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Freezestate
Closet Geek



Registered: 12/22/07
Posts: 17
Loc: Virginia
Last seen: 15 years, 2 months
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Activated Charcoal in Substrate
#7790350 - 12/22/07 08:00 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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I've been reading these forums for quite some time now, and in all honesty they've resolved pretty much every problem I've ever had. I've read a few posts about the use of activated charcoal in agar and casing to prevent bacterial infection with careful pH balance in the latter, but would it be a good idea to add a pinch to substrate? It really seems like something that would have been tried before, but if not I'll try it out in a couple of weeks with a few jars of my next batch.
-------------------- "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -Ghandi
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lorbitherize
Stranger

Registered: 11/24/05
Posts: 328
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Re: Activated Charcoal in Substrate *DELETED* [Re: Freezestate]
#7794510 - 12/24/07 12:58 AM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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Post deleted by lorbitherizeReason for deletion: ...
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lostinautumn7
Hooker With APenis



Registered: 09/27/06
Posts: 120
Loc: The Netherlands
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Re: Activated Charcoal in Substrate [Re: lorbitherize]
#7794563 - 12/24/07 01:20 AM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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i seem to remember the old hands saying that it does nothing for cubes...i assume that is what you are growing. but i could be wrong, give it a shot.
-------------------- "May your mycelia multiply and be fruitful." - oxohawkoxo the shroomery is one hell of a community, lots of good people here, and i am damn proud to be a part of it. thanks shroomery and all shroomerites. - lostinautumn7
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Freezestate
Closet Geek




Registered: 12/22/07
Posts: 17
Loc: Virginia
Last seen: 15 years, 2 months
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Re: Activated Charcoal in Substrate [Re: lostinautumn7]
#7794672 - 12/24/07 02:21 AM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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I wasn't under the impression it would be used as a nutrient, in what sense do you mean it induces fruiting? Do you mean it must be added after colonization occurs somehow? I'll have to research that haha.
There's no question that it would inhibit bacteria, I was just wondering if it would inadvertently inhibit mycelia growth or something. I doubt you could bypass sterilization of course, but it could potentially help keep a jar safe. I've decided I'll try this out early next month in two standard PF style pint cakes of Brazilian strain since I know it best and it's all I have around at the moment, but I'm wondering if that might be too fast of a colonizer to fully test this with. Can anyone suggest a slow to medium rate colonizer? haha I wish I had money for prints right now.
-------------------- "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -Ghandi
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lostinautumn7
Hooker With APenis



Registered: 09/27/06
Posts: 120
Loc: The Netherlands
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Re: Activated Charcoal in Substrate [Re: Freezestate]
#7795055 - 12/24/07 09:33 AM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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what drunk me was trying to say is that i believed it was a negative benefactor for cube mycelium, but now that i am sober i remember that it was cube liquid cultures that i read about it inhibiting. and i still believe that was an inclusive thread. look up black agar though, i know it has been used successfully in that sense. pretty cool.
-------------------- "May your mycelia multiply and be fruitful." - oxohawkoxo the shroomery is one hell of a community, lots of good people here, and i am damn proud to be a part of it. thanks shroomery and all shroomerites. - lostinautumn7
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Freezestate
Closet Geek




Registered: 12/22/07
Posts: 17
Loc: Virginia
Last seen: 15 years, 2 months
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Re: Activated Charcoal in Substrate [Re: lostinautumn7]
#7795847 - 12/24/07 02:41 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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I've done a bit of research on black agar and came up with some interesting results. It seems like it should be more than an interesting experiment when working with cubes, but it also seems like one that would have already been done.
Several people have made the observation that it seems to improve pinning when added to a casing layer, suggesting that activated charcoal would perhaps absorb mycelia inhibitory compounds that prevent fruiting that are normally processed by certain beneficial bacteria. Liquid cultures also seem to benefit from the addition of activated charcoal. So why not substrates? No one seems to have tried it yet.
Anyone care to try it with me? It's cheap enough haha.
-------------------- "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -Ghandi
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veda_sticks
Cultivator




Registered: 07/29/07
Posts: 14,191
Loc: UK
Last seen: 4 years, 25 days
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Re: Activated Charcoal in Substrate [Re: Freezestate]
#7797009 - 12/24/07 11:25 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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adding charcoal to a pf tek jar would not really help in stopping contams.
If the jars are sterilised properly, and inoculated in the right enviroment with a clean sterile syringe. U shouldnt have to worry about contamination.
PH buffer is used in casings to give contaminates a harder time to grow as there not tolerent of the ph level wheres myc will grow fine at that ph (cant for the live of me remember what)
-------------------- PF TEK - writeup by EvilMushroom666 Lets Grow Mushrooms - RogerRabbit & RoadKills website with sample videos plus the full PF TEK video series. Alot of great information - BUY THE DVD Cakes can and will pin! - So you think cakes suck for pins. Your wrong Franks Simple Coir/Verm Tek Franks Proper Pasturisation Tek Franks Spawning To Bulk - Monotub Professor Pinheads RTV Injection Port Tek Foo Mans No Soak WBS Prep Tek
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the_chosen_one
On the Darkslide


Registered: 09/11/06
Posts: 2,885
Loc: 1984
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Re: Activated Charcoal in Substrate [Re: veda_sticks]
#7814231 - 12/30/07 04:17 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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well, i've never played with AC in substrates but i did have some success with germinating very old spores. i ran several rigorous tests and managed to get about 60-70% of the treated spores to germinate while the untreated counter parts germinated at a rate of about 10-20%. although there was an increase in germination and complete colonization times i noticed no significant increase in fruiting. the treated tests fruited poorly.. about equal to the untreated. even so, i was able to save about 50% of the old strains tested and some, after time and breeding, have even begun to surpass even newer syringes purchased as a secondary control.
provided the old spores are not too degraded AC certainly increases ones chances of saving that long neglected strain tucked away in a fridge or closet somewhere.
-------------------- "Luck favors the observant." - Workman
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sparkle
Farmer


Registered: 07/28/11
Posts: 1,133
Loc: Philippines
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Re: Activated Charcoal in Substrate [Re: Freezestate]
#14888268 - 08/08/11 12:05 AM (12 years, 5 months ago) |
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Interesting. We use activated carbon to our orchid Tissue culture agar media to absorb excess chemicals and toxins. Maybe it works the same for mushrooms?
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wildernessjunkie
Reshitivest



Registered: 06/13/10
Posts: 8,118
Loc: HTTP 404 Not Found
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Re: Activated Charcoal in Substrate [Re: sparkle]
#14888313 - 08/08/11 12:22 AM (12 years, 5 months ago) |
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First post and you bump a 3 1/2 year old forgotton thread.
Well.....welcome to the Shroomery anyway.
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sparkle
Farmer


Registered: 07/28/11
Posts: 1,133
Loc: Philippines
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Quote:
wildernessjunkie said:

First post and you bump a 3 1/2 year old forgotton thread.
Well.....welcome to the Shroomery anyway.
sorry..just giving my two cents worth...
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