Growing Oyster Mushroom spawn. I have some sort of mold?

I am growing it in oak saw dust in some mason jars. I pasteurized everything. However, I did not use a glove box to transfer the mycelium in the jars. Now there is some myclium growth after a few days, but also some sort of black spots are appearing. The picture is it in a bag, but it still looks the same.

So the race begins: To see which grows faster, the mushroom or the contamination.

Oyster mushrooms are pretty fast and resilient, so it may just outpace the mold. Depending on your grow set up, you may want to separate the contaminated bag away from the rest, if they aren't showing any signs of mold growth. Ensure that there's plenty of fresh air circulating around your grow, without drying it out.

What are your plans for the spawn? Will it be an indoor grow or will you be using the mycelium to innoculate a larger outdoor bed?

Corey Vaughan wrote:Oyster mushrooms are pretty fast and resilient, so it may just outpace the mold. Depending on your grow set up, you may want to separate the contaminated bag away from the rest, if they aren't showing any signs of mold growth. Ensure that there's plenty of fresh air circulating around your grow, without drying it out.

What are your plans for the spawn? Will it be an indoor grow or will you be using the mycelium to innoculate a larger outdoor bed?

I am planning to inoculate straw in a 5 gallon bucket to grow indoors. I will keep that in mind about better air flow. It has been in my closet, so possibly not enough of air flow. Thanks. But that is very good to know about the resilience of the Mushroom.

Good luck John!

Just a quick note about indoor grows: the mycelium could outpace the mold, but it won't destroy it. The mold spores will still be around, and floating in the air. If you or any housemates start to notice respiratory problems, you may want to toss it outside ASAP. Trichoderma is a common contaminate and fairly harmless, but black mold (Stachybotrys) can cause some lasting health damage.

I don't mean to scare you, just want to give you a heads up! Let me know how it turns out!

Okay thanks much!

As a rule in general, the less sterile you are, the more you want to increase your spawn to substrate ratio. I did an experiment where I took three 5-gallon buckets with un-pasteurized straw and purposely was messy with the whole process, each bucket got a different ratio of spawn. The one with the most spawn produced handsomely while the other two did little. Granted the one that produced eventually got eaten by maggots (oyster mushrooms might as well be a dying carcass to flies), but that was expected. I just wanted to see how the buckets did outdoors with no protection. Good luck with your oyster shroom future! I'm trying to create a business with them by growing them in a bus on my off-grid spread. Lot's of interesting challenges to come indeed.

Corey Vaughan wrote:Good luck John!

Just a quick note about indoor grows: the mycelium could outpace the mold, but it won't destroy it. The mold spores will still be around, and floating in the air. If you or any housemates start to notice respiratory problems, you may want to toss it outside ASAP. Trichoderma is a common contaminate and fairly harmless, but black mold (Stachybotrys) can cause some lasting health damage.

I don't mean to scare you, just want to give you a heads up! Let me know how it turns out!

If he's having respiratory problems, I'd sooner point to the sheer amount of spores those oyster mushrooms can produce Those mushroom are ridiculously good at their job!

Alex Veidel wrote:

Corey Vaughan wrote:Good luck John!

Just a quick note about indoor grows: the mycelium could outpace the mold, but it won't destroy it. The mold spores will still be around, and floating in the air. If you or any housemates start to notice respiratory problems, you may want to toss it outside ASAP. Trichoderma is a common contaminate and fairly harmless, but black mold (Stachybotrys) can cause some lasting health damage.

I don't mean to scare you, just want to give you a heads up! Let me know how it turns out!

If he's having respiratory problems, I'd sooner point to the sheer amount of spores those oyster mushrooms can produce Those mushroom are ridiculously good at their job!

So true Alex!

i find its easier to grow them outside , right on the ground. for some reason the microbes outdoors help the mycelium coloinize and i never see contamination and i never pasteurize. i just mix a couple handfuls of mycelium into wet hardwood sawdust or shredded straw . can make a pile under a shady tree then cover w/ 3in. of fresh straw or put in burlap bags. stack 3 high and drape a few empty sacks over the top and sides to keep in moisture. keep moist. the sacks will turn all white with mycelium. water more. they will fruit from the sides of the sacks. very easy! this is my favorite way to grow oysters. if you grow elm oysters, when the bags turn completely white you can take the mycelium and put it under your leafy vegatables, berry bushes or large shrubs and cover w/ straw. they will fruit in a few months if kept moist. also makes compost for your plants.