ReverendMyc said:

No. The water should be sterile as well as everything else inside the container. So I really don't think it is a problem, per se. However, if you do have bacteria, water on the agar surface will make it spread more easily, but that should also be very visible which we are not seeing in your picture.

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BeefSupremeJr said:

i said the same thing in less words a few pages back and nobody said shit. 

how come nobody argues with me these days?  i feel invisible.  maybe i bring back the obnoxious gif avatar etc.

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Your mere presence intimidates Beef. That's what it is.

AspectOfTheCreator said:

Are you inoculating with whole plates? Try cutting a wedge. Make sure the piece is fully colonized and avoid the center and edges.

Wet plates caused me big issues for months after I started back up. Wait a few days for the condensation to go away before using the plate.

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djbluntmagic said:

Ever since I started working with oat jars with a view to spawning to monotub, I've been getting bacterial contams so for my most recent grow made sure to allow plenty of time for drying after grain soak (essentially using Bod's tek with a reduced soak, added drying time, and longer PC run with longer venting). I'm waiting until the water boils to add oats, return to boil then reduce to simmer for 20 minutes before pouring out. I then wait around 24 hours for oats to dry.

The problem is that after the PC run the oats in the jars have moistened significantly, turning a dark brown and clearly wetter than they went in. I'm using quart jars about 2/3 full with polyfill for gas exchange, loosening the jar ring ever so slightly, and applying aluminum foil caps that extend until about halfway down the slope where the mouth of the jar widens out to the main body of the jar. Again per Bod's tek, putting 10 jars in my 23q Presto with 3 quarts of water. I vent for 20 minutes, starting countdown from when the lid lock pops up, then cook at 17-18 psi for 2 hours. Then, let cool overnight and inoculate the next day from agar.

Anyone see any problems with the above or have suggestions on how to prevent water from getting in the jars during PC run? I know ultimately bacterial contams are a result of insufficiency in my sterile technique, but I think I have that going about as well as I can hope for in my current circumstances (mycelium is fine on agar anyway) and am hoping to eliminate confounding factors as much as possible. I feel this might be my last hurdle, at least with respect to the wet grains problem.

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AspectOfTheCreator said:

I wouldnt use plates until condensation is gone and would make sure no water droplets are floatong atop the agar itself.

I'd also not use the whole plate. Just use a single 0.5 x 0.5 inch square wedge of the best myc on the plate to inoculate your grains. Do not take any uncolonized area and stay away from the middle. Take the wedge before myc reaches end of plate. Try that.

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johnukguy said:

BeefSupremeJr said:

i said the same thing in less words a few pages back and nobody said shit. 

how come nobody argues with me these days?  i feel invisible.  maybe i bring back the obnoxious gif avatar etc.

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Your mere presence intimidates Beef. That's what it is.

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Quote:

You go beyond the "fractal" hallucinations and into real life nightmare world.  The trees were agressively hunting me. They had tongues like long wet hotdogs and I thought they would break the windows.

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i cant stop laughing

djbluntmagic said:

Ever since I started working with oat jars with a view to spawning to monotub, I've been getting bacterial contams so for my most recent grow made sure to allow plenty of time for drying after grain soak (essentially using Bod's tek with a reduced soak, added drying time, and longer PC run with longer venting). I'm waiting until the water boils to add oats, return to boil then reduce to simmer for 20 minutes before pouring out. I then wait around 24 hours for oats to dry.

The problem is that after the PC run the oats in the jars have moistened significantly, turning a dark brown and clearly wetter than they went in. I'm using quart jars about 2/3 full with polyfill for gas exchange, loosening the jar ring ever so slightly, and applying aluminum foil caps that extend until about halfway down the slope where the mouth of the jar widens out to the main body of the jar. Again per Bod's tek, putting 10 jars in my 23q Presto with 3 quarts of water. I vent for 20 minutes, starting countdown from when the lid lock pops up, then cook at 17-18 psi for 2 hours. Then, let cool overnight and inoculate the next day from agar.

Anyone see any problems with the above or have suggestions on how to prevent water from getting in the jars during PC run? I know ultimately bacterial contams are a result of insufficiency in my sterile technique, but I think I have that going about as well as I can hope for in my current circumstances (mycelium is fine on agar anyway) and am hoping to eliminate confounding factors as much as possible. I feel this might be my last hurdle, at least with respect to the wet grains problem.

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Are you checking to see if your oats are hydrated all the way through by cutting a few open? The center should not look dry at all. I have also started PC'ing my oats for 3 hours. They do seem to be a little darker after that long. I'm still in trial phase of it but so far it's looking ok. Great, now I probably jinxed it.

mushboy said:

im sorry to quote this beef but i gotta

Quote:

You go beyond the "fractal" hallucinations and into real life nightmare world.  The trees were agressively hunting me. They had tongues like long wet hotdogs and I thought they would break the windows.

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i cant stop laughing

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PBJ710 said:

djbluntmagic said:

Ever since I started working with oat jars with a view to spawning to monotub, I've been getting bacterial contams so for my most recent grow made sure to allow plenty of time for drying after grain soak (essentially using Bod's tek with a reduced soak, added drying time, and longer PC run with longer venting). I'm waiting until the water boils to add oats, return to boil then reduce to simmer for 20 minutes before pouring out. I then wait around 24 hours for oats to dry.

The problem is that after the PC run the oats in the jars have moistened significantly, turning a dark brown and clearly wetter than they went in. I'm using quart jars about 2/3 full with polyfill for gas exchange, loosening the jar ring ever so slightly, and applying aluminum foil caps that extend until about halfway down the slope where the mouth of the jar widens out to the main body of the jar. Again per Bod's tek, putting 10 jars in my 23q Presto with 3 quarts of water. I vent for 20 minutes, starting countdown from when the lid lock pops up, then cook at 17-18 psi for 2 hours. Then, let cool overnight and inoculate the next day from agar.

Anyone see any problems with the above or have suggestions on how to prevent water from getting in the jars during PC run? I know ultimately bacterial contams are a result of insufficiency in my sterile technique, but I think I have that going about as well as I can hope for in my current circumstances (mycelium is fine on agar anyway) and am hoping to eliminate confounding factors as much as possible. I feel this might be my last hurdle, at least with respect to the wet grains problem.

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I bet the water is boiling and working it's way up under those big pieces of foil into the jars via the polyfill - trim the excess foil or fold it out of the way. 

Have you tried another grain?  What you're describing is where I was before ditching oats and switching to wheat.

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keylime123 said:

Can you overdose on shrooms? What happens if you eat too many? Lack of inhibition?

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djbluntmagic said:

PBJ710 said:

djbluntmagic said:

Ever since I started working with oat jars with a view to spawning to monotub, I've been getting bacterial contams so for my most recent grow made sure to allow plenty of time for drying after grain soak (essentially using Bod's tek with a reduced soak, added drying time, and longer PC run with longer venting). I'm waiting until the water boils to add oats, return to boil then reduce to simmer for 20 minutes before pouring out. I then wait around 24 hours for oats to dry.

The problem is that after the PC run the oats in the jars have moistened significantly, turning a dark brown and clearly wetter than they went in. I'm using quart jars about 2/3 full with polyfill for gas exchange, loosening the jar ring ever so slightly, and applying aluminum foil caps that extend until about halfway down the slope where the mouth of the jar widens out to the main body of the jar. Again per Bod's tek, putting 10 jars in my 23q Presto with 3 quarts of water. I vent for 20 minutes, starting countdown from when the lid lock pops up, then cook at 17-18 psi for 2 hours. Then, let cool overnight and inoculate the next day from agar.

Anyone see any problems with the above or have suggestions on how to prevent water from getting in the jars during PC run? I know ultimately bacterial contams are a result of insufficiency in my sterile technique, but I think I have that going about as well as I can hope for in my current circumstances (mycelium is fine on agar anyway) and am hoping to eliminate confounding factors as much as possible. I feel this might be my last hurdle, at least with respect to the wet grains problem.

---

I bet the water is boiling and working it's way up under those big pieces of foil into the jars via the polyfill - trim the excess foil or fold it out of the way. 

Have you tried another grain?  What you're describing is where I was before ditching oats and switching to wheat.

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Thanks for your input!

In this case how far would you trim? What constitutes excess?

I have not tried another grain. I was hoping to make this one process work with which I know people have found success, and then start experimenting. What is it about oats that leads to this outcome and makes them unsatisfactory? Do you have a tek you can link for your preferred grain? Would I simply be able to substitute it for oats and follow the rest of the process about the same?

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