j to the c
Well-Known Member
So I did a lot of research on growing mushrooms and after about 2 months of studying, I got my spores. It was rocky to say the least.. Here are a few mistakes I made:
I didn't make the holes in the lids big enough to fit the syringe needle through before sterilization. So after I realized this, I got more lids, poked bigger holes, sterilized them and then re-capped the sterilized jars.
Another mistake I made was that I didn't put enough substrate in the jars to begin with. As the jars have dried (during colonization) the substrate has shrunk down and now there is about 1 1/2 - 2 inches of space at the top of the jar between the top layer of verm and the lid.
Within a week I had to throw out 3 jars because of a trichodermia infestation. To date I have 5 jars that have large areas of mycelial growth, 1 jar that has a very small area of growth and 1 jar that has done nothing.
I used the PF TEK method of verm, BRF, and water. I sterilized them in a presure cooker at 15 psi for 90 mins. My cooker only held 5 jars at a time, so I did 2 batches. My syringe was 10cc, so i did 1/4 cc per hole. (4 holes per jar - 1 total cc per jar).
I cannot find a damn forum anywhere to ask questions about growing..Anyone know of one?!
In case someone CAN answer a couple questions for me, here they are:
1. My jars are 2 1/2 weeks into colonization, and they are DRY. Is there anyway to re-moisten them without opening the jars? How?
2. What if after the 4 weeks of colonization, my jars arent completely covered with mycelium, do I leave them longer or just throw them out?
and finally,
3. Is it possible for my jars to dry out during colonization and die?
I covered the holes with cloth medical tape during sterilization and then punctured the holes during innoculation. They are in a box, in a cabinet above my fridge. I checked the temp of the cabinet and it was at 79 degrees which is perfect for colonization and PF TEK said to store in a dark DRY place, so I am confused as to why my cakes are dry, or is this normal?
Thanks
I didn't make the holes in the lids big enough to fit the syringe needle through before sterilization. So after I realized this, I got more lids, poked bigger holes, sterilized them and then re-capped the sterilized jars.
Another mistake I made was that I didn't put enough substrate in the jars to begin with. As the jars have dried (during colonization) the substrate has shrunk down and now there is about 1 1/2 - 2 inches of space at the top of the jar between the top layer of verm and the lid.
Within a week I had to throw out 3 jars because of a trichodermia infestation. To date I have 5 jars that have large areas of mycelial growth, 1 jar that has a very small area of growth and 1 jar that has done nothing.
I used the PF TEK method of verm, BRF, and water. I sterilized them in a presure cooker at 15 psi for 90 mins. My cooker only held 5 jars at a time, so I did 2 batches. My syringe was 10cc, so i did 1/4 cc per hole. (4 holes per jar - 1 total cc per jar).
I cannot find a damn forum anywhere to ask questions about growing..Anyone know of one?!
In case someone CAN answer a couple questions for me, here they are:
1. My jars are 2 1/2 weeks into colonization, and they are DRY. Is there anyway to re-moisten them without opening the jars? How?
2. What if after the 4 weeks of colonization, my jars arent completely covered with mycelium, do I leave them longer or just throw them out?
and finally,
3. Is it possible for my jars to dry out during colonization and die?
I covered the holes with cloth medical tape during sterilization and then punctured the holes during innoculation. They are in a box, in a cabinet above my fridge. I checked the temp of the cabinet and it was at 79 degrees which is perfect for colonization and PF TEK said to store in a dark DRY place, so I am confused as to why my cakes are dry, or is this normal?
Thanks
