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Kosmokos
Stranger
Registered: 09/01/01
Posts: 6
Loc: U.S.A.
Last seen: 22 years, 3 months
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~~~*White fuzz monster*
#383155 - 09/01/01 02:56 AM (22 years, 6 months ago) |
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Question: I birthed 2 cakes a couple weeks ago, fully covered in beautiful white mycelium. After two weeks I threw them away because they turned tan and got very hard and dry, but they also grew a white fuzz (like cotton) all over them (no smell). I have recently birthed 5 more cakes and the white fuzz is creeping up on them as well. I used the PF Tek jar method for mycelium cultivation and birthed them into gallon jars with a perlite/water mixture for humidification/fruiting. I air them out once a day. Humidity is high (as observed from the water droplets all over the inside of the jar). Light exposure is dim sunlight throughout the day and a 250 watt light bulb exposure for a couple hours in the early evening. Is the humidity too high??? What is the crazy white-cottony fuzz?? Any suggestions/answers/solutions/ideas would be greatly appreciated.
"He who's knows others is wise, he who knows himself is enlightened." ---Lao Tzu
-------------------- "He who's knows others is wise, he who knows himself is enlightened." ---Lao Tzu
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Zen Peddler
Registered: 06/18/01
Posts: 6,379
Loc: orbit
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Re: ~~~*White fuzz monster* [Re: Kosmokos]
#383167 - 09/01/01 03:13 AM (22 years, 6 months ago) |
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Bit of a bummer man, those cakes you chucked sound like they were fine... The white fuzz is mycelium reacting to too high humidity... try to lower it, and cold shock 'em, and you'll get pins in no time!
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Kosmokos
Stranger
Registered: 09/01/01
Posts: 6
Loc: U.S.A.
Last seen: 22 years, 3 months
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~~~Yellow hard cakes are still good?? [Re: Zen Peddler]
#383170 - 09/01/01 03:21 AM (22 years, 6 months ago) |
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What could I have possibly done to my tan/yellow hard cakes?? They looked so pitiful.... Why would they turn tan/yellow and get all hard like that AND be over humidified???
"He who's knows others is wise, he who knows himself is enlightened." ---Lao Tzu
-------------------- "He who's knows others is wise, he who knows himself is enlightened." ---Lao Tzu
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Kenshin
Stranger
Registered: 07/25/01
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Re: ~~~Yellow hard cakes are still good?? [Re: Kosmokos]
#383196 - 09/01/01 05:51 AM (22 years, 6 months ago) |
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Kosmokos - I think your cakes are okay also. The white fuzz sounds normal to me (humidity is a little high - cut back on spraying and/or increase fanning). As too how the cakes can seem too dry in this overly humid environment: the thing you must consider is that the humidity in the growing chamber and the moisture in the cakes are too very different things. If you put dry cakes into 100% humidity this will do very little to rehydrate them, however the surface will react to the moisture in the air and you could see the white fuzz you are so concerned about. As to the tan color on the cakes this is a puzzle I am trying to decipher myself (I am still a relative newbie to this hobby). My cakes get a litle tan sometimes (usually after a few flushes). I have taken this to mean they are getting old. However, some cakes from my newest set, which is just finishing the first flush, are already a little tan around the top. The only difference between these cakes and my earlier ones was that I added water daily to the double end casing for the first week. This produced excellent results (much bigger mushrooms, and still not water-bloated). My other cakes which eventually turned tan were dunked (sometimes on the long side (12-24 hours, which I now feel is excessive). I think the problems all lie with improper moisture content in the cake, either too much or too little. I read on these boards a long time ago, that yellow discoloration means too much water in the cake and orange (tan) means too little. I wonder now if this might be backwards. Many people think that yellow signifies too much water in the cake (i.e. water damage). However I think this may be wrong. I have had cakes come in contact with a large puddle of condensation for quite a while and not turn yellow. I have also had cakes with a lot of condensation which did turn yellow. I think that the yellowing comes when the cakes are too dry. You see a lot of condensation and you think that water damage caused the yellow. However if you see a lot of condensation that means a lot of moisture has left the cake (the condensation never returns to the cake). That is why I think yellow may mean that the cake is actually too dry. On the other hand, my overly hydrated cakes exhibited tanning so this could possibly be caused by a too wet cake. This post got out of hand - sorry for the length (but thanks for reading this far). These are just a few things I have been thinking about lately.
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My Third Eye
old hand
Registered: 11/02/00
Posts: 641
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Re: ~~~Yellow hard cakes are still good?? [Re: Kosmokos]
#383200 - 09/01/01 06:29 AM (22 years, 6 months ago) |
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i would say the tan color was water damage but you say it got dry and hard? hmmmmmm..wouldnt make a whole lot of sense
The light that fueled our fire then has burned a hole between us so We cannot see to reach an end crippling our communication
-------------------- suddenly a flaming stealth banana split the sky like one would hope but never really expect to see in a place like this. Cutting right angle donuts on a dime and stopping right at my Birkenstocks, and me yelping...Holy fucking shit!
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MAIA
World-BridgerKartikeya (DftS)
Registered: 04/27/01
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Re: ~~~*White fuzz monster* [Re: Kosmokos]
#383242 - 09/01/01 10:41 AM (22 years, 6 months ago) |
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Yellow and hard means the substrate is loosing all it's water content, you can see this if you break the cake, also the mycelium inside is yellow, means it's dying. Water damage is a different thing, the mycellium gets yellow where the condensation excess is located, not the entire cake. Peace, MAIA
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Kosmokos
Stranger
Registered: 09/01/01
Posts: 6
Loc: U.S.A.
Last seen: 22 years, 3 months
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~~~*Now what about the re-hydration factor??* [Re: MAIA]
#383505 - 09/01/01 07:27 PM (22 years, 6 months ago) |
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Thank you everybody for your info. ~~~Next question: If the cake is dry/hard and yellow, how do I go about re-hydrating it?? Or is it too late at that point??? ~~~Also, I transferred the cakes to jars with less humidity (more perlite, less water) and they're doing great. Mycelium is looking strong and the fuzz took the last train out of town. Thanks again!
"He who's knows others is wise, he who knows himself is enlightened." ---Lao Tzu
-------------------- "He who's knows others is wise, he who knows himself is enlightened." ---Lao Tzu
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dr_skipper
newbie
Registered: 06/17/01
Posts: 43
Last seen: 22 years, 6 months
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Re: ~~~*Now what about the re-hydration factor??* [Re: Kosmokos]
#384037 - 09/02/01 03:26 PM (22 years, 6 months ago) |
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Two suggestions - First, soak the dry cake. 1- Sterelize a jar, fill with boiled water, let cool 2- Stick the cake in it and stick it in the fridge 24ish hours Second, place the cake laying down sideways on the perelite. I usually gently wiggle it so it digs in a bit and is in contact with the water underneath. This seems to help keep the cake happy. I've had 4 flushes out of cakes this way. cya
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patzee
enthusiast
Registered: 05/26/01
Posts: 233
Last seen: 19 years, 8 days
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Re: ~~~*White fuzz monster* [Re: Kosmokos]
#384117 - 09/02/01 06:00 PM (22 years, 6 months ago) |
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KOS.. I had a similar problem. My cakes had great mycelium..Then they got cobweb mold. (are you sure that white fuzz isn't cobweb mold? look at www.thehawkseye.com for pic) I sprayed them with H202. Then they were dry, hard and yellow.I dunk tekked for 20hrs but that didn't work. I thought they were doomed. But I injected them with water. It worked. ( I got 3 decent flushes)Search the archive or review my posts for 8/14/01.. you will see a post : Pleez , can you add water to a pinning cake? I got some great help and pictures. Good Luck
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