I began seeing pins 8 days after FC while the cake was still in the bag. A few days later I noticed side pins all around so I decided to transfer it to an unmodified tub. Pins continue to appear and grow as they should. The last couple days I've noticed the substrate, particularly on the left side, seems very dry. I've got a few inches of moist perlite on button and a hygrometer reading a steady 90% humidity. The lid stays upside down with no noticeable cracks, just not air tight. I know "you're not supposed to mist the cake/pins directly" but what else can I do? Thanks mushroom people!
Anyone who tells you that you aren't supposed to mist the cake directly should be considered an unreliable source of information.
We shouldn't have to mist or rehydrate the sub at all until after the first flush. If we do need to rehydrate the sub earlier than the first flush, it is a sign that the grow was either getting too much air or the sub wasn't made all the way to field capacity. Either way, the fix is to mist it directly with a fine mister and then give it slightly less air.
The point of misting is to replace little beads of water that should always be all over the surface of the mycelium and substrate. If they aren't all over the surface of the mycelium / sub, they need to be recreated because they should always be there throughout the entirety of fruiting so that they can very slowly evaporate. Lots of people tell others to just mist the walls of the tub and the lid, but misting plastic doesn't help replace water droplets on the surface of the mycelium and that's literally the entire point of misting. If the sub and mycelium is dry, then the sub and mycelium is what needs to be misted.
Once we get a ton of little beads of water all over the surface of the mycelium / sub, then we lower passive FAE slightly so that those recreated beads of water don't just evaporate again by tomorrow. We want to give the tub just enough air so that moisture doesn't build up - if you give the tub any more air than that it will just dry out.
Side pins are fine in bags, they will just grow around stuff that gets in their way.
And why do you need the droplets/beads on the surface? That's just water condensation from the very humid air inside the tub/bag. They are a good indicator that the humidity is good. But is not like the shrooms use them. They get their water from the substrate not from the air or the surface of the cake. They feel good in high humidity but they don't use the humidity.
If the substrate is really dry it will absorb water from the air/surface. But if you done everything right in the preparation and mist when needed the substrate shouldn't dry out. The mycelium is very good at holding onto water.
How does misting the surface hydrate the sub? Especially if it's covered in myc. And the point is to have it just evaporate?
I’m on day 8 of S2B and I have let me get to dry, I’m sure. I keep on the mist but not enough . I’m going to back off the air but my question is… am I still going to get a flush with this drying cycle I have put them through ?
Holy shit….
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I mist mine. You might see a little bruising but hey it rains on mushrooms right
add a small amount of water at the base where it meets the foil, it should soak up what it needs, you should also consider cutting back that foil to smaller footprint, it impedes proper evaporation from the perlite