Questions Concerning Grow Procedures

Hey all, a friend I met through work is growing some mushrooms using the PF Tek Method and earlier tonight I was over there helping him get prepared with the sterilization process and whatnot. Anyway, a few questions:

-What if you have some spores/fluid left in a syringe by the time you're finished with inoculation of all your jars? Can you just cap it back up, wrap it with foil, and throw it back in the fridge, or are there certain measures to take to ensure it doesn't get contaminated before its next use?

-My friend has a few cats in his house so he's concerned about keeping his jars uncontaminated during the incubation period and onward. He's got a small armoire that will ensconce his incubation tubs quite comfortably. Should this suffice? Should the room be closed off from the cats, even if there's no chance of them entering the armoire?

I may add more questions as I think of them. I would appreciate any help and I'm sure my friend will also

 

sterilize the needle before you cap it off or use a new needle next time.

if the jars are sealed up the cats shouldnt be problem however keeping the cats out of the room that is used for innoculation would be a good idea

 

Thanks!

Also, is it alright to inoculate the jars if they're still a little warm? Should they be okay to inoculate after the pressure cooker's been left sitting off the burner for four hours or so? They might still be a little warm at that point... how warm is too warm to inoculate, in other words?

 

noccing warm jars is ok.. not hot jars though. just use good judgement

 

Thanks for the responses.

What's the longest one should/can go between preparing the substrate and sterilizing/inoculating it? Is 24 hrs between substrate preparation and its sterilization too much time?

It's been six days since my friend inoculated the jars with Penis Envy and he's still not seeing any mycelium. Is this just a matter of Penis Envy taking longer than other strains?

Also, is uncovering and picking the jars up briefly to look at them harmful to the cultivation process?

 

should be fine. did you start with spores? if so, it may be up to two weeks before you see myc.

 

Spore syringes, yes. And thanks again

 

My friend says his substrate always comes out sort of "clumpy". Is this a result of too much water?