are my jars to dry?

[nokie]

how can you tell if your jars are too dry?

[the_chosen_one]

is the verm mixed with the brf loose? does it move when you shake the jar?

heh.. i guess a good question would be how much water did you use? please include ratios if you mixed it in bulk or semi-bulk. ty

[nokie]

i used water and rice

i looks a little mushy at the bottem but no standing water and the rice sticks to the sideswith i shake it . i mean its loose

[mycowarrier]

It's better too dry than too wet. I like at least one inch of space at the top of jar for distributing the sub by shaking. It takes experience and trial and error to get it right usually. No water at the bottom is a good sign.

[the_chosen_one]

sounds hydrated.. maybe not evenly. when you mixed the batch, did you add the water to the mix and let it stand for about 5 minutes.. or just mixed right away?

letting it sit for a few disperses the water better and makes the sub nice and fluffy. otherwise it tends to clump and pool. a good per pf jar ratio is 35-45 cc water per jar. my magic number is 42cc

[nokie]

thanks for the info
allso i did my jars on 5-2-09 and there at 86F
B+ when should i start seeing growth

[the_chosen_one]

3-5 days nominally. sometimes a little longer when water levels are off.

don't let them get any warmer. 86f outside the jar is around 90f in the jar.

[nokie]

i hope iv done this right or i just wasted $20

[the_chosen_one]

any pics? a nice close up would help a lot.

[nokie]

im not really worried about water now im more worried about contam.
i boiled my jars hot in a deep pot since my PC is crap

[nokie]

bump

[golly]

How long did u cook the rice before loading the jar..?

[nokie]

under a hour i put them long enough to cook it to the middle

i cooked the rice in the jar i steamed it all

[the_chosen_one]

lol, why was i thinking PF jars?

looks ok. only time will tell now.