Grocery Store Agar Tek.

Hello...


I take no credit for the information gathered in this post.
Many people before me have done similar, better ways.

This guide is meant for the dude that just wants drive up the road and get the shit necessary to start an agar culture.

I searched,read,and prospered...I took shot's along the way and figured I'd post a little pictorial or basic guide for noobs (like myself)..to discover agar and it's benefits.

It's much better to spot contams early in on an agar jar than waiting 10-15 days to spot it in a 1 qrt rye jar...or 7.

With that said let's begin the "Grocery store Agar Tek".

This is Agar Agar...



This is found in the Asian Isle of any large grocery store...don't ask the clerks cuz they won't know WTF your talking about...also look up high on the shelf because it's not a real common seller.
It cost's 99 cents per pack.

It's quite rigid and not nearly as fragile as it looks.
The package comes with two 9g strips...cut 1 in half and grind.



This should leave you with around a 1/4 cup of ground Agar.
Add to mixing bowl.

This is potato flakes...



Add 2 table spoons to mixing bowl with the Agar and dry mix with a fork.

This is tap water...



Add 1 cup to mixing bowl with the agar and potato flakes and mix thoroughly with fork.

This is clear honey...



Add 1 TEA spoon to mixing bowl with the tap water, ground agar, and potato flakes and mix thoroughly with a fork.

Now instead of petris', I use these...



1/4 pint jars...this mix will do about 20 of the Fugger's.

Give the bowl one last mix with the fork.
Add 2 TABLE spoons per jar like this...



I just use my grain lids to keep shit compatible like this...



Basically 4 breathers with center RTV sealed injection port, here's a pic of the under side...



Grab a sheet of tyvek...



and cover jars like this...



I was fairly clean in the process above...but not sterile by any means...I simply washed my hands with bar soap.

Load jars in PC at 15 psi for 25 mins...



I used this time to shower and clean up a bit...I even had a shave!

I then reduced the heat on PC and allowed to cool for 2-3 hrs.
Once cooled, jars look like this...



I then store in my beer fridge until I need them like this...



Now I get sterile and bring out the 'still air box'...



Nothing special...cost me around $15 to build.
Notice the rubbing alcohol? I add it to a spray bottle and nuke the entire box...notice the paper towel stuffed in the arm holes...also sprayed with alcohol.
I don't use gloves BTW...so it's not a glove box.

Now you have some choices here...

-drop spores directly from a print.
-drop re-hydrated spores from a print via syringe.
-drop liquid myc via syringe.
-drop a fresh tissue from a shroom.

At this point I assume you already have a good strong culture on agar.
You can tell by just looking at it.

Here is a jar via fresh tissue transfer...by dropping the inner stype of a fresh shroom within a 'still air box'...



The above jar is not the best example as it wasn't fully colonized and you can see the bits of tissue...it also has something else growing in there on a couple bits of tissue..can you spot them?

This jar requires isolation...but I'm not going there...get the RR dvd .
They usually take right off and you can tell by speed of growth and appearance if it's worth taking to the next step.

But you get the idea right?

I would also like to add the 'boom' myc ended taking over the above mentioned jar and turned into a rapid aggressive inoculate...so don't just throw them out!

Anyway...

Once your dish is colonized, with strong growth...prepare your blanks by pulling tap water until 80 l..with foil and PC at 15psi for 15mins and allow to cool...


 
Then load the box like this...



Spray hands to elbow with alcohol, remove foil from syringe...purge thru injection port...swirl it around vigorously (while keeping syringe in)...



Draw the syringe, remove from injection port, and cap.
Cover the injection hole with micopore tape.
You can now open your box.



You wont get all your cc's back...there will be a little water left in the donor jar...but the breather holes take care of that and dry out for future reanimation.

Now you can knock up those grain jars with strong aggressive growth. :eek:

MS is fun.
G2G is fun.
LC's are fun.

Just say'n give AGAR a go...it's Really Fun!
 
Everything in this guide can be bought at any major grocery store with the exceptions of tyvek, still air box, and of coarse the inoculate.

I would like to thank the shroomery and all members for info, pics , and advice!

Later!
:mushroom2: