You can sterilize the jars but that doesn’t do any good because they will get sterilized in the PC.
My favorite sized tub is 16 X 12 X 7"… I put anywhere from1.5 to 2 quart jars of grain into that substrate that is approximately 3.5-4 inches deep. I just make up substrate, pasteurize it and use what I need (I always make too much). The leftover, I keep in a sealed bucket and just re-pasteurize it for the next round.
Yup. So @TT I buy two of the same size. I use one as the bottom and one as the top. Get clear totes and all you have to do is line the bottom with a black trash bag or spray paint. I don’t spray paint now because the paint eventually starts chipping off.
I havent done the process yet but i painted the bottom of my first monotub and then read its an outdated tech and to just use black bags as liners too. Mostly because the substrate shrinks back and exposes the sides risking side pins and aborts. Is this correct @Caligurl
Do you mean colonize grain a grain bag and transfer that to bulk for colonization of bulk? It would work well.
Otherwise:
You can colonize and fruit a block from grain bags, but you will have a far more productive grow if you colonize jars and then use the jars to colonize bulk substrate.
You may be disappointed if you try to colonize a monotub with syringes. It will take a very long time (months) to colonize a bulk tub from spores, increasing your chances of contamination.
I colonize jars and then transfer to bulk. It takes a month to 6 weeks to colonize quart jars (I use popcorn,) then it takes an additional 2 to 3 weeks for the bulk to colonize.
Agree 100% its always better to not put all your mushrooms in one basket so to speak. If you make one big bag, a single contamination could cost you everything, where as you make several jars and one fails its not the end of the world.
LOL…so this is funny. Just finished a first flush and half the tote, the substrate pulled away and the other side, the black bag is moving with it LOL…
Id preferably like to use my own bags, but from what i watched, you definitely need a pressure cooker for those right?.. omgosh look what i found today!! An old The Magic Seal canner 14-21.
Yes, so the grain jars need to be pressure cooked. The substrate only needs pasteurization which is literally just putting the substrate ingredients in a 5 gallon bucket with a lid and pouring boiling water over it.