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Peace
Life doesn't end @ your flesh...

Registered: 05/22/06
Posts: 156
Loc: Theraputic Mountain
Last seen: 13 years, 9 months
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Distilled water better?
#7158163 - 07/10/07 09:04 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Hey all, I am attempting for a second time to cultivate some mushrooms, mycology is my newfound hobby... but things keep stopping me, such as not having a pressure cooker the first time (but finally bought one today, a 'presto pressure cooker 6 Quart') so now can start and do it correctly. Now my question is:
I figured distilled water would be more cleen and whatnot....is this better to use then normal water?
Thankyou for any advice from those professional mycologists out there. Namaste~
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mike689



Registered: 05/13/07
Posts: 254
Last seen: 9 years, 2 months
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Re: Distilled water better? [Re: Peace]
#7158186 - 07/10/07 09:09 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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You have the same pressure cooker i have, i just put sink water in it, distilled water is not necessary as the water is not actually touching any of the insides of the jars, rather the heat is sterilizing the insides.
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dirtracer24
intrigued



Registered: 03/10/07
Posts: 285
Loc: upstate ny
Last seen: 3 years, 6 months
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Re: Distilled water better? [Re: Peace]
#7158188 - 07/10/07 09:09 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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im gonna say if its getting sterilized in pc it prolly doesnt much matter what kinda water you use
-------------------- why do we park in driveways?and drive in parkways?
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Peace
Life doesn't end @ your flesh...

Registered: 05/22/06
Posts: 156
Loc: Theraputic Mountain
Last seen: 13 years, 9 months
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Re: Distilled water better? [Re: dirtracer24]
#7158358 - 07/10/07 09:55 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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kay thanks alot! im just about to create the stubstrate so just needed to make sure. Glad to know i didn't pick a bad cooker either
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ComfortablyStond
Mr. Lizard



Registered: 03/15/06
Posts: 239
Loc: Psychedelphia, USA
Last seen: 14 years, 8 months
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Re: Distilled water better? [Re: Peace]
#7158392 - 07/10/07 10:05 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Is that the Presto walmart special? I had issues with it only going up to 10psi. Distilled water will keep the inside of your cooker cleaner and free of limey white scale, as well as the outside of your jars, but ordinary tap water will do just fine. I wouldn't use tap water for mixing your substrate, however.
Peace.
-------------------- "It's not a war on drugs. It's a war on personal freedom. Keep that in mind at all times..." Bill Hicks
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The shroomy 1
Luminous beings surround me




Registered: 03/27/07
Posts: 5,543
Loc: The Aether
Last seen: 7 months, 4 days
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Quote:
ComfortablyStond said: Is that the Presto walmart special? I had issues with it only going up to 10psi. Distilled water will keep the inside of your cooker cleaner and free of limey white scale, as well as the outside of your jars, but ordinary tap water will do just fine. I wouldn't use tap water for mixing your substrate, however.
Peace.
I use distilled water or Nursery water, (water specially for babies), for mixing the substrate and misting. I usually mix about a cap full of H202 to about 2 cups of nursery water for the misting. All else I use tap water.
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AMU Q&A thread.
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1shot1kill
mr. boombastic



Registered: 06/26/07
Posts: 24
Loc: midwest
Last seen: 17 years, 9 days
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yea i use tap water for everything except misting
-------------------- video games dont effect kids. i mean, if pacman effected our generation as kids, we'd all be running around darkened rooms munching pills and listening to repetitive music.
-just a thought
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Peace
Life doesn't end @ your flesh...

Registered: 05/22/06
Posts: 156
Loc: Theraputic Mountain
Last seen: 13 years, 9 months
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Re: Distilled water better? [Re: 1shot1kill]
#7160988 - 07/11/07 01:54 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Its not the walmart special one, i got it from shopco, its the stainless steel one <img src="https://proxy.mind-media.com/proxy.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fre%3Cwbr%3Edirect.html%3Fie%3DUTF8%26location%3Dhttp%3Cwbr%3E%3A%2F%2Fec1.images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%3Cwbr%3E%2F313FKVY49TL._AA280_.jpg%26tag%3Dthes%3Cwbr%3Ehroomery-20%26linkCode%3Dur2%26camp%3D178%3Cwbr%3E9%26creative%3D9325"> i hope when i did it for an hour last night it was 15 psi....i followed the instructions on the booklet it came with, to make it so that the steam valve thing on the top wasn't rocking vigorously but just so that it was rocking...was steam suppose to be shooting out the whole time?
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Peace
Life doesn't end @ your flesh...

Registered: 05/22/06
Posts: 156
Loc: Theraputic Mountain
Last seen: 13 years, 9 months
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Re: Distilled water better? [Re: Peace]
#7160996 - 07/11/07 01:54 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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my bad the link didn't work http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/313FKVY49TL._AA280_.jpg
I'm going to go search and see what this h202 stuff is.... sounds like it might help :\
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figgusfiddus
Arrogant Worm


Registered: 02/02/07
Posts: 2,126
Loc: Figgus, Fiddia
Last seen: 16 years, 3 months
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Re: Distilled water better? [Re: Peace]
#7161165 - 07/11/07 02:20 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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h2o2 is peroxide. I only use it when I see I have a minor bacterial problem on a cake, and even then only heavily diluted.
Anyway, the point of distilled water isn't that it's more sterile somehow--it's that it contains few-to-no minerals. Distilled water is (nearly) pure h2o, as opposed to h2o+zinc+calcium+iron+sodium+chlorine+etc+etc like your tap.
Tap is fine for virtually everything, including misting (and I don't even sterilize it for misting). I don't see the purpose of using distilled when most minerals in tap are beneficial to the grow.
-------------------- FGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDS
FGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDS
FGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDS
Edited by figgusfiddus (07/11/07 02:35 PM)
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Lost Nebula
Humanaut



Registered: 05/27/07
Posts: 129
Last seen: 13 years, 10 months
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Re: Distilled water better? [Re: Peace]
#7161255 - 07/11/07 02:31 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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I just use my tap water for all my mycology needs. But I have a filter system in my apartment building so the water is better than bottled anyway. I used to use bottled water with no problems, but I doubt it does too much.
Peace
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The shroomy 1
Luminous beings surround me




Registered: 03/27/07
Posts: 5,543
Loc: The Aether
Last seen: 7 months, 4 days
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Re: Distilled water better? [Re: figgusfiddus]
#7162372 - 07/11/07 06:23 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
figgusfiddus said: h2o2 is peroxide. I only use it when I see I have a minor bacterial problem on a cake, and even then only heavily diluted.
Anyway, the point of distilled water isn't that it's more sterile somehow--it's that it contains few-to-no minerals. Distilled water is (nearly) pure h2o, as opposed to h2o+zinc+calcium+iron+sodium+chlorine+etc+etc like your tap.
Tap is fine for virtually everything, including misting (and I don't even sterilize it for misting). I don't see the purpose of using distilled when most minerals in tap are beneficial to the grow.
I still choose to use it. Call me paranoid! I can't stand the taste of our city water. How ever could my little baby shroomies be exposed to such atrocious water!
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AMU Q&A thread.
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figgusfiddus
Arrogant Worm


Registered: 02/02/07
Posts: 2,126
Loc: Figgus, Fiddia
Last seen: 16 years, 3 months
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The taste is usually an excess of iron and calcium, which may be good for your darlings.
-------------------- FGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDS
FGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDS
FGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDS
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royer
±±±±±±±±±±


Registered: 05/15/06
Posts: 4,801
Loc: anywhere but here
Last seen: 5 years, 10 months
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i have used lots of diffrnt kinds of water with no difference that i can see, now i use RO water because i always have 20 gallons sitting around for my cacti.
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if you have any questions please feel free to pm me , thx :-)
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psiloglow
Stranger
Registered: 07/07/07
Posts: 115
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Re: Distilled water better? [Re: royer]
#7162475 - 07/11/07 06:56 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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OK , anyone have a pool? you know how the Chlorine evaporates out in the heat? I do not think using tap water to pressure cook is a good idea. The chlorine will evaporate out into the steam surrounding your jars in which they rise to 250 degrees (hopefully). This steam will contain chlorine, even in trace amounts, which mycelia don't like. LOL... any point here guys? or am I being too sterile and worrisome?
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figgusfiddus
Arrogant Worm


Registered: 02/02/07
Posts: 2,126
Loc: Figgus, Fiddia
Last seen: 16 years, 3 months
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Re: Distilled water better? [Re: psiloglow]
#7162549 - 07/11/07 07:13 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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The amount of chlorine in tap water's steam is probably less than what you'd get from a random air sample 50' from a pool.
More importantly, your mycelium isn't inside the pressure cooker. If it were, it would have more to worry about than trace quantities of chlorine. In short: What the hell are you talking about?
You are worrying too much, and making too little sense in the process. I guarantee you that using tap water in your PC is not a problem, and it doesn't harm the mycelium you're apparently trying to pressure cook any more than the 255F you're exposing them to.
-------------------- FGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDS
FGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDS
FGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDS
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psiloglow
Stranger
Registered: 07/07/07
Posts: 115
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Re: Distilled water better? [Re: figgusfiddus]
#7162569 - 07/11/07 07:17 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Relax man.... All I'm saying (with a Major in chemistry), is that chlorine IS present? Agreed? So why surround your jars in steam with CL2 that may get in around the bands or whatever? Right? Not a pissing contest, just make your point. L8R
Psiloglow-
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figgusfiddus
Arrogant Worm


Registered: 02/02/07
Posts: 2,126
Loc: Figgus, Fiddia
Last seen: 16 years, 3 months
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Re: Distilled water better? [Re: psiloglow]
#7162599 - 07/11/07 07:22 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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A) Because these jars contain water that also has that chlorine, and that doesn't hurt them a bit. Why would surrounding them with steam containing the same minute quantity of chlorine do anything?
B)They will have virtually no contact with the steam anyway, if you are doing it right (there is not much air exchange present--the point is using the steam to heat the jars from the outside-in, not to fill them with steam, which would offset the moisture balance).
I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just saying it's a load of nonsense. A spade is a spade, and people might otherwise be misinformed.
And I don't see what being a chemistry freshman has to do with the issue, aside from the fact that chlorine is, indeed, a chemical.
-------------------- FGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDS
FGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDS
FGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDSFGSFDS
Edited by figgusfiddus (07/11/07 07:28 PM)
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The shroomy 1
Luminous beings surround me




Registered: 03/27/07
Posts: 5,543
Loc: The Aether
Last seen: 7 months, 4 days
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Re: Distilled water better? [Re: figgusfiddus]
#7162639 - 07/11/07 07:33 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
figgusfiddus said: The taste is usually an excess of iron and calcium, which may be good for your darlings.
Your bringing tears to my eyes! Anything for my precious darlings! LOL
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AMU Q&A thread.
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Peace
Life doesn't end @ your flesh...

Registered: 05/22/06
Posts: 156
Loc: Theraputic Mountain
Last seen: 13 years, 9 months
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Re: Distilled water better? [Re: figgusfiddus]
#7162670 - 07/11/07 07:41 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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This is interesting stuff guys thanks! I'll make some of that h202, i've actually used it before for cloning certain plants to help them heal faster (gets rid of the bacteria) which i can imagine is the reason its used for small growths on cakes.
So far i've injected the spores. Last night i pressure cooked, at about 2pm today i prepared everything, took everything out of my bathroom, sprayed it 3 times after waiting 5 min each time with airsol, scrubbed down things before hand with some disinfectant anti bacterial bathroom cleener stuff, then made a box with two holes in it (cardboard...damn i wish i had bought a cleer plexi box before hand and made a nice glovebox) and covered the inside of the box with suran wrap after spraying the box once with airsol and then again once the plastic was on because i was paranoid that there might be bacteria in the cardboard. Then put some plastic over the top and closed the door, quickly sprayed myself with aersol and even took off my pants and socks hah and sprayed my legs and just walked in like that with cleen arms and all that, put on gloves and mask, tied hair in a plastic thing, took pressure cooker out of bag i put it in cause i am paranoid like that.
Then i opened the PC and loaded 3 jars into the box, pulled out one of the syringes (ecuador) which my friend gave me and still had the needle on it so when i had to shake it some of the liquids (small amount) splashed out... Then lit the tip, and wiped off the black shit with a cotton swap with iso alcohol on it and then brought it into the box, uncovered tinfoil and injected it into the 2 holes in each jar (which had the tape material that is kinda tanish/brown on bandaids...all i could find haha so i cut those off the bandaids earlyer before PC'ing and put them over the holes). I put about 1-2 full messurements into each jar (it messures up to 10 on each syringe) and then covered them back with the same tinfoil. Put them to the side in the box, took syringe out of box and lit it one more time and wiped again and then put away only to grab the other (puerto rican) and did the same procedure.
Once finished i put them back in the pc (which i had just barely sprayed out of paranoia as well hah) to transport them to the lovely incubator which i sprayed too. made initials on the tinfoil for each strain (PR & E).
But still...i feel paranoid...i feel that maybe the smallest trace ellement might have done something bad like a piece of hair... or that maybe because my friend left on the needles on the syringes they might ahve been contaminated.....(both spore syringes had visible clusters of dark cells..... Do both Ecuador and Puerto rican spores have such pigments? hopefully yes...). I'm also paranoid taht the PC might not have gotten up to the full 15 pounds of pressure.... when i oppened the cooker there was still about a half inch (perhaps even alot less....didn't pay much attention) of water...i filled it a few mm above the Trivet... which was to the base of the jars...well, like 3 mm up to the side of the jars which is nothing.
I'll post pictures BTW, does shroomery.com have a growlog section? i might start one....or maybe that isn't safe....ya probably not a good idea. nvm
~frieden~namaste~peace~
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