GROWING GOURMET - Anto2ni.it

138 GENERATING_GRAIN SPAWN
Figure 112. 11 lbs. (5 kg.) of grain spawn in 2½ gallon (10-11 liter) glass jar anu poiypropylene bag. Glass jars
are resuable whereas spawn bags are currently not recycled. However, since bag spawn is easier to handle, this
is the form most commonly sold to mushroom growers by commercial spawn laboratories.
48 hours before flushing out with bright white
mycelium.
Each Second Generation spawn jar can be
used for inoculating another set of grainjars, for
instance, five-gallon jars containing twice the
amount of grain as the 1/2 gallon containers, in
effect another 1:10 expansion. (2 1/2 gallon (10
liter) jars or bags can be used at a similar rate.
(See Figure 112.)) These would be denoted as
G3. Third Generation grain spawn is inoculated
in exactly the same fashion as Second Generation
grain spawn. However, contamination is
likely to go unobserved. Some large spawn
laboratories successfully generate Fourth Generation
spawn. However, contamination
outbreaks discourage most from pushing this
expansion any further. As the mass of sterilized
grain is increased within each larger container,
anaerobic conditions can more easily prevail, en-
couraging bacteria. These larger containers require
more aeration, a feat that is accomplished
with frequent shaking (every 48-72 hours),
greater filter surface area, and near-horizontal
incubation. When the large containers are laid
horizontally, the surface area of the grain-to-air
is maximized, providing better respiration for
the mushroom mycelium.
Throughout every stage in the grain expansion
process, any hint of contamination, especially
smell, the texture of the grain or unusual colorations,
should be considered warning signs. The
spawn maker soon develops a sixth sense in
choosing which spawnjars should be expanded,
and which should be avoided. Most spawn producers
only select a portion of the spawn
inventory for further propagation. The remainder
are designated as "terminal' and are not used
for further expansion onto sterilized grain. Un-
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