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OfflineFunction
Stranger
Registered: 02/12/07
Posts: 6
Last seen: 14 years, 6 months
Function's grow log
    #6558643 - 02/12/07 03:01 PM (17 years, 7 days ago)

Hello, my name is Function, hence the title.

Introduction

This is my first time attempting to cultivate after much research and planning. By the looks of it, I've already started to deviate from the normal routine proposed in beginner PF Tek's, either because I'm stupid, or just curious. I know the saying that curiosity killed the cat, but sometimes you just can't help it, especially in order to get a better hands on understanding of the whole process. So here goes:

I have 12 1/2 pint jars that I was hopping to inoculate. The first six were meant to be spawned as cakes and the other six placed in a casing. As an inexperienced grower, I chose both routes to (hopefully) guarantee some yield and see a difference in results.

Preparation__

Everything started well, I mixed the verm with brf and brita filtered water (filtered doesn't hurt, right?) and added a little too much. I always hear that too little water is better than too much, so I removed the puddle at the bottom along with the tiny verm particles and added a little bit of dry verm to equalize the ratio. I mixed 840ml verm with 240ml brf and enough water to make it clumpy yet dry (see PF Tek for simple minds). After mixing, I neatly scooped the contents into each jar with about an inch of space at the top (I was afraid of the verm touching the lid and later getting contamed), and filled the rest of the space with dry verm. Next I rubbed the rim of each jar with cotton balls soaked in rubbing alcohol - a new one for each jar. I capped each jar as soon as possible to keep as much airbourne contams out as possible. I followed this process for the first six jars - haven't gotten around to the other six.


Sterilization__

At this point, any sensible grower would throw the jars into a pressure cooker and cook the hell out of them. Unfortunately, I'm not that sensible: I don't have a pressure cooker so I'm forced to boil the jars. The whole boiling process should take about an hour and a half, but I didn't have the time to do it without raising suspicion from those around me about why I'm boiling jars, so the sterilization had to wait. Two days passed before I could boil the jars. Guess what? As soon as I eagerly took them out of their hiding spot, I realized "Hey, water + brown rice flour sitting around for a couple of days = high chance for mold."  So this is where the first question of my grow log is asked: Will boiling the jars still kill off any mold that could have spawned in the jars over the last three days? I'm guessing there's a high chance that these jars will become contaminated, so I have little faith in them. I'll still try and see what comes of them nonetheless. The pot I was using to boil the jars could only fit three at a time. While the first three went to boil, I got started emptying and cleaning the other three jars I'll be birthing. I dumped everything into the trash, wiped them down with alcohol and remeasured everything to fill it accurately. These subsequently went to boil.

Initial Questions__

I have a few questions concerning the whole heating process: Is the temperature acheived in the jars hot enough to kill mold and bacteria? Is that specifically what starts contaminations? Do some strains of the contaminations survive through the heating? I noticed that the jars were cool to the touch soon after being removed from the boiling water -- did the temperature inside hit 100 degrees C like the water? I ask because I know verm is a good insulating medium. Also, about UV exposure -- how much would be enough to kill everything in the jar (the intensity, duration, etc.) seeing as UV is a very potent sanitizing medium. Are there other drawbacks and risks to using UV to sterilize?? I find information on this very scant online.

Innoculation__

It was time to take out the 20cc syringe of B+ strain spores. I ran it by a candle to bring it to a bright red color. The candle started staining the needle though, so I opted for a lighter. I ran the needle under the lighter for about twenty seconds before it turned orange. Suddenly, the needle began to bend. I realized instantly what was happening. The heat traveled to the plastic holding the needle and began to melt it. I spun the syringe around its axis as best as I could so it would keep the needle straight until the plastic cooled. I hadn't even inoculated one jar and I was left with a lopsided, chared syringe. My spirits fell to the floor :frown:  I squirted just a bit of solution out of the tip to make sure there was adequate flow. Next I began innoculating the jars. I started with four holes in the foil of each jar, bringing the syringe glowing orange between every jar. At first, the pressure I added to get the flow going was too strong and ended up using 6cc on just three jars. It takes a bit of steady control to get it right, as I learned. Fortunately I had a large syringe! At one point, something seemed loged in the syringe. No matter how hard I pushed, nothing came out. I knew that if I pushed any harder, every last spore would rush out in a split second, so I took it easy, kneeled over a trash can, and steadily applied more and more pressure over the course of literally, 30 seconds, until I noticed a slight movement. A single drop came out along with sticky dry spores. A buildup from the heating of the needle seemed to build up and dry in the needle. After I took out the clog things flowed much better. I inoculated the rest of the jars. I would like to point out to beginners that heating the needle with spores inside causes them to sizzle and burst out. I did not consider what would happen to the spores inside of the needle, so I was surprised.

1. Spore Syringe      2. Candle Charring      3. Holes from inoculation

4. More holes      5. Slightly darker tints are the spores on the side of the glass        6. Too many spores here :smile:

Additional Questions__

Even though I have a layer of dry vermiculite at the top of each jar, should I still cover the holes with foil or tape? When contaminations enter the jar, do they mostly enter via air travel or physically? What is the earliest I'll be able to spot contaminations? I'll be on the lookout for them more than anyone should, obviously.

I really appreciate feedback and knowledge. Please include your alternative routes to the same thing I'm doing and your experiences with them.
I'll be updating this thread soon so stay posted.


Edited by Function (02/14/07 09:49 AM)


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Invisiblecreamcorn
mad scientist
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Registered: 03/13/06
Posts: 2,962
Trusted Cultivator
Re: Function's grow log [Re: Function]
    #6558899 - 02/12/07 04:18 PM (17 years, 7 days ago)

Quote:

Function said:
Initial Questions__

I have a few questions concerning the whole heating process: Is the temperature acheived in the jars hot enough to kill mold and bacteria? Is that specifically what starts contaminations? Do some strains of the contaminations survive through the heating? I noticed that the jars were cool to the touch soon after being removed from the boiling water -- did the temperature inside hit 100 degrees C like the water? I ask because I know verm is a good insulating medium. Also, about UV exposure -- how much would be enough to kill everything in the jar (the intensity, duration, etc.) seeing as UV is a very potent sanitizing medium. Are there other drawbacks and risks to using UV to sterilize?? I find information on this very scant online.





whole lot going on here i'll at least tackle your question section

yes, the idea is the temp of your jars reaches 100C.  this will kill molds, and "vegetative" bacteria (aka live and kicking) but is not hot enough to inactivate bacterial endospores.  luckily, endospores aren't normally found in brown rice flour, so we can get away with steam temps here with high success rates.  whole grains can harbor bacterial endospores, which is why pressure cooking those types of substrates is required.

as long as you went for a full hour it should be good... assuming you time that hour right.  start your clock when a boil is fully reached... not just from the moment you place them in the pot.  i've done steam sterilization myself on occasions and liked to allow a little extra time, more like 75 minutes, but 60 minutes turns out just about always.

UV is not suitable here... UV is cool for surface sterilization, of say instruments like a scalpel or such, but even then it requires a high intensity for a period of time... think of it as more a sanitary procedure than a sterile procedure.  (you used the word sanitize yourself... which means "to clean" but not necessarily more... it may reduce contam counts but doesn't garuntee you've completely eliminated them.)  most UV rays are blocked by the glass of your jars anyway and wouldn't reach the inside, let alone down to the core of the substrate in the jar.

sounds like you've done some due dilligence before heading out on this so don't sweat the small stuff too much.  a bit of research and a bit of common sense will take you very far in this hobby and so far it seems you've got both :wink:


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OfflineFunction
Stranger
Registered: 02/12/07
Posts: 6
Last seen: 14 years, 6 months
Re: Function's grow log [Re: creamcorn]
    #6559366 - 02/12/07 05:49 PM (17 years, 7 days ago)

I did some further looking into UV light and sterlization and found that, just as a suspected, UV light does sterilize the way it's supposed to. I remembered from visits to the hospital that all instruments are set under heavy UV light to destroy all living organisms that exist on their surfaces, making them safe for surgical operations where mold, bacteria, and viruses are all contaminants that can kill. In a quote from a website;
Quote:

Due to its short wavelength, (200 to 270 nm) UV-C penetrates the outer membrane of bacteria, yeasts, molds and viruses, attacking the DNA which makes up their structure.



You can never believe everything the internet says, but it can be a good starting point. I always envisioned spreading out all of the verm and substrate in a UV sanitizing medium to have it cleaned. Presuming it works for hospital instruments, it might work well with growing. I guess the biggest hurdles one would need to overcome are not contaminating the contents after they've been sterilized.
Also the fact that verm is an uneven surface, the UV will not strike it uniformally and will probably not be sufficient for contamination-free birthing. As I found, some have attempted UV cleansing in addition to their regular sterilization techniques, rather than in replacement of them. This thread breaks down EPROM erasers as a germicidal.

Also, how is growing outdoors so successful especially since protecting your cakes from mold, bacteria, and even insects is near impossible?


Edited by Function (02/14/07 09:49 AM)


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