Lono Posted February 6, 2007 Seems to be some split opinion as to wether this is neccesary. Anybody here got a particularly strong case for or against? So far I'd avoided it in favour of keeping an inch or so of clean glass between the rim of the jar and the substrate, to avoid contams. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gerbil Posted February 7, 2007 (edited) If all you are concerned with is the possibility of contam from shaking then I'd say shake away. If the contam is already in the guts of the jar but not visible, personally i'd prefer it to show rather than the potential for the myc to hide it (but with the possibility of overpowering) but I still prefer to work with a complete pure culture in that regard. If the jar is sealed properly, shaking shouldn't cause any contamination, if a foreign spore can infect the top portion of clean glass that you leave, then it would easily be able to infect the few cm's below where the grain is. I shake around 1 to 2 times over the period of a grain jar colonising from agar innoculation, when innoculating secondary grain spawn from a colonised agar inoculated grain I usually spawn relatively high and don't seem to have a need for shaking as it colonises quickly and evenly, for example I innoculated some milo grain with milo spawn the other day and from the spawn distribution you could see that it was evenly distributed and pretty well colonised within 4 days. I shake when it's obvious that the mycelium is more concentrate in one area compared to another and you can tell from monitoring the estimated time that the low concentration area will be colonised in, if it's not sufficient then I shake, but I try and only do it if the mycelium is looking vigorous and after the shake will only shake again if needed once the mycelium has recovered from the shake. It's best to shake as gentle as possible, i've found milo more forgiving than millet if shaken overly agressively in relation to it's ability to recover leap off into the new areas. I do think shaking at time to time during the time of colonisation is beneficial, but work with your culture and respond accordingly. If you inoculate with low levels and know your culture well, you can get excellent efficiency with shaking if done at the right time, which gives you the benefit of having small amounts of spawn go a long way whilst still producing in an acceptable time frame. Edited February 7, 2007 by gerbil Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
apothecary Posted February 7, 2007 Shake it up I say. If you have more than one jar, then you can decide for yourself how you like it. Find two jars you feel are about equal in colonisation speed/enviroment/etc and shake one and not the other. See which one moves faster Shaking can break up the mycelium and release thousands of microscopic strands of mycelium into the unused substrate. FREE THE MYCELIUM! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bongchitis Posted February 7, 2007 Yep, I say shake aswell! I wait until 25% colonised and shake once and then the whole jar explodes with growth and colonisation seems to be complete after 2-3 days post shake. Make sure you leave enough room (headspace) in your jar to shake effectively and distibute the myc though. Cheers..............Bongchitis Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mescalito Posted February 7, 2007 Shake away. A tad too late to shake I'm afraid here I have no idea what this culture is or where it came from.(no label).I'm pretty sure it's either a pleurotis or a wild syringe I made years ago before I could identify fungus types while I was learning how to take prints etc. I tried to shake it a few days ago and it wouldn't budge.....this is a 1Pt jar too which was meant for spawn reproduction but now looks like a crumble and case job to see what comes out! oh and here's the glovebox finished and tested! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sobriquet Posted February 7, 2007 Shake away.A tad too late to shake I'm afraid here Which begs the question of why these suddenly stop like that. It's very similar to one of my experiences where I didn't shake. Moisture problem? oh and here's the glovebox finished and tested! Very nice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gerbil Posted February 8, 2007 damn mescalito that's one sexy piece of equipment looking forward to a writeup if you get a chance, especially with those glove rings Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mescalito Posted February 9, 2007 Which begs the question of why these suddenly stop like that. It's very similar to one of my experiences where I didn't shake. Moisture problem? Nah it hasn't stalled, it's only been incubating for a WEEK and the area that's uncolonised wasn't infected directly by spore solution....I'd say your water to air ratio is out and in time will go gluggy. If it doesn't, then wait until the cake shrinks a little,give it a few taps on it's side to pull the uncolonised grain away from the glass and lay the jar uncolonised side up. There's enough airspace for the remainder to colonise with this one which also answers your question on why you should shake every now and then in the early stages....and why rye grass is great!!!! damn mescalito that's one sexy piece of equipment looking forward to a writeup if you get a chance, especially with those glove rings Thanks mate I will try to do a write up asap, but I've been very busy with some serious health matters of late,thus my sporadic presence here(and the reason I never shook the jar when I should have). The construction itself is idiot-proof but finding the right bits took some time,patience and lots of lateral thinking (small hijack sorry but anyone with some stable warm weather oyster cultures gimme a hoy!) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gerbil Posted February 10, 2007 (edited) man I hope you get better soon mescalito, that's not good at all. More reason for me to clone the local Trametes versicolor and send you a culture! Totally relate to your search for the right materials, exactly the same boat lol That's why I ripped the gloves out of mine and use it semi open air now. Edit: actually don't worry, i'll contact when time is right Edited February 10, 2007 by gerbil Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
watertrade Posted February 10, 2007 Yeah, ! cloning that Trametes versicolor is a good idea Gerbil! I will chip in the Ganoderma Lucidum then we just need cordyceps... bags not getting that one.. Seriously though, hope you are ok mescalito. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gerbil Posted February 10, 2007 I will chip in the Ganoderma Lucidum then we just need cordyceps... bags not getting that one.. LMFAO thanks wt, best laugh i've had in a while. Yeah eleusive little fellas, i've constantly kept an eye out but seem to have more luck finding ergot like fungus...I vaguely remember a species living off insects that inhabit certain acacias so have kept my eye around them and the bases, hmm i must dig that paper up and get the details. Trametes is in the local woodland and riparian areas, will aim for lots of interesting things, but all I know for sure is the Trametes prescence besides the Psilocybe Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fezza Posted February 11, 2007 I say Shake if it is possible. Colonisation occurs quicker this way. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mescalito Posted February 15, 2007 Well I waited until it pulled away from the inside of the jar,gave it a few taps and layed it on it's side...and here's a week later,I also gave the jar more airflow as seen in the second angle pic: (brought to you by R.A.G.E.-Rough As Guts Engineering) man I hope you get better soon mescalito, that's not good at all.More reason for me to clone the local Trametes versicolor and send you a culture! Yep it's time to get back to nature and stop being a part of the prescription shit way of dealing...time to evolve into the I that is ME. http://www.edata-center.com/download/artic...95-218(199).pdf looks very interesting I'd be interested for sure Totally relate to your search for the right materials, exactly the same boat lol That's why I ripped the gloves out of mine and use it semi open air now. Gimme the diameter of the holes and I'll make some. Yeah, ! cloning that Trametes versicolor is a good idea Gerbil! I will chip in the Ganoderma Lucidum then we just need cordyceps... bags not getting that one.. Seriously though, hope you are ok mescalito. Thanks mate. I'd really be interested in sharing cultivars of medicinal shrooms especially with all the "new" hype over Reishi...could also be wrth a few bob in the old skyrocket to have vigorous strains already going Trametes is in the local woodland and riparian areas, will aim for lots of interesting things, but all I know for sure is the Trametes prescence besides the Psilocybe Two medicinals in the same area Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
