|
Some of these posts are very old and might contain outdated information. You may wish to search for newer posts instead.
|
entelligence
Stranger

Registered: 01/17/05
Posts: 140
Loc: The Great Outdoors
Last seen: 15 years, 1 month
|
Weird smell but nothing unusual
#5696398 - 05/31/06 08:05 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
Recently, I have been detecting a weird smell in my incubator but there is nothing visibly wrong with any of my jars (besides as noted in my post here http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/5694787/an/0/page/0 ). What can/should I do? I have 10 quart jars in there that are about 70-90% colonized, and just added another 12 1/2 pint jars yesterday. Should I put the new jars in a different container? Could this smell be an airborne contam that could spread? I took all the jars out yesterday briefly and cleaned out the entire inside with alcohol, however today the smell is there again. Also, I can't pin-point the smell by smelling each jar individually either. Any advice or thoughts will be much appreciated.
Here is my incubator...

Thanks!
|
shroomballa
ShroomBalla


Registered: 03/26/06
Posts: 263
Loc: Montana
Last seen: 16 years, 6 months
|
Re: Weird smell but nothing unusual [Re: entelligence]
#5696420 - 05/31/06 08:11 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
is there anything over/under those holes in the lids, or is that why you cant just smell each one?
-------------------- Anything I say is fictional. Duh.
|
HoleSnype
I love me some me.


Registered: 04/27/06
Posts: 4,315
Loc: DF DUBS
|
Re: Weird smell but nothing unusual [Re: entelligence]
#5696423 - 05/31/06 08:13 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
my incubator is the same way. I can't smell the individual jars and I can't realy describe the smell. Its not a bad smell, its not bitter or sweet. I don't think its anything to worry about... All my jars are doing fine. I would just check them daily for visual contams. If you don't see anything, don't worry about it. If you want to be careful, you could put the new jars somewhere else for a few days until you know for sure.
Don't take my advice to heart, but its my opinion. Nice looking litter you got there by the way.
-------------------- "I'm sofa king we todd did." ~ Rick James
Edited by HoleSnype (05/31/06 08:18 PM)
|
Kryptik
Enjoy the Magic

Registered: 04/05/06
Posts: 136
Last seen: 9 years, 3 months
|
Re: Weird smell but nothing unusual [Re: HoleSnype]
#5696443 - 05/31/06 08:18 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
This might sound funny, but do you know what a fresh mushroom smells like? I think its a rather odd smell and my friend dislikes it a lot. Your jars look good and its probably the scent of a fresh mushroom. (rather robust for what it is) Nice Work! Hope it all turns out well!
-------------------- Hex45 78 70 6c 6f 72 65 20 74 68 65 20 4d 61 67 69 63 2e 20 4b 69 6c 6c 20 79 6f 75 72 20 65 67 6f 21
|
entelligence
Stranger

Registered: 01/17/05
Posts: 140
Loc: The Great Outdoors
Last seen: 15 years, 1 month
|
Re: Weird smell but nothing unusual [Re: shroomballa]
#5696446 - 05/31/06 08:18 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
shroomballa said: is there anything over/under those holes in the lids, or is that why you cant just smell each one?
Nothing, just verm layer at top of jars.
|
entelligence
Stranger

Registered: 01/17/05
Posts: 140
Loc: The Great Outdoors
Last seen: 15 years, 1 month
|
Re: Weird smell but nothing unusual [Re: Kryptik]
#5696465 - 05/31/06 08:21 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
Kryptik said: This might sound funny, but do you know what a fresh mushroom smells like? I think its a rather odd smell and my friend dislikes it a lot. Your jars look good and its probably the scent of a fresh mushroom. (rather robust for what it is) Nice Work! Hope it all turns out well!
This is why it worries me. I have grown a few times before and this is an odd smell to me. It doesn't smell like myc. I would kind of relate the smell to butterscotch (scary relation!) but its not really sweet smelling.
Thanks for all responses so far!
Edited by entelligence (05/31/06 08:24 PM)
|
BPJohnny
Stranger


Registered: 03/28/06
Posts: 389
Last seen: 17 years, 7 months
|
Re: Weird smell but nothing unusual [Re: entelligence]
#5696517 - 05/31/06 08:31 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
well from what i understand the bad thing about bacteria (thats what would give you a smell) is that it keeps the myc from growing. if the myc is growing strong i wouldn't worry about it to much... however i could be wrong
|
RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure


Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
Last seen: 11 months, 3 days
|
Re: Weird smell but nothing unusual [Re: BPJohnny]
#5696587 - 05/31/06 08:44 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
Take them totally out of the incubator and line them up on a shelf instead. Now you can inspect each one, and come back at five minute intervals to take a whiff of each one individually. When your nose is exposed to a bad stink you become immune to that smell very fast. That's why it's so hard to find what stinks in the refrigerator even though it nearly knocks you down when you first open the door.
The butterscotch sweet smell is bacteria. One or more jars probably has wet spot contamination. They'll turn white all over, but very rarely will ever fruit. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
|
douchebag
Prime suspect

Registered: 03/02/06
Posts: 59
Loc: Tx
Last seen: 17 years, 7 months
|
Re: Weird smell but nothing unusual [Re: BPJohnny]
#5696597 - 05/31/06 08:47 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
I just made it through my first bulk grow and ran into the same situation. I use a medium sized personal fridge, that began to smell, much as you described. Upon very close examination I did find one jar that had bacterial growth, the wet slimy stuff, but caught it early and removed it. I opened the jar outside and took a light sniff, and nearly died. It was the same smell just a thousand times worse. It took 2 weeks of cleaning the fridge with Lysol and chlorox to get rid of the smell. The other jars remained unaffected, about 5 days remained on their incubation time, and I left them in the fridge. I use tyvek and coffee filters, just in case you were wondering. I think the bacteria was the root of the smell. Take another look, especially at the bottoms of the jars, and good luck. Douchebag
-------------------- I like kids, I just can't eat a whole one....
|
entelligence
Stranger

Registered: 01/17/05
Posts: 140
Loc: The Great Outdoors
Last seen: 15 years, 1 month
|
Re: Weird smell but nothing unusual [Re: RogerRabbit]
#5696726 - 05/31/06 09:12 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
RogerRabbit said: The butterscotch sweet smell is bacteria. One or more jars probably has wet spot contamination. They'll turn white all over, but very rarely will ever fruit. RR
Thats bad that it will still colonize !!! Any other signs that I should watch for? Is it dangerous to have them sitting out on a shelf or something like you said? Anything that I should do to protect them while they're out? Thanks again for all help!
|
HoleSnype
I love me some me.


Registered: 04/27/06
Posts: 4,315
Loc: DF DUBS
|
Re: Weird smell but nothing unusual [Re: RogerRabbit]
#5696781 - 05/31/06 09:22 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
RR, does the "wet spot" bacteria spread easily? What if the jars are covered with double layered polyfil and tin foil? My jars don't really smell like butterscotch but I am still a little concerned. Also... If a cake is completely white and has no visual signs of contams, yet it is contamed, is there any way to tell? Please advise. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
-------------------- "I'm sofa king we todd did." ~ Rick James
|
entelligence
Stranger

Registered: 01/17/05
Posts: 140
Loc: The Great Outdoors
Last seen: 15 years, 1 month
|
Re: Weird smell but nothing unusual [Re: HoleSnype]
#5696996 - 05/31/06 09:56 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
Also RR, what do you think of the one jar I posted (There's a link in my first post in this thread)? Could that have an invisible bacteria? Any ways to tell? Thanks again!
|
RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure


Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
Last seen: 11 months, 3 days
|
Re: Weird smell but nothing unusual [Re: entelligence]
#5697042 - 05/31/06 10:07 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
That jar is awfully wet from condensation. I don't see any obvious bacterial contaminants in it. As I read this forum, I see a lot more problems from using incubators than going without them. It's getting into summer in the northern hemisphere, so if you're there, you ought to be able to find a nice place in the upper seventies to let your jars colonize. The light won't hurt. Light doesn't become a pinning trigger until after full colonization and exposure to increased air exchange. At the colonizing jar stage, it has no noticable effect. Any jars that do happen to pin before full colonization have something else wrong and the natural defense mechanisms tells the mycelium to send up a fruit to drop spores. They'll do better on a shelf than in a stale box. My incubation area for years has been a simple shelf in my room exposed to normal room temperature(mid to upper 70's) and lighting. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
|
|