Making mushroom spore prints how to#

Mix it up a bit with a sterilized instrument or use the syringe to mix up the water by pulling a small amount in and pushing it back out repeatedly.

Reach your hands into the rubber gloves and scrape the spore print into the sterilized, distilled water. Making A Spore Syringe In A Sterilized EnvironmentĪll of the sterilized equipment should be ready to go inside the sterile box. If you already have the spore print ready to go, you are ready to make a spore syringe now. If you are first making a spore print inside the sterile box, do so, and come back in a day to make the spore syringe. You now have a sterilized air box that has everything you need for both steps, meaning you won’t have to open up the box at any time and introduce contamination. Now, move the equipment you need to make a spore print and spore syringe inside the sterile box and snap on the cover. When you are ready to make a mushroom spore print and spore syringe, wipe down the inside of the sterile box and the rubber gloves with alcohol, and then spray the inside of the box with Lysol. Preparing The Sterile Box Before Making A Spore Print And Spore Syringe After pressure cooking the equipment for at least 15 minutes, let it cool down. Now, cover that glass with aluminum foil and place it in the pressure cooker.Īt this point, place aluminum foil over all other items you want to sterilize, including the syringes that you want to reuse again, in the pressure cooker. To make a spore syringe, you are going to need distilled water, a glass, used or brand-new syringes, metal utensils, and a pressure cooker.įirst, fill the shot glass or regular-sized glass with distilled water, using a little bit more water than what you will need to fill up all your spore syringes. Make sure the gloves are long enough so you can work comfortably inside the bin. This will allow you to work inside the bin without introducing contamination. While this drill bit may not be big enough to cut the holes of the size you desire, they give you a good starting point and you can continue to cut out the holes as big as you want with an X-Acto knife.Īfter sanding down the holes you just cut out, duct tape the heavy-duty kitchen gloves to the holes so that no air can enter the plastic bin. One of the best ways to drill out these holes is to use a door handle drill attachment and then drill into the side of the bin while holding a piece of wood on the other side to avoid cracking the plastic. On one of the long sides of the plastic bin, cut out two holes that are big enough to fit your hands in comfortably. A sterile box doesn’t require much of an investment and can be built with a simple plastic tub and cover.Īfter securing a transparent plastic tub that has a snap-on cover, purchase a pair of heavy-duty kitchen gloves, a can of Lysol, 70%+ alcohol, and duct tape. Making and using a sterilized glove box will significantly reduce the probability of contamination. Finally, cover the mushroom cap with a glass bowl and allow it to sit for 24 hours. This will simulate nature, as mushrooms generally drop their spores after rainfall to increase the probability of reproduction. Now, use a pipette and drop a couple of drops of sterilized water onto the mushroom cap. While it may seem extreme, performing sterile techniques limits the possibility of contamination. For the best results, perform this entire process in a sterilized box. Then, use sterilized tweezers to transfer the mushroom cap with the gill side down onto a sterilized piece of wax or parchment paper or a flame-sterilized sheet of aluminum foil. Immediately after harvesting this mushroom, cut off the cap from the stem with a flame-sterilized X-Acto knife or scissors. When you have spotted the ideal specimen, put on a pair of nitrile or latex gloves and sterilize them with 70%+ alcohol. Start with the best genetics by searching for the ideal mushroom you are currently growing.

Making mushroom spore prints how to#

If you want to know how to make a mushroom spore print and spore syringe in exact detail, with sterile techniques, follow the steps below. We will discuss each option a bit more below. Then, to make a spore syringe, scrape the spore print into a glass with sterilized water and pull the solution into a syringe.Īfter you have created a spore print, you can save it for later use, make a spore syringe, apply it to an agar solution or create a liquid culture. Making a mushroom spore print and spore syringe is as simple as placing a mushroom cap with the gill side down on a sheet of aluminum foil, covering it with a bowl, and waiting for about 24 hours for the spores to drop onto the surface below.