Doin' That Rag

[Brother Bear]

I'm not really sure guys. I used a still air box. Washed really well. Iso cleaned everything. Flamed when needed. All the jars looked and smelled great except one after I did the grain to grain transfers.
I followed the tek to the letter. But my first 12 monos were deff to wet. So I mixed the next 8 dryer. No dice there either. I've got 20 some shoebox's going right now. Hopefully they work better.
Tomorrow I'm going to do some brf cakes and use the last of my spore syringe on them. Then I can get a nice clone a go to grain from agar that route. Also laying fresh spores on agar plates. Hopefully things go better this time around.
I've never really had issues like this before ? I've been growing them since 97. But only cakes and sometimes I cased them. Here is an old pic of mine from 2008 or 09. So i used to be able to do the damn thing. I'll get it figured out

 

[moose eater]

I fully case my 'shroom medium in half-pint, wide-mouth jars, Bear. Bringing the jars to about 15 lbs. pressure in the pressure cooker for at least 20 minutes, trying to get the moisture just right.

I have only used organic brown rice flour with vermiculite, with minute amounts of lime (never having used bird seed before), taping over the injection holes with blue painters' tape, and sterilizing the syringes with flame.

I don't 'free' the cakes from the jars until they're -completely- cased.

When I'm injecting the jars, I take Lysol or similar, and spray the air above and around my work surfaces, any light fixtures near by, etc., wipe down my work area with bleach solution, and dunk a raggedy, clean t-shirt in a clean sink with mild bleach solution, which I then wring out all the water from, and tie it over my face and head, as a mask & head garb, serving as a barrier to inhibit bacteria in my breath, face, head, etc., from affecting the work area as well.,

The only times I've really had catastrophic failures, where EVERYTHING was toast, was back in the old spore-print days, and scraping spores. (*Thank God for spore syringes and the newer methods!!)

Hope all goes better next time.

The rest of your efforts look stellar!!

I've needed to build a garage for 22 years now. It's on the list!!

BTW, my own personal preference is to never let the 'veil' or membrane separate between the stems and tops, as it's been my understanding that the more potent 'shrooms are those that are younger/less mature.

When I'm harvesting shrooms from the cakes, I use an x-acto blade that's been dipped in 99% iso, and try not to cut too awful deep into the cake.

I have drying boxes set up for quick-drying, that have wooden frames with fine hardware cloth strewn on them, placed inside rectangular air-tight, (medium-size and larger) Rubbermaid or similar, food-storage containers, with wooden frames under those frames containing desiccant. That's worked fairly well for me for a while now, but I only do a crop of 'shrooms every 8-10 years or so.

 

[Brother Bear]

Yep Moose. I've done that many a year now as well with almost zero issues. And that's why I'm going to grow a few brf jars just to get something going so i can have a few clones to work with.
It's my first go with the grain method. And like I said everything colonized great. Looked great, smelled like mushrooms when I put them in tubs. It all went to shit after that. I'm stumped for now...

Here's my shoebox collection. I just smelled each one and they all smell like mushrooms. So we shall see

 

[moose eater]

Much of that still looks fairly hopeful, Bear.

Maybe something in the pores in your boxes/tubs? Something in the air where you birthed them?

I used cakes on cut-down sour cream or yogurt container bottoms, to keep the cakes out of any liquid from the misting/humidifying, without inhibiting access to the side of the cakes too much, but otherwise the cakes are sitting in the modified bases inside aquariums.

Classic angled Lexan or Plexiglass humidity/spray barrier, at about a 20-degree angle, spanning most of the way across the interior of the aquarium, end-to-end.

But even aquariums are held together with silicone, as a rule, or similar adhesive, and those adhesives can be as porous as any plastics, I think.

Sometimes things just weren't meant to be. Keeps us humble. Though you've always presented yourself as pretty humble as you are, so I don't think the Cosmos was trying to teach anything in those regards.. ;^>)

Best of luck!!

Edit: I don't think I ever get the amount of humidity your tubs seem to be displaying on the interior. Maybe too wet? I have no way to gauge moisture for the bird seed method(s); just the brown rice flour methods, and with that, as stated, I try to stick to organic only, due to other contaminants that -can- come on-board with the regular, non-organic rice flour.

 

[trichrider]

i agree with moose here. the humidity in those boxes looks abnormal imo.
but then i've never used bird seed or rye beans either, so there's that.


another thought, was the water you misted with clean? distilled or boiled first? and the cleanliness of the mister also.


lysol is your best friend , i spray the air to saturation with it in a 1/2 bath(room).


used to use jars but the opening is too small for many fruits to form, so i started using aluminum-foil type cooking pans (~4x6 inches) covered in aluminum foil which fit nicely into the pressure cooker.



the mycelium look clean in that ^^^ picture. you'll get it figured out!

 

[Old Soul]

Tuned in Brother, love the space you get to work with.

 

[mean mr.mustard]

How goes it?

 

[trichrider]

Yep Moose. I've done that many a year now as well with almost zero issues. And that's why I'm going to grow a few brf jars just to get something going so i can have a few clones to work with.
It's my first go with the grain method. And like I said everything colonized great. Looked great, smelled like mushrooms when I put them in tubs. It all went to shit after that. I'm stumped for now...

Here's my shoebox collection. I just smelled each one and they all smell like mushrooms. So we shall see

View Image

View Image

given this more thought about the condensation...are those bins being fruited at the time you photographed them?
???

that would explain the amount of condensation if you were misting them while fruiting under 12/12 or similar light.

 

[exploziv]

Well, I'll pull a chair too!
Good luck, and stay safe bro!

 

[jjonahjameson]

Best of both worlds. Tagged for a fun-looking thread...best of luck.

 

[ARTofMAKINGfire]

Happy to pull up a chair! Long time no see Bro Bear! Miss you man! Happy to see you back doing your damn thang!
I'm gonna have to pick your brain a little, I'm about to embark on the myco tech as well... After the new year I have some Golden Teacher and Malabar spores.
Can't wait to see how you build that thing out! Let me know if you need some assistance installing HVAC... I will be up north from FL around the holidaze.
I got GG4 if you want her.

 

[vintner]

Good to see things lookin' up for you Man I know you've been waitin' to get this going for a long time What about water? No head in this one either? Not even a drain in the floor! What's a man full of lagers supposed to do? :friends:
Hope the shrooms turn out for ya. All the best to you & yours
Stay safe n

 

[moose eater]

Hope all's well, Bear. I know you're taking on a major building project in the Fall, and that almost always pushes hard on time and stress, but your absence here is a bit worrisome.

Pop your head up once in a while to let us know you're not laying under a fallen truss or something..... or worse.

 

[Brother Bear]

Bump
Sorry guys. I'll update tomorrow. Not much has happened. Life has been keeping me very busy.

 

[moose eater]

*****!!!!!! HE LIVES !!!!!!!!!****** ;^>)

 

[shishkaboy]

Subbed...

I didnt think it was gonna be a while new building, gotta see this one out.

 

[Yankmychain]

 

[Brother Bear]

geez I musta been wasted when I made that last post, I don't remember writing it lmao.

Shops on hold for now due to super overtime at work for both myself, and my electric guy who's helping me set that up. Hate to say it but I might not be in till early spring.

Mushrooms are going better, I've coaxed a few oz to grow for my by now.

I've uploaded images into my albums if anyone wants to check them out.

More updates to come as they very very slowly happen. Thank you all for your patience. Someday this thread will have some action in it !!

 

[Veggia farmer]

Hope all is good and good luck!

 

[cocktail frank]

wooooohooooooo bear!!