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milkboy
Child



Registered: 05/01/21
Posts: 2,295
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Milkboys Public Display of Affection 13
#28568931 - 12/04/23 08:54 PM (1 month, 23 days ago) |
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Here lies my recipe to make sediment free potato flake agar (∩`-´)⊃━☆゚.*・。゚AcknowledgementsI thank BeefSupremeJr for being a great friend and encouraging me to write this. This is not a write up on the basics of Agar. If you wish to read in length about the fundamentals of agar go read Psilicons post or bods or stipes. This is not an instructional on how to pour or prep plates, wrap/store, or even how to properly select and take transfers. This is not a photo gallery for learning to identify contamination or different kinds of mycelium. These things are all important but I feel that they have been discussed at length, and with the proper links can be made accessible to anyone willing to read them. I have done my best to include such links for those who are just peeking behind the curtain for the first time. My goal with this recipe is to provide an alternative to the common approach for making agar and to provide you with a method that will leave you satisfied with clear plates and well armed to move forward. I believe agar is a path to the promised land and it has become a great love of mine. Obviously, countless methods exists to make agar--in fact nothing in this recipe is ground breaking--but it is mine. The following recipe will supply you with one 500ml media bottle worth of agar. Other pour methods can work but I highly recommend investing in at least one media bottle with a pour ring. (pictured below) The final amount may differ depending on what and how you are pouring. For a sleeve of twenty 100mm plates, I recommend somewhere between 400-450ml of agar. 400ml will suffice if you pour thin, but for a heavy handed pourer like me 420-450ml is a little safer to prevent running short. Supplies include:☆Water ☆Agar  ☆Potato flakes  ☆Corn syrup or molasses   ☆Media bottle  ☆Scale ☆French press (if you don't have a French press shame, but keep reading) ☆Blue food dye (optional) Making potato waterFill up your french press with water and add roughly two/three rounded tablespoons of potato flakes. The actual total here is irrelevant, we just don't want to use too many flakes or they will come through the filter when we press. Stir in your flakes and let the mixture sit till it stops swirling. Now gently press your French press down and pour it into a media bottle.  Alternative methodBefore I had a French press, I employed the decant method which was suggested to me by smartattack years ago. It works great, but you can end up with an occasional plate with a small amount of sediment. For this reason I have moved on to the French Press. For those with limited budgets or accessibility, decanting is a great option. To execute, start with something like a quart jar. Fill it with water, add 2-3 rounded tablespoons of potato flakes, and stir in. Allow 10 mins or so for everything to settle then gently pour the water mixture into a media bottle carefully not to unsettle the sediment layer. ConclusionNow that we have our potato water, we can add our standard 2% agar powder to the mix, a couple drops of blue food coloring, (optional) as well as a tablespoon of either corn syrup or molasses. I include both because I used corn syrup for years just fine. One day it ran out, so I used molasses in a pinch. I've stuck with molasses since because I'm a big fan of the color it makes combined with the blue food coloring. I tend to alternate batches of agar with and without food coloring to give me an indication on when they were poured.    And that's pretty much it. I recommend giving it a quick shake before you PC. It takes a few seconds and can save you from a headache. Its not always necessary but can prevent clumps of agar surviving the pc cycle which can really be a bummer when you have come so far already. Some examples            Did I say I was good at pouring plates? 
Edited by milkboy (12/04/23 08:59 PM)
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Pnin
Riz Gukgak


Registered: 07/18/23
Posts: 395
Last seen: 3 hours, 23 minutes
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Re: Milkboys Public Display of Affection [Re: milkboy] 1
#28568937 - 12/04/23 08:57 PM (1 month, 23 days ago) |
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Gonna give this a shot next time I pour, thanks MB.
-------------------- 🅃 🄴 🄰 🄼 🄲 🄻 🄸 🄽 🄶 🅆 🅁 🄰 🄿 >my end of 2023 grow journal<
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PurpleHat
The Stranger



Registered: 09/17/21
Posts: 163
Last seen: 1 month, 3 days
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Re: Milkboys Public Display of Affection [Re: milkboy]
#28568944 - 12/04/23 09:02 PM (1 month, 23 days ago) |
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Super cool, instant potatoes are awesome. However, take this question from a total dummy as just that, whats the point of the potatoes if you're also adding a simple sugar? Certain strains like the starch? Thanksgiving vibez?
-------------------- -PH!
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meta_mmxxii

Registered: 08/03/23
Posts: 598
Loc: PNW
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Re: Milkboys Public Display of Affection [Re: Pnin] 1
#28568948 - 12/04/23 09:03 PM (1 month, 23 days ago) |
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Great write up milkboy! Very clear and easy to understand. I appreciate your effort.
-------------------- Lots of up-to-date Teks: Trusted Cultivators Teks The most comprehensive explanation of things I have read on the forums: Ultimate Tek Compendium Another very good read for new members: The Hitchhikers Guide 🅃 🄴 🄰 🄼 🄲 🄻 🄸 🄽 🄶 🅆 🅁 🄰 🄿
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BeefSupremeJr
Detritivore



Registered: 11/02/11
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Loc: 29.9792° N, 31.1342° E
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Re: Milkboys Public Display of Affection [Re: meta_mmxxii] 3
#28568952 - 12/04/23 09:05 PM (1 month, 23 days ago) |
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Hysteria
Bum Looker


Registered: 02/19/23
Posts: 840
Loc: New England USA
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Re: Milkboys Public Display of Affection [Re: Pnin] 1
#28568954 - 12/04/23 09:05 PM (1 month, 23 days ago) |
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Cool writeup! Makes me wanna try it.
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Baba Yaga
♥ coir grower

Registered: 09/13/20
Posts: 3,955
Loc: Hyperspace Chicken Coop
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Re: Milkboys Public Display of Affection [Re: Hysteria] 1
#28568964 - 12/04/23 09:09 PM (1 month, 23 days ago) |
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Great write up. There are always cheap french presses at the thrift store.
So this uses cold water to soak the potato flakes, right?
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milkboy
Child



Registered: 05/01/21
Posts: 2,295
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Re: Milkboys Public Display of Affection [Re: Baba Yaga] 1
#28568983 - 12/04/23 09:19 PM (1 month, 23 days ago) |
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Quote:
PurpleHat said: Super cool, instant potatoes are awesome. However, take this question from a total dummy as just that, whats the point of the potatoes if you're also adding a simple sugar? Certain strains like the starch? Thanksgiving vibez?
Is variety not the spice of life?
Quote:
Baba Yaga said: Great write up. There are always cheap french presses at the thrift store.
So this uses cold water to soak the potato flakes, right?
That is correct
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PurpleHat
The Stranger



Registered: 09/17/21
Posts: 163
Last seen: 1 month, 3 days
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Re: Milkboys Public Display of Affection [Re: milkboy]
#28569003 - 12/04/23 09:30 PM (1 month, 23 days ago) |
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Quote:
Is variety not the spice of life?
Indeed. Vive la diversite!
-------------------- -PH!
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shroom_sundance
Some Guy


Registered: 08/15/23
Posts: 16
Loc: rocky mountains
Last seen: 10 hours, 21 minutes
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Re: Milkboys Public Display of Affection [Re: PurpleHat]
#28569004 - 12/04/23 09:32 PM (1 month, 23 days ago) |
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Gonna try it out tommorrow! Thanks for the writeup!
-------------------- LAGM v. 2.024
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NFLProof
Sponge



Registered: 05/31/18
Posts: 893
Loc: In the ether
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Re: Milkboys Public Display of Affection [Re: Baba Yaga]
#28569013 - 12/04/23 09:40 PM (1 month, 23 days ago) |
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I’d happily participate in PDA with you. Great write up Milk. I was just going to switch up recipes and this will be the one.
Are there any do’s or dont’s with food coloring? I plan on using Karo fwiw.
Keep on putting these out.
-------------------- Yeah, yeah.
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HILLBILLY OUTLAW
Above And Beyond!



Registered: 04/21/22
Posts: 2,852
Loc: Luckenbach Texas
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Re: Milkboys Public Display of Affection [Re: milkboy]
#28569015 - 12/04/23 09:41 PM (1 month, 23 days ago) |
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Nice one buddy. In the favorites it goes!
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 🅃 🄴 🄰 🄼 🄲 🄻 🄸 🄽 🄶 🅆 🅁 🄰 🄿 TEAM SPREAD THE LOVE! Smellyhobbit said: Embarrassment and bashfulness are leeches on your ability to learn.
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Gastronomicus
3-0-G



Registered: 03/31/05
Posts: 9,727
Last seen: 1 day, 7 hours
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Nice, I'll try this out with my next round of pours
-------------------- Make my Funk the P Funk, I wants to get Funked up
LAGM2024
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stubb
Dahg Rastubfari


Registered: 03/23/19
Posts: 1,310
Loc: Memory
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Re: Milkboys Public Display of Affection [Re: milkboy]
#28569075 - 12/04/23 10:37 PM (1 month, 23 days ago) |
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That's a sexy PDA tek
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🆃🄴🅰🄼 🅲🄻🅸🄽🅶🅆🆁🄰🅿 You wake up. The room is spinning very gently round your head. Or at least it would be if you could see it which you can't. It is pitch black. > TURN ON LIGHT
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milkboy
Child



Registered: 05/01/21
Posts: 2,295
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Re: Milkboys Public Display of Affection [Re: NFLProof]
#28569121 - 12/04/23 11:31 PM (1 month, 22 days ago) |
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Quote:
NFLProof said: I’d happily participate in PDA with you. Great write up Milk. I was just going to switch up recipes and this will be the one.
Are there any do’s or dont’s with food coloring? I plan on using Karo fwiw.
Keep on putting these out.
Maybe just dont use the whole container, might be overkill
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Gastronomicus
3-0-G



Registered: 03/31/05
Posts: 9,727
Last seen: 1 day, 7 hours
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Re: Milkboys Public Display of Affection [Re: milkboy]
#28569578 - 12/05/23 09:30 AM (1 month, 22 days ago) |
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Real question though, is this gonna make my coffee taste like potatos?
-------------------- Make my Funk the P Funk, I wants to get Funked up
LAGM2024
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milkboy
Child



Registered: 05/01/21
Posts: 2,295
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Re: Milkboys Public Display of Affection [Re: Gastronomicus]
#28569674 - 12/05/23 10:29 AM (1 month, 22 days ago) |
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It doesn't normally?
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tryptkaloids
Learner



Registered: 02/08/15
Posts: 12,641
Loc: Exact Center
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Re: Milkboys Public Display of Affection [Re: milkboy] 1
#28569692 - 12/05/23 10:38 AM (1 month, 22 days ago) |
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The only pda we should be showing off around here is potato dextrose agar!
-------------------- "Remember, kids, the difference between science and screwing around is writing it down" -adam savage Flowchart for Recommended plan of action. Learn the tried and true way to grow mushrooms Use the Damn search engine After you know what you're doing, take a break Pick a book, Make some chips! Josex said:Don't take the site seriously bro, ain't worth it.
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HILLBILLY OUTLAW
Above And Beyond!



Registered: 04/21/22
Posts: 2,852
Loc: Luckenbach Texas
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Re: Milkboys Public Display of Affection [Re: milkboy] 1
#28569811 - 12/05/23 12:08 PM (1 month, 22 days ago) |
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Shhhhh……
I wanna watch!
--------------------
 🅃 🄴 🄰 🄼 🄲 🄻 🄸 🄽 🄶 🅆 🅁 🄰 🄿 TEAM SPREAD THE LOVE! Smellyhobbit said: Embarrassment and bashfulness are leeches on your ability to learn.
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NFLProof
Sponge



Registered: 05/31/18
Posts: 893
Loc: In the ether
Last seen: 4 hours, 55 minutes
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Someone’s gotta film it.
-------------------- Yeah, yeah.
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