koma23 said:

fahtster said:

Sounds like your lc is contaminated and getting worse over time.  Ppl store myc long-term in water without any ill effects.

---

I don't think it's contam. No other LC's have this issue ... But you never know ┐⁠(⁠ ⁠∵⁠ ⁠)⁠┌

---

Mr Piggy said:

You don’t win against bacteria, it’s in there permanently just like any other contamination.  No myc ever “wins” against a contamination.

People still spawn bacterial jars with plenty of success.  The purpose of a shake is to mix up that last bit so it might colonize, and to see if the jar will recover or if it’s just fucked.

---

hidingbush said:

Last time I dug out with a spoon... to be fair this was from a way too wet bag I bought and stuck with a syringe so that says it all




Thankfully I've got other jars also but I have faith in this one.

---

koma23 said:

I doubt it's the nutes as the LC still has a lot of honey's golden color, which usually dissipates if you don't replenish it with new honey water.

Tnx

---

Mr Piggy said:

There’s no reason for cube myc to behave much differently than other cube myc.  In this instance a cube is a cube.  I’m with faht here, you probably have a sneaky hidden contam in the culture.  I’ve been fighting my own sneaky mold problem with a couple of cultures.  Every time I think I’ve cleaned them up and go to spawn, there the lil fucker is again.

---

Kunta Kente said:

koma23 said:

I doubt it's the nutes as the LC still has a lot of honey's golden color, which usually dissipates if you don't replenish it with new honey water.

Tnx

---

Liquid culture is technically an expansion media and not a storage medium. You can get more time out of it by slowing it down in the refrigerator. With proper techniques you can get much longer than 1-2 months though.

Anecdotal performance differences - in absence of contamination and with the same controls - could easily be attributed to "genetics A vs genetics B." As in, your next new run of that strain might perform how you'd like, simple as that.

If you want to store long term, like faht was referencing, the order is:
liquid culture < agar plate < slant < Fiorelli method

Those are the accessible methods to hobbyists generally, and if you can do one of those you can do any of them.

---

koma23 said:

Have ya'll ever used LC's with APE and PE? Have you noticed anything? Or do you just do gtg or agar to grain ...?

---

Kunta Kente said:

koma23 said:

Have ya'll ever used LC's with APE and PE? Have you noticed anything? Or do you just do gtg or agar to grain ...?

---

Did LC with PE and no issue, but I pretty much used it and forgot about it as soon as it was ready as I was comparing LC workflow to agar.

Myc labs use magnetic stirrers on timers to agitate LC and facilitate faster proliferation and aeration...granted that's gentle, and definitely not shaking, but swirling every two weeks certainly isn't an issue for the myc.

Messing with it too early would be bad, and more specifically shaking too aggressively is definitely bad. You can mess up your LC by compromising the filter (wetting it), by shaking hard enough that the filter doesn't effectively filter relative to the air pressure you're generating, and if there are any present contaminants then mixing will redistribute them and begin the battle anew.

Idk how spread out your trials / genetics are, but if the myc forms a thick raft like a SCOBY, it would be quicker to decide to no longer expand due to a lack of available oxygen.


Tldr: I'd say gently swirl your LC a few days after inoculation, then maybe once every 1-2 days, and then stop after you reach clear culture density.

and if this is all from the same agar plate then do a new MS swipe or culture reset by taking it to fruit and getting a new print.


I was saying storage in case you were meaning to use LC for that purpose. I couldn't tell based on your post.

---

My bad, I meant swirling, I'm definitely not shaking them! I've shaken LC's once or twice in my life, and at those time's the myc got so fragmented, it coagulated on the top and formed what you mentioned; something similar to a scoby. Definitely not shaking them no! And in regards to filters, I'm using 0.22um hydrophobic filters, so that shouldn't be an issue, it works for other LC's ... And your workflow, in regards to swirling timing, sounds about the same as mine.

Tnx mate : D

ElGringoGrande said:

Yo any ideas what might have caused this weirdness? It’s golden halo cube, so it should be pretty normal but they came out super weird. Lots of big aborts and super fuzzy.



The surface also looked pretty strange before pinning.


I’m thinking there was a hidden mold intermeshed with the myc all the way back to the agar plates possibly, but I never saw any obvious signs to confirm that. Could this be an issue of not enough gas exchange? The shoebox lives in a closet but the door is always open and the lid was flipped.

Any thoughts or advice is appreciated!

---

RhyzoPhreak said:

Thanks for all the coir info, everyone! Mostly wanted to make sure Amazon wasn't ripping me off. I tried an off-brand and, while it worked, it smelled like hot plastic and ass. I will be switching to Coco Bliss on the next round.


I'm curious. What is the cheapest option y'all have come across to get a Laminar Flow Hood or FFU on the table? I found this one on the midwest grow kits site, has anyone used it? I know I don't need one, but I am willing to invest in one if I stick with this hobby long-term. I don't really trust myself to make a DIY one either but if anyone has any links for teks on the subject I would be down to consider it.

---