Clear nail polish is your friend guys, always keep a bottle at your work station. It works great for sealing any accidental or intentional holes, nicks, or scratches in your filter media, especially Tyvek.
Beginner here. Thanks for the great content! Question about the master liquid culture jar: why doesn’t the mycelium need to breathe ? Or do you loosen the lid for that? Or is there a gap in my understanding?
@@cprove5751 The sterile air that you allow into the jar to equalize the pressure is enough to sustain the amount of growth you need and allow the jar to survive for a year or more in pint or quart size jars. The advantage of not having filter medium in your lid is ease of use and no risk of contamination because of, or through the filter medium. If you havent watched it yet, check out my "Non-vented Lid LC Tek" where I go more in depth.
@RenegadeMushrooms yes bro, that's the one! Thanks for posting. I have an issue, though. I use millet and no prep tek. I love it, works great, but I need a hot shake. When I do the shake I get bubbles coming out of my filter, can't imagine that's good. I can't figure out a way to shake without this happening. There's gotta be a way, other than hydrating grain ahead of time.... do you have any ideas? Maybe leave jars in the PC an extra 20-30 minutes after the cook, problem with that is thats 20-30 more minutes of grains on the bottom congeal... I do have a decent flow hood. *Edit. A buddy of mine says he gets great results with the cheap plastic unmodified lids, says they don't need the GE/FAE. So, I just did a batch of jars with no vents, after the hot shake I opened them up several times for a quick second in front of the hood. I do that a few times during cooling to prevent an insane vacuum that essentially renders a jar useless. If this works ill be amazed. Like I said, my buddy swears by it and he's in the industry.
Great vid as always and cool to see you ordering from Into the Wind. I've bought kites from them for probably 20 years and would have never thought of them as a mushroom cultivation supplier. :) Thanks to your guidance, I've completely rethought my approach to this hobby. Thanks again!
This couldn't be more timely. I spent the better part of this morning shopping all the different options and was as confused as ever. I was drawn to the Microppose more than the rest, but I didn't pull the trigger. I must have felt this video was just coming outa the oven. Thanks again!
OMG! Thank you for this side by side, pros and cons. I am getting ready for my first grow and watching a LOT of videos. There are so many different Lid Teks out there and very little comparisons. This allowed me to settle on the Microppose tek for my liquid culture jars as it holds up for so many syringe extractions. I had already decided on the hard plastic lids for everything, but because of this video will order a few of the gaskets for liquid culture. Thanks for saving me from learning a few lessons the hard way. Liked and Subscribed.
I just purchased this plastic lids that can go in the pressure cooker and i have done it once tomorrow will be the second time. I got them on amazon in different colors. My grain did work. First time with a pressure cooker and i lost two jars due to breakage. My phone timer stopped and i was over about 5 to ten minutes stopping the sterilization. Two timers from now on. My jars did take a bit longer than im used to when purchasing the grain sterilized already. Like 3 to four weeks. Unsure why but i have a plan and thanks for sharing im going to use rye grain in a few jars and birdseed in another. Im thinking you cant mix them. Maybe i will try one mixed and see. Thanks again and hopefully these lids will work for awhile .
Yeah I got you. Sounds like you have the syringe filter and injection port setup. The syringe filters are the ones that look like the little UFO's 👽 I'm a big fan of wheat grain, it's all I use for spawn. I've tried about every grain under the sun. That's really weird that some of your jars broke. A little extra time in the PC shouldn't cause them to break. Are you using quality canning jars, or re-using other food jars? I've done hundreds, maybe thousands of PC runs and I don't ever remember a jar breaking on me.
I know that's a common tactic with the micropore tape, but I think the Microppose filter discs do the same job better and the price is very reasonable. Thank you for watching 👍
If I may add to the body of knowledge. I keep loose foil on top of any filter unless it’s in my flow hood. Damp cloth is a mold magnet, especially if nutrients of any kind have come in contact with it (shaking jars being the worst culprit). I put a foil flap (attached on the top edge with packing tape) over grain bag filters so anything that settles on it lands on the foil square. Remember if there’s damp stuff inside the bag the filter is damp. People need to understand that their mouth is the source of most contamination, wear a surgical mask whenever you are around something you want to keep clean. I wear full surgical garb when I go into my clean room. Do I get contamination? No, I do not. I work with medical cultures so my technique is full on. Growing fungi to eat is not so serious so you can get away with less but I do recommend at least wearing a mask, long cuffed sleeves, and gloves. That’ll get you 90% of the way. Take care all, much love. One last thing. Hydrogen peroxide stops spores from germinating by denaturing the activation enzymes. I spray hydrogen peroxide on filter material that may have had spores land on it after sterilization. It does not effect already growing mycelium.
I prefer vodka martinis for mouth disinfection and good health at least once a day 😁 Seriously though, I dont wear a mask but I'm always careful not to talk, sing, etc. when working in front of the flowhood. Good info there, Cheers! 🍸
@@RenegadeMushrooms I just want to let you know that I don’t think there’s anything wrong with your technique. I’m thinking more about people using still air boxes.
Awesome vid! Do the small filter disks hold up to multiple runs in the PC? I’ve been using layers of micropore tape to cover the holes on my lids but had some contam in the grains. I didn’t even think to suspect the tape until I saw this video…. It was so beat up and porous. Lesson learned. Just ordered those filters. Thanks!!!
I'm not sure if I missed it, but, would 1 hole of rtv and 1 hole with polyfil work for growing out an LC jar, as long as it's covered with foil the whole time? I don't have the micropose filters but I do have the polyfil. Thanks for any advice!
Yes, that's an old school tek that works but it's typically used for grain jars, not LC. The issue is when you go to pull syringes from the jar, the polyfil will leak on you unless you're very careful. You could use a couple layers of micropore tape instead, or you could go with just the RTV injection port and skip the breather port. The catch is you have to manually vent the jar. I show that in this video: th-cam.com/video/l071Dq4MI7g/w-d-xo.html
Wondering if anyone has any input on metal lids vs plastic lids. I’ve been using the metal with filters/ports like Ghost pipe, but I see others with the plastic lids and the plastic filter. Pros, cons?
Metal lids work great, but they eventually rust on you. Rust doesn't really hurt anything in terms of growing, but it's annoying. Plastic lids are a popular alternative as long as you get quality lids that can handle the PC. I'm going to be doing a video soon looking at plastic lid alternatives. I'm still using a lot of metal lids because I have a ton of them, but I may start to switch over once I find my favorite plastic lid.
Is the Tyvek reusable? Also, would it be beneficial in anyway to put a dab of red liquid gasket prior to PC? My thinking is to use it to avoid having to wait for the nail polish to dry - just a quick injection and done.
When using the Microppose filter disc/injection port lid setup when PC’ing grain or LC, after PC’ing and when removing from the PC and removing the foil lid, you mentioned the moisture on top of the lid that will kill your grow if it doesn’t dry out. Do you wipe away this excess moisture from the top of the lid before inoculation? Or do you wait for it to air dry out completely before inoculation?
I re-tighten the lid, remove the foil, then wipe them gently with an alcohol saturated paper towel to soak up any droplets. Next, I allow them to air dry in front of the flowhood.
I'm personally still using the canning lids with RTV because I have a ton of them already made. The only plastic lid I would recommend for LC is the Masontops ToughTops lids. They have a built-in silicone gasket that is up to the challenge. They are very nice lids.
@@RenegadeMushroomsthanks for the swift reply! Do you have any insight on wide mouth Quart size jars with no vent for the master LC? Or would they shatter in the PC?
Yeah you could, but that's a ton of LC and the lids are sketchy. Probably better to just go with a half gallon canning jar so you could use a proper lid. The biggest I've ever gone for LC is a quart.
Cloudy is no bueno, usually means bacterial contamination. Many contams, however, are difficult or impossible to spot in LC. It's always best to test a batch on a small grain jar or agar before going big.
bro im in a country that doesnt have these BALL mason jars with traditional twist on two part lids, i do however have access to unused Jam Jar style with very conventional twist on lids , would these jam jar lids work ?
Any jar will work, but it's all about how well the lid seals. Try to find lids that are "leak proof" or designed to hold liquid without leaking, then add an injection port and filter. Using Tyvek for a lid is another option if you can get Dupont 1443R Tyvek. There are also mushroom cultivation suppliers that will ship internationally.
Yes, all of my grain jars are either tyvek or they have a filter disc. Both allow air exchange. The only jars I have that don't have air exchange medium are my pint master liquid culture jars. They don't need it.
@@twinlion3482 They are very different. An air purifier won't work as a sterile air device. The only substitute for sterile work is a glove box until you can afford to build or buy a flowhood.
I really like that idea of making a tyvek lid for the big pickle jars. Great info!
Clear nail polish is your friend guys, always keep a bottle at your work station. It works great for sealing any accidental or intentional holes, nicks, or scratches in your filter media, especially Tyvek.
Beginner here.
Thanks for the great content!
Question about the master liquid culture jar: why doesn’t the mycelium need to breathe ? Or do you loosen the lid for that? Or is there a gap in my understanding?
@@cprove5751 The sterile air that you allow into the jar to equalize the pressure is enough to sustain the amount of growth you need and allow the jar to survive for a year or more in pint or quart size jars. The advantage of not having filter medium in your lid is ease of use and no risk of contamination because of, or through the filter medium. If you havent watched it yet, check out my "Non-vented Lid LC Tek" where I go more in depth.
Where is this video? I can't find it...@RenegadeMushrooms
@@droidnick Is it this video you're looking for:
th-cam.com/video/Wm4znts9f1g/w-d-xo.html
@RenegadeMushrooms yes bro, that's the one! Thanks for posting. I have an issue, though. I use millet and no prep tek. I love it, works great, but I need a hot shake. When I do the shake I get bubbles coming out of my filter, can't imagine that's good. I can't figure out a way to shake without this happening. There's gotta be a way, other than hydrating grain ahead of time.... do you have any ideas? Maybe leave jars in the PC an extra 20-30 minutes after the cook, problem with that is thats 20-30 more minutes of grains on the bottom congeal...
I do have a decent flow hood.
*Edit. A buddy of mine says he gets great results with the cheap plastic unmodified lids, says they don't need the GE/FAE. So, I just did a batch of jars with no vents, after the hot shake I opened them up several times for a quick second in front of the hood. I do that a few times during cooling to prevent an insane vacuum that essentially renders a jar useless.
If this works ill be amazed. Like I said, my buddy swears by it and he's in the industry.
Great vid as always and cool to see you ordering from Into the Wind. I've bought kites from them for probably 20 years and would have never thought of them as a mushroom cultivation supplier. :) Thanks to your guidance, I've completely rethought my approach to this hobby. Thanks again!
This couldn't be more timely. I spent the better part of this morning shopping all the different options and was as confused as ever. I was drawn to the Microppose more than the rest, but I didn't pull the trigger. I must have felt this video was just coming outa the oven. Thanks again!
Yeah, so far I'm in love with the Microppose setup. It's easy, versatile, and effective, everything you could want. Glad the video was helpful 👍
fantastic video!!! Thank you for sharing such awesome information!!!
I went with plastic lids, along with your All-Star choice of the Microoppose ports and filters. Will dry those filters out from now on! Thx.
Those ports and filter discs have made my lid life so much easier. But yeah, dry filters make for clean jars 👊
Excellent advice. Love the comments on the non-vented LC lids :)
Just bought some of those hybrid lids from mushcultsupply
Those should work well for you 👍
How long do they stay in mine is white alll the way
OMG! Thank you for this side by side, pros and cons. I am getting ready for my first grow and watching a LOT of videos. There are so many different Lid Teks out there and very little comparisons. This allowed me to settle on the Microppose tek for my liquid culture jars as it holds up for so many syringe extractions. I had already decided on the hard plastic lids for everything, but because of this video will order a few of the gaskets for liquid culture. Thanks for saving me from learning a few lessons the hard way.
Liked and Subscribed.
Glad it was helpful to you. All of the lid options can be very confusing. Good luck, and I'm always happy to answer questions.
Good video, thank you for sharing!
I just purchased this plastic lids that can go in the pressure cooker and i have done it once tomorrow will be the second time. I got them on amazon in different colors. My grain did work. First time with a pressure cooker and i lost two jars due to breakage. My phone timer stopped and i was over about 5 to ten minutes stopping the sterilization. Two timers from now on. My jars did take a bit longer than im used to when purchasing the grain sterilized already. Like 3 to four weeks. Unsure why but i have a plan and thanks for sharing im going to use rye grain in a few jars and birdseed in another. Im thinking you cant mix them. Maybe i will try one mixed and see. Thanks again and hopefully these lids will work for awhile .
The plastic lids have the injection port and a air vent thingy with a dial. Just to be clearer i wish i could take a pic and show you
Yeah I got you. Sounds like you have the syringe filter and injection port setup. The syringe filters are the ones that look like the little UFO's 👽 I'm a big fan of wheat grain, it's all I use for spawn. I've tried about every grain under the sun. That's really weird that some of your jars broke. A little extra time in the PC shouldn't cause them to break. Are you using quality canning jars, or re-using other food jars? I've done hundreds, maybe thousands of PC runs and I don't ever remember a jar breaking on me.
Great vids. Keep them coming. Have you ever considered using a double layer of micropore tape as a filter?
I know that's a common tactic with the micropore tape, but I think the Microppose filter discs do the same job better and the price is very reasonable. Thank you for watching 👍
Thank you for taht great video.
If I may add to the body of knowledge.
I keep loose foil on top of any filter unless it’s in my flow hood. Damp cloth is a mold magnet, especially if nutrients of any kind have come in contact with it (shaking jars being the worst culprit). I put a foil flap (attached on the top edge with packing tape) over grain bag filters so anything that settles on it lands on the foil square. Remember if there’s damp stuff inside the bag the filter is damp.
People need to understand that their mouth is the source of most contamination, wear a surgical mask whenever you are around something you want to keep clean. I wear full surgical garb when I go into my clean room.
Do I get contamination? No, I do not. I work with medical cultures so my technique is full on. Growing fungi to eat is not so serious so you can get away with less but I do recommend at least wearing a mask, long cuffed sleeves, and gloves. That’ll get you 90% of the way.
Take care all, much love.
One last thing. Hydrogen peroxide stops spores from germinating by denaturing the activation enzymes. I spray hydrogen peroxide on filter material that may have had spores land on it after sterilization. It does not effect already growing mycelium.
I prefer vodka martinis for mouth disinfection and good health at least once a day 😁 Seriously though, I dont wear a mask but I'm always careful not to talk, sing, etc. when working in front of the flowhood. Good info there, Cheers! 🍸
@@RenegadeMushrooms Agreed, unlike cancer patients fungi tend to have excellent immune system’s.
@@RenegadeMushrooms I just want to let you know that I don’t think there’s anything wrong with your technique. I’m thinking more about people using still air boxes.
@@SirBoden All good, no worries. I appreciate your input.
Nice
Great video and info
Awesome vid! Do the small filter disks hold up to multiple runs in the PC?
I’ve been using layers of micropore tape to cover the holes on my lids but had some contam in the grains. I didn’t even think to suspect the tape until I saw this video…. It was so beat up and porous. Lesson learned.
Just ordered those filters. Thanks!!!
I change them out after a dozen or so PC runs. They are easy to change though, you will like them.
Great info
I'm not sure if I missed it, but, would 1 hole of rtv and 1 hole with polyfil work for growing out an LC jar, as long as it's covered with foil the whole time? I don't have the micropose filters but I do have the polyfil. Thanks for any advice!
Yes, that's an old school tek that works but it's typically used for grain jars, not LC. The issue is when you go to pull syringes from the jar, the polyfil will leak on you unless you're very careful. You could use a couple layers of micropore tape instead, or you could go with just the RTV injection port and skip the breather port. The catch is you have to manually vent the jar. I show that in this video:
th-cam.com/video/l071Dq4MI7g/w-d-xo.html
@@RenegadeMushrooms Thanks so much for the reply! You're awesome!
Upside down with rtv. I'm in
Wondering if anyone has any input on metal lids vs plastic lids. I’ve been using the metal with filters/ports like Ghost pipe, but I see others with the plastic lids and the plastic filter. Pros, cons?
Metal lids work great, but they eventually rust on you. Rust doesn't really hurt anything in terms of growing, but it's annoying. Plastic lids are a popular alternative as long as you get quality lids that can handle the PC. I'm going to be doing a video soon looking at plastic lid alternatives. I'm still using a lot of metal lids because I have a ton of them, but I may start to switch over once I find my favorite plastic lid.
Is the Tyvek reusable? Also, would it be beneficial in anyway to put a dab of red liquid gasket prior to PC? My thinking is to use it to avoid having to wait for the nail polish to dry - just a quick injection and done.
Yes that would definitely work as a quick DIY injection port. I've never re-used the Tyvek but I'm guessing you could a few times.
@RenegadeMushrooms thanks!
When using the Microppose filter disc/injection port lid setup when PC’ing grain or LC, after PC’ing and when removing from the PC and removing the foil lid, you mentioned the moisture on top of the lid that will kill your grow if it doesn’t dry out. Do you wipe away this excess moisture from the top of the lid before inoculation? Or do you wait for it to air dry out completely before inoculation?
I re-tighten the lid, remove the foil, then wipe them gently with an alcohol saturated paper towel to soak up any droplets. Next, I allow them to air dry in front of the flowhood.
Do you use any of the plastic lids on your master LC jars? Or strictly the canning lid with RTV?
I'm personally still using the canning lids with RTV because I have a ton of them already made. The only plastic lid I would recommend for LC is the Masontops ToughTops lids. They have a built-in silicone gasket that is up to the challenge. They are very nice lids.
@@RenegadeMushroomsthanks for the swift reply! Do you have any insight on wide mouth Quart size jars with no vent for the master LC? Or would they shatter in the PC?
Could you make liquid culture in those large pickle jars?
Yeah you could, but that's a ton of LC and the lids are sketchy. Probably better to just go with a half gallon canning jar so you could use a proper lid. The biggest I've ever gone for LC is a quart.
Can you freeze more spores
Not sure what you mean by "more spores", can you elaborate???
If 1443r is hard to find, can heavier weight Tyvek be used?
I know people have cut up the Tyvek suits from the big box stores and had success with it. I've only used the 1443R.
So if you pressure cook a few jars and one gets contaminated can you just throw it back into the pc and resterilize?
I never do, I just toss it. But I very rarely get contaminated jars.
@@RenegadeMushrooms I will reply when I’m sober
For the micropose method can that filter be used more than once?
Yes, for sure. Some of mine I've ran about a dozen times and they're still going. I just lightly wash them with warm soapy water between runs.
How often do you find contams in lc jars?
Cloudy is no bueno, usually means bacterial contamination. Many contams, however, are difficult or impossible to spot in LC. It's always best to test a batch on a small grain jar or agar before going big.
Bro when u say it doesn't need to just be in straight dark does that go for just culture and or while it's in a jar growing persay grain
Mycelium doesn't need to be in total darkness when in liquid culture form or when growing on grain. You just don't want direct bright light.
@@RenegadeMushrooms awesome bro appreciate ya💯
bro im in a country that doesnt have these BALL mason jars with traditional twist on two part lids, i do however have access to unused Jam Jar style with very conventional twist on lids , would these jam jar lids work ?
Any jar will work, but it's all about how well the lid seals. Try to find lids that are "leak proof" or designed to hold liquid without leaking, then add an injection port and filter. Using Tyvek for a lid is another option if you can get Dupont 1443R Tyvek. There are also mushroom cultivation suppliers that will ship internationally.
But don’t the grain jars need something to release gasses?
Yes, all of my grain jars are either tyvek or they have a filter disc. Both allow air exchange. The only jars I have that don't have air exchange medium are my pint master liquid culture jars. They don't need it.
The drill hole size is 5/16?, For the microphose filters? Thanks
1/4" hole
Anyone ever use a home air purifier as a flow hood?
@@twinlion3482 They are very different. An air purifier won't work as a sterile air device. The only substitute for sterile work is a glove box until you can afford to build or buy a flowhood.