mycelium not forming in my substrate

CheezistChrist

New Member
Hey guys, Got PES Hawaiian and Gold Teacher. Used the method of putting jars on oven rack at 250 then injected into substrate, put into my plastic bin, covered in 2 towels. Its been almost 7 days and i have seen no growth. What could be wrong. The spores were clear in the syringe, i read that doesn't matter but i'm still not sure. First timer.
this is the guide's i used to help me. http://www.earthstongue.com/site/388422/page/57028
And the one on MidWestGrowKits
 

thetester

Active Member
You can sterilize it and use it again, I suppose. But why not just start fresh to make sure? My guess would be that they were inoculated before they were entirely cool. Remember to give the syringe a good shake before inoculating in the future. Sometimes they can have a slow start, I would give them another week before starting again. But I'm no pro, so take what I say with a grain of salt.
 

tylerrrrr

Well-Known Member
And use a PC if using grains or use a normal pot and water if using the PF tek..

An oven won't cut it in mycology.
 

Kervork

Well-Known Member
Couple hints.

Buy a freaking pressure cooker.

Let shit cool before shooting it up. If you're the can't wait type, do it late at night the go to bed and it will be cool in the morning.

Use a freaking liquid culture so you're not wasting spores.

Temperature, temperature, temprature then freaking temperature.
 

Taviddude

Well-Known Member
Ovens work great for pasteurizing if done correctly.
Pasteurization works better than sterilization of substrate if done correctly.
That was most likely not the problem.
The solution is never to try to inoculate a bag with a spore syringe.
Can it be done? Yes.
Does it work well for some? Yes.
Is it a hit and miss (more miss than hit) shitty way of doing things? Yes.

Start a Liquid Culture, and use that to inoculate your stuff from now on.
If you really want success, get a Pressure Cooker to make liquid cultures.
Use your Liquid Culture to inoculate grain spawn, and then use that to inoculate your substrate.

I wouldn't waste my time trying to inoculate a substrate with a spore syringe unless I was doing cakes and I would still feel like I was wasting my time.
Even if you sterilize the HELL out of something, it will eventually go bad. Life will find a way.
Once you pasteurize your substrate the whole goal is to get it colonized as fast as possible before any unwanted shit has a chance to grow.
This is why using colonized grain to inoculate your substrate works so well.
Even if you saw some life in your spawn, chances are it would contaminate before full colonization.

Good vendors for spore syringes.
Sporeworks
Earthstongue
Ralphsters
spores101

All .com's.

Peace.
Tav
 

Taviddude

Well-Known Member
Remember your sterilization is flawed (no pressure), I would start again
All pressure does is raise the boiling point of water so that you can get to higher temperatures.
Higher temperatures are easily attainable in the oven, and it works great to pasteurize substrate.
Properly pasteurized substrate is better than PC sterilized substrate any day.
Beneficial microbes are actually welcome in substrate.
 

canndo

Well-Known Member
All pressure does is raise the boiling point of water so that you can get to higher temperatures.
Higher temperatures are easily attainable in the oven, and it works great to pasteurize substrate.
Properly pasteurized substrate is better than PC sterilized substrate any day.
Beneficial microbes are actually welcome in substrate.
depends upon the richness of the material you are working with. Tough to pasteurise agar, or rich substrates like grain. Pressure has the added advantage of forcing damp heat into tiny spaces. Many spores will withstand dry heat of 250 degrees for extended periods of time where they cannot do so in a steam environment. Certainly bulk substrates do well being pasteurized, especially casing.
 

Taviddude

Well-Known Member
depends upon the richness of the material you are working with. Tough to pasteurise agar, or rich substrates like grain. Pressure has the added advantage of forcing damp heat into tiny spaces. Many spores will withstand dry heat of 250 degrees for extended periods of time where they cannot do so in a steam environment. Certainly bulk substrates do well being pasteurized, especially casing.
Yes, definitely sterilize grain, and agar.
That's why I told him to get a PC.
Oven works great for bulk subs.
 

AlbinoEnvy

Member
Yes, definitely sterilize grain, and agar.
That's why I told him to get a PC.
Oven works great for bulk subs.
why would you use an oven for substrate it would dry it out like crazy fast it seems like, a correct method of pasteurization you wouldn't want the temp over 160 degrees.

when i pasteurize sub i load it into jars put tin foil over the top and double boil them on the stove and put a temp gauge in one of the jars once it hits 160 i cut the heat and keep it steady for 60 min works great and get me some nice flushes
 

canndo

Well-Known Member
why would you use an oven for substrate it would dry it out like crazy fast it seems like, a correct method of pasteurization you wouldn't want the temp over 160 degrees.

when i pasteurize sub i load it into jars put tin foil over the top and double boil them on the stove and put a temp gauge in one of the jars once it hits 160 i cut the heat and keep it steady for 60 min works great and get me some nice flushes
True, one wants an INTERNAL temperature of between 160 and 180 for at least two hours. That temp will not bother the beneficials but give you about a two week window before the nasties begin to take notice of your substrate. If the substrate was spawned at the right rate, two weeks should be plenty. I use an oven to pasteurize but I put my substrate in a very large heat proof bag so I don't lose moisture - if I bring the moisture to the proper level in the first place I hate to have to remoisturize and subject the substrate to an initial exposure that it doesn't really need.
 

AlbinoEnvy

Member
i have to try that out one day it can be a pain in the ass to heat up 10 quart jars of sub but anything is better then the bucket tek
 

Dogenzengi

Well-Known Member
Big note here,
Always angle your needle toward the glass, spray on the glass not in the middle of the cake.
I use a cardboard box with a clear shower curtain.
Spray interior with Lysol 2 hours before use.
be Super Clean, clean hands, clean clothes, wear gloves have helper wear gloves.
two holes in box on one side for your hands and one hole large enough to slide the jars out.
put all jars in box use alcohol wipes to wipe down the jars, syringe, lighter before you do any squeezing.

Torch your tip(your helper handles the lighter), let the tip cool, insert needle at steep angle and spray on glass, I use three holes so I spray three spots.
I torch between jars.
As soon as I spray a jar my helper removes it and places it in another super clean container with a two inch thick bed of damp sterilized Vermiculite. (use distilled water to dampen vermiculite )

Keep them in the dark for 10 days then check every 5 till mycelium grows.
Its about 30 days.

Now handling is easy be clean but they are not near as susceptible to infection.

open jar slide out mycelium cake flip it over and stand it in the jar lid which is sitting on damp vermiculite.

I use a fish air pump and 1/4" hose to pump fresh air into container and a small battery operated light light a push/tap light LED.
leave light and air on 24/7 check for pins watch them grow, some won't they stay pins. Remove those it will allow another shroom to grow.

I type to much!

Oh I have never grown shrooms, I just read an article, yeah that's it I read it somewhere.

try Thai-tanic commonly used at ever full moon celebration in parts of Thailand.

Someone said they are Wicked!
 

Taviddude

Well-Known Member
i have to try that out one day it can be a pain in the ass to heat up 10 quart jars of sub but anything is better then the bucket tek
Most people I know use a candy thermometer and a turkey oven bag.
They seem to be killing it, but then again I like to use sub bags and sterilize.
I usually run about 250 at a crack so its A LOT more work, but I only end up having to toss about 10 out of that.
Tomato-tomoto.
 
Top