A question about low-tech humidity control
A question about low-tech humidity control
My first oyster pins appeared today and I've been thinking about humidity control. I have this big tub I made my still air box from and I've been wondering about using it to hold the two fruiting bags I have. I was concerned that maybe the X slices wouldn't get enough fresh air if I covered them, but then I've been worried about keeping up the humidity. Now that I'm seeing some pinning though I'm feeling like the humidity is more important? I live in Colorado, which isn't quite desert but the humidity in the house typically drops below 40% during the day (it's high right now because we've been getting some rain showers).
For reference, my SAB is a typical DIY, made from a large tub with just a couple hand-sized holes cut out. There's not a lot of airflow in that room anyway, and I'm not sure how much fresh air the mushrooms need once they start growing. Of course I realize they won't be able to stay in the SAB too long, I know they'll outgrow the available space, but I'm just thinking for the next few days, or however long it takes them to really fill in.
So, any thought on this? Should I close them up in the box or just leave them in open air?
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they're both important of course but, i'd worry more about the fresh air there. oysters need a decent amount, so personally i wouldn't put it in an SAB. air exchange and evaporation encourages pinning too. humidity should be fine as long as the initial conditions were right, and they look like they're sweatin properly, just wait to make your cuts until the pins get to a decent size
Do you mean waiting to make the cuts in the fruiting bags? I didn't realize I was supposed to wait until there were pins? I thought it was the other way around, that cutting the holes is what induced the pins?
generally that's what the filter is for, so you don't have to make cuts--but it'll be fine. my bad, i skipped over that you'd made them already
I thought the patch was to help bleed off excess moisture from the bag? I've definitely had a lot of pinning behind the patches though and have been considering if I should also just open up the top of the bag. I it possible to have TOO many openings for fruiting?
right, the moisture bleeding off is evaporation, which is a result of fresh air exchange. cutting holes and that patch are really the same thing, the filter is just so it's safe from contams while colonizing
Is it possible to have TOO many openings for fruiting?
theoretically no, the surface humidity will just be harder to maintain with each one
Well I think the pinks are doing fantastic, the pins seem to be doubling in size every 12 hours. Still no sign of any blue pins though, I guess they just grow a little slower, but the bag has very solid lumps of mycelium through, unlike the pinks which don't even look like there's any mycelium on the straw. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing, spraying them a couple times a day, and see what I get.