stinky substrate

H

hardshell

Mecynorrhina
hey guys! so ive been fermenting my oak pellets in a giant tub for few weeks now and some parts of the sub developed slimy yellow stuff that smells like puke... it actually smells like puke... the smell turned from saw dust to wine to puke....

is that normal?

my sub is made out of

90 percent oak pellets

10 percent flour

i also added handful of yeast, dog food, failed kinshi, organic compost soil,oyster mushroom spawns...

 
adding so many bacticrias and fungi together could attract other things, they could be fighting and releasing chemicals or a new fungi/bacteria could be growing thst smells relly bad
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It sounds like your substrate is too wet. If your substrate is too wet, parts of the substrate will become extremely anaerobic and develop a rotting odor.
When I ferment my substrate, it's moist, but not so wet that any water drips from it if squeezed in my hand.

Edit: You do not want to add dog food during the fermentation as the addition of a source of protein and fats will not aid in fermentation as the process uses sugars. The presence of proteins and fats will cause foul-smelling bacteria to develop instead of what is needed for fermentation.

 
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No, you should not add any more nutrients. The bacteria were able to take a foothold because you introduced a source of nutrients that the yeast could not use. Now that the bacteria have taken over, any additional nutrients will only feed the bacteria which are most likely producing a form of antibiotic in order to outcompete the yeast and any other desirable microbes.

Fermentation can easily be disrupted by contaminant fungi and bacteria and once they take over, there's pretty much nothing you can do aside from allowing them to run their course and hope that the substrate can still be used afterwards. You must always start the process correctly to ensure the right microbes are cultivated.

 
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aright a little update here
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so my tub of stinky wood has turned back to stinky wine kind of smell... i recently (week ago) added handful of sugar and flour and i noticed some big temp change :/ (sub became really warm)

so most of my sawdust has turned to light brown and the smell is becoming more like wine/mushroom... im hoping the fermentation will be finished by next month

 
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If you add too much organics you will have massive release of the ammonia, which smells like old socks; if you add sugar it will be fermented to vinegar (good air access) or alcohol (low or no air access). Yeasts produce lots of nutrients which then used as food by bacteria degrading wood to the right state.

http://beetlesaspets.blogspot.co.uk/

 
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