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dkamp
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Registered: 11/27/07
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Last seen: 16 years, 6 hours
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Another failed attempt. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?
#7738903 - 12/10/07 12:20 AM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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I have finally gotten to a point where I thought that everything would go right for me when another completely unexplainable setback destroys my hopes. I made a fairly small straw log following the steps of every straw tek I have found...
establish good grain spawn: check; soak, pasteurize, drain, wheat straw: check; spawn to wheat straw, poke holes in bag, wait for complete colonization at 60-66 degrees Fahrenheit:
Everything was going great, after only 2 days after spawning the straw was colonizing very quickly with thick brilliant looking mycelium. on the fourth day I decided within the next 2-3 days it may be ready for fruiting as I used a LOT of spawn. but in just about 12-14 hours time in the same day the mycelium had thinned to the point that it looked as though there was absolutely no colonization in the bag/log at all. no contamination, smells like the distinct smell of... well... mushrooms, but the mycelium has seemingly started to "die" for lack of a better term.
this is the second time this has happened to me. what could possibly be going wrong?
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TheLightIsOn
In the worst ofall your fears


Registered: 08/10/05
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Re: Another failed attempt. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG? [Re: dkamp]
#7741062 - 12/10/07 02:53 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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It's possible that the log isn't moist enough after it's been out of the bag for some time?
-------------------- AFOAF's current multi-grow log "In the privince of the mind, what is believed to be true is true or becomes true, within limits to be found experientially and experimentally. These limits are further beliefs to be transcended. In the province of the mind, there are no limits." -John C. Lilly
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dkamp
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Re: Another failed attempt. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG? [Re: TheLightIsOn]
#7741844 - 12/10/07 05:48 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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It hasn't left the bag
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tahoe
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Registered: 11/26/03
Posts: 6,274
Loc: N38.93829W119.98108
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Re: Another failed attempt. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG? [Re: dkamp]
#7742060 - 12/10/07 06:32 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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what species are you growing? Oyster?
-------------------- Stop experimenting half way through your first grow. Grow it to maturity, watch it, learn from it. Do this a few times then experiment with different ideas and figure out what works best for you.
My Legacy https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/22140987#22140987 Teh=The I need to proofread
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dkamp
Stranger



Registered: 11/27/07
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Last seen: 16 years, 6 hours
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Re: Another failed attempt. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG? [Re: tahoe]
#7742081 - 12/10/07 06:37 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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yes they are oyster.
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Fraggin
Multi-Faceted



Registered: 01/05/05
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Re: Another failed attempt. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG? [Re: dkamp]
#7742146 - 12/10/07 06:51 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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Third times a charm? Do you know the ph you're working with?
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dkamp
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Re: Another failed attempt. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG? [Re: Fraggin]
#7742323 - 12/10/07 07:19 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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Not specifically, I have not added any lime or gypsum to any of my substrates. from past experience and what I have read, this doesn't seem to be a necessity other than keeping contaminates from taking over before the mycelium can take over, and I have never had much of a problem with contam.
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makaveli8x8
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Re: Another failed attempt. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG? [Re: dkamp]
#7742847 - 12/10/07 09:36 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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are you sure its not contam? if it was to dry the growth would just stop or purhaps shrink/dehydrate slightly, but you state it "dies back" within days? that sounds like contam, or maybe 2 much water? im not sure just thought i would chip in.
edit: your not discribing the fluffy myco shrinking by chance are you? because that would be perfectly normal
--------------------
  We were sent to hell for eternity Ø h® We play on earth to pass the time Over-population the root of all Evil-brings the Elites Closer to the gates.
Edited by makaveli8x8 (12/10/07 09:39 PM)
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tahoe
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Re: Another failed attempt. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG? [Re: makaveli8x8]
#7743242 - 12/10/07 11:05 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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I would have to say its a contam or lack of o2. The oyster should go nuts once it hits the straw.
-------------------- Stop experimenting half way through your first grow. Grow it to maturity, watch it, learn from it. Do this a few times then experiment with different ideas and figure out what works best for you.
My Legacy https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/22140987#22140987 Teh=The I need to proofread
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dkamp
Stranger



Registered: 11/27/07
Posts: 36
Last seen: 16 years, 6 hours
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Re: Another failed attempt. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG? [Re: tahoe]
#7743546 - 12/11/07 12:44 AM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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I think it may be the lack of o2 or too much water. The bag has near puddles of water that have gathered at the bottom and when I took the log out of the bag to check for contams (which there were none ) I found that the straw was still pretty moist to the touch. maybe I didnt let it drain enough before spawning and as the straw started to expel some of the water it couldnt retain anymore it choked out the mycelium??
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FreeSporePrints


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Re: Another failed attempt. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG? [Re: dkamp]
#7743875 - 12/11/07 05:59 AM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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Do you started cloning a Pleurotus ostreatus or what?
Bye, Fabio
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RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure



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Re: Another failed attempt. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG? [Re: FreeSporePrints]
#7744263 - 12/11/07 09:27 AM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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You need holes in the covering. Not only do they provide gas exchange, but they also let the excess moisture drain out the bottom of the straw log. 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
Stranger



Registered: 11/27/07
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Last seen: 16 years, 6 hours
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Re: Another failed attempt. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG? [Re: RogerRabbit]
#7746580 - 12/11/07 07:15 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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I had plenty of holes in it (I thought). the X shaped holes all around the log, every 3-4 inches as recommended. I didn't have any on the bottom however, and even on the sides there was a good collection of moisture on the inside walls though.
I think that maybe I did have too much moisture in the straw. I have set the log outside in the rain, amongst the shrubbery, at between 40 degrees at night and 50 degrees during the day, the mycelium does seem to be recovering a little bit (for being in the rain at least) hopefully this time I can salvage this project.
if not, I am going to probably purchase a 5 lb spawn bag from fungi perfecti and try again with a little more of a solid starting point. maybe I just cloned myself a finicky strain. (cloned from some fresh oysters from albertsons)
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makaveli8x8
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Re: Another failed attempt. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG? [Re: dkamp]
#7746753 - 12/11/07 08:00 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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so your saying you set a bag of straw with holes in it outside in the rain? was this before or after you problems started?
--------------------
  We were sent to hell for eternity Ø h® We play on earth to pass the time Over-population the root of all Evil-brings the Elites Closer to the gates.
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dkamp
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Last seen: 16 years, 6 hours
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Re: Another failed attempt. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG? [Re: makaveli8x8]
#7746892 - 12/11/07 08:27 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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it was the (formerly) fully colonized log. I have lost my patience with it, so I took the log out of the bag, and placed it outside under heavy shrubbery. if it fruits *hooray* , if not then I will say forget it and start from scratch... Again
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tahoe
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Re: Another failed attempt. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG? [Re: dkamp]
#7747398 - 12/11/07 10:30 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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cloned form a store bought albertsons mushroom? You isolated it away from the contams right? Dint say that there weren't any. There had to be and if you didn't notice any then that is the problem. I have noticed that oyster mycelium is very fine which would make it hard to distinguish it from some contams
-------------------- Stop experimenting half way through your first grow. Grow it to maturity, watch it, learn from it. Do this a few times then experiment with different ideas and figure out what works best for you.
My Legacy https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/22140987#22140987 Teh=The I need to proofread
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dkamp
Stranger



Registered: 11/27/07
Posts: 36
Last seen: 16 years, 6 hours
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Re: Another failed attempt. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG? [Re: tahoe]
#7747579 - 12/11/07 11:23 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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I did isolate it. It was a 3rd generation agar to agar culture. spawn run on WBS and sawdust, then spawned to straw. and I don't think there are any contams. there was no smell other than the smell of the mycelium and any contam that was strong enough to "kill" an entire log colonized with mycelium would probably be pretty distinguishable from actual mycelium
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