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bcfresh

Registered: 11/12/05
Posts: 61
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Shoebox Grow: Slow and/or Unusual Colonization (With Pictures)
#26623631 - 04/23/20 11:21 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Greetings,
Lot's of new (to me) things happening in this world since I last participated in cultivation, including the use of Shoeboxes.
I spawned Popcorn and BRF Cakes to Coir, shoebox-style, and am have some questions regarding colonization speed, look etc. I was hoping somebody could help help provide some insight for me.


1. Image 1 & 2 are a 2:1 Coco Coir to shredded BRF Cakes ratio. This shoebox was spawned on April 6th, quite a while ago, and it is just starting to colonize on top, but just barely. My thoughts are that the substrate was too wet and I failed to achieve field capacity but I'm not actually sure.
Thoughts?
2. Images 3 & 4 are from a 2:1 Coir to Popcorn shoebox. This was spawned on April 16th, but aren't doing well. Are these too wet as well? Also, the mycelium is growing unusually, in mounds on top of the coir. I know I have come across this before but I can't remember the name/term for the life of me.


What is this called, and why does it usually happen?
3. Images 5 & 6 are from a 2:1 coir to shredded BRF cake shoebox. This was also spawned on April 16th, and appears to be doing much better than 2nd box (popcorn). The coir was from the same batch, they were spawned within a few minutes of each other, and they are virtually identical in treatment minus the different spawn (BRF Cake vs. Popcorn).


Any advice on why this would be and what I can do in the future?
Thank you in advance,
-------------------- bcf
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fahtster
Now With 33%More Faht



Registered: 06/17/06
Posts: 9,284
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Re: Shoebox Grow: Slow and/or Unusual Colonization (With Pictures) [Re: bcfresh]
#26623704 - 04/24/20 12:24 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Do you have a top layer on these and how thick if so? Those balls of myc are just that from the looks of it.. popcorn is big and full of starch.. if the kernels are burst open even a little bit, it can make the myc grow really thick in those areas. I think you’re thinking of mycogone maybe? I don’t think it’s that. They could be too wet though. Popcorn is prone to bacteria more than smaller grains IME.. could be bacterial
The first ones look a little dry based on the color of the coir but that could just be the pic lighting. Have you misted it at all?
Faht
Edited by fahtster (04/24/20 12:25 AM)
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bcfresh

Registered: 11/12/05
Posts: 61
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Re: Shoebox Grow: Slow and/or Unusual Colonization (With Pictures) [Re: fahtster]
#26624542 - 04/24/20 11:37 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Thank you for your reply fahster.
I did use a very thin (1/4"-ish) top lair of coir on all of these shoeboxes. Is this still common practice?
re: popcorn: I was pretty careful to pull the popcorn from simmering before too many kernels broke. I did inspect the jars after PCing them and didn't see many broken kernels, but of course I can't see the inside from the outside 
re: dry coir: I have misted once. I was hoping I had got the field capacity correct and could just set it and forget it. I'll take a look today and decide whether that one is too dry. Do you think this substrate was too dry overall, and that's what is causing this very slow colonization? I did squeeze the coir firmly while spawning and found it to be too wet (in my limited opinion).
Learning.
Thanks,
-------------------- bcf
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fahtster
Now With 33%More Faht



Registered: 06/17/06
Posts: 9,284
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Re: Shoebox Grow: Slow and/or Unusual Colonization (With Pictures) [Re: bcfresh]
#26624636 - 04/24/20 12:18 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Top layers are common. Top layers don’t always colonize but 18 days is quite a long time to not see at least knotting if it is not completely colonized. But really all you can do is wait longer. Misting to rewet coir isn’t unheard of... especially if it’s been a while. Usually a 1:2 tub will be fully colonized by a week with all things optimal. I’d giver a good misting and see if it bounces back and just wait it out. Last one looks good
Faht
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bcfresh

Registered: 11/12/05
Posts: 61
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Re: Shoebox Grow: Slow and/or Unusual Colonization (With Pictures) [Re: bcfresh]
#26710228 - 05/31/20 11:40 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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I wanted to update this thread incase it solves any questions for future googlers.
The shoeboxes spawned from BRF cakes never really flushed. Not sure why (too wet, too dry?), as there looked to be a perfect hyphal knots everywhere (see pictures from post 1). The mycelium started to turn yellow and eventually fruited a small, inconsistent amount.


The popcorn spawned shoeboxes flushed intermittently. Uneven pin sets and a the substrate that never fully colonized; pretty messy and not ideal.


Total from 6 Shoeboxes ended up being about 3oz, cracker dry. A good experiment but not particularly efficient or successful. Onto the next.
-------------------- bcf
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A.k.a
Stranger



Registered: 10/27/19
Posts: 16,816
Loc: Gaming the system
Last seen: 15 hours, 50 minutes
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Re: Shoebox Grow: Slow and/or Unusual Colonization (With Pictures) [Re: bcfresh]
#26710798 - 06/01/20 07:50 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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The brf pics look like there was bacteria.
Popcorn looks better but also either bacteria or light issues based on the shape/caps.
Still 3oz is good. How much spawn was used total to get it?
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LAGM2020     
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bcfresh

Registered: 11/12/05
Posts: 61
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Re: Shoebox Grow: Slow and/or Unusual Colonization (With Pictures) [Re: A.k.a]
#26716785 - 06/03/20 01:07 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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4 x 500ml (1/2 Quart) Popcorn 5 x BRF Cakes
My PC is small.
-------------------- bcf
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A.k.a
Stranger



Registered: 10/27/19
Posts: 16,816
Loc: Gaming the system
Last seen: 15 hours, 50 minutes
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Re: Shoebox Grow: Slow and/or Unusual Colonization (With Pictures) [Re: bcfresh]
#26716790 - 06/03/20 01:08 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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So like 3 quarts of spawn. That’s right on target.
I feel you man I could only pc one quart at a time until recently.
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LAGM2020     
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