First grow PR's (PF tek) [AUS]

[fingers]

40% gone to contams. 80% of remaining jars are displaying what looks like contam. Might be brusing, might be contams.

Excuse me while i go drown myself in my toilet.

Fingers

[reverend trips]

Ouch.
Hey if everyone drowned themselves because thier first grow attempt didn't go perfect, there wouldn't be many of us here.
I hope the rest make it for ya

[fingers]

Thanks Rev,

I took one of the cakes outside and tore it apart to have a look, smell, and feel of it. I figure its better understanding.
After holding, and smelling it... the jury is out. The area's that look contamed do not smell bad. And the off color area is very very shallow.
I dunno, i guess i just dont have any past experience to compare it to.

O well, its all learning. Lesson learned being 'DO NOT bother with this hobby unless you have a P.C'.

Anyway, i'll keep you guys in the know as to how it turns out.

Fingers

[fingers]

Hi all,

I feel pretty silly asking this, but i guess we do some dumb shit when we're desperate... does this look like it might be bruising?

I'm almost certain this is contamination. I guess I'm just praying for a miricle. I've opened one of these tubs and semlt this. It totally doesn't smell foul in any way.
I've also thumbed the side of the jars and considered if it could be from the pressing on the side, but i have the signs of this happening even in a glass jar. So that pretty much eliminates that possibility.



I know, its contams right?

Shit happens man...then again.... no harm in praying for a miricle.

'god......this is fingers..... bring me a mod saying this is bruising...and meaning it '

O well, you live and learn i guess

Fingers

[Hippie3]

the poor picture quality makes certainty difficult

[fingers]

yeah i know, this camera absolutely sucks. I might try putting it under the fluro and blow a dozen pics on it. I know my cam has done better then that. I'll try again.

Thanks Hip

Fingers

[Hippie3]

looks about ready to birth,
might get it out of jar and take closer look,
see if the color rinses off
bruising will not but mold does

[fingers]

Thanks for that Hip,

I'll have to birth one thats the most well colonised. They are from 30%-70% colonised. (that pic is a little decieving, thats a large patch of colonisation rather then 100%. pics are decieving sometimes hey )

I'm almost tempted to do it before i head out, but I'm really running late. I guess its gonna have to wait.

The verdict tonight

FIngers

[fingers]

Well....

It doesn't look good. The marks dont seem to wash off. They're very shallow, and appear to be clearing up on some of the cakes, so i really dont know.
I tried taking pics again, and it just didn't happen. I think I'm going to have to take the pics in day light to be sure.

Regardless of the health or lack there of, I'm going to go full blown on some bulk substrate. Here's a couple of pics of the P.C's I was talking about in my other thread a day or 2 ago.



This one is by far the cheapest Ive found, but the feel of it has put a bad taste in my mouth. The handles dont line up too well. and it just feels cheap.



This particular one is a 10 liter, but they have a 12 liter thats exactly the same model, and only $60 AUD.
Still not as good as I'd like, but it definately feels far better then the 'Domestic brand' P.C
Something that makes me a little uneasy about all the brands in the Turkish shops is the fact that I cant find any websites for them, or even a site with a mention of them.
For now I'm gonna go with the Parker I think. I'd be nice if i knew a little more about P.C's. The difference in the regulators is visible, but i dont know a good one from a bad one. Oh well, i guess I'll learn with experience.
Even if it turns out to suck, i can use it to make some good fried chicken or somethin


These ones were all around the $100 mark. (a little more then I can spare ATM). But i thought i'd show you guys anyway. The one in the middle looks pretty wierd to me. A plastic lid on it?? Unless theyr'e using the same plastic as used to make a Glock handgun or something, I'd be a little uneasy about using it. These ones were stainless steel, but the way i see it, if I'm gonna spend a hundred, I might as well add $50 and get a reputable brand.

On to a variation on an L.C jar I made. It pretty much has your usual self healing innoculation points, but cased in small PP tubes. It feels pretty damn solid. Its probably been done before (if it works). But again I thought 'what the hell, i'll show the guys'.



I used a thin piece of heated wire to run a shallow groove around the circumference of the tubing which was injected with high temp resistant silicone. Its 110% air tight, and feels pretty good. I think it should work well.

Well, i think tommorow before heading out for the day i'll take some pics of the mystery bruise/contam in day light. Hopefully that'll make it possible to give a more definate diagnosis.

Even though the possibility of losing this grow is disheartening, it's only motivated me to kick ass with my next grow with bulk substrate. (whats the correct term? 'spawn tek', 'bulk' both maybe?)

Anyway, I might try to finish my industrial strength clean of the house. With polished floor boards, venitian blinds and semi gloss paint on concrete walls I think I'm fairly lucky. Its pretty much possible to bleach every surface. The paint on the wall of the kitchen bubbled when i steamed them 30 cakes, so i figure i might have to throw up some high gloss or something.
My damn dog is gonna be an issue again, but i figure i can put the little man in the bedroom and hot bleach mop the entire houses floors, walls, and blinds on my next pasturisation or innoculation day.

Thanks guys, and be well everybody

Fingers

[Hippie3]

if i had to guess
i'd say the cakes ok

any additives in cake mix ?

[fingers]

I hope you're right Hip,

I kinda get that feeling myself. The nice nutty mushroom smell when i opened that cake, combined with the fact that they appear to be clearing up a bit gave me a twinge of confidence. Fingers crossed (so to speak )
No addatives Hip. In hiensight i would have loved to experiment a little with addatives, but at the time i really had a lot of hesitation about ruining the grow by being ambitious.
I should have perhaps experimented with even 2-3 cakes. For the experience if nothing else.
Just the bio organic brown rice and corse vermiculite. I ground some of the vermic to a medium/fine mix for casing.

My next grow is going to require a lot of labeling. I've decided to use extra large oven bags. These ones are big enough for a turkey, and there's 4 in each box ($2AUD per box) so I'll have to grab 10 boxes for the grow I'm planning.

Anyway, getting off the subject again. Standard PF, nothing interesting Hip. Thanks for taking the time to help out.

Fingers

[Lazlo]

The cakes look good to me too.

Either one of those cookers will work fine man. Which ever one you feel is built the best for the buck.

[fingers]

ok this is getting more and more re-assuring

I was so dissapointed when i thought they'd gone south.
Thanks heaps Hip n Laz, I'm gonna walk with a little more spring in my step today

Speaking of which, I'm late. doh!

See ya guys

Fingers

[Glasshopper]

I think they call you fingers because of how much they walk across your keyboard. Seriously, I have really enjoyed your posts (all of them). If they gave a prize for most entheuastic and articulate nooby (not to mention willingness to reasearch the archives) you would most definatly win.

Keep tickeling those keys because you sure tickle (if I may speak for the group, and judging from the number of views on all your post I think I can) us.

And thanks,
GH

[fingers]

Wow, what a nice thing to say dude, thanks

I was kinda expecting a 'but...you talk too much' in there (cos i do).
Its flattering that people have rated this thread so kindly. As for being enthusiastic, its not hard at all when you've got such awsome work here on topia to inspire you.
If i had a dollar for every time i said 'oh man, i gotta try THAT!' i'd have enough for that autoclave I've been drooling over.

I'm really gonna dig deep to make my next grow one to remember. With so much free ,cheap interesting poo, space to grow in, and kick ass teks and advice I'm hoping i can make it more then just a large scale grow, but an interesting one too.

The bar gets set so damn high by the members and mods here, so i dont expect my grows to be in their league for some time to come, but with the top notch advice and support from everyone, maybe i can do something a little more ambitious then my level.

But enough of the mutual admiration for now (i'm stoned so my ability to talk on and on is magnified ).

The cakes are looking a lot better actually. For some reason i cant put my finger on, the incubator temp has gone up to 83f. I know, a little high, even perhaps bordering on tooo high. But man the increase in speed of colonisation makes it hard to turn down the heat

Anyway, thank again

Fingers

[Glasshopper]

Originally Posted by fingers

If i had a dollar for every time i said 'oh man, i gotta try THAT!' i'd have enough for that autoclave I've been drooling over.

Maybe if that boomer (do y'all really cal them that?) poo works real good you could make a few bucks selling it (although it would have to be cheap to offset the shipping). Then you could buy that autoclave.

"Finger Roo Poo" sounds kinda kinky though.

[fingers]

I dunno if the roo poo thing is gonna happen now,

I almost burnt my kitchen down trying to dry that shit out.
Only about 5% is blackened, but i dunno if it's still usable.

I might have to go to the petting zoo again sooner then i'd thought.

O well, just another setback. Now to the yellow pages. My oven door needs a new gasket.

Fingers

Oh, but on a more positive note, the majority of my cakes are about 80-90% colonised. I have on test cake (split in half) in mini F.C's. They're getting tha lovely white furr Ive read about right b4 fruiting. I did one in the strait vermiculite, and one in a coir/vermic mix.
I just wanted to confirm that using coir with ur vermic is a more effective method. I think its safe to say.... confirmed

Pics tommorow

Fingers

[Hippie3]

I just wanted to confirm that using coir with ur vermic is a more effective method. I think its safe to say.... confirmed

gee
i hope PF doesn't see that comment

[fingers]

can i fall back on the 'I'm new... what are you talking about?" tek

nah seriously, the coir vermiculite mix is an outstanding refinement to the PF tek. I saw Buckaroo's thread comparing the the two methods, and them pics were pretty damn convincing evidence.

This image is the cake (half) that was cased in coir/vermic mix. The cake that was cased in vermic looks identical, cept the white beard looks like a white 5 o clock shadow.



Thats about 48 hours after a 8 hour dunk and DEC. Considering the beating that myc took I'm very impressed with the resilence.



I didn't want to start a grow log with Zoe only (yes i'm strange, I name them ) I thought a grow log was premature, but she's doing very well for a baby.
I'm smoking the bud ATM that this seed came from, and with no need for exageration, i can honestly say this is the best weed Ive smoked in at least five years. (and after 14 yrs smoking, (like most adult tokers) i dont just buy the first bag i'm offered)
Skunk X Widow, I'm looking forward to having a sack of this s#it!

Anyway, in 24 hours I get my P.C, start on my L.C, and bury my head deeply in teks/archives once again. What a purely Kick ass hobby we partake in fellaz.

take care guys,

Fingers

[Hippie3]

plz upload pix directly on to our server
instead of linking offsite
helps our image browser, that way the pix can be accessed
faster, easier
see http://forums.mycotopia.net/image_br...threadid=12451

[fingers]

About an hour after l posted i thought 'shit, did i upload them pics as well?'. Tired, stoned, just slipped my mind, sorry.


Fingers

[apokalypse]

You're a very fast learner, for some people it takes time to nail down the roof of knowledge but it looks like you've got it . Can't wait to see what grows out of that.

[fingers]

Oh me too apok

And thanks for your kind words. That beard is growing so nicely on the cake in that image I cant wait.
The one which is DEC in only vermiculite is such a slow study. I'm actually wondering if there's any other factors that might account for the difference in the two.
Both are of the one cake, both dunked in the same tub, everything is identical as far as i can think, other then the coir factor.
Who knows

I wont throw up a pic of that cake yet. The beard is about twice as vigourous as the first image, but not yet dramatic enough to warrant another pic i think. (plus I'm trying to conserve on these last 2 batterys! )

How bad's that, even when i got nothing to report, i still manage a couple hundred words! Like i say sometimes, 'i could talk underwater' . Thanks apok!

Fingers

[Hippie3]

no doubt in my mind
mycelia likes coir better than it does vermiculite

[fingers]

Speaking of which,

After a couple of days i changed most of the strait vermiculite with coir/vermiculite mix, and i though it would catch up. It's still far slower then the cake that was DEC'ed with coir/vermic from the get go.

I'm probably just being impatient, I'm sure they should both get there in good time.

Be well all,

Fingers

[fingers]

hey guys,
Just a quick observation and question about my cakes....
The two that are in the mini F.C's are both still not pinning. Should i be worried yet?
A few days ago there was a clean ,almost nutty mushroom aroma in the F.C's.
I just checked them last night and one smelled clean, the other smells a little nasty.
nothing overwhelming, but noticably a negative scent.
The only real difference i could see was the one with the cleaner smell had better ventilation. So i put a makeshift clip on the edge of the base of the F.C, to keep the transparent cover ajar from the base.
I've been opening it about 1-2 times a night. I'm worried I might have been suffocating that one. The white furr (is that classed as rizomorphic'?)
Anyway, it doesn't look as healthy as it did a day or so ago.
I'm now wondering if my temp, or lighting is off. I have a single tube fluro casting some slightly diffused light across the F.C's. And the air temp would be around 70-75 F.
I'm gonna go put one of my thermometer in the F.C again.
I really didn't expect these 2 cakes to work out after the beating they took, so i didn't put too much effort setting up their environment.
They were cased with care, and I'm about 99% sure the lighting is fine, I'm wondering about the temp, and probably the humidity too come to think of it.
I've been misting them regularly, and the coir/vermic in them keeps a nice layer of water droplets throughout the F.C's cover.
This is a pic of one just like them. I pulled out the handle you see centre of the cover on one of them, so it gets a small amount of gas exchange through there i'd think.
The other one seals pretty tight, so i guess the two times i opened them each day was probably not enough. It sits slightly off now allowing in some air.
would you guys think this was the problem, lack of gas exchange?
Thanks fella's, i'll see you all on the threads
Fingers