM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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Slightly warmer temperatures can foster contams but they can also be very beneficial in colonization speed. 65°F does seem a little cool for my tastes too. Maybe for shiitake but oyster 
Could the substrate be drying out from low humidity and the pre-cut holes? Do you know what the humidity is in the room?
-------------------- If you do not know where the mushroom products you are consuming are grown, think twice before eating them. - Paul Stamets AMU Teks Stro's Write Ups
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beastcoast
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Re: Slow oyster colonization? [Re: Toadstool5]
#21899512 - 07/05/15 02:07 AM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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I've narrowed it down to two factors.
All together I have 8 logs. 2 logs (batch 1) were made 9 days ago. Those are colonizing splendidly. Another 4 logs (batch 2) were made a day or two after that, so 7-8 days ago. Those six logs are only 2 feet long. I then made a 5 footer (batch 3) 4 days ago. And another one (batch 4) two days ago.
Batch 2 sucks. I moved the logs into the light and I noticed in one bag there is some red stuff growing in isolated areas.
Batch 3 is colonizing, but slowly.
Batch 4 has done absolutely nothing, and it's been 48 hours. Batch 1 was moving quickly by the 48 hour mark.
The only thing different about my process is that batch 1 logs were packed just a few hours after the straw was pasteurized. I took the straw out of the 55 gallon drum, laid it out on a tarp for several hours, and then made the bags. For all of the other batches however, I let the pasteurized straw sit out overnight before making the logs. In one case, it sat out for more than a day. Albeit, I never left the straw exposed. I kept it stored within the 55 gallon pasteurizing drum, with a lid firmly in place.
Or perhaps after the first batch, the potency of the spawn began to regress significantly. I received it from amycel 11 days ago now. It's definitely on its way out, and may have already left.
Quote:
Toadstool5 said:

Slightly warmer temperatures can foster contams but they can also be very beneficial in colonization speed. 65°F does seem a little cool for my tastes too. Maybe for shiitake but oyster 
Could the substrate be drying out from low humidity and the pre-cut holes? Do you know what the humidity is in the room?
not sure what the humidity is in the room, but the bags themselves are still very wet. There's actually small puddles under each one and that's simply from the straw's own retention
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drake89
Mushroom Magnate



Registered: 06/26/11
Posts: 4,168
Loc: TN
Last seen: 4 years, 10 months
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Re: Slow oyster colonization? [Re: beastcoast]
#21899821 - 07/05/15 06:14 AM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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You shouldn't store straw with the lid on. Too dry is better than too wet. Your spawn is probably not regressing. Unless of course you are using it from an open bag that you just left out. Do not store it at room temp, as stated on the box it needs refrigeration.
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beastcoast
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Registered: 03/29/15
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Last seen: 4 years, 7 months
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Re: Slow oyster colonization? [Re: drake89]
#21900340 - 07/05/15 10:06 AM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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Ughhh. Everything is dead besides the first two bags. I spent so much time and energy on those logs. I have a second 20 pound bag of spawn that has not been opened but it has not been refrigerated either. It's two weeks old now. I also have a drum full of pasteurized straw that has been sitting out for 2 days. I'm not sure if I want to waste my time making more logs for nothing.
I need to start from scratch and streamline the process. Right now it takes me a whole day to get one drum full of straw (not even a complete bale) cut up, pasteurized, and bagged. I need a quicker way to chop the straw. I also need to make some sort of basket for my drum so that I can just lift straw out and use the same water. Rather than waiting for my tiny ass drain plug to drain, killing the lawn while wasting water. And I need to be ready to do all this the moment my spawn arrives, so it's not sitting out for days and weeks.
The first two logs will be ready for fruiting soon. I'm not even sure that it's worth it. I will have to have the entire 8x15 space lit up, humidified, and the vent fan running, for such little yields.
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drake89
Mushroom Magnate



Registered: 06/26/11
Posts: 4,168
Loc: TN
Last seen: 4 years, 10 months
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Re: Slow oyster colonization? [Re: beastcoast]
#21900465 - 07/05/15 10:41 AM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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You're gonna need a fridge either way. So storing your spawn correctly would be a great start. You're learning so don't feel too bad.
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solarity
mm... my favourite food



Registered: 03/31/09
Posts: 1,590
Loc: UK
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Re: Slow oyster colonization? [Re: drake89]
#21901196 - 07/05/15 01:59 PM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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Onion/veg sacs work a treat for straw.: stuff sac, soak/pasteurise, pull out to drain, next day spread onto a clean table, mix in spawn, bag.

However reading your posts a little more thought/planning and a little less spending will do you a lot of good! Follow the rule of the 7P's.
-------------------- Commercial exotics farmer for 8 years - now sold up!
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beastcoast
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Re: Slow oyster colonization? [Re: beastcoast]
#21911911 - 07/07/15 09:09 PM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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Ok so a few questions. Two of the short logs that I packed almost two weeks ago now are 85-90% white. I was so disgruntled by all of the failures that I never completed the electrical work in my fruiting chamber. Is there a strict time limit to get these guys into fresh/humid air? One of the logs has a few red splotches along the top, very isolated. No clue what it is. Looks like jelly.
My two 60" logs are moving very slowly. They have been left to colonize for a week, but have made about the same amount of progress as the short logs made in the first two-three days. I used the same ratio of spawn, if not more. But I think the quality of the spawn had significantly depreciated by that point. Should I just let them sit and keep doing their thing? Do slow colonizers have crap yields?
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