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dkamp
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question about fruiting oysters in terrarium environment
#7700645 - 11/30/07 08:08 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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I have a fully colonized oyster wbs and sawdust cake in a 15 gallon rubbermaid terrarium; with about 20 holes drilled in the sides some are an inch above the perlite, some at the top. it has 2 inches moist perlite at the bottom and a 1200cc aquarium pump in a glass of water, humidity stays at about 95%, and it is lit over head with 10 light-blue led lights and whatever light is in the room. will this "pf-tek-ish" style setup provide enough fresh air exchange with 6 or less fannings a day? if not are there any suggestions to modify the setup, other than suggesting that cakes are not the optimal fruiting media for oysters or something like that, I already am aware of that, I am just starting with what I already have to assess my abilities with this particular mushroom
here's some pictures, just for reference:
[image] [/image]
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Culland
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Re: question about fruiting oysters in terrarium environment [Re: dkamp]
#7700740 - 11/30/07 08:33 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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I think adding some holes below the top of the perlite and on the bottom of your tub will help add more air flow and may even increase the humidity as it will force more air through the perlite and cause more evaporation. I don't think you need the heater at all, mine is fruiting fine at 55, about a day slower then when I had it up stairs in the window.
Hope that helps.
Cul
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dkamp
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Re: question about fruiting oysters in terrarium environment [Re: Culland]
#7700787 - 11/30/07 08:50 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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and whenever I open the lid to fan the terrarium I like to spray down the air around the area with some lysol then let it settle. but if for some reason the lysol happened to come in contact with the cake will it do much damage?
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Culland
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Re: question about fruiting oysters in terrarium environment [Re: dkamp]
#7702005 - 12/01/07 08:09 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Keeping in mind that I am a newbie to this as well, but once you move to the fruiting chamber you don't need to worry about sterility so I wouldn't add Lysol at all. Nasty stuff, really don't want that in contact with anything you plan to eat I don't think.
Cul
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RogerRabbit
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Re: question about fruiting oysters in terrarium environment [Re: Culland]
#7702046 - 12/01/07 08:33 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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You'll need more air exchange and a LOT more light, and your light needs to be the correct range, which blue LEDs are not.
Even with hundreds of holes drilled into my terrariums, oysters take on the 'club' shape, looking like baseball bats. That is caused by the CO2 levels being too high, and oysters are very intolerant of high CO2 concentrations. You'll want to leave the lid loose, and also drill more holes in the tub down low and on the bottom.
You need very bright light with oysters. Place them in front of a bright window, or get a fluorescent fixture and hang over them. When oysters don't get enough light, they form fruits that look like coral, all stringy and crooked.
Never use lysol around fruiting mushrooms. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
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dkamp
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Re: question about fruiting oysters in terrarium environment [Re: RogerRabbit]
#7702694 - 12/01/07 12:42 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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maybe the light explains why I still have not fruited after nearly 2 weeks in the terrarium. I feel like my air exchange has been good with the air pump and fanning it nearly every hour. but the "cake" is just getting thicker and thicker with mycelium
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Culland
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Re: question about fruiting oysters in terrarium environment [Re: dkamp]
#7703107 - 12/01/07 03:08 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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My fully colonized sawdust block took 5 days after I put it in the fruiting tub to have visible pins. So two weeks def. sounds like something is wrong 
Cul
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RogerRabbit
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Re: question about fruiting oysters in terrarium environment [Re: Culland]
#7703139 - 12/01/07 03:18 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Your cake may be suffering from the lysol, which is mostly alcohol. Normally, oysters fruit readily. Keep them damp with misting. Oysters love 100% humidity. If it's raining outside and above freezing, set them out in it. They love to pin after being rained on. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
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dkamp
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Re: question about fruiting oysters in terrarium environment [Re: RogerRabbit]
#7704056 - 12/01/07 07:28 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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should i just set them right out in the direct rain? it is supposed to rain all day tomorrow and be about 60 degrees... perfect conditions right?
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RogerRabbit
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Re: question about fruiting oysters in terrarium environment [Re: dkamp]
#7704193 - 12/01/07 08:08 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Yes, perfect. Give them a break from the FC. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
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dkamp
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Re: question about fruiting oysters in terrarium environment [Re: RogerRabbit]
#7707843 - 12/02/07 06:35 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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well my luck works against me again... I set the cake and terrarium out at about 2 in the morning as it was supposed to be heavy rain and low temperatures by every report that I heard. but I awake this morning at about 11:00 (sunday morning sleep in :-) ) only to go outside and find that the storm system had pretty much gone completely around my side of town... IT WAS 80 DEGREES AND NOT A CLOUD IN THE SKY! obviously my cake was shrivelled to a miserable looking prune. I hope I can save it
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orchidfanatic
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Re: question about fruiting oysters in terrarium environment [Re: dkamp]
#7707865 - 12/02/07 06:42 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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bummer you should have put it in a north faceing area or under a tree. I know how weather does that sometimes..
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dkamp
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Re: question about fruiting oysters in terrarium environment [Re: orchidfanatic]
#7708193 - 12/02/07 07:57 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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it was under a large shade tree without any direct sunlight, but in Texas i guess that doesnt make much of a difference, even in December ... even with the north wind my thermometer/hygrometer showed that the lowest temp. was 70 degrees and the perlite didn't do much of a job keeping the humidity up, it dropped to about 60% and stayed there.
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RogerRabbit
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Re: question about fruiting oysters in terrarium environment [Re: dkamp]
#7710177 - 12/03/07 10:22 AM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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It didn't hurt the mycelium. Oyster can dry completely out during the summer, and still fruit in the fall when the rains come. Dunk to rehydrate and return to fruiting conditions. If you have a very fine misting sprinkler, you can set the project outside at night and let the sprinkler mist it all night. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
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dkamp
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Re: question about fruiting oysters in terrarium environment [Re: RogerRabbit]
#7710494 - 12/03/07 11:53 AM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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I bought a new ultrasonic humidifier and a new taller tub. it has variable mist output so I set it to its lowest setting, so there almost isn't even a visible mist and rigged a hose to it running to the terrarium at the top. I leave the lid off for fae and I have a flourescent grow light hanging above the terrarium it keeps about 98 percent humidity at 60 degrees. I placed a new fully colonized sawdust and wbs cake in the terrarium with the old formerly dried out cake. hopefully I did something right this time
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dkamp
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Re: question about fruiting oysters in terrarium environment [Re: dkamp]
#7712625 - 12/03/07 07:51 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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I finally found some wheat straw! a huge bail of it for 7 bucks... I didn't want to start really going to a larger scale until i had the correct media to fruit on and that i knew was a more proven and preferred substrate for oysters. now i can really start doing things the right way i guess
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RogerRabbit
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Re: question about fruiting oysters in terrarium environment [Re: dkamp]
#7713399 - 12/03/07 10:49 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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Oysters do quite well on straw. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
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Kttail
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Re: question about fruiting oysters in terrarium environment [Re: RogerRabbit]
#7714175 - 12/04/07 07:32 AM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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Did you have the bottom drilled out of that basket?
-------------------- "Do not meddle, In the affairs of Dragons. For thou art crunchy, and tasty with catsup."
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dkamp
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Re: question about fruiting oysters in terrarium environment [Re: Kttail]
#7721595 - 12/05/07 08:00 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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I also have finally found some good powdered agar... I haven't been able to find any petri dishes yet so I started a little test culture in a little 1/4 pint mason jar with saran wrap replacing the metal disk. I am using Oatmeal yeast agar recipe for oysters, probably not the preferred medium, but I had the ingredients around the house. and I ended up just placing the wbs cake that has been giving me so much trouble under a bush in the garden, after finding yesterday that it was starting to get a small patch of green on it. I am definitely sticking to my straw to fruit on for now.
Thanks a million to Roger for all his input, not only in my thread but throughout this whole forum you are truly a valuable member to this community... I do hope to one day be in your position, as such a knowledgeable member of this hobby.
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