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mycordia
Stranger
Registered: 12/19/23
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Bucket tek and coco coir quality
#28660334 - 02/15/24 04:04 AM (10 months, 26 days ago) |
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I am working on my first bulk substrate experiment. I tried the bucket tek method but unfortunately my first experiment turned out to be contaminated with yellow and green mold and I had to dispose the content of the monotub. I think my grain is of good quality, fully colonized and no wet spots. I have been thinking if the root cause of the contamination is in the coco coir and pasteurization process. I used an instruction on youtube: one block coco coir (650gr), 350 gr vermiculite and 4,7 liter boiling water. These are mixed together, isolated with a blanket and cooled down overnight.Then I mixed the substrate with the grain and moved it to a monotub. I sealed the monotub and stored it at 22 C.
The hydrated coco coir has a particular odor, a little bit stale. Maybe there is mold in the coir before bricks are made of it. So I tried a different brand this second time, but the smell is the same. My receipt is the same this second time. Am I just unlucky or are there any mistakes in the process?
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DERRAYLD
Constructus



Registered: 05/13/02
Posts: 12,109
Loc: South Africa
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Re: Bucket tek and coco coir quality [Re: mycordia] 1
#28660344 - 02/15/24 04:13 AM (10 months, 26 days ago) |
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Most likely your spawn or innoculant at fault not the coir.
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fractadactyl
Gran Autismo

Registered: 02/14/24
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Re: Bucket tek and coco coir quality [Re: mycordia]
#28660346 - 02/15/24 04:15 AM (10 months, 26 days ago) |
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Coir has a unique smell to it. It's hard to say with no pics, usually I'd blame the spawn. Some coir holds alot less water than other coir. You say you "sealed" the tub... usually passive air exchange is OK while it's colonizing... Could be any or all of the above. Not really a whole lot to go on here.
-------------------- I have wild cube prints collected from all over the SE US for trade. I welcome PM's about them.
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mycordia
Stranger
Registered: 12/19/23
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Last seen: 6 months, 6 days
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Re: Bucket tek and coco coir quality [Re: fractadactyl]
#28660355 - 02/15/24 04:36 AM (10 months, 26 days ago) |
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This is the grain for the second attempt. I used agar to inoculate it and some pieces are still visible.
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Goatrider
Rhythm Guitarist



Registered: 04/08/20
Posts: 4,801
Loc: Germany
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Re: Bucket tek and coco coir quality [Re: fractadactyl] 1
#28660357 - 02/15/24 04:37 AM (10 months, 26 days ago) |
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Is there any chance you got something with nutrients in the bucket before you used it for the coir? It´s very important to use a bucket exclusively for coir only.
If not it´s most likely your spawn. If there was some mold in the coir, it would be killed easily by boiling temps.
Have a look here to check your spawn.
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mycordia
Stranger
Registered: 12/19/23
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Last seen: 6 months, 6 days
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Re: Bucket tek and coco coir quality [Re: Goatrider]
#28660831 - 02/15/24 01:33 PM (10 months, 26 days ago) |
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I've used the bucket frequently before, but cleaned it using sulfite. Maybe not enough for this purpose. Anyway, I used a big pan this time to boil the water and added the substrate to that.
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fractadactyl
Gran Autismo

Registered: 02/14/24
Posts: 69
Loc: The moon 🌙
Last seen: 6 months, 25 days
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Re: Bucket tek and coco coir quality [Re: mycordia]
#28661631 - 02/16/24 06:06 AM (10 months, 25 days ago) |
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I'd take a closer look at your spawn and try to discern why the grains have bald spots on them that aren't completely colonized. And take a look at the link someone shared. It's a pretty good one.
-------------------- I have wild cube prints collected from all over the SE US for trade. I welcome PM's about them.
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mycordia
Stranger
Registered: 12/19/23
Posts: 15
Last seen: 6 months, 6 days
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Re: Bucket tek and coco coir quality [Re: fractadactyl] 1
#28663296 - 02/17/24 01:41 AM (10 months, 24 days ago) |
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Thanks, I read the spawn contamination link thoroughly. Indeed there are some small brown spots on some grains. My understanding is that this is caused by grains that are pressed to the glass. It is more difficult for the mycelium to reach these spots.
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pacmanbreed


Registered: 10/12/16
Posts: 3,829
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Re: Bucket tek and coco coir quality [Re: mycordia] 1
#28663305 - 02/17/24 02:01 AM (10 months, 24 days ago) |
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Quote:
. It is more difficult for the mycelium to reach these spots.
nope, unless there is other inhabitant. if it doesn't visibly sporulate, its Probably bacteria(love those pressed wet spots) based on the wedge site growth and extra condensation above it, some are hard to spot even on agar.
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Goatrider
Rhythm Guitarist



Registered: 04/08/20
Posts: 4,801
Loc: Germany
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Re: Bucket tek and coco coir quality [Re: pacmanbreed] 1
#28663310 - 02/17/24 02:07 AM (10 months, 24 days ago) |
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Aggressive mycelium even rips through aluminium trays. Keep in mind we compress our sub, so it´s also press to the sides and corners, and myc never has an issue to colonize there if healthy.
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