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The_Bomb
saulsberry steak today children!


Registered: 09/30/07
Posts: 174
Loc: Montana
Last seen: 2 months, 28 days
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A few questions involving bluing of cake and perlite
#7472213 - 09/30/07 10:15 PM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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Alright sorry if these questions have already been asked. Question 1. When i birthed my cakes (my first time growing ever) parts of them turned blue within 5 minutes. A day later the blue is gone, i was wondering if cakes can blue like mushrooms do.
Question 2. I'm really having a hard time guageing (damn i cant spell) the amount of perlite to water ratio, like i think i have it right then i keep checking on it an i just cant tell if its doing anything. When there is sufficient humidity what signs show it? (besides the obvious fruiting of the cake), Will there be like maybe a few water droplets on the side? can you put your hand in the terrarium and kinda feel the humidity? I tried this and it seems there is humidity but if its enough i do not know. I do see that my cakes are developing the white knots or what ever there called and that was said to be a good sign. Sorry this was so long but I'm very critical on every little thing i do until i am confident its right.
Thanks for your time.
-------------------- "Its only after we've lost everything, that we are free to do anything" <-- Brad Pitt? Fight Club "Nothing is real, not you or me, we just think we are real, its a fantastic illusion, we exist only because something wants us too, why, I have no idea." <-- 1138, DF2 debugger and teacher.
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juris1
Esquire



Registered: 08/08/07
Posts: 288
Loc: The South
Last seen: 10 years, 23 days
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Re: A few questions involving bluing of cake and perlite [Re: The_Bomb]
#7472334 - 09/30/07 10:42 PM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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First off, I would recommend getting rid of the standing water in your FC. Standing water defeats the purpose of the perlite. Perlite has a lot of surface area, and when it's damp, the air flowing through it creates and raises the RH. If your perlite is under water, air is not flowing through it which is not a good thing. I'd use the shotgun FC with about 4-5 inches of perlite in the bottom. However, if you are gonna use standing water, then you might want to consider using/building the PMP (poor man's pod), if you're not already doing that.
Condensation is not always a sign of high humidity. Don't use that as a gauge. When you open the top to fan, you should be able to feel the warm, moist air. But, the best thing you can do is to get an analog hygromoter from a cigar shop or order one from one of the sponsors.
Yes, cakes can blue like mushrooms. If your cakes blue, you can take a q-tip dipped in hydrogen peroxide and rub the blue area of the cake. If it doesn't come off on your q-tip, it's just bluing. If it comes off, it's likely that it may be a contam. Whenever i've had bluing on my cakes, it just didn't go away though. So, not sure what to tell you about that.
-------------------- "In Vino Veritas" Mycology (from the Greek μύκης, meaning "fungus") is the study of fungi, their genetic and biochemical properties, their taxonomy, and their use to humans as a source for tinder, medicinals (e.g., penicillin), food (e.g., beer, wine, cheese, edible mushrooms) and entheogens, as well as their dangers, such as poisoning or infection.
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The_Bomb
saulsberry steak today children!


Registered: 09/30/07
Posts: 174
Loc: Montana
Last seen: 2 months, 28 days
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Re: A few questions involving bluing of cake and perlite [Re: juris1]
#7472472 - 09/30/07 11:31 PM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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The perlite rises above the standing water an inch. The container I'm using is pretty small, like a foot tall, foot wide, and 2 feet long (it is big enough though, i just estimated that off the top of my head) I think the perlite is doing good, when i feel the top of it it feels cool and damp (cool temperature on the perlite would indicate evaporation). I'm just trying to figure out the bluing thing though, like i said, right before i birthed them they had no blue on them and as soon as i birthed them,(give or take a few minutes) blue appeared on certain spots and then like i said a day later (or so) it went away. The cakes have only been in the terrarium a few days and from pictures i have looked at (the mycelium that "fluffs up" when it is put in the fruiting chamber) is actually being developed all around the cake at a seemingly fast pace from what i have read. I don't know though, the whole process seems to be going fast for me compared to other cultivators. Two jars were completely colonized in 2 weeks 2 days, been in the terrarium for 2 days one cake and the other cake 3 days. Strain is B+ , has anyone else ever had this type of speed before? Am i just an abnormality in the system or something? Wow another long post, if you read it thanks for your time.
-------------------- "Its only after we've lost everything, that we are free to do anything" <-- Brad Pitt? Fight Club "Nothing is real, not you or me, we just think we are real, its a fantastic illusion, we exist only because something wants us too, why, I have no idea." <-- 1138, DF2 debugger and teacher.
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eleven34



Registered: 08/26/07
Posts: 307
Loc: Missouri
Last seen: 1 year, 2 months
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Re: A few questions involving bluing of cake and perlite [Re: The_Bomb]
#7472533 - 09/30/07 11:56 PM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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Hey Bomb Juris hit it right on the head. You should just rinse your perlite in hot water really well, let it drain for about 10 or so minutes then dump in your FC. That will be perfect for humidity if you have your FC closed properly and such. Just remember lots of FAE.
-------------------- "Get your damn hands off me sesame cake"
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The_Bomb
saulsberry steak today children!



Registered: 09/30/07
Posts: 174
Loc: Montana
Last seen: 2 months, 28 days
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Re: A few questions involving bluing of cake and perlite [Re: eleven34]
#7472588 - 10/01/07 12:31 AM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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Thanks man, will do. But can this wait until tomorrow? or is that a bad idea? i would do it right now but my dad decided to sleep at home tonight. Also, i live in a very dry area, would the perlite be able to support the humidity required for the terrarium for the fruiting duration of the cake?
-------------------- "Its only after we've lost everything, that we are free to do anything" <-- Brad Pitt? Fight Club "Nothing is real, not you or me, we just think we are real, its a fantastic illusion, we exist only because something wants us too, why, I have no idea." <-- 1138, DF2 debugger and teacher.
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pmsskg
Horticulturalist

Registered: 10/06/07
Posts: 68
Last seen: 15 years, 5 months
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Re: A few questions involving bluing of cake and perlite [Re: The_Bomb]
#7491108 - 10/06/07 11:41 AM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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drill holes in the bottom of ur terrarium also and if ur afraid of water getting on your support for your FC then put a baking sheet under it or a towel
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pxlgod
wizard

Registered: 10/04/07
Posts: 21
Last seen: 16 years, 1 month
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Re: A few questions involving bluing of cake and perlite [Re: pmsskg]
#7491264 - 10/06/07 12:45 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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i'm messing with a lil terrarium atm also, what I did was rinse the perlite in water to remove the dust and continued to run water over it until I had hit every spot for sure. then let it drain like people said. I just turned the strainer from side to side and gave it a few shakes until no angle of shaking would squirt out water. placed 2-3" in the bottom of the 10g tank, only holding 6 cakes, and I fan the tank a few times a day. Drilling holes works too, but if you've got no drill handy fanning should be fine. I've got 15+ tiny mushies on each cake now after about 3-4 days. If I stick my hand in the tank it feels very humid, and the sides of the tank are fogged up. There are no droplets of water however, condensation + foggy tanks are more a result of a difference in air temps between inside and outside the tank. lastly, don't mist the tank. the water will collect under the perlite, on the walls, and water droplets group together with eachother to form even larger droplets and puddles. These remove from the humidity.
also the bluish was probably just a slight bruise that the cake has overcome. other causes would be dehydration, but I doubt it could recolonize the spot so quickly if that was the case
new here, figured I'd try to help some people out from my experiences
Edited by pxlgod (10/06/07 01:02 PM)
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