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firstTIMER420
Born the son of a sharecropper..



Registered: 05/08/15
Posts: 1,025
Loc: US, maybe?
Last seen: 6 years, 3 days
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AGAR questions
#21896047 - 07/04/15 09:32 AM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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hey all, i am looking to get into agar, because im starting a couple monotubs and using grains(duh) and would like a clean inoculant, instead of a MS syringe.
Now, there are many different ways to make agar paste as ive read on here, but its tricky to get the mixture just right. Basically there are a couple different mixtures that are common(majority of people use) PDA being one of them.
I was wondering if it would be better to buy the ingrediants separately and make my own agar mixture, or to just buy the pre mixed agar paste-powder(PDA mixture for instance) and just use that. What is your opinions on that? I know it would be better to learn how to mix them together, and probably cheaper. at a quick glance, it was 16.50 for an 8-oz PDA bottle. Now, it says that could make up to 100 petris, but im wondering how many that could REALISTICLY make.
Also, what agar recipie would be good to start with, as well as relatively cheap? Please include brands of products(agar powder, dextrose and such)
The last thing, i saw that they have tri separated petri dishes, with 3 sections for growing cultures. Would you recommend to use these instead of the regular petris? If so, why?
Thanks for the input guys its very much appreciated!
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bodhisatta 
Smurf real estate agent


Registered: 04/30/13
Posts: 61,889
Loc: Milky way
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Buy agar flakes at grocery store.Asian store. Telephone brand is easy to find or order online.
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Grey
⇜ ✯ ⇝



Registered: 11/06/14
Posts: 6,223
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Agar is easy to make. For PDA you just need some instant potato flakes, honey or karo, and agar agar powder.

Check out Pastywhyte's Easy Agar Tek
There's lots of ways to do agar. I only order non-sectioned petris for pouring.
MEA is easy to prep as well using this (pic below) and agar.

Here's a bunch of cool videos w/ agar prep.
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AMU Q&A If you don't have a plan of your own, you'll become a part of somebody else's.
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bodhisatta 
Smurf real estate agent


Registered: 04/30/13
Posts: 61,889
Loc: Milky way
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Re: AGAR questions [Re: Grey]
#21896180 - 07/04/15 10:30 AM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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Check out the 3 and 4th link in my signature too. And look up stro's cleaning and isolating on agar
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OPB
Wanderer

Registered: 05/30/15
Posts: 198
Last seen: 2 years, 10 days
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I opted for the premixed powder. The agar agar I found locally was very expensive and looking online the prices for each ingredient add up close to the cost of the mix. I'm sure in large quantities it's more efficient to mix it yourself though.
-------------------- "Wasn't that fun"
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Mad Season
hookers and blackjack



Registered: 09/16/12
Posts: 12,666
Loc: Canada
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I made this 2 days ago on sterile techniques. Still needs some work, but it's nonetheless a damn good place to start.
http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/21889950
All the other stuff suggested too. Idk how you wouldn't be good at agar after all this lol
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firstTIMER420
Born the son of a sharecropper..



Registered: 05/08/15
Posts: 1,025
Loc: US, maybe?
Last seen: 6 years, 3 days
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Re: AGAR questions [Re: Grey]
#21896860 - 07/04/15 02:03 PM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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I think im going to go with MEA, and thanks for all the vids and responses, helped me bunches and made me decide i am going to make the jump to agar. Although i haven't had any contams yet, i want to keep it that way.
The only thing i need to work on is being able to identify bacteria in the culture as right now i have no idea how yall do it, unless its REALLY apparent
EDIT: can you use dark MALT extract as well?
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Edited by firstTIMER420 (07/04/15 02:06 PM)
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firstTIMER420
Born the son of a sharecropper..



Registered: 05/08/15
Posts: 1,025
Loc: US, maybe?
Last seen: 6 years, 3 days
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and also, as far as MEA, will 1LB be fine for say 20 plates?
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Mad Season
hookers and blackjack



Registered: 09/16/12
Posts: 12,666
Loc: Canada
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Dark malt will work. Also in the thread I sent, really close to the beginning, you'll see a section called what to look out for. It has a link to this:
http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/21865514
For 20 plates, more like 20 grams.
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firstTIMER420
Born the son of a sharecropper..



Registered: 05/08/15
Posts: 1,025
Loc: US, maybe?
Last seen: 6 years, 3 days
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i was going to purchase the 3lb bag, but ill go with the 1LB.
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Grey
⇜ ✯ ⇝



Registered: 11/06/14
Posts: 6,223
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The MEA will stretch, you don't need much. Just keep the extract powder dry. It can clump up in humid air.
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AMU Q&A If you don't have a plan of your own, you'll become a part of somebody else's.
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Juiceh
Dabbing All Day



Registered: 09/25/12
Posts: 3,208
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That's a good pick. I started out with MEA because that gave me the option to also use the ME to make LC. I've also made PDA with potato broth + dextrose. As well as a few experiments with water used to boil wood chips and shit like that. MEA is very reliable. It's good to switch up the mix every once in a while.
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spacechildo
proletarians rise up



Registered: 01/24/13
Posts: 19,243
Loc: Babylon
Last seen: 6 years, 4 months
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Re: AGAR questions [Re: Juiceh]
#21897105 - 07/04/15 03:07 PM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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anything used in agar can be used in a lc recipe too and vice versa.
the best lc recipes has 2% agar in them!
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Juiceh
Dabbing All Day



Registered: 09/25/12
Posts: 3,208
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Quote:
spacechildo said: anything used in agar can be used in a lc recipe too and vice versa.

I been doing alot of GWLC lately. Kinda pointless to do anything else when so much grain water is available after making a few batches of grain. Making fucktons of Morel LC to dump around my property and families properties. Got a few gallons of LC going right now!
Edited by Juiceh (07/04/15 05:01 PM)
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firstTIMER420
Born the son of a sharecropper..



Registered: 05/08/15
Posts: 1,025
Loc: US, maybe?
Last seen: 6 years, 3 days
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Re: AGAR questions [Re: Juiceh]
#21903099 - 07/05/15 10:06 PM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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might as well start making LC then lol,
grain water is whats left over after boiling the grains right.
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Mad Season
hookers and blackjack



Registered: 09/16/12
Posts: 12,666
Loc: Canada
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What are you going to make lcs with? Think of lc as a g2g replacement and agar as an inoculation replacement. Every project has to start with agar so you should inoculate an lc with a clean agar wedge.
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firstTIMER420
Born the son of a sharecropper..



Registered: 05/08/15
Posts: 1,025
Loc: US, maybe?
Last seen: 6 years, 3 days
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idk tbh i haven't even looked up LC's at all. Agar is an universal inoculant and i guess if you used it to innoc LC like you said, all it would take for grains is a couple of drops in each jar of grain to innoc it. Hmmm, i gotta look more into it, but my problem with this stuff and LC's is knowing how to distinguish contaminates from the mycelium. Guess i just have to take the plunge and start going at it.
any LC teks or good reads yall recommend?
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Mad Season
hookers and blackjack



Registered: 09/16/12
Posts: 12,666
Loc: Canada
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I just use 2g LME every 100 ml of water for lcs. Best way to test an lc is to drop it on a few plates of agar. If they all are colonized clean, you have VERY high chance the lc is clean. That's why I always say lc and agar goes hand in hand. You need agar to both inoculate and test its cleanliness.
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Pastywhyte
Say hello to my little friend



Registered: 09/15/12
Posts: 37,810
Loc: Canada
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Start with agar. It's the way to learn how to identify contams, understand what culture should look like and teaches sterile techniques. LC is what you do after you master agar.
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Mad Season
hookers and blackjack



Registered: 09/16/12
Posts: 12,666
Loc: Canada
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