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channelzero
uncomfortablynumb

Registered: 04/08/05
Posts: 50
Last seen: 17 years, 3 months
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newbie losing patience
#4031618 - 04/08/05 04:22 PM (18 years, 10 months ago) |
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Alright, so normally I am very patient but I am losing my cool here.
I'm having a problem judging how saturated my substrate needs to be.
I have been following the origional PF tek and the PF for simple minds but nothing seems to be turning out right for me.
First, I followed the recipe to a T while mixing my verm, BRF, and water. I pressure cooked the jars at 15psi for an hr, let them cool over night, then took them out of the PC. When I took them out the first thing I noticed was a rattling sound. Although I had packed the top with verm to the point where I was actually squishing it in, it seems that it had settled and there was about a quarter inch gap between the top layer of dry ver and the lid.
Second, I looked at my jars and there were literally drops of water oozing from teh substrate and mashing on the inside of the jar. Knowing that I had used too much water I dumped the whole batch, cleaned my jars, and started over making proper adjustments.
Third, I finally found a medium which I feel is the proper balance between the mixture. I packed even more verm on the top this time then pressure cooked again. When I took the jars out of the PC I noticed the rattle again. Yes, the verm had sunk down again. Then I noticed that I could see certain areas where the BRF had sort of slimed together making almost a paste in certain spots.
So, on to my questions. 1.How do I know if my jars are too wet, or too dry?
2.Why does my verm keep settling? Are the jars gonna be fine still or will they get contaminated? I'm not sure if any of the cake is being exposed without taking the lids off each one indiviually but I'm assuming that if the verm has room to rattle around, sometime or another an area will get exposed.
3.I feel that the alteration to the water content may have skewed the amount of BRF I actually needed. Is having too much BRF a bad thing?
Thank you.
-------------------- Chasing the tail of dogma?
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LengthyFellow
I play with poo

Registered: 12/03/04
Posts: 362
Last seen: 14 years, 10 months
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Re: newbie losing patience [Re: channelzero]
#4031735 - 04/08/05 04:46 PM (18 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
channelzero said:
Second, I looked at my jars and there were literally drops of water oozing from teh substrate and mashing on the inside of the jar.
Ok first, good call here. **edit (good call starting over) ** Too wet
Quote:
channelzero said:
I packed even more verm on the top this time then pressure cooked again.
Careful not to pack your jars. Just sprinkle the sub into the jar, and sprinkle the verm all the way to the mouth. It is completely normal for the jars to settle a little when in the PC, and this is precisely the reason not to pack your substrate. If you lightly sprinkle it in, there will still be a good amount of air inside your cake even after it settles in the PC.
A good way to achieve proper moisture content is to mix your water and verm first, without the BRF. Take a handful and squeeze it. If more than a few drops of water come out, its too wet. If you have to squeeze the hell out of it to get one drop, its too dry. And about the BRF, if you stick to the PF tek ratios you will be fine. Too much BRF is a bad thing because it can slow your colonization, but if u more or less stick to the recipe you shouldn't worry too much. Hope this helps. Good luck!
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Edited by LengthyFellow (04/08/05 04:48 PM)
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channelzero
uncomfortablynumb

Registered: 04/08/05
Posts: 50
Last seen: 17 years, 3 months
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Thanks for the quick response!
So, the space between the verm and lid isn't going to be a home for contamination?
If I had used too much BRF, are slower colonization times my only concern?
Also, should you be able to sprinkle your sub into the jars? That was the first difference I noticed from my first batch to my second. My first was very slimy and was more just one solid gooey mass, whereas my second batch was moist to the touch and I could sprinkle it into the jar instead of scraping it as I did before. I hope its not too dry now.
Well, If you guys think that the space between the verm and the lid aren't going to be a problem, I'm going to innoc.
Thanks a bunch!
-------------------- Chasing the tail of dogma?
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LengthyFellow
I play with poo

Registered: 12/03/04
Posts: 362
Last seen: 14 years, 10 months
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Re: newbie losing patience [Re: channelzero]
#4031857 - 04/08/05 05:22 PM (18 years, 10 months ago) |
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Yeah u dont need to worry about the space...the point of the extra verm isnt so much to fill up the space but to provide an extra layer against contams. Yes you should be able to sprinkle the sub. Stick to the squeeze test and you should be fine. Stick to the Tek and if you have too much water don't add more BRF as a fix. Follow the steps above and u will be fine
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HippieChick
Chicks can do it too!


Registered: 02/20/05
Posts: 5,958
Loc: Midwest
Last seen: 3 years, 1 month
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Re: newbie losing patience [Re: channelzero]
#4031873 - 04/08/05 05:27 PM (18 years, 10 months ago) |
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Don't know how you are mixing the substrate for your jars, ie. how many jars worth of sub. are you mixing up at a time. I found it works better mixing up no more than 4 jars worth at a time. This way it's easier to mix and get the right ratio's of BRF, vermiculite and water. Good Luck. Peace,Love,Happiness and Harmony. Hippie Chick
-------------------- Peace,Love and Happiness HC Freedoms just another word for nothing left to lose.............. I LUV My Greenhouse http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/5545848#5545848 My First Pans http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/6212058#6212058
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waysgoose
dude from downsouth

Registered: 02/25/05
Posts: 27
Loc: A land down under
Last seen: 15 years, 9 months
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Re: newbie losing patience [Re: HippieChick]
#4032153 - 04/08/05 06:53 PM (18 years, 10 months ago) |
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try this recipe here. recipe worked beautiful for me.
chill,
waysgoose
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Juan_del_Pueblo
Mr.Papashroom


Registered: 06/26/04
Posts: 585
Last seen: 18 years, 21 days
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Re: newbie losing patience [Re: waysgoose]
#4032253 - 04/08/05 07:26 PM (18 years, 10 months ago) |
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-------------------- Don't I look like I'm serious...
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channelzero
uncomfortablynumb

Registered: 04/08/05
Posts: 50
Last seen: 17 years, 3 months
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Thank you everybody.
It seems as though this process is like many things in life. One must experience it on their own, take notes, calculate, analyze, and make adjustments accordingly for success.
waysgoose, Thank you for the link. That was the tek I used for the root of my project. I failed to mention that my problem lied within the grade of my vermiculite. It is extremely coarse and holds little water in comparison to its smaller sibling.
juan, That was a very good link. I like the site too. Just what I needed, another forum to waste my precious life on. LOL!
Cya shroomeries!
-------------------- Chasing the tail of dogma?
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hyphae
born to grow


Registered: 12/13/02
Posts: 6,228
Loc: the rain forests
Last seen: 12 years, 9 months
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Re: newbie losing patience [Re: channelzero]
#4033040 - 04/09/05 12:39 AM (18 years, 10 months ago) |
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-------------------- Getting the most out of your casings!, A pinning strategy. Oyster Shell "Flour" $2 for 1lb. a hell of a deal Not what is overlay but rather what overlay is Gas Exchange vs. FAE "We all have priorities. I used a closet once setup a nice little lab trouble was all the shit that was in there ended up in the bedroom that pissed off the GF then I ended up dumping her as she was getting in the way of my sterile culture technique! Ya I got priorities too!!!"
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Underhillmaster
The LemonProphet

Registered: 02/09/05
Posts: 414
Loc: Parts Unknown
Last seen: 15 years, 10 months
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Re: newbie losing patience [Re: hyphae]
#4033150 - 04/09/05 01:53 AM (18 years, 10 months ago) |
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An extremely useful thing I have found that helps keep your substrate nice and loose as you put it in the jars. Get a canning funnel by where you got your jars. Cost less than $2 and you will grow to love it hehe.
-------------------- If you cut off my head, what would I say? Me and my head, or me and my body?
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