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MycoJim
Stranger

Registered: 09/27/19
Posts: 19
Last seen: 3 years, 3 months
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First PF Cake grow - contam'd?
#26958217 - 09/28/20 01:26 AM (3 years, 3 months ago) |
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Hey all,
After following a lot of advice here i'm pleased to be embarking on my first grow.
PF Tek method, cakes took over two months to colonise, about 3 jars stalled completely halfway through. I judged these five fully colonised and then left them or a week or so longer.
They are now in my SGFC, ontop of foil squares and perlite. I mist and fan 3/4 times a day. These were birthed almost two weeks ago now, with absolutely no signs of pinning.
Fearful that something has gone wrong here - the brown / tan spots is worrying. Some of the tan areas happened in the jars before birthing. One cake turned slightly blue, following advice I wiped the area and the colour did not lift, so I assumed it was not trich but a dry area of blue mycelium. Shown here on the pictures.
Any thoughts on what's going on here would be appreciated. Time to start over? Images are taken just after a morning mist and fan.
Thanks in advance!
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Sandstone
Cosmonaut

Registered: 09/23/20
Posts: 88
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Re: First PF Cake grow - contam'd? [Re: MycoJim]
#26958248 - 09/28/20 02:44 AM (3 years, 3 months ago) |
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I can only offer my perspective, and two very similar experiences. I am by no means an expert but yes, start over. I don't think jars should take anywhere near that long to colonize. The more time it takes for it to colonize, the more time available for something to go wrong, read contamination probably. After we figure out ideally what the mycelium likes, and get to colonize the cakes in a mater of days, maybe couple of weeks, it's supposed to be good to ''consolidate'' the fully colonized cakes for a week longer, after you can see that they are completely colonized with mycelium. Leave them in the jars, waiting a little while longer before birthing them, as pins will often develop in the jars, before you even birth them. That's one extra insurance policy I guess and an early on raised flag if no pins are developing? Also, I suppose it'd be good to stuff those holes with polyfill or tape them with micropore tape?
Edited by Sandstone (09/28/20 02:47 AM)
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MycoJim
Stranger

Registered: 09/27/19
Posts: 19
Last seen: 3 years, 3 months
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Re: First PF Cake grow - contam'd? [Re: Sandstone]
#26959866 - 09/29/20 08:08 AM (3 years, 3 months ago) |
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Thanks so much Sandstone.
It was alarming in the first instance how long things took to get to full colonisation. I was not expecting such a wait.
However having learnt patience now i'm keen to keep misting and fanning on these, at least for the hope of something. I would appreciate any further input before I ditch and begin again - if anyone has anything to add..
Thanks all
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Sandstone
Cosmonaut

Registered: 09/23/20
Posts: 88
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Re: First PF Cake grow - contam'd? [Re: MycoJim]
#26970641 - 10/05/20 01:41 PM (3 years, 3 months ago) |
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Yeah some of them really look bad, one of them in particular reminds of burnt epoxy resin mess. Don't mean that like a joke, just my first thought  It'd really help if someone would be at least willing to explain what happened with that cakes, I'm interested. Did you start a new batch? You don't have to outright ditch this batch if you're keen on giving these a chance, but having a brand new batch closely following this one, can serve as an insurance policy in case these turn out to be bad, you don't have to wait all that so long to have new cakes fully colonized, etc.
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merrybotanist
Lost Plant Person



Registered: 08/01/20
Posts: 13
Last seen: 3 years, 3 months
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Re: First PF Cake grow - contam'd? [Re: Sandstone]
#26970969 - 10/05/20 05:29 PM (3 years, 3 months ago) |
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I'm very new to this, but I'd say you're out of luck with those. They are definitely weird looking, and it seems like some type of contam to me, but I'm not sure what.
Jars can colonize at different rates depending on conditions, though over 2 months is definitely on the longer end. The fact that all of your jars either stalled or ended up showing signs of contam before birthing makes me think that the was an error/failure in your sterile technique, and/or the jars were prepped or incubated in a way that promoted bacteria/mold instead of mycelium. If you used a MS syringe, there is always a chance that it wasn't a sterile culture to begin with.
I made a ton of mistakes my first grow, and while it can be disheartening, this is how you learn best! Go back and do a ton of research, read through the tek, and sit down and think about what you might do differently in a future grow.
Side notes for when you succeed in getting some healthier cakes...
I can't tell for sure, but in the pictures in looks like you have your SGFC resting on the floor?
If so, I'd recommend moving it to an elevated surface (desk/table). Supposedly the amount of dirt/potential contams in the air is the worst within 2-3ft of the floor. Also, make sure you are placing something under each corner of your SGFC to lift the bottom off whatever surface you have it on by 2-3in (I put small tupperware containers under mine). There should be holes drilled on all 6 sides of your SGFC, including the bottom. This is to allow air to flow through the chamber so the water in the perlite can slowly evaporate and thereby maintain the high relative humidity needed for a successful grow. It also helps give your cakes an good supply of fresh air. Without elevating your SGFC, this won't happen, or at least not as well!
For future grows, I'd dunk n' roll before the first flush (provided the cakes look healthy), trim down the amount of foil you have each cake resting on, and move them a little closer together. This should all help improve the microclimate and help your cakes put out a heavy pinset.
Sorry about your first grow, but with practice and commitment to the learning the craft, you'll get there!
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