Str0be's NO FAIL WBS Tek PLEASE FIND STR0BE'S UPDATED NO FAIL WBS TEK V2 HERE (CLICK) This is my Wild Bird Seed (WBS) Tek that I have been using now for quite some time with 100% sucess. I like to use WBS because it is the cheapest and mort efficient spawn to use, and because I cannot find Rye grains locally. Before using this method contamination was a huge problem for me. I tried 4 or 5 different WBS preps / teks and kept having contamination problems. I have had no contamination at all since I switched to this method. I have added my own variations / secrets which have given me improved success as well. . If you follow along step by step, you should lessen, if not completely iliminate any contamination problems you are having THINGS YOU WILL NEED - Pressure Cooker - 5 Gallon Bucket with Sealing Lid - Wild Bird Seed - Large pot for boiling Water - Screen - Vermiculite - 1/3 Measuring Cup - Quart Sized Mason Jars - Hammer and 1/4" Diameter Nail OR 1/4" Drill and Bit - Post office Tyvek Envelopes - Aluminum Foil INFO ON WILD BIRD SEED Any brand of Wild Bird seed will work so long as it does not contain any fungicides. When looking at the back ingredients, Potassium Iodide is a normal additive and is not considered a fungicide. When looking for a type of WBS to buy, I look for one that is mostly Milo and Millet, and has not as much or very little Sunflower seeds. Two brands that are good are Pennington's Classic, and Walmart's Economy Wild Bird Feed Mix. - INSTRUCTIONS 1. The first thing I always do is get my pot of water boiling. Your going to need about 1 - 2 gallons of water (enough to fill the bucket 1/3 the way). So get that into a pot and get it boiling on the stove ASAP. HINT: I usually throw on a lid on the pot just to make it boil faster. 2. The next thing that I always am thinking is how many jars I want to be making at a time. My pressure cooker is a 16 Quart, and can only do 7 Jars at a time. Sometimes I will do less than 7 jars if other things need to be put in their place. You might have a better pressure cooker that can hold 10 jars, so I will include the measurements for all. 2 Full Quarts of dry WBS = 5 Quarts Finished WBS 3 Full Quarts of dry WBS = 7 Quarts Finished WBS 4 Full Quarts of dry WBS = 10 Quarts Finished WBS 3. I measure out the amount of dry WBS that will be needed and pour it all into the 5 gallon bucket. HINT: Add an extra 1/3 of a jar to the bucket to buffer for the sunflower seeds being removed. HINT: You want to make sure that the bucket you are using has a good sealing lid. The orange Homer Buckets from Home Depot are perfect. They are $3 each and have a rubber ring in the lid to hold a perfect seal. 4. The next step will be to get rid of as many sunflower seeds as we can. The sunflower seeds can be over hydrated, and cause bacterial growth, which will mess up your jars. We do this by filling the bucket about half way with water. All the sunflower seeds will float to the surface, and you simply scoop them out and throw them away. Remember to run your hands through the WBS in the bottom to get any sunflower seeds that are stuck down below. This step does not have to be perfect, nor does every single sunflower seed have to be removed; just try to get most of them. 5. Now we need to get rid of the water, or at least most of it, from the bucket. I usually put the window screen over the top of the bucket, and pour as much water out as I can. 6. By this time, the pot of water is usually done boiling. It doesn't have to be a rapid boil, and you don't need to time it, just as soon as you see the boiling bubbles appear; it is ready to be used. 6a. You want to pour the boiling water into the bucket so that there is twice as much water as WBS. HINT: I usually stick my finger into the WBS to see the depth, then find a mark on the bucket that equals twice that depth. 6b. Once you pour the water into the bucket, quickly apply the lid, and make sure that it is secure to create a perfect seal. It is normal to have the lid bubble up. In fact, this is a key part of this step. 6c. Put your timer on 45 - 90 Minutes. 90 Minutes is preferable. 7. In the meantime, we will be prepping the Lids to the jars. If you already have your own lids from previous jars or teks, then by all means, use those. There is no right or wrong kind of lids to use as long as they allow gas exchange and you know they work. I am including instructions for the ones that work for me. 7a. Flip your lid so that they are rubber side up, and use your hammer and nail, or drill and bit to make a hole in the center. You want the hole to be about 1/4 inch. 7b. Get out your tyvek envelope and trace around the edge of the lid. Use sciscors or razor blade to cut out the discs. - 8. Next get out your measuring cup, and put 1/3 cup of Vermiculite into each of your jars. - - 9. By now the 45 minute timer has probably gone off. Its time to clean and air dry your WBS. 9a. Place the screen over your sink, or even over a large storage bin, and pour out all the WBS onto the screen. Give it a good rinse to clean off all the WBS. 9b. Spread it all out over the screen, and allow it to air dry for 20 minutes. 10. After 20 minutes of drying has gone by, your WBS is ready to be loaded into the jars. It is most likely still quite wet, but this is ok. The Vermiculite in the bottom of the jars is there to absorb the excess water. Fill each jar about 2/3 of the way up. - HINT: You can use the Ball or Kerr symbols as reference points for a good depth. Fill the WBS to about the middle of that writing. 11. Now clean the inside neck / rim of the jar with a paper towel. 12. Next it is time to put the lids on the jar. 12a. Start by puttin the lid on rubber side up. 12b. Then we want to put on our tyvek disk that we cut out earlier and add the band. HINT: Put the Tyvek disk on the band first, and then screw the band on. I find it makes a better fit for the tyvek, and usually does not create bubbles. 12c. Tighten it down. 13. Next put a square of Aluminum foil to prevent any extra moister from getting in, and loosen the lids 1/4 turn. 14. Load jars into your pressure cooker, and pressure cook @ 15 PSI for 90 minutes. 15. Once the time is up, remove the pressure cooker from the heat. Wait until the pressure reaches 0 and the lock drops and continue on to step 16. 16. Once the pressure cooker is fully cooled its time to open it up to tighten the lids. 16a. Wearing a pair of winter gloves, an oven mit or a rag, remove each jar and tighten the lid down tight. 16b. You want to shake each jar to distribute the water and loosen up the WBS without disturbing the vermiculite at the bottom. I find it best to hold the jar at an angle with one hand, and hit the top with the other. If done correctly only the WBS should move, and the vermiculite should stay in place. HINT: Sometimes WBS gets between the metal lid and the tyvek, which is really annoying to me. Then you can mess up your tyvek and or your jars when trying to fix it. Stop this from happening ahead of time by keeping a finger over the 1/4" hole while shaking. 16c. Allow the jars to cool. This usually takes about 7 - 10 hours. It is easiest if you allow the jars to cool overnight. 17. Give the jars one last shake before inoculation. Do the same shake as before to distribute the water and loosen the WBS, but without disturbing the vermiculite in the bottom. INOCULATION Next its time to inoculate your jars. It is best to do this inside a glovebox, such as my High Quality Glovebox. By following the steps below, you can have fully colonized jars in as little as 7 - 14 days. 1. As stated in step 17 above, you want to give the jars one last shake before inoculating. 2. Wipe off the tyvek lid of the jar with isopropyl rubbing alcohol. 3. Flame sterilize and or rub needle tip with isopropyl rubbing alcohol before inserting syringe into center of tyvek / center of jar lid. 4. Point the needle at an angle so it is pointing at the glass, and shoot in 4CC MAX of your favorite Spore or LC Syringe, while slowly rotating the jar so that you get 360 degree even distribution of your inoculant. 5. Place a piece of micropore tape over the needle hole on the tyvek lid, and label your jars. 6. Put the jars into your Incubation Chamber, and you should have quality spawn ready for use in as little as 7 - 14 days! - -