How to Save a Contaminated Mushroom Liquid Culture

This method has helped me save multiple mushroom cultures from contamination. If you ever receive a liquid culture syringe and test it on agar only to find out that it is contaminated with no sign of mycelium you may be led to believe the whole syringe should be discarded and that you have lost the culture. It is worth trying this method to save the mycelium rather than throwing it away and losing the genetics.
I hope this method helps you as much as it has helped me!
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#mycology #mushroom #contamination

[@user-yq8he1hu6m]

That's how cordyceps has grown on the surface of the water now.I understood why.Because I haven't put it on a magnetic stirrer for two days. And this video is really great.Thank you for this method, I have never seen such information anywhere. This method will really help to preserve the culture.

[@SporenSprout]

Yes you really have to stir cordyceps every day or 2 to make sure it doesn’t grow on the surface.

[@user-yq8he1hu6m]

@@SporenSprout Thank you very much. This is my first experience growing cordyceps, now I will know.

[@bertrambuddy9217]

Very cool, I like this for something you can't just replace easily

[@goatrock123]

Never saw this before. Brilliant!

[@julianmendoza9908]

Dude that is such a clever genius idea. I love this so much, thank you

[@AlbuquerqueBandit]

Hey bro, you're one of the first channels I watched about growing mushrooms and got me hyped up to try it out. I go all-out with hobbies, so I dropped like 500 bucks on all the basic equipment i'll need. I did the same thing with growing "devil's lettuce" which i did for about 4 years, 3 seasons per year. It was fun but where I moved to, it's illegal. Hoping this hobby will take its place nicely. I've got the itch to do sciencey stuff you know So... I didn't even realize it, I bought your liquid culture on Amazon. I just realized it. Total accident. Lol. Didn't know you vended on Amazon. Definitely looking forward to trying your stuff!

[@SporenSprout]

That’s awesome! Thank you for letting me know and good luck! You are in for a whole lot of fun!

[@ScottWConvid19]

Dude! This is genius!!! Thanks!!!

[@SporenSprout]

Thank you for watching! 🙏 This method is very satisfying when you save a culture that would otherwise be lost!

[@ScottWConvid19]

@@SporenSprout once there's a bacterial contamination in LC, it's so hard to try to grow it out on agar or water agar. This is the most sensible way to save the fungus!!! 😂

[@simonhall222]

This is awesome lol thank you. Can I ask, do you store your unused agar plates with parafilm?

[@SporenSprout]

Yes I do

[@jeremyjetson1965]

Thanks for the info

[@SporenSprout]

Thanks for watching!

[@MrZensphere]

Great stuff man, thanks for sharing!!

[@SporenSprout]

Thank you for watching! 🙏

[@frankgately518]

I have a Z strain that would colonize and grow like crazy! The LC is now contaminated and I hope this method saves it.

[@MikeNaples]

That technique is great to know, just in case. Also, how do you recommend disposing of the contamination in an LC jar? I have one now and though not anal about it would like to do it properly. Thanks for sharing the vid!

[@SporenSprout]

You can just dump it outside anywhere

[@MikeNaples]

@@SporenSprout Simple enough, appreciate the reply.

[@max-v-kovgan]

good technique, will work well with purely bacterial contam. however, if you have filamentous fungal contam, you will have to resort to dilutions and water agar. this is why I rarely use this technique (cost of sterilized jar vs several plates)

[@SporenSprout]

Yeah I have made thousands of liquid cultures of dozens of species and I never really get fungus contamination, it’s always bacteria. Usually a fungus contamination wouldn’t inhibit the mycelium from growing along side it on agar to begin with which should make it easier to just use water agar like you suggested.

[@user-xb1ht4py2v]

what is "water agar"? Are you using that synonymously with "liquid nutrient" ?

[@PetsOnSocials]

Hi. What is the next step? Once the mycelium grows on the agar plate, do you just transfer it to the grains, or is there a step of nurturing it in the honey water so it can be injected? I am trying to figure it out, but can’t think of how you could without opening the jar and risking contamination. BTW, Thanks for the videos, I am learning a lot!

[@ajay3696]

After adding mycelium to grains, the grains turn into a mushroom spawn that mushroom spawn does have an expiry

[@SporenSprout]

Should be used before 3-6 months in refrigerator.

[@ajay3696]

If incase bad turn how much days can stand in normal climate

[@brescalofrio1]

genius. i see the mycelium growing on the side since i dont have a stir machine does that mean the liquid culture is contaminated?

[@SporenSprout]

No that’s doesn’t mean it’s contaminated. It will grow on the surface if you don’t stir it.

[@brescalofrio1]

thank you for replying so fast

[@maytar]

Hi, so nice, what is the honey concentration in the jar. I need to put how many grams honey to how many ml water.

[@SporenSprout]

1 TBS of honey to 600 ml of water

[@maytar]

Thank you so much

[@Mr.Gandy.]

@SporenSprout How many minutes in pressure cooking at 110 degrees Celsius, please? Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.

[@bigdlong187]

If you see black specks in a full syringe. Is that contamination

[@Mr.Gandy.]

Vielen Dank.

[@dustinmartin4190]

What causes a bag of grain to not come back after you break and shake it looked good before mixing it up but then did not come back.

[@SporenSprout]

Could be a few different things. Try not to smoosh the grains with your hands while breaking up the bag. Make sure there’s not too much moisture also. Could also be bacterial contamination. You could also wait longer for the mycelium to recover. Make sure the filter on the bag is not obstructed.

[@dustinmartin4190]

Thanks

[@jeffwaldrop1127]

How much honey and water ratio and how much are you putting in jar ?

[@BraveIndustriesAgro-Consultanc]

4% honey or less always

[@user-xb1ht4py2v]

why not do this on a petri dish? They are used for isolation every day in every lab all over the world.

[@SporenSprout]

Did you not see? I did do that and it was just contamination and no mycelium.

[@user-xb1ht4py2v]

@@SporenSprout yes i saw but you did not use isolation streaking technique. Maybe what i have studied will not work on fungus, but pertri dishes are routinely used to isolate colonies and get pure growth. That is starndard in microbiology for bateria. But as mentioned not sure if mycelium would act the same.

[@ajay3696]

What was you spraying on your hand

[@SporenSprout]

Isopropyl alcohol

[@DanielTorres-rw2rz]

You must be new here

[@ajay3696]

OK thanks 🎉

[@ajay3696]

Yes