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maetl
Stranger

Registered: 02/08/06
Posts: 15
Last seen: 17 years, 10 months
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Failure! Any ideas?
#5393668 - 03/12/06 10:26 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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How upsetting. My first attempt with a cake has failed.
My conditions were optimal, air tight, 95-100% RH.
I washed my hands before opening the FC to fan (didn't even need to mist!)
The cake was doing great after 2 days in the chamber. In fact, further mycel. growth was noted, and the cake was covered in a pure white fuzz. Rather pretty looking with a nice mist on it, I might add 
Well, it only took 12 hours it seems from when I last checked on it to become completely and hideously contaminated. The cake was green from the base, to about 75% up the sides. I was pissed!
The only thing I could think of as to what caused it was:
a: a latent contamination inside the cake?
b: not sterilizing the perlite that it was sitting ON, though it was fresh out of a new bag (someone advised I put it on something else...should have listened:))
Any ideas here? This is a bit frustrating...
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mushboy
modboy


Registered: 04/24/05
Posts: 32,274
Loc: where?
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Re: Failure! Any ideas? [Re: maetl]
#5393678 - 03/12/06 10:31 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Yah. dont put on perlite. nasty. use foil or something. If you stuck to sterilizing times and clean manner when handling them nothin bad should of happened. but dont worry. my first grow failed big time. but now im back on my feet with over 90jars in my tit. keep it up!
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cappa
Nerd
Registered: 02/12/06
Posts: 854
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Re: Failure! Any ideas? [Re: mushboy]
#5393685 - 03/12/06 10:34 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Air tight as in no filtered holes for FAE and no fanning?
-------------------- Their are 10 types of people. Those that understand binary, and those who don't. ~Cappa.
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Hoss
Stranger


Registered: 06/13/05
Posts: 297
Last seen: 12 years, 1 month
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Re: Failure! Any ideas? [Re: cappa]
#5393878 - 03/12/06 11:50 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Edit: Shit, nevermind...
Edited by Hoss (03/13/06 06:41 AM)
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cappa
Nerd
Registered: 02/12/06
Posts: 854
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Re: Failure! Any ideas? [Re: Hoss]
#5394204 - 03/13/06 01:46 AM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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I've found this link expremely informative on detecting and combatting contamination. You might too.
http://www.shroomery.org/index.php/par/23418
-------------------- Their are 10 types of people. Those that understand binary, and those who don't. ~Cappa.
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doubledutch
Morado PR

Registered: 07/19/05
Posts: 266
Loc: Puerto Rico
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Re: Failure! Any ideas? [Re: cappa]
#5394237 - 03/13/06 02:06 AM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Your cake was contam'd because it was sitting directly on your perlite. The constant contact with and partial submersion into the water induced rot. Mycelium isn't an under-water kind of thing.
-------------------- "A delightful, wholesome experience for the family." - Desson Thomson, THE WASHINGTON POST http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat...rue#Post5481456 omfg~dutch!
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hawksapprentice
Yearns to Snowboard


Registered: 06/06/03
Posts: 3,195
Loc: Oregon
Last seen: 8 months, 6 days
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Re: Failure! Any ideas? [Re: Hoss]
#5394296 - 03/13/06 03:25 AM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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" washed my hands before opening the FC to fan (didn't even need to mist!)"
Read the post before posting boys.
Also it is def. setting on perlite, as was mentioned earlier, that gave you a contam. You can buy extra canning lids and use those since they wont have hole in them.
-------------------- "I celebrate the Earth, my home, my mother, my grave, and as long as men are Man they must, if they would preserve the integrated being, do the same---[and preserve]--this rank casual hungry smelly sweaty lusting transitory body, my oozy pulpy liquid-bag-swollen body, bones, blood, hair glands, my bejeweled sex; I love and celebrate it all. never to let men forget that they are animals as much as gods---that is one thing I shall say." Edward Abbey
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maetl
Stranger

Registered: 02/08/06
Posts: 15
Last seen: 17 years, 10 months
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Thanks all
Regarding the perlite, should I bake that stuff in the oven to kill any nasties? Or just make sure the cake doesn't come in contact with it?
Peace
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doubledutch
Morado PR

Registered: 07/19/05
Posts: 266
Loc: Puerto Rico
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Re: Failure! Any ideas? [Re: maetl]
#5399335 - 03/14/06 02:07 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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It wasn't nasties on your perlite that caused the rot\contam. Myc is fairly resilient to all contams once it's established itself (colonized something completely). Just make sure your cake isn't sitting on the perlite (which is usually okay, but particularly bad if your perlite is saturated; i.e., in standing water). As for a canning lid without holes in it, I'd recommend something with holes in it ~ the more surface area of perlite is available, the higher it will influence the humidity. If you put a lid down on the perlite, that's that much area of perlite that's now useless. What about a wire a few inches above the perlite? I personally use styrofoam or plastic solo cups with the bottoms cut out of them, with three squares cut out of the sides ~ and then placed with the wider part (the mouth of the cup) down, like a volcano. This keeps the cake up off the perlite, while allowing the perlite in the cup and under the cake to release it's moisture to benefit the overall RH.
-------------------- "A delightful, wholesome experience for the family." - Desson Thomson, THE WASHINGTON POST http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat...rue#Post5481456 omfg~dutch!
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