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OregonChronic
Iron, Lion, Cyans



Registered: 09/12/10
Posts: 1,970
Loc: Scoping Woodchips
Last seen: 11 years, 3 months
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Excessive h2o in Pre Poured Agar?
#17224582 - 11/15/12 02:15 PM (11 years, 6 months ago) |
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So i made up some pre poured agar jars with about 5g agar agar, 6g lme, and 500ml h2o per professor pinhead's pre pour tek, and poured it into 6 jars, and there is so much h2o consensation in the jars after the PC that it pooled up in them and there is water sitting on top of the agar which goes from side to side when tilted.

??? How can i prep pre pour agar dishes without tons of water condensation.
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Terry M
Stranger in a Strange Land



Registered: 06/18/10
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Re: Excessive h2o in Pre Poured Agar? [Re: OregonChronic]
#17225375 - 11/15/12 05:27 PM (11 years, 6 months ago) |
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This sounds like about half the amount of agar necessary for 500 ml. Check the recipe again.
-------------------- Liberté, égalité, humidité.
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OregonChronic
Iron, Lion, Cyans



Registered: 09/12/10
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Re: Excessive h2o in Pre Poured Agar? [Re: Terry M]
#17225574 - 11/15/12 06:01 PM (11 years, 6 months ago) |
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...lol ya ima try it again with 10g this time.
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OregonChronic
Iron, Lion, Cyans



Registered: 09/12/10
Posts: 1,970
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Re: Excessive h2o in Pre Poured Agar? [Re: OregonChronic]
#17255985 - 11/20/12 10:59 PM (11 years, 5 months ago) |
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So i tried it again with the right recipe and it still pooled up water
the pic from the first post is a jar i swiped some wild stuntzii spores u can see the black speck in the center. Now it has grown but idk if its bacteria or stuntzii myc. I think its stuntzii myc idk i tried to get a couple pics. There is epic poolage going on in this jar.

Im going to attempt to make transfers tomorrow but i dont wanna transfer into agar pooled with water. Any ideas from the more experienced why its pooling up so bad? Am i not letting all the agar flakes dissolve fully during the boil? Am i using the wrong brand of agar agar?('Eden' Sea Vegetable Flakes)...idk but ima keep trying until i get agar without pooled up water.
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iwannabemro
TOO MUCH FUN!!!



Registered: 08/17/11
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Re: Excessive h2o in Pre Poured Agar? [Re: OregonChronic]
#17256242 - 11/20/12 11:57 PM (11 years, 5 months ago) |
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My per pour jars always have to much moisture. I cut paper towels in 1/2 and fold them up, put them in 1/2 pint jars about 6 1/2 paper towels in each jar. Pc them with my pre pour agar jars. When I'm opening my agar jars I wipe the sides and lids not the agar. Haven't had problems with contams yet.
-------------------- MexA Fruiting
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Amanita virosa
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Re: Excessive h2o in Pre Poured Agar? [Re: iwannabemro]
#17272194 - 11/24/12 02:15 AM (11 years, 5 months ago) |
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The water is from condensation as the agar cools. I have the same issue with slants. A little bit in always going to be there. Letting them cool very slowly can help
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boneynerd
Mushway! EatFresh!



Registered: 04/23/07
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I had a problem (being I just finished my first agar batch). I didn't elevate the jars high enough in the pressure cooker, water saturated half the supply causing only half my jars with agar to finish properly the other half were filled with water
-------------------- "Your mama's grow was so contaminated, the shroomery got trich." -SpitballJediS "your a female, no one woulda cared you were naked,hell probably made someone's day, but I pull my balls out on a bus and im the bad guy.." -Bishlap
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RogerRabbit
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Re: Excessive h2o in Pre Poured Agar? [Re: iwannabemro]
#17295704 - 11/28/12 07:35 AM (11 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
iwannabemro said: My per pour jars always have to much moisture. I cut paper towels in 1/2 and fold them up, put them in 1/2 pint jars about 6 1/2 paper towels in each jar. Pc them with my pre pour agar jars. When I'm opening my agar jars I wipe the sides and lids not the agar. Haven't had problems with contams yet.
All this extra time and expense to avoid spending a dime or two on a petri dish stuns me. 
You're supposed to mix and pour the agar from a bottle into pre-sterilized petri dishes. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
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Aquamon
Stranger Danger

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Loc: NE, right by the lake, bo...
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Re: Excessive h2o in Pre Poured Agar? [Re: RogerRabbit]
#17295995 - 11/28/12 09:12 AM (11 years, 5 months ago) |
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Good note for working with agar:
Agar will melt around 185 Fahrenheit Agar will solidify between 90 and 100 degrees Farenheit
Condensation is less likely to form the closer you pour the agar to the solidifying temperature.
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OregonChronic
Iron, Lion, Cyans



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Re: Excessive h2o in Pre Poured Agar? [Re: RogerRabbit]
#17301239 - 11/29/12 02:38 AM (11 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
RogerRabbit said:
Quote:
iwannabemro said: My per pour jars always have to much moisture. I cut paper towels in 1/2 and fold them up, put them in 1/2 pint jars about 6 1/2 paper towels in each jar. Pc them with my pre pour agar jars. When I'm opening my agar jars I wipe the sides and lids not the agar. Haven't had problems with contams yet.
All this extra time and expense to avoid spending a dime or two on a petri dish stuns me. 
You're supposed to mix and pour the agar from a bottle into pre-sterilized petri dishes. RR
Ya ive ordered the petri sleeves n parafilm 
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barong
Nada


Registered: 07/24/11
Posts: 666
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Re: Excessive h2o in Pre Poured Agar? [Re: RogerRabbit]
#17301383 - 11/29/12 04:42 AM (11 years, 5 months ago) |
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Roger, I realise its not the ideal way, but for those of us without a flowhood, it eliminates a contamination vector. There's a thread around here from a guy who does get this method working without the issue of condensation. Furthermore, I'm not keen on wasting plastic on single use dishes (closet treehugger) and they are a sight more expensive than a 'dime' outside of tthe US. It's not really about the money, but the environmental waste.
So can we work through the question a bit more, how can we avoid the condensation? I have tried reducing the temp to low for 1/2 hour, then switching off for overnight cooling, and also taken out immediatey after depressurising, but still have the same issue as the OP. My slants are the same story, where water pools on the media. There must be a solution, because others are having success.
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Aquamon
Stranger Danger

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Re: Excessive h2o in Pre Poured Agar? [Re: barong]
#17301505 - 11/29/12 06:10 AM (11 years, 5 months ago) |
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Have you tried storing the jars upside down after the agar cools? If you have to open the jar all the water will have settled on the top and you can just dump it.
I'm not sure how you're inoculating them but if you're taking the tops off this might work for you. I do it with my dishes.
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donrjuan
On the Grind


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Re: Excessive h2o in Pre Poured Agar? [Re: barong]
#17301594 - 11/29/12 06:50 AM (11 years, 5 months ago) |
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Try just sterilizing the jars and pouring the agar when it is cool enough to handle. I do the same thing in a glove box with petris and have 99% success. The closer the agar is to setting up when you pour, the less likely you are to have condensation. Letting the pre-pours cool and setup in the PC should produce less condensation than just pulling them hot.
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Myco_Militia
Farmer
Registered: 11/08/12
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Loc:
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Re: Excessive h2o in Pre Poured Agar? [Re: donrjuan]
#17360141 - 12/09/12 10:45 AM (11 years, 5 months ago) |
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How much are you filling your jars OP?
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36fuckin5
Alchemycologist


Registered: 08/11/03
Posts: 12,091
Loc: Diving into Mystical Territori...
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Re: Excessive h2o in Pre Poured Agar? [Re: barong]
#17363404 - 12/09/12 07:19 PM (11 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
barong said: Roger, I realise its not the ideal way, but for those of us without a flowhood, it eliminates a contamination vector. There's a thread around here from a guy who does get this method working without the issue of condensation. Furthermore, I'm not keen on wasting plastic on single use dishes (closet treehugger) and they are a sight more expensive than a 'dime' outside of tthe US. It's not really about the money, but the environmental waste.
Pyrex petris FTW.
-------------------- Pat The Bunny said: A punk rock song won't ever change the world, but I can tell you about a couple that changed me. bodhisatta said: i recommend common sense and figuring it out. These are the TEKs I use. They're all as cheap and easy as possible, just like your mom.
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XFINITY
Not a noob just quiet



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Re: Excessive h2o in Pre Poured Agar? [Re: 36fuckin5]
#17366952 - 12/10/12 11:17 AM (11 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
36fuckin5 said:
Quote:
barong said: Roger, I realise its not the ideal way, but for those of us without a flowhood, it eliminates a contamination vector. There's a thread around here from a guy who does get this method working without the issue of condensation. Furthermore, I'm not keen on wasting plastic on single use dishes (closet treehugger) and they are a sight more expensive than a 'dime' outside of tthe US. It's not really about the money, but the environmental waste.
Pyrex petris FTW.
If you take into consideration the amount of energy it takes to sterilize glass petri dishes you will come to realize that recycling plastic pre-sterilized ones are more economical and cost less in the long run. Many plastics these days are made from natural sources other than petroleum (corn, sugar, grains). You are also going to have more success without having to worry if your sterile techniques are sufficient. Plastic petri dishes come with segmented sections as well which allow you to use one petri dish for multiple culture sample.
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36fuckin5
Alchemycologist


Registered: 08/11/03
Posts: 12,091
Loc: Diving into Mystical Territori...
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Re: Excessive h2o in Pre Poured Agar? [Re: XFINITY]
#17367471 - 12/10/12 12:47 PM (11 years, 5 months ago) |
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I just use the plastic ones and throw them away when I'm done, because I honestly just don't care that much. But if you do, Pyrex petris are the way to go. Recycling plastic petris isn't a good idea, because there's no good way to sterilize them.
-------------------- Pat The Bunny said: A punk rock song won't ever change the world, but I can tell you about a couple that changed me. bodhisatta said: i recommend common sense and figuring it out. These are the TEKs I use. They're all as cheap and easy as possible, just like your mom.
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Willy Wonka
Medicine Man



Registered: 12/14/11
Posts: 2,109
Loc: The Other Side
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Re: Excessive h2o in Pre Poured Agar? [Re: 36fuckin5]
#17368437 - 12/10/12 03:12 PM (11 years, 5 months ago) |
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Try using TranscendingLife's no tilt lids. https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/14186384#14186384 The synthetic filter disk gas exchange hole will allow for the excess water to evaporate out of the jar. Make up a few of them at once. When they ar done remove the foil lid and then leave them out until the excess water has evaporated off. Then store them in a zip lock bag so all the moisture in the agar doesn't dry out. The moisture will eventually dry up out of a no tilt agar lid dish if you save them for to long without putting them in a zip lock bag. That is what I do for now. Once I get my tax return and can buy the blower I will need for my HEPA I am going to be done with all that. When my flow hood is finished I am going to buy sleeves of the pre sterilized plastic petri dishes and then make a bottle of agar and pour them in front of my hood. I can not wait till that hood is finished. I will be playing with agar all day long.
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OregonChronic
Iron, Lion, Cyans



Registered: 09/12/10
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Re: Excessive h2o in Pre Poured Agar? [Re: Willy Wonka]
#17368485 - 12/10/12 03:22 PM (11 years, 5 months ago) |
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Good idea. Dur i cant believe i didnt think about that before. Just let it all evaporate before even swiping anything on it  
I feel ya on the flowhood. SAB's are a PITA to work with and you just never can trust what is going on inside them
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barong
Nada


Registered: 07/24/11
Posts: 666
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Re: Excessive h2o in Pre Poured Agar? [Re: XFINITY]
#17372149 - 12/11/12 03:56 AM (11 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
XFINITY said: If you take into consideration the amount of energy it takes to sterilize glass petri dishes you will come to realize that recycling plastic pre-sterilized ones are more economical and cost less in the long run.
Not less than the 'no-pour' tek. It's on par, and if anything, the jars are unbreakable by comparison. The downide is that you can't get a top-view of your mycelium. As I'm getting more into agar work, this is a bit annoying.
Can you tell me what plastic the dishes you recycle are made of? I don't think I have seen PP5 (Polypropylene) dishes, and thought that was the only plastic that could withstand the rigours we put them through while sterilising.
It's most likely that I'll move to glass dishes, actually I already have a dozen, but in the interests of the OP's questions... a few dyas ago I used jars for agar, ramped the temp up slowly, and ensured a good steam release, then reduced temps gradually before switching the heat off. This reduced my condensation noticeably. Try it, see if it work for you.
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XFINITY
Not a noob just quiet



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Re: Excessive h2o in Pre Poured Agar? [Re: barong]
#17372170 - 12/11/12 04:06 AM (11 years, 5 months ago) |
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Most are made from polystyrene (plastic number 6).
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barong
Nada


Registered: 07/24/11
Posts: 666
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Re: Excessive h2o in Pre Poured Agar? [Re: XFINITY]
#17395311 - 12/15/12 02:12 AM (11 years, 5 months ago) |
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Hi There. 6 is often used for moulding due to its pliability over 110 degrees, so Im amazed that it stands up to being reused, ie surviving sterilising temperatures without deforming. I'll test some random polystyrene tomorrow and see if it loses its integrity.
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