Pouring agar plates, recipes and a few tips for sterile technique.

[@MycoMosaic]

Thank you, it might sound crazy but watching you do that has finally given me the confidence to pour my own plates. I appreciate you very much!

[@edwardgrand]

It isn't too hard. Some will inevitably get contaminated. Don't worry. It's the door to all other advanced techniques.

[@ComradeNEURO]

Hey, wanted to share a tip for people to test agar strength. Put a small plate in the freezer and when youve made your agar put a teaspoon of the agar on the cold plate and with in a minute you can see how it sets (old grandma jam making trick) this way if its too rubbery you can add water or if its a sloppy slurry add a few grams more of agar. Thanks Ed for your awesome content.

[@edwardgrand]

That sounds great, but the agar wouldn't be sterile. Better to measure with accurate scales, a known recipe, and consistent ingredients.

[@HoboMyco]

I just found your channel a few days ago. Idk how i haven't found it before but im enjoying all the knowledge you drop.

[@Shadow.strain]

Is it just me or is it extremely soothing to watch agar be poured 🤫

[@edwardgrand]

It is very soothing until you pour over 100 plates :)

[@Shadow.strain]

@@edwardgrand Ahhh The dilemma of turning a passion into a job , Trust me I get it. It’s a fine balance between the two. You still got it ! 👊🏻💯

[@ZCRAIZED1]

I subscribed also. Thank you for taking the time to educate people.

[@aldoevortega5224]

Man ever since I saw you on myco geeky podcast I binged your videos and must say that your awesome personality and humor is amazing and appreciate your knowledge. Mush luv brother

[@kimberlydidia39]

Hey from i Michigan! Great video- so glad I found your channel. Thanks for the excellent content!

[@edwardgrand]

Thank you for watching. I still miss Michigan sometimes. Especially this time of year.

[@toddwmac]

Just made the mistake, despite knowing better, of pouring w/out gloves for the 1st time. I did not realize I had run out of gloves so decided to chance it with just alcohol. A dozen wasted plates, media, and several hours wasted, $???.00. The confidence that I will NEVER pour plates again w/out gloves...priceless. Thanks Doc!

[@edwardgrand]

Sorry to hear that. I don't understand the no glove faction. Some kind of machismo, ego thing?

[@toddwmac]

@@edwardgrand Thanks but I knew better, but now I really, really no better. :) Great marathon stream the other day. 9 hrs., wow! Good thing for CoPilot's summary feature. It is great when you and D. Keys get together. In appreciation.

[@ZCRAIZED1]

I absolutely believe in wearing gloves. I can't argue the use at all, definitely a good things to do. I can't stand gloves on my hands and never use them. I'm not trying to promote anything at all. I simply can't tolerate them for more than a minute or two. I frequently pour 100 plates a week and have done thousands in my life. No flow hood, just an oven with the rack sitting on top and the door of the oven open with the oven on so hot air is moving up. A lot of alcohol frequently. 2 to 5 out of the 100 batch get contaminated. Frequently only 1 to 2 but occasionally 3 to 5. Good work in this video.

[@edwardgrand]

I like to stack the deck in my favor.@@ZCRAIZED1

[@MacCelium]

@@ZCRAIZED1I've had similar good luck with oven tek (hundreds not thousands for me) albeit with gloves. It is a simple approach more people could use, If I can ask, how do you store your poured plates? With no FFU, no way I can get a sterile bag over them so I roll the dice with the original bag with pretty good luck. Also, any thoughts on vented vs. non-vented plates? I'm seeing edge lately and was wondering if vents are contributing to it.

[@beekerdabs4996]

Michigan in the house I have to turn the music off cuz I keep singing along lol great video i always appreciate your enthusiasm n time Thanks

[@edwardgrand]

So many Michigan people in Mycology. What happened to us? Alexander Smith, Hesler. Great mycologists! Now we're carrying on the tradition in a slightly different way :)

[@Houseofmycology]

I love this channel

[@MacCelium]

Great stuff as always....thanks a ton Ed. No FFU, but I started using your suggestions with my oven tech and things have worked great ever since. The little things do make a difference! For those bothered by the condensation, a hot mug of water on top of a stack of cooling plates goes a long way in drying them out. Mush appreciation Ed and thanks for all you give to this community.

[@JoeMushrumski]

So refreshing to hear someone call out the gloveless keyboard warriors.

[@edwardgrand]

I've got a latex sponsor ;) LOL Too bad I only need the gloves :(

[@HughJanus9999]

Just getting into home mycology and it is incredible that soneone would EVER want to put gloveless hands on anything that is supposed to be sterile or sanitized!!

[@marklaughlin282]

Just found this channel. I like this guy

[@goatrock123]

The best!

[@nikiel666]

🎉thank you Sir

[@jackmchenry4576]

That was flawless, I'm really looking forward to starting real soon.

[@maskedmofomike]

It’s awesome you share stuff for free that you had to pay to learn. I feel like I’m watching someone with good practices. And I feel confident I will learn how to do it the right way the first time here instead of having to relearn. Stuffs hard enough for my dumbass to learn the first time

[@jackmanhattan74]

Thanks dude just got my hood getting ready to do agar thank for the education

[@sanukthaiyoga6185]

Thanks for the content!

[@Mr.Gandy.]

danke.

[@misterhideous920]

Great tips, Ed!

[@Houseofmycology]

Do you keep supplies and stuff for mycology in the lab or take your stuf back and forth? Just courious! I wish I had a lab or at least a ffu

[@edwardgrand]

I have redundancies everywhere.

[@Houseofmycology]

@@edwardgrand ahh ok

[@Trex-xk7ej]

How long do you let them cool down stacked in front of the hood?

[@Bird2udroid]

I've learned a lot from your videos. I haven't grown anything yet. I'm still in the info gathering and tooling up stage. What's your opinion on glass vs plastic plates? I don't have a flow hood. Can I PC glass and reuse it?

[@edwardgrand]

Personal, time and financial choices to consider. Different for everybody.

[@eduardocalles24]

How do you avoid condensation?

[@edwardgrand]

Wait until the last minute to pour. 120F for my recipe. I also put a few pre-dried silica packs in with my plates.

[@cjjernigan3276]

Would u reccommend wearing gloves when handling plates? I always think about the finger prints and grime that builds up on the dishes. I just douse everything in iso now before opening😅

[@stefandomagalski3722]

Watching you pour plates is effortlessly enjoyable. How many plates do you think you've poured by now Ed? 🤔

[@edwardgrand]

OMG. I don't even want to do that calculation. It is easily in the 10,000s, maybe 100,000s. I used to use 6 cm plates in grad school and I stored them on sheet baking trays and rollers like they use in bakeries. AHHHH. PTSD!

[@obsidianjaguar]

Thank you for this amazing video. I am just learning but is there a reason for not using media bottles with the no drip lip on them or is this just a personal choice to use the flask ? Also what is a vertical flow hood ? Mine sits a t the back of my work area and blows air over and towards me is that the same thing ?

[@edwardgrand]

No particular reason for using a flask. Sometimes, I use a media bottle or even a liquor bottle. Whatever you use, make sure it fits in your pressure cooker (PC). Vertical and horizontal hoods/FFU are the same idea. Doesn't matter which you use. Thanks for the watching :)

[@Houseofmycology]

What’s the recipe for your agar?

[@edwardgrand]

GRYA recipe 2% Glutinous Rice/Whole wheat flour 2% Agar 0.1% Baker's or Nutritional Yeast Food Coloring (if desired) FOR 500 ml Total volume 10 g Glutinous Rice/Whole wheat flour 10 g Agar 0.5 g Baker's Yeast Food Coloring or 1g charcoal if desired. 500 ml tap water - Should make between 20-25 standard size plates.

[@Houseofmycology]

@@edwardgrand the rice flour that’s just ground up flour? I’m definitely trying this? The rice says glutinous rice on the package?

[@Houseofmycology]

@@edwardgrand what’s up edward I couldn’t find where it says glutinous rice at the store but can I use brown rice flour? Whole wheat flour is whole wheat rice?

[@Houseofmycology]

@@edwardgrand does it hurt to add light corn syrup to the mix?

[@edwardgrand]

@@Houseofmycology I wouldn't.

[@Robebabu]

What are your thoughts on inspecting plates without gloves?

[@edwardgrand]

Up to you ;) some people don't wash their hands after 💩 :)

[@KS-jz4qq]

Does the color help to make growth on the plates more visible or do you use it for record keeping? BTW, love to start my day with one of your videos!!!

[@edwardgrand]

Mostly I just do it for record keeping. And I like pretty colors. If one plate in that color batch is bad, I can check the others quickly that are the same color. I found out today yellow isn't the greatest though...not enough contrast.

[@edwardgrand]

Thank you for the lovely comment about starting your day. That makes my day!

[@harmonywithleah]

If you are pouring plates beside a bunsen burner (due to having no fume hood), would you wear gloves?

[@edwardgrand]

Yes. Skin flakes and other detritus are all over your body. I try to always wear gloves when handling plates. It is a simple/cheap way to prevent extra vectors of contamination.

[@terrymckensey6055]

Thank you man

[@joshuatucker7939]

So I was wondering, when you do these methods do you leave the lid slightly open with parafilm wrapped around or do you just screw the caps on tight? Also which method out of the bunch is your preferred method?

[@edwardgrand]

I like aluminum foil 'lids'. Easy to get a 'seal' that still allows air in and out to equalize the pressure.

[@kingmetroplex]

Brilliant

[@iamthewelcher]

Core, Choir, coo-yar….makes me crazier than the agar pronunciations lol!!…forgot “kwar “ lmao

[@edwardgrand]

GWAR - Scumdogs of the Universe ;)

[@AmandaTitus85]

You’re blocking all of the back vents in the hood with the plates…

[@edwardgrand]

The sterile air is coming from above. No worries. Non-pathogenic fungi. Limited work area.

[@psilocyborg4775]

My agar plates would look like I'd just thrown it down some stairs😂perfect practice makes perfect.

[@edwardgrand]

The fungi don't really care what they look like :) Lucky for me too! I'm not the prettiest specimen.

[@cryp2kill]

im i the only one here for a recipe? is the color food coloring?

[@edwardgrand]

FOR 1X RECIPE (500 mL) 4g Gellan Gum (low acyl) 6g LME (light malt extract) 0.5g Nutritional Yeast 0.5g MgSO4*7H20 (Epsom Salt) 0.05g Dye

[@mycoteklab]

🤘

[@AdmiralAckbar666]

Let’s grow 🤘😬

[@jerodyoumans6002]

I see your bottle says ethanol and not iso.. what gives cheaper, better, sterile and sip, what’s the reason for ethanol over iso.? Thank you very much. ( just kidding bout the sterile and sip, people please don’t dip into your supply (( seriously don’t get high on your own supply, you could die)). GO BLUE!!!

[@edwardgrand]

Denatured ethanol is cheaper here that isopropanol. It's not the kind of ethanol you want to add to a drink...trust me...me and a friend tried. Works the same as iso. Slightly more volatile and flammable.

[@jerodyoumans6002]

@@edwardgrand how much you paying per gallon of ethanol?

[@edwardgrand]

@@jerodyoumans6002 $4

[@jerodyoumans6002]

@@edwardgrand that’s pretty good. Right now I can get it for $1.00 until the current supply runs out.

[@edwardgrand]

@@jerodyoumans6002 You should start selling that as automobile fuel!

[@QatunQ]

My mycelium actually eats the blue food coloring, so I guess they like it

[@edwardgrand]

Lots of cool dye degrading enzymes in fungi.

[@OGTYone]

In the hood today😂

[@etownKeystoned]

Who is arguing against wearing gloves while pouring agar lol? Sometimes I wonder if you get singled out By trolls and government anti psychedelic bots

[@edwardgrand]

Morons...you'd be surprised how much some people hate gloves...mostly dirty hippies. LOL

[@etownKeystoned]

@@edwardgrand fuckin hippies, they are in no short supply in this space.. i just wish they would use deodorant and the chicks would shave... I think i would give them a pass on the gloves if we could just get those 2 boxes checked

[@trowelworks760]

So roughly 7 mins in after repeating him self about 50 times, he actually starts pouring plates…..f.*.*k me

[@edwardgrand]

Do you feel better now?

[@MacCelium]

@@edwardgrandDoubtful

[@ZCRAIZED1]

Too funny! I do the exact same thing all the time. If you don't like what you are watching, change the channel! But either way, shut up!