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lightningbolt1
Salty Newb
Registered: 04/13/07
Posts: 219
Loc: tihs side of the continen...
Last seen: 16 years, 1 month
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Newbie Help (updated with success)
#7060630 - 06/18/07 09:21 AM (16 years, 9 months ago) |
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My first time, i am having problems..i am trying to troubleshoot, and start over. I used the pf tek, i followed all instructions carefully. I used American Basmati Brown rice, and ground it into flour..is this acceptable? any difference from regular Brown Rice? After Sterilization, i was unable to inoculate after 12 hrs..it was more like 24-32 hrs..will this have an effect? The jars i used were small, and i poked holes in the lids to keep water from getting into the jar during sterilization..it seems as though the foil did not keep the steam from getting into the jar..i THINK..it looks like some of the BRF has come to the bottom of the jar in a clump..so i suspect more moisture is in the jar...How will this affect mycelium development? is there any way to correct it, or do i start over? how do i effectively seal these holes in the lid so i can prevent water entry the next time around? I was thinking maybe wax? IS it noraml for some of the BRF to come off the vermiculite and settle at the bottom? If i do not have an alcohol lamp, what can i use to sterilize the needle? Will a lighter work? What do i do about the vermiculite that gets stuck in the needle after i inoculate? For incubation, i have devised a modified box/water/box design, using the peices that i have..i have gotten the box to an average of 80 degrees, as was suggested, and i have gone a week with no mycelium in any of my 6 jars. Do they need to be in total darkness? will light delay the mycelium growth? I am using spores from hawkeye, a cambodian cubesis strain..
please, help
-------------------- In the land of the dark, the ship of the sun is driven by the Grateful Dead
Edited by lightningbolt1 (06/22/07 07:23 AM)
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lightningbolt1
Salty Newb
Registered: 04/13/07
Posts: 219
Loc: tihs side of the continen...
Last seen: 16 years, 1 month
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yea, i havn;t posted a bunch, i lurk a lot and read up..just lookin for some good ol know how, so i can do better the next time
-------------------- In the land of the dark, the ship of the sun is driven by the Grateful Dead
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lightningbolt1
Salty Newb
Registered: 04/13/07
Posts: 219
Loc: tihs side of the continen...
Last seen: 16 years, 1 month
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if you need pics, i can provide
-------------------- In the land of the dark, the ship of the sun is driven by the Grateful Dead
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Banez
Stranger
Registered: 09/23/05
Posts: 15,181
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a couple things... use multiple layers of foil if thats what ur going to use, and rubberband it to keep it air tight.. that's the same place i made my mistake in my first grow. tyvek tape works also. or electrical tape.
also, are u using a pot or a pressure cooker?
you also dont have to wait soo long after sterlizing, the longer they sit, the more prone they are to contamination.I sterlize and then i wait for them to cool, then knock them up all done within 3-4 hours.
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Banez
Stranger
Registered: 09/23/05
Posts: 15,181
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Re: Newbie Help [Re: Banez]
#7060663 - 06/18/07 09:33 AM (16 years, 9 months ago) |
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a lighter will work fine for sterlizing the needle.. just make sure you wait until the needle turns red.
if contam was your problem ud see little green, yellow, pink, or black mold.. if u simply have nothing happening im not sure.
yes, complete darkness is preferred.
the main problem seems to be the foil. and when you sterilized the jars.. altering the water content inside the jar.
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lightningbolt1
Salty Newb
Registered: 04/13/07
Posts: 219
Loc: tihs side of the continen...
Last seen: 16 years, 1 month
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Re: Newbie Help [Re: Banez]
#7060676 - 06/18/07 09:37 AM (16 years, 9 months ago) |
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thanks, you rock
no i didn;t use rubber bands on the foil lids..oops there may be light leakage thru the side of the containers, they're grey plastic, and they may allow light to leak thru..probably not a lot, but maybe enough..maybe
there is NO growth whatsoever..will the altered moisture content prevent the mycelium from forming? is this a 'start over' mistake?
-------------------- In the land of the dark, the ship of the sun is driven by the Grateful Dead
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lightningbolt1
Salty Newb
Registered: 04/13/07
Posts: 219
Loc: tihs side of the continen...
Last seen: 16 years, 1 month
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and yep, i'm using a small pressure cooker
-------------------- In the land of the dark, the ship of the sun is driven by the Grateful Dead
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Banez
Stranger
Registered: 09/23/05
Posts: 15,181
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id invest 8.95$ and get 1/2 pint jars made by Ball.. they work perfectly.
and yeah, using rubberbands should help.
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lightningbolt1
Salty Newb
Registered: 04/13/07
Posts: 219
Loc: tihs side of the continen...
Last seen: 16 years, 1 month
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Re: Newbie Help [Re: Banez]
#7060701 - 06/18/07 09:45 AM (16 years, 9 months ago) |
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alrighty..i'm using ball jars, but they're littler ones..i'll go for the upgrade then
thanks for the help mang
rubber bands..figures something so small would send me back to the beginning..thanks a lot
-------------------- In the land of the dark, the ship of the sun is driven by the Grateful Dead
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Banez
Stranger
Registered: 09/23/05
Posts: 15,181
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not a problem man. i myself am very new.. im always more than happy to share my experience with people.
best of luck next time around.
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lightningbolt1
Salty Newb
Registered: 04/13/07
Posts: 219
Loc: tihs side of the continen...
Last seen: 16 years, 1 month
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Re: Newbie Help [Re: Banez]
#7060708 - 06/18/07 09:47 AM (16 years, 9 months ago) |
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thanks
-------------------- In the land of the dark, the ship of the sun is driven by the Grateful Dead
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d4a2n0k
The Dude
Registered: 07/23/03
Posts: 742
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What ever you do, DO NOT seal the jars with tape or wax. I cant find it right now, but there was a post a few weeks ago by a guy who covered his jar holes with tape and he had a few of them explode while boiling.
Just put 2-3 layers of foil, and don't put too much water in your pot. Its always worked fine for me.
BTW your jars might be fine, as long as there isn't standing water, and they don't look soupy, there probably fine.
-------------------- Row, row, row your boat, Gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, Life is but a dream.
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Anno
Experimenter
Registered: 06/17/99
Posts: 24,166
Loc: my room
Last seen: 18 days, 19 hours
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Quote:
I used American Basmati Brown rice, and ground it into flour..is this acceptable?
This should work fine.
Quote:
After Sterilization, i was unable to inoculate after 12 hrs..it was more like 24-32 hrs..will this have an effect?
No.
Quote:
it looks like some of the BRF has come to the bottom of the jar in a clump..so i suspect more moisture is in the jar...How will this affect mycelium development?
It looks as if you used too much water. A too wet substrate can cause bacterial proliferation and also slow down mycelium growth.
Quote:
is there any way to correct it, or do i start over?
There isn't a way to correct it now, no.
Quote:
how do i effectively seal these holes in the lid so i can prevent water entry the next time around?
You don't need to. You should only use a little water in the pot, so that the steam is sterilizing, not the water bath. Use less water in your recipe.
Quote:
IS it noraml for some of the BRF to come off the vermiculite and settle at the bottom?
Only if the substrate is too wet.
Quote:
If i do not have an alcohol lamp, what can i use to sterilize the needle? Will a lighter work?
It will work.
Quote:
What do i do about the vermiculite that gets stuck in the needle after i inoculate?
This shouldn't happen, since you are expunging the spore suspension through the needle?!
Quote:
i have gotten the box to an average of 80 degrees, as was suggested, and i have gone a week with no mycelium in any of my 6 jars.
How old was the syringe? Do the jars smell funky?
Quote:
Do they need to be in total darkness?
No.
Quote:
will light delay the mycelium growth?
No.
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RadelBaluvar
PharaohApprentice
Registered: 08/15/04
Posts: 315
Loc: Switzerland
Last seen: 16 years, 6 months
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Here you are [Re: Anno]
#7061179 - 06/18/07 11:49 AM (16 years, 9 months ago) |
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http://youtube.com/profile_videos?user=ShroomCity
I made those brand NEW entertaining grow music videos especially for people like you. Simple, but very easy to understand and also a great joy to watch.
PF-Tek Part 1 http://youtube.com/watch?v=0HdSEB5kjNg PF-Tek Part 2 http://youtube.com/watch?v=wAEb5_s_Yr8 PF-Tek Part 3 http://youtube.com/watch?v=KBEZutbpmSs
Good grow
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lightningbolt1
Salty Newb
Registered: 04/13/07
Posts: 219
Loc: tihs side of the continen...
Last seen: 16 years, 1 month
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Re: Newbie Help [Re: Anno]
#7061519 - 06/18/07 01:20 PM (16 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
it looks like some of the BRF has come to the bottom of the jar in a clump..so i suspect more moisture is in the jar...How will this affect mycelium development?
"It looks as if you used too much water. A too wet substrate can cause bacterial proliferation and also slow down mycelium growth."
alright..it's not ALL of the BRF, just a small amount..the vermiculite still looks covered. I made absolutly sure that the vermiculite was at it's absorbent rate, with only a little on the bottom of the mixing bowl, exactly like the picture in the TEK...the water did not run out of the substrate at all, and there is only a little bit of excess moisture in the jar..i do not know how tolerant this part of the process is, and being a dirty newb, i'm a little panicky
This shouldn't happen, since you are expunging the spore suspension through the needle?! As for this, when i insert the needle, apprx 1 inch down into the substrate, the needle sometimes comes back with little peices of vermiculite stuck in it. I just wondered how to clean it out.
How old was the syringe? Do the jars smell funky?
the syinge was pretty new, and the jars were brand new, no smell.
-------------------- In the land of the dark, the ship of the sun is driven by the Grateful Dead
Edited by lightningbolt1 (06/18/07 01:21 PM)
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veilbreaker
Sour girl
Registered: 06/12/07
Posts: 528
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I made my own alcohol burner.
I took an upside down shotglass (with a little divot on the underside), squirted some alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and lit it with a cig lighter. Nice blue flame without any blackening on the needle. Pure alcohol probably works better but I didn't have any of that.
-------------------- People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
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lightningbolt1
Salty Newb
Registered: 04/13/07
Posts: 219
Loc: tihs side of the continen...
Last seen: 16 years, 1 month
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update:
still nothing. I have stabilized and double checked the temp..steady 80
i am going to scrap this attempt, obtain some rubber bands, and start over
thanks for the assistance guys, more updates to come
-------------------- In the land of the dark, the ship of the sun is driven by the Grateful Dead
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veilbreaker
Sour girl
Registered: 06/12/07
Posts: 528
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Question:
How far did you push the needle into the jar? Several of mine did not germinate at all and I'm guessing it's because I injected the solution into the dry verm and not the substrate.
-------------------- People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
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lightningbolt1
Salty Newb
Registered: 04/13/07
Posts: 219
Loc: tihs side of the continen...
Last seen: 16 years, 1 month
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Seems my problem was not method, clean, inoculation technique, or the spores
it was impatience
colonization was evident last night in 3/6 jars..one very colonized, the others begginning Thanks for all the awesome advice, and help i've gotten from you guys..great community..i will be learning much more, right here
Sorry for my grrrrr yesterday..i was quite frustrated, and now that i have progress, i am much better now
more to come!!
-------------------- In the land of the dark, the ship of the sun is driven by the Grateful Dead
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