@canndo Awesome read man
You ever watched any of home mycology's vid's on youtube? Guy walks his own path for sure..... Not knocking the guy but the throws the big FU to being sterile and seems to do well.......
Here is the thing, aside from isolation of strains, sterility is a crutch.
The point is to work with the environment, have it selective for your chosen species.
Exact ph, exact air flow, exact humidity and moisture. It is about encouraging your species to thrive and the others not to.
My tech just adjusts for the inevitable, things get contaminated. Let them, and continue with the units that arent.
Nature baby. You do the same in any pot grow.
I'm working with tomatoes. My area is heavily infested with soil born pathogens.
Should I solarize my soil? Or should I graft my heirlooms to root stock that is naturally resistant? This is not some nutzoid aversion to "chemicals". If you inhabit this place you likely enjoy "chemicals", it is strategy. Understanding of environment and adjusting for it.
Capitalize on the fact that all mycelium is highly resistant to contamination. The quicker you have full colonization the less you deal with competition.
And it is surrender, finally, to
The inevitable.
Thanks for your complement.