5 replies to this topic

[Mizamook]

Photo-heavy, and slightly rambling post ahead.  Tread ye warily, if at all.  

 

Back when I started this hobby I bought some 6# grain/wood blend substrate all in one bags.  I also specified what I wanted as far as what to grow, and a mistake was made.  She sent me "Florida Oysters" (which are probably just Blue Oysters) by mistake, and sent the Lion's Mane I had specified.  I inoculated each of my three AIO bags with spawn of each type (shiitake, Lion's Mane, Oysters).  The oysters colonised and inhabited and fruited.  Success!

 

The Lion's Mane bag got green mold ... up in the top of the substrate, which had nothing to do with me.  The shiitake bag did nothing.  Still .. nothing.  After almost 2 months.  

 

So not too long ago I inoculated (in SAB) some pre-poured agar plates with shiitake and lion's mane (same vendor, same LC).  

 

A handful of days later and here is the result:  

 

Do you see what I see?  OK, granted, this is my first time inoculating agar plates in a SAB.  But ... if you will, grant me the "proof" that the Lion's Mane is mouldy, and the Shiitake is NOT mouldy (but it is very slow, hence the bag that did not take off). 

 

If it was my sterile technique, would not both be mouldy?  (They were inoculated in the same session with the exact same procedure)

 

Shiitake plate:   Lion's Mane plate: 

 

As if that is not enough "proof" that this Lion's Mane LC is bad, how about the following info:

 

So I have read and watched and listened and thought, and I decided to take matters into my own hands.  I love the idea of myceliated grains both as tek to consume and dry/consume later after fruiting.  This is my experiment.

 

I made up my own mix (barley, millet, brown rice, spent grains from brewing) and sterilised in PC, and inoculated the jars with several different LC's, and I'll report on that in more detail later ... well, I'll either boast about how well it worked or come crying to you all for help.  : )  

 

You will note in the following pictures that BOTH of the two jars inoculated with the LM show fuzzy green on the grains .... and ALL of the other grain jars show:

 

Shiitake, 2 jars: yes, white growth 

King Oyster: yes, lots of white growth

Maitake: Yes good growth (no photo, sorry)

G. Teacher: Nothing yet (no photo .. a photo of nothing is ... nothing)

 

So out of a total of 7 jars, the only two that show mould ... you guessed it: Lion's Mane!

 

UNLESS Lion's Mane has a green phase?    

 

Whaddya all think?

 

Maybe I should order Lion's Mane from a different vendor is what I think.

 

 

 

 

 

[MushLuvR]

Well, you have to start somewhere...so here it goes. The plates are toast except the plate on the right (bottom), looks ok to transfer to another plate (a small clean piece), but I wouldn't run it (Shiitake) as is from that plate.  The LM jars aren't savable, they don't turn green and the mycelium is very wispy in the beginning (stringy almost).  The KO and Shiitake look good, but I do notice it's WBS and it's tricky to get the moisture right (I started on WBS many years ago) without popping the seeds.  Keep at it, it's all experience.  Best of Luck... to your projects.  

Edited by MushLuvR, 23 November 2021 - 03:20 PM.

[Mizamook]

Thank you for confirming ...  I'll remove the plates and jars to outside compost.  I kept hoping it was a trick of the light, but that green is .. no, it's a trich of the light.  (See what I did there?  Haha)

 

It's not all WBS.  Just the millet.  We actually do feed birds, but they don't eat the millet, so I sifted it all out.  From memory it was 2 parts brown rice, 1 part brf, 2 parts barley, 1 part millet with a few errant sunflower seeds.  Being able to gauge the actual moisture after initial cooking/draining was difficult, so I used the Force.  Wish I could have used science. 

 

These jars were my first attempt with the PC, and it went well, methinks.  (no explosions).  Next up is making or buying LC lids so I can do that, as if my agar work is good, I should be able to develop sustainable production using agar > LC > grain jar > yum tek

 

Agar transfer will be first time, so yeah, luck I'll need!  (and more jars to do it in as I refuse to use more than one batch of pre-poured single use plastic garbage while I learn)    

 

 

Well, you have to start somewhere...so here it goes. The plates are toast except the plate on the right (bottom), looks ok to transfer to another plate (a small clean piece), but I wouldn't run it (Shiitake) as is from that plate.  The LM jars aren't savable, they don't turn green and the mycelium is very wispy in the beginning (stringy almost).  The KO and Shiitake look good, but I do notice it's WBS and it's tricky to get the moisture right (I started on WBS many years ago) without popping the seeds.  Keep at it, it's all experience.  Best of Luck... to your projects.  

[Mizamook]

I had forgotten to mention that I had also injected some of this Lion's Mane LC into a 1 pound grain bag.  It also molded.  Phooey!

[MushLuvR]

Bummer on losing the bag too, always stings a bit tossing your work and starting over.  It's a good thing LM has a fairly fast turn around time... and you can get right back AT it very quickly.  

[Mizamook]

I plan to!  : )