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bman11
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Registered: 11/07/07
Posts: 7
Last seen: 16 years, 2 months
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Where to Grow?
#7615263 - 11/09/07 01:20 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Hey im a noob at growing mushrooms. Im just getting ready to start making my substrate for the jars. I just wanted to know where i should do every step. I dont have access to a clean room or anyroom like that, just my house with a basement. I was first thinking of doing everything in my kitchen but im afraid that i will get contams from there because there is no telling how much mold might be there. and also where should i keep my fruiting chamber, and my jars. and would a basement suffice as a place to store everything
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Nwerd
Stranger


Registered: 10/20/07
Posts: 259
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Re: Where to Grow? [Re: bman11]
#7615379 - 11/09/07 01:48 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Get yourself some Lysol.. Some bleach... anything that kills micro organisms. You can do the work anywhere you want to as long as it is clean. Clean the area very well with sterilizing cleaners and make sure you do not have any drafts before or while you are working. These drafts of wind are enough to introduce millions of contams with one gust. You can do this almost anywhere that is clean and dry and the air is still. It's not up to your environment to become sterile for you, but for you to make your environment sterile Still, cold nights after a rain are the best for inoc. The rain basically flushes the air.
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orchidfanatic
retiree




Registered: 08/12/07
Posts: 832
Loc: where the wild things are
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Re: Where to Grow? [Re: Nwerd]
#7615414 - 11/09/07 01:58 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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or you can make a still air box using a clear tote cut two holes for your arms wear latex gloves and spray the inside of the box with lysol and wipe everything you put inside the box down with isopropyl alcohol I have done it this way with very low contamination .
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bman11
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Registered: 11/07/07
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ok i understand that now thanks. but is the inoc stage the stage when most of the contams get in...like can you get contamination after you birth them?
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c0_hush
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Re: Where to Grow? [Re: bman11]
#7615520 - 11/09/07 02:30 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Not to hijack the thread but since "still air" is preferred for obvious reasons, what if there was a vent in the small closet converted to a half bath that was sucking the air out? I plan on inoculating in this room that has the fan attached to the light so when the light's on, the fan comes on, sucking the air and blowing it out of the room.
I might have to seal under the door after me and everything else is in the room because that would be the main point of entry for the new air to come in I guess...
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dovab
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Re: Where to Grow? [Re: c0_hush]
#7615548 - 11/09/07 02:36 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
c0_hush said: Not to hijack the thread but since "still air" is preferred, what if there was a vent in the small half bath that was sucking the air out?
If it sucks the air out, new air will be sucked in from somewhere, which could contain contaminants
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c0_hush
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Re: Where to Grow? [Re: dovab]
#7615552 - 11/09/07 02:37 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Yea I was thinking that, you must have posted right as I was editing my original post.
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Nwerd
Stranger


Registered: 10/20/07
Posts: 259
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Re: Where to Grow? [Re: bman11]
#7615576 - 11/09/07 02:42 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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During innoc is when everything is the most susceptible to contams because it has not established any foothold on the substrate yet... Just like babies are more likely to get real sick when they are newborns because they have no developed immune yet dig? You want to maintain sterility throughout, but this is the most crucial stage. I wipe the outside of the jars with alcohol and the needle before each injection.. Spraying lysol in the air prior to each syringes use. Still air... no ventilation... try not to breath or move about in haste. Wear a face mask if you want but I haven't found it necessary. Once the mycelium has established itself... it is much more resistant to contams.. but not immune to them so always keep this in mind.. -Glove boxes are awesome but if you watch yourself and your work area, you will be fine. Clean clothes too... take a shower and do it butt naked if you want to be ultra careful lol.
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BUDDHA_702
Master Mycologist In Training



Registered: 02/17/07
Posts: 1,296
Loc: Some Country
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Re: Where to Grow? [Re: Nwerd]
#7615586 - 11/09/07 02:44 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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I've knocked up in my kitchen and bathroom successfully. I just clean like a mad man with lysol and bleach.
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Nwerd
Stranger


Registered: 10/20/07
Posts: 259
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Lysol... Bar none the hottest commodity in our hobby
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BUDDHA_702
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Registered: 02/17/07
Posts: 1,296
Loc: Some Country
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Re: Where to Grow? [Re: Nwerd]
#7615628 - 11/09/07 02:53 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Be careful thou lysol causes mutants.
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bman11
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Re: Where to Grow? [Re: Nwerd]
#7615630 - 11/09/07 02:53 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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ok thanks but to c0 hush's idea of sucking the air out of the box....could this actually work if a vacuum was created with no air coming back in? would this not get most of everything out? kind of the same idea with a fume hood we have at the college i work at but instead make it a complete vacuum with no outside air possible to get in
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kane.ish
the ish


Registered: 10/20/07
Posts: 60
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Re: Where to Grow? [Re: bman11]
#7615665 - 11/09/07 03:00 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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I doubt you will be able to achieve a vacuum in a box. It would have to be completely airtight and rated for negative pressure, not to mention you would need a vacuum pump of some sort to achieve it. Just use a glovebox...still air and good sterile procedures are all that is really needed.
-------------------- my cat knows my password, so it can be assumed that any and all posts I make are the result of the cat using the computer.
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Nwerd
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Registered: 10/20/07
Posts: 259
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Re: Where to Grow? [Re: kane.ish]
#7615817 - 11/09/07 03:36 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Ditto... It's really not that difficult. I don't even use a box... Just keep my room clean and dry and still air.. You'll be fine In fact.. the only time I did get contam was from my syringes.. It was inside with my spores.. Wiping the tops of the jars down with alcohol is another step I would NOT skip.. A tiny contam spore could be just sitting on top there waiting to hitch a ride on your needle...
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Nec
Cosmonaut



Registered: 11/05/07
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Re: Where to Grow? [Re: Nwerd]
#7616265 - 11/09/07 06:01 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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You can also silicone your inoculation holes to create a completely airtight fit for when you put the syringe in.
-------------------- "They must find it difficult... Those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than truth as the authority." -Gerald Massey
Edited by Nec (11/09/07 07:22 PM)
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nepalnt21
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Re: Where to Grow? [Re: Nec]
#7616415 - 11/09/07 06:54 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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i would think after some serious cleaning that the bathroom would be the cleanest room in the house. the kitchen is probably the worst.
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BlargIAmDead
Shroom Samurai




Registered: 11/04/07
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Re: Where to Grow? [Re: nepalnt21]
#7616535 - 11/09/07 07:24 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Just do it in the basement. Think about what you DO in the bathroom, and then go do it somewhere else . No offense meant nepalnt. Or in your bed room with a glove box. Or outside underneath a full moon on top of a virgin sacrifice. You know, KISS. Pretty much if you think "If I was a mold spore where would I be?" and then disinfect the hell out of those places you should be good. Turn off your AC/heat, take a shower, get clean clothes, brush teeth, if you must vacuum do it and then wait a few hours for stuff to settle out of the air, spray Lysol or Oust into your glove box, sterilize the lids of the jars with alcohol when they come out of the PC, sterilize needle, inject and tape. I think that's all the advice I've ever heard condensed into one OCD string.
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takk
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Registered: 02/22/06
Posts: 736
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Remember, most nasties live in the bottom foot of air so when you're growing make sure it's all happening above this bottom foot of air! But for storing everything, yeah just use the basement! Make sure you clean and sterilize as much as you can. So long as there's no air-flow, you should be right to inoculate on a table ANYWHERE after you disinfect and let the air settle
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yepyepyep
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Registered: 09/05/07
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Last seen: 26 days, 9 hours
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Re: Where to Grow? [Re: nepalnt21]
#7616576 - 11/09/07 07:36 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
nepalnt21 said: i would think after some serious cleaning that the bathroom would be the cleanest room in the house. the kitchen is probably the worst.
I think people are misguided with cleaning everything in a room. Its a nice touch but the fact is that the best rooms are rooms experiencing a lot of airflow (from outside that is). The air is what you are trying to protect yourself from, the air is what is going to carry contaminants to cause you problems. The more stale a room has been, the worse it is going to be for quality of air. You will learn that contaminants have very little ability to grow outside. This is the type of air you want coming into a room prior to inoculation.
Unless you are exposing items to direct contact with a lot of the furniture of the bathroom there isn't really any point going all out on cleaning for a simple one off inoculation. I started off thinking it was important but I didn't bother after a while. If I had no intentions of placing a syringe directly onto a countertop why would I bother going all out cleaning it? More important was the quality of air which is not particularly easy to combat.
I'm not saying that it isn't a smart thing to do, I'm saying that you would be mistaken if you think that cleaning a bathroom would protect you. All you're doing is cleaning surfaces. Certainly, you could stir up spores by touching the surfaces but that has to be exponentially less risky than what is airborn already. I would save your time and build up a rudimentary glovebox.
I have read here before that lysol is not useful for spraying in air to scrub it but I'm sure there people who can elaborate on that more effectively.
Hope this helps (or atleast promotes discussion)
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bman11
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Registered: 11/07/07
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Re: Where to Grow? [Re: yepyepyep]
#7616894 - 11/09/07 09:15 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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ok heres a couple more OCD cleaning questions because im really worried about getting contams for my first go aroung with this. I have an ion fan that gets contams out of the air...i know i know it circulates air which is bad but it cleans the air so i was wondering if i could run it and turn it off a few hours in advance. also if i did put the cakes in the basement would they be more susceptible to molds because its not a clean basement by any means. and if i did use the basement its cold where i live for the winters and it regularly gets down to around 20 F at nights. but inside the basement i would say is around 60. can i use a heating pad and if so what setting do i need it to go on. sorry about all the ?s i just dont want to fuck up because i want to yield some pretty good shrooms and bake
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The shroomy 1
Luminous beings surround me




Registered: 03/27/07
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Re: Where to Grow? [Re: bman11]
#7616949 - 11/09/07 09:35 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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My advice...... Build Glove Box, Disinfect inside of Glove Box, Put ALL MATERIALS in Glove box,(assuming those materials have been sterilized to the best of your ability and you have already bathed and wearing sterile gloves), Carefully commence with inoculation being careful between jars, after inoculation quickly place jars in a sterlite storage container with the lid on, PLACE IT IN YOUR CLOSET and don't look at it for about 3-5 days. After waiting 3-5 agonizing days take a peek and see how well you did.
Oh, during those 3-5 agonizing days watch this video about 10 times from beginning to end! http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=3286686859329905674 You will thank me later, (I promise!) Hope this helps.
The Shroomy 1
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AMU Q&A thread.
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bman11
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Registered: 11/07/07
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Last seen: 16 years, 2 months
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thanks shroomy that video was a lot of help. i think ill have better yeilds now that i watched it. but prolly not now because i said that but thanks to all that helped. wish my "microscope experiments" luck
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Glacier Creek
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Registered: 09/23/07
Posts: 384
Loc: PNW
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Re: Where to Grow? [Re: bman11]
#7617207 - 11/09/07 11:25 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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If you make your lids correctly, and flame sterilize OR alcohol, notice I didnt say BOTH, in a glove box or still air box as some say, you should get just about zero contams no matter what room you are in, or what the ventilation is like.
I live in a house with two crazy outdoor dogs, three people, all carpet, and tons of mold spores in my area, and I rarely if ever contam anymore. Just get to the bottom of why you contam each time, and you will get great results.
I have NEVER used lysol or oust, and have never contamed more than one out of 40 or so jars. It is not needed, and you need to remember you are working in a non ventilated area most of the time. Why on earth would you use a harmful aresol?
I do have to add just for accuracy reasons that my glove box is also a positive pressure box, with a micron filtered intake. This allows me to pump micron filtered air in while I place items in the box or remove items. Then the intake is closed, and air pump turned off before actually working in he box. This could account for some of my good luck, but I would have to think it isnt needed.
Just my thoughts
--------------------
  Google "Earthly Info" to find my mushroom recipes. #1 baby.. yeah... WARNING: All messages posted under this profile are actually algorithmicly generated by an AI computer program. No truth or actual events are being generated, and as a result cannot be investigated for thier validity. (message 2345433)
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c0_hush
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I don't know about anyone else, but I'm starting to like the idea of a glove box more and more.. Seems easy enough to build one and make it air tight..
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The shroomy 1
Luminous beings surround me




Registered: 03/27/07
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Re: Where to Grow? [Re: c0_hush]
#7617353 - 11/10/07 12:41 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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seems like just yesterday that I was working in this terribly confining YET INDISPENSABLE contraption.  I love my Glove Box.... Brings tears to my eyes.
Edited by The shroomy 1 (11/10/07 12:46 AM)
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Nec
Cosmonaut



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Re: Where to Grow? [Re: bman11]
#7617815 - 11/10/07 07:53 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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As direct heat is bad.. I'd say that a heating pad wouldn't be a good idea. An indirect light source would probably be enough.
-------------------- "They must find it difficult... Those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than truth as the authority." -Gerald Massey
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