Some bulk grow Q's

I just started my first bulk grow with grain spawned to castings/vermiculite, and has already been in a 10 gallon tub for 24 hours. When I peeked it this morning (I have the tub lid on) I saw the very start of some whitness, but also noticed that the sides of the tubs were bone dry. I think I might have underwatered the substrate.

I remembering reading somewhere in the archives that the sides should be covered in water due to high humidity, so I'm wondering if I should mist it some, or maybe just the sides? Also, is it ok if I have the lids on for the whole incubation process, or do they not need any fresh air until ready to fruit?

I would mist if it is dry. Does it smell right?

Well I didn't really smell it, but I didn't notice an odd smell either. The substrate was to the consistency where when I squeezed a handful, it sorta oozed out of my hand, and I could feel the water, but none dripped out. It's about 2 inches deep in the tub. Should I mist it just a little, or a lot, and how often? Any and all help is appreciated, I'd really like my first bulk grow to be a success

There is no need for moisture to be on the sides of the tub. Just let it colonize. It sounds like your moisture content is about right.

[Hippie3]

you won't see condensation after just 24 hours of growth anyway.
and you will want to vent it from time to time,
stagnant air helps breed contams fast.

[destroy_erase_improve]

any way we might get to see some pics johnny?

Ask and ye shall receive...

Tubs 1 and 2, with a closeup on some rhizo growth even tho its a little blurry.

EDIT: sorry bout the big pics D:

[sinthetic]

are you planning on casing this at all? i know you ahve rez-effect going on, but in your oppinion will a casing layer help your fruits fruit better?

Yes, once the substrate is fully colonized I plan to put a 1/4 inch or so layer of verm on top. I've heard you can fruit w/o a casing layer, but the yields are much better with one.

[sinthetic]

you might try mixing some peat & a bit of lime with the verm, or look for 'jiffy mix' its a pre mix of peat & verm & lime

Well since I'm a beginner I try to keep things as simple as possible, but if I'm not happy with the results from pure verm, I will probably start looking for another casing recipe.

[jaybird]

How did you prepare the verm/castings??

I mixed the together in a big bucket, added water, then put them in 3 big pans and baked em at about 200 for 2.5 hours. They were a little dry when I took them out, but I only had to add a little bit more water before I threw the grain in. Next time I'll try putting aluminum foil over them, and/or cooking them for a shorter amount of time.

Update: The tubs seemed to have stopped growing. They're at about the same point as in the pictures above. One tub has a few tiny pins, but thats about it. Guess I shouldn't have fanned it so much. Any ideas what I should do to get colonization back on track?

Bump. One of the tubs is starting to go sour I think. Any advice?

[Hippie3]

ouch,
not a whole lot you can do at this point
but to give them a decent burial
outside
maybe even try a little hole with some straw & your stuff
and see if it can recover
that has saved many a worst-case event.
you've got bacteria,
proly from too wet/too dense substrate
with not enough air in it.
gotta spred it out and let air in
to kill the bacterai
and give the surviving mycellia
if any
a fighting chance.
expect it to take awhile to recover
if it ever does.

[Hippie3]

see http://mycotopia.net/discus/messages...tml?1102569307

Well, I checked em today, and both of em have tiny lil hypnal (sp?) knots forming everywhere, with even a few pins. The spot that I thought looked like mold hasn't grown or anything, so I'm just going to start fanning it regurarly, and let it fruit, even though it's not fully colonized. Luckily in a few days I should have a bunch of pins, and I'll update again