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SpitballJedi
Ancient Astronaut



Registered: 10/13/12
Posts: 8,598
Loc: Nibiru
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Agar 8
#20048779 - 05/27/14 08:24 PM (9 years, 7 months ago) |
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This is part of my series "The Basics"
Don't be afraid to get in to agar. There are a lot of teks out there and most of them are dealing with large quantities. This tek is more for those who want to try it on a small scale.
This is a great way to expand your precious spores. One drop on a dish... 5 or 6 dishes...1 dish for 6-10 jars of grain...1 jar of grain to 7-10 jars.... well, you get the picture. I haven't even mentioned cloning.
This tek suits my personal needs because of the small scale that I grow.
I will need: PC Bottles Agar recipe Petri dishes Parafilm I do my pouring in a SAB
Bottles:

I don't do large amounts of agar anymore. I may only pour 5-6 dishes at a time, so Snapple bottles are the perfect size for me.
Also, these bottles fit nicely in my PC.
I scruff the metal lid with a piece of sandpaper and RTV a SFD to it. There is a 1/4" hole in the lid.
Snapple bottles also fit nicely into wide-mouth quart jars. This prevents the bottles from floating around or tipping over. I just stick 7 jars in the PC and then put in whatever number of bottles I'll be using., usually only 1 or 2.

Another thing I like about this method is that, if I'm pouring a bunch of plates, I can leave multiple bottles in the PC. This keeps them hot while I work.
Recipe: -5g LME -5g Telephone Brand Agar powder from asian market (or your favorite agar, I use 4g a lot here lately) -250ml water
This recipe is 1g each of agar and LME per 50ml of water. You can make it less rich and potential promote rhizomorphic growth by cutting back on the LME to .8g per 50ml of water.
This recipe will fill a bottle a little over half way. You can scale to whatever volume you want.
Next:
~Heat water and pour in to the bottle.
~Put LME and agar in heated water and swirl around until mixed. Some say you don't need to heat and mix first, and you really don't have to. I just like to. I find that putting the hot water in first prevents sticking to the bottom of the bottle.
~Put lid on bottle and cover with foil.
~PC at 15psi for 30mins following standard PC procedures. I fill the PC with water to just about the top of the agar level. This prevents boil over as the PC cools down.
~Let agar cool enough to handle but still be in liquid form. It can be tricky at first, to get your dishes poured before the agar congeals. That's why it's a good idea to have more than you think you will need. The cooler you let your agar get, the less condensation you have on the lid of your petri dishes.
~I open my sleeve of petris in my SAB. Since I only use a few at a time, I go ahead and stick the ones I don't use in to a ziplock bag. I put 4 in a quart bag and and then those bags go in a gallon. A whole 25 dish sleeve fits easily in a gallon this way. I always use new ziplocks.
~When your agar is ready, pour in Petri dishes just enough to cover the bottom. You can put in as much as you want, but the mycelium is only going to be growing on the surface. Anymore than a thin layer is a waste.
~ I put the poured dishes in a new ziplock bag until I'm ready to use them. I don't wrap in parafilm until after inoculated.
You can put a cup of hot water on top of your stack of dishes to keep them from fogging up as they cool.
Well, there you have it. That's how I do agar.
I have about 99.9% success with this method.
Feel free to PM me with questions, tips, or comments.
If you follow my process and still have trouble, feel free to ask me for help.
If something I do is unclear, feel free to ask for clarification.
Don't bother to ask if you can omit or substitute any of my steps or materials. I didn't go through the trouble of development and writing just to tell you to do it different.
Just a reminder, this is just how I do it. I've tried a myriad of different methods and this is what I have come to rest on. I'm sure your way works fine, but I simply just don't care. . Feel free to make adjustments as you see fit.
Good luck and happy cultivations.
---Spitball
-------------------- The Basics A little civility goes a long way The Noob Forum The Hammock Hangers' Forum
Edited by SpitballJedi (05/06/16 11:25 AM)
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blindingleaf
blue collar underworld



Registered: 07/19/13
Posts: 22,008
Loc: sub-surface unseen
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i can only fit 20 in a gallon zip lock, but i don't pre bag them in groups before, i just shove them in, 4x stacks of 5 dishes. snapple bottles are the best for pouring, i use two and just do a whole sleeve at once. great write up!
-------------------- A few thoughts on cultivation MICROBIAL HUSBANDRY!!!! The whole is greater than the sum of its parts
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cronicr



Registered: 08/07/11
Posts: 61,436
Loc: Van Isle
Last seen: 2 years, 7 days
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  It doesn't matter what i think of you...all that matters is clean spawn I'm tired do me a favor
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cronicr



Registered: 08/07/11
Posts: 61,436
Loc: Van Isle
Last seen: 2 years, 7 days
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bumping some good threads today, hows your guys's day going?
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  It doesn't matter what i think of you...all that matters is clean spawn I'm tired do me a favor
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SpitballJedi
Ancient Astronaut



Registered: 10/13/12
Posts: 8,598
Loc: Nibiru
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Awesome. Had a good weekend and almost finished with lunch. How are you cron?
-------------------- The Basics A little civility goes a long way The Noob Forum The Hammock Hangers' Forum
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cronicr



Registered: 08/07/11
Posts: 61,436
Loc: Van Isle
Last seen: 2 years, 7 days
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doing great ! getting ready to move finally! start my edibles up again
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  It doesn't matter what i think of you...all that matters is clean spawn I'm tired do me a favor
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SpitballJedi
Ancient Astronaut



Registered: 10/13/12
Posts: 8,598
Loc: Nibiru
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sweet. I got my eye on you
-------------------- The Basics A little civility goes a long way The Noob Forum The Hammock Hangers' Forum
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cinderblock
Failed Conformist
Registered: 07/13/14
Posts: 866
Last seen: 1 year, 4 months
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In a recent post, you mentioned you don't use the Snapple bottle anymore. What do you use now?
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E.FTS



Registered: 08/28/14
Posts: 467
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Interested as well.
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SpitballJedi
Ancient Astronaut



Registered: 10/13/12
Posts: 8,598
Loc: Nibiru
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Re: Agar [Re: E.FTS]
#20492023 - 08/29/14 06:55 AM (9 years, 4 months ago) |
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I use a 1L Pyrex media bottle. I don't like it much either because it has "after drip".
-------------------- The Basics A little civility goes a long way The Noob Forum The Hammock Hangers' Forum
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Kizzle
Misanthrope


Registered: 08/30/11
Posts: 9,854
Last seen: 11 hours, 25 minutes
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I use a small soy sauce bottle. No problems at all with pouring.
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Mushiez



Registered: 04/28/14
Posts: 1,057
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Re: Agar [Re: Kizzle]
#20492698 - 08/29/14 11:03 AM (9 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
Kizzle said: I use a small soy sauce bottle. No problems at all with pouring.
Thanks kizzle, I'll have to try that
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MudaFuka
Poppin bottles



Registered: 12/14/13
Posts: 18,648
Loc: Canada
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I use a long necked licker bottle. It works great.
Edited by MudaFuka (08/29/14 01:05 PM)
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Nos-hroom
Oneironaut's Apprentice



Registered: 08/13/14
Posts: 183
Last seen: 8 years, 7 months
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I really like the soy sauce bottle idea. I'm assuming we're talking something like this.

As a cook, I'll tell you that few bottles pour a nicer, cleaner, finer stream. I'll have to give it a go. Still, the whiskey bottle is a favored, simple shape. I think RR even recommended and used one in his DVD's section on agar.
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Pastywhyte
Say hello to my little friend



Registered: 09/15/12
Posts: 37,808
Loc: Canada
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If your planning to pour through that little spout I would recommend against it. The agar will probably start to cool in the small aperture and clog the spout.
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Nos-hroom
Oneironaut's Apprentice



Registered: 08/13/14
Posts: 183
Last seen: 8 years, 7 months
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Cheers, that's a good point. Shame, but there are several other options. I have read of success with those diner-style coffee carafes with the pour-spouts controlled by little levers or buttons. I'd undoubtedly like to give that one a shot.
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Kizzle
Misanthrope


Registered: 08/30/11
Posts: 9,854
Last seen: 11 hours, 25 minutes
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Quote:
MudaFuka said:
I use a long necked licker bottle. It works great.

That's the same reason I use such a small bottle. It's fits in the microwave. The agar has usually resolidified by the time I get around to taking it out of the PC.
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Sockadin



Registered: 01/03/10
Posts: 7,244
Last seen: 2 months, 19 days
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Re: Agar [Re: Kizzle]
#20499303 - 08/30/14 08:05 PM (9 years, 4 months ago) |
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LazyAss, Jking. I recently tried the pastyplates. While I love them. I miss the good old Extra Virgin Oil Oil Bottle I used. I am building a flow hood this week so I am going back to the plastic petri dish agar. Nothing against the No Pore, I just prefer Petris.
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cinderblock
Failed Conformist

Registered: 07/13/14
Posts: 866
Last seen: 1 year, 4 months
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blindingleaf
blue collar underworld


Registered: 07/19/13
Posts: 22,008
Loc: sub-surface unseen
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i dunno where SBJ is...(where u at dude?!?!)
but yes to both 
2.5 squares of that 4" roll will be enough to seal 4 plates easily.
-------------------- A few thoughts on cultivation MICROBIAL HUSBANDRY!!!! The whole is greater than the sum of its parts
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