Regarding your last question about the white fuzz you get when adding alfalfa meal or oat flour. What I see over and over is people posting photos of it and claiming it is mycorhizzal fungi (AMF). Often there is not even a plant in the container when the photo is taken. I always reply that it is a saprophyte of some kind breaking down the raw material and not AMF. 1st, AMF are obligate root symbionts, which means they are only found and can only be propagated on the living root of a suitable host. 2nd, AMF are not visible to the naked eye. In order to see them you must clear the root with a strong base and then stain it and view it under a microscope. AMF cannot be propagated in a tea, compost or on moistened bran left under a tree.