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Sputnik-Spooner
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Registered: 05/16/16
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Agar Semi-Fail?
#23342550 - 06/14/16 09:04 AM (7 years, 7 months ago) |
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Greetings, Shroomers!
Made my first agar batch today- and I apparently need more practice.
Brand:RAK MEA premix, purchased from ShroomSupply. Great merchant, fast delivery!
I did a very small run: 200ml water to 10g of premix.
I boiled water, removed pot from stove. Immediately, the powder morphed into a lump! Temps and humidity in my neck of the woods have been low, so spoiled agar is not the issue, I feel.
What the hell did I do wrong?
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Burning Warrior
That One Dude



Registered: 08/21/15
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Following
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mushpunx
Fungus Punk


Registered: 04/20/14
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Why are you boiling on the stove, are you doing a no pour?
What are the instructions on the bottle for how much water to add? A typical MEA recipe is 10g agar 10g ME to 500ml water. Of course yours is pre mix though.
You also might try running it thru the PC cycle and see how it mixes up.
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 Amateur Mycologists United AMU Q&A
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Sputnik-Spooner
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Re: Agar Semi-Fail? [Re: mushpunx]
#23342641 - 06/14/16 09:39 AM (7 years, 7 months ago) |
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This is my first ever Agar attempt. Once mixed, the MEA premix was to be poured into 4 minicups and then pc`d for sterilization.
Should the water only be warm, as opposed to boiled?
The bottle has no instructions, but the merchant website provides the required amounts- but no cooking instructions.
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LocN9ne
ɢᄋᄋd ԲᄋЯ ᄁᄋȚᅢΙᄁɢ ᄂᄋ₩ᄂΙԲᄐ



Registered: 04/17/15
Posts: 7,076
Loc: to the brain
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Mix it cold man... Hot water makes my premix from fungiperfecti clump like that...
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Inocuole
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Re: Agar Semi-Fail? [Re: LocN9ne]
#23342831 - 06/14/16 10:39 AM (7 years, 7 months ago) |
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Quote:
LocN9ne said: Mix it cold man... Hot water makes my premix from fungiperfecti clump like that...
I have the opposite problem, gotta mix it hot or I just get big clumps of agar that become like, hydrophobic.
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mupetmower
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Registered: 03/29/16
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Re: Agar Semi-Fail? [Re: Inocuole]
#23342974 - 06/14/16 11:15 AM (7 years, 7 months ago) |
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same. i dump in the agar powder and potato flakes, then water and turn heat on med to med-high and let it get to the point where it is hot, but not quite boiling yet. and dont be afraid to pour more water in if it seems to thick, or a little more agar in if it seems to thin.. just kinda gotta eye it out and get used to how it is supposed to be.
-------------------- -The wise man never stops seeking knowledge.
-I wanna feel the change consume me, feel the outside turning in. I wanna feel the metamorphosis and cleansing I've endured within.
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mushpunx
Fungus Punk


Registered: 04/20/14
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I say mix it in a bottle and PC it. If its not ready to pour then you need to adjust your water
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 Amateur Mycologists United AMU Q&A
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Supalemonhaze
Spore syringe hater.



Registered: 10/02/15
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Re: Agar Semi-Fail? [Re: mushpunx]
#23343549 - 06/14/16 01:55 PM (7 years, 7 months ago) |
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Quote:
mushpunx said: I say mix it in a bottle and PC it.
This. When using inferior quality agar, it will help a lot if you PC it for 5-10 minutes and take it off the heat to shake the jar again and see if it melted. Good quality agar will melt in cold tap water and it's really all you should buy really. When I used flakes and agar made for cooking, they all needed to be heated, stirred, shaken and sweared at before they even started to resemble something homogenous. Myco grade agar makes your life a thousand times easier.
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LocN9ne
ɢᄋᄋd ԲᄋЯ ᄁᄋȚᅢΙᄁɢ ᄂᄋ₩ᄂΙԲᄐ



Registered: 04/17/15
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Re: Agar Semi-Fail? [Re: Inocuole]
#23343607 - 06/14/16 02:16 PM (7 years, 7 months ago) |
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Quote:
Inocuole said:
Quote:
LocN9ne said: Mix it cold man... Hot water makes my premix from fungiperfecti clump like that...
I have the opposite problem, gotta mix it hot or I just get big clumps of agar that become like, hydrophobic.
That's weird man...
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Q&A US vs. THEM The more I learn, the less I know.
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MysticMoteToter



Registered: 07/26/15
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did you dump it in all at once? i typically sprinkle in premixed and stir to gradually to avoid fat starchy clumps
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Supalemonhaze
Spore syringe hater.



Registered: 10/02/15
Posts: 6,725
Loc: 12" down Europe's butthole
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That shouldn't matter with fast dissolving agar, I throw the ingredients first and the water last. I can get the clump at the bottom to dissolve with a couple of shakes.
But yeah, if your agar isn't the fast dissolving type, sprinkling it in hot water will help. PCing for a bit and shaking after will take care of the small clumps that are left. I have this real shitty chinese agar I bought from ebay. White, horrible looking stuff with a gel strength worse than jello. It was even more annoying than the flakes to dissolve. Spending an extra $5 on media grade agar is worth every penny IME.
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mupetmower
Mower of Muppets



Registered: 03/29/16
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Loc: Here and There
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i use telephone brand agar packets. love em
-------------------- -The wise man never stops seeking knowledge.
-I wanna feel the change consume me, feel the outside turning in. I wanna feel the metamorphosis and cleansing I've endured within.
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SpitballJedi
Ancient Astronaut



Registered: 10/13/12
Posts: 8,598
Loc: Nibiru
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Quote:
Sputnik-Spooner said: Greetings, Shroomers!
Made my first agar batch today- and I apparently need more practice.
Brand:RAK MEA premix, purchased from ShroomSupply. Great merchant, fast delivery!
I did a very small run: 200ml water to 10g of premix.
I boiled water, removed pot from stove. Immediately, the powder morphed into a lump! Temps and humidity in my neck of the woods have been low, so spoiled agar is not the issue, I feel.
What the hell did I do wrong?
I bring water to a boil Set element to low Slowly pour ingredients while stirring.
If you dump it all at once, you get giant clumps. Pouring slower gives you smaller clumps.
If you get clumps, just keep it hot and stir a little; they will melt. Keep the element on low though or you risk scorching and sticking the agar to the bottom of the pot.
If I'm just doing one or two bottles for pouring in my SAB, I just put it all in the container cold and swoosh it a around a little. It comes out of the PC melted.
I prefer the hot pot method for no-pour and multiple containers though so I have an even mix in each one.
-------------------- The Basics A little civility goes a long way The Noob Forum The Hammock Hangers' Forum
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Sputnik-Spooner
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Registered: 05/16/16
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Yes I did, dumped it like a bad habit! The clump of powder submerged, then popped up in a solid lump. Judging from the variety of opinions and experiences it looks like I`ll be experimenting my ownself. Which is why I got into Mycology in the first place- I like learning.
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Inocuole
Scalpel of Evil's Bane



Registered: 11/21/11
Posts: 24,863
Loc: ★
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Please don't experiment when good answers are abundant.. It's difficult to learn from an experiment in which you don't yet grasp all the variables.
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SpitballJedi
Ancient Astronaut



Registered: 10/13/12
Posts: 8,598
Loc: Nibiru
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Re: Agar Semi-Fail? [Re: Inocuole]
#23364047 - 06/20/16 02:59 PM (7 years, 7 months ago) |
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All the answers on this thread are solid. It's just a matter of preference.
-------------------- The Basics A little civility goes a long way The Noob Forum The Hammock Hangers' Forum
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Supalemonhaze
Spore syringe hater.



Registered: 10/02/15
Posts: 6,725
Loc: 12" down Europe's butthole
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Quote:
SpitballJedi said: All the answers on this thread are solid. It's just a matter of preference.

Your experiences/technique is largely dependent on the quality of your agar.
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Inocuole
Scalpel of Evil's Bane



Registered: 11/21/11
Posts: 24,863
Loc: ★
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Er, quality of agar?
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natedawgnow
Rocky mountain hood rat



Registered: 02/09/15
Posts: 8,939
Loc: ation
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Re: Agar Semi-Fail? [Re: Inocuole]
#23364761 - 06/20/16 07:13 PM (7 years, 7 months ago) |
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I use asian food mart agar and it's basically necessary for me to boil first to fully dissolve the agar. It comes in blocks i grind up to flakes and they take forever to melt. I imagine that powdered lab agar dissolves really fast
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