Shrink wrap vs. Parafilm

[@Gorkilein]

I used simple kitchen cling film. I cut the roll into smaller rolls using a cutter knife and then used it to wrap. First I feared there's going no air through and the mycelium will die. But now I have mycelium sitting in my fridge 1,5 years later and it still looks completely healthy. I basically wrap it around about 3 times tightly.

[@joshuafreeman6720]

So I am using Parafilm and even with 3 wrap around the plates I am experience splits where the lid covers the plates.. If I am not extemely cautious even after 3 wrap rounds ... how does cling wrap hold up

[@Gorkilein]

@@joshuafreeman6720 it doesn't degrade for rhe tine I used it (2 years) and the mushrooms did survive as normal.

[@Makeroomformushrooms]

Heat shrink looks like like a pain in the ass! Ya get in the zone on a parafilm mission😀

[@trynadyna9662]

Hey Gary, what I do is take a roll of cling wrap and cut the roll into a few mini-rolls. These are insanely convenient for wrapping dishes because you can just put the roll around your middle finger like a ring and wrap in a very similar method to parafilm (where you sort of stretch as you go), and then the cling wrap sticks to itself. One roll of cling wrap gives like 6 mini-rolls and each mini roll wraps a LOT of dishes. Give it a try sometime, you might like it. It's my preferred method.

[@thehappycampers2656]

I tried cling wrap once and every single plate contamed…. I think I either wrapped it too loose or it just isn’t my jam 🥴🤣

[@XxsomeguyxX]

@@thehappycampers2656 Ive had decent success with the textured cling wrap. I sterilized my scissors before cutting them, and I usually unwrap the roll a couple of times and throw away the first couple outer layers

[@jeremylastname873]

TryDy, what do you cut it with?

[@XxsomeguyxX]

@@jeremylastname873 I just used some big ass scissors, but I've seen people online using PVC pipe cutters b4.

[@trynadyna9662]

@@jeremylastname873 I just use a sharp kitchen knife and go as deep as I can, then rotate, and continue that until I'm at the cardboard. Then switch to a serrated knife to cut through the tube. I tried an electric turkey carver and the friction just melted the wrap to itself lol.

[@miltonl9235]

Thank you so much for this video! I've been looking online for data, exactly like what you just provided. Thank you again!

[@IRizofy]

I've never heard of shrink wrap like this. I'm super intrigued.

[@fubar6545]

🧙🏻‍♂️ High Gary, If its cool, i have a question for you an you followers (High buds) So I'm really curious about which tipe of Petrie dish do you & other people prefer ? 3 Vent or No vents Plastic or Glass Or does it really matter 🤔 Thanks, great Channel, content & educational 🧙🏻‍♂️

[@benredding7080]

Awesome lab. Nice.

[@teuth]

i'm still at the ketchup cups stage and i think they're great

[@anthonytonaus8497]

I don't think I've had enough practice with petri dishes like Garry but I'll tell you I actually prefer k cups over petri dishes to be honest. No parafilm and no buying online. K cups are right there at the store and are not hard to use at all. You might be judged by others but there's really no reason to switch if you don't want to. I can still knock up 50 jars no problem with one k cups. They are small but it's not a super big difference. K cups are easy to pour and work with. At the end of the day you're just having fun so whatever your comfortable working with is all that matters.

[@lucidchem]

yeah, I don't think it's a stage. I've been considering switching to k cups from petri dishes, so it's just a matter of preference.

[@chairpotatoe]

I started out using the ketchup cups and I don't see much reason to go to regular petri dishes. The ketchup cups are 1/4 of the price. They're available at my local grocery store and the lids snap on with no need for sealing

[@archiewebster5034]

It's not a stage it's a lifestyle

[@rol82er]

Will these shrink bands work for 80mm Plates??

[@basement_culture]

Thanks for the content ❤

[@highlandmary33]

Shrink wrap is usually Polyethylene (PE), which makes it immediately recyclable… BUT! it still has to seal properly and breathe.

[@john-smith.]

Recyclable...yeah that's a joke. Maybe wishful recycling at best.

[@risottoingiallo3448]

Hi, I have a question, I'm trying to grow lions mane on agar, the recipe for nutritious agar that I used is this: 500 grams of water, 10 grams of agar agar gel and 15 grams of honey. and the mycelium of the lion's mane is very slow and always remains in the same place while the original sample continues to grow, forming the typical hair of the mother mushroom. what could I do?

[@aidennymes6335]

what a great timing! i've just ordered a couple rolls of grafting tape since everyone seems to use it to seal dishes i wanted to give it a try as a low cost alternative to parafilm. can you say something about grafting tape in particular? or is it similar to shrink wrap, as you've talked about in this video? thanks a lot gary, you're the best! mush love

[@themyceliumnetwork]

i never tried heat seal tape but I am all for grafting tape over parafilm Gary has always been a huge inspiration, hope the link is cool with him. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pYHPXq19gM6FjaM

[@coloradodirtbike5930]

Grafting tape is the same thing as the parafilm.. I've got both lab grade parafilm and the 1000 feet rolls of 1/2 inch grafting tape and I haven't personally noticed any difference besides the lab grade is worth about 4-5x the price.

[@curiositeconstante404]

@@coloradodirtbike5930 thanks interesting!

[@themyceliumnetwork]

@@coloradodirtbike5930 exactly & white label grafting tape is not a wax film its a plastic wrap which is good with me as my plates are kept for maybe a month tops before use.

[@aidennymes6335]

@@coloradodirtbike5930 thanks for the answer. I was thinking about drying off the excess moisture after pouring the plates for 3 days. and after QC sealing them with grafting tape for storage. and whenever i do use them I'll use parafilm for gas exchange while growing.

[@ryantowens]

You should do a video with grafting tape.. I currently use grafting tape, and haven't tried parafilm.. it would be interesting to see the difference.. Grafting tape seems like it's easier to use than shrink wrap, and you don't need the heat gun.. it's basically precut rolls of plastic wrap.. the 1/2 inch rolls work really well

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

grafting tape is just like parafilm but a little thicker - its the same material

[@ryantowens]

@@FreshfromtheFarmFungi thanks for the quick reply 👍 thats good to know

[@brentsbox]

Gary, I would like to understand making Petri dishes and spawn. What do people mean when they use markings like P1? G1 i believe is Grain Master 1.. is that the first inoculated bag? Was the G1 made from a P1, P2, etc….. what does it all matter, or does it.. I would just like a better understanding of the importance if any. In the video you just did you transferred a lions mane plate; was that a P1 and did the transfer make the transfer a P2? Does the transfer over period of time loose viability? Would love to hear what you have to say on labeling practices. Thanks so much!

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

it really depends on each mushroom in culture but in general the more transfers the higher risks for mutations. I usually run a few transfers and then go back to the original slant and start over from there - it helps keeps the cultivation consistent

[@curiositeconstante404]

The only advantage I could see will be to seal a bunch of plate at the same time (with a clean* socks shrink wrap), a whole twenty stack or more, only agar petri dish for later use. I feel it's useless to parafilm individual plate when I did not inoculate them, and time consuming!

[@xz3995]

Good one 👍

[@anthonytonaus8497]

Just another reason why I like k cups

[@maroosk]

Very neat😎

[@Foxxxxx96]

Niceee, are the "145 x 28 mm" for 100mm plates? The amazon link recomends 165x28 mm for 101mm diameter very confusing :S

[@ranjanty]

Hey Gary can you tell me what size dishes you use so I can use your link to order the correct size shrink wrap. I noticed they have different sizes. I will order both. Thanks for the experiment video.

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

amzn.to/38Zd0Dl

[@jeremylastname873]

Could the heat gun have stirred up some mold into the laminar flow zone? 🤔

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

possibly yes

[@user-jn7nf6xu8l]

hello Gary, I have a question - if condensate appears on the walls of the petri dishes, will it not be critical for growing mycelium? and yet, what do you think, I will not look excessively wild in the matter of mycology, if I am soaked in alcohol with 96 percent of the wall of chagka gt condensate?))

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

The reason condensation can be a problem is because once the dish is open it can drop water everywhere which is a risk for contaminants if it touches a surface (like the outside of a dish) and then re-enters the system. Other then that it isn’t really a big deal. It’s more about aesthetics and maintaining the quality of the agar for longer periods

[@user-jn7nf6xu8l]

@@FreshfromtheFarmFungi thank you brother

[@S.A.D.i.S.T.I.C]

how do you get your agar different colors?

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

different media types, food dyes or differential medias all make different colors - check out this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3m8c6hpp717m9Usi=uiJ8uQhVMGSjeYmo

[@Mastela00]

no petris with micro tears?

[@joe61983]

🥇

[@triple_gem_shining]

Good talk Gary. Mycology is going to get big in the next ten years.

[@abdullahalnoman5081]

Can I use Grafting tape or Medical Tape?

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

grafting tape is very similar to parafilm so I would say yes and medical tape works but it will leave residue on the dish which can be annoying when wearing gloves

[@abdullahalnoman5081]

@@FreshfromtheFarmFungi But I have found that Between grafting tape the air does not exchange. So how would the mycelium would breath in the petri dish. This is my first time making these so I am gathering information as parafilm is quite hard to find in where I live

[@neogeo8267]

I'm digging the BBQ grill grate workspace. How do you like it?

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

It’s nice! Thanks for noticing 👍🍄❤️

[@john-smith.]

Parafilm...this is the way.

[@davidbrewer8309]

I'm willing to bet that the contamination came from human error and not from either sealing apparatus function poorly. I appreciate the video however

[@wickedjack1222]

I use grafting tape cheap and 1 roll will last yah a year lol

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

yes it is a good alternative but is thicker and does not have the same gas exchange as parafilm - it will work though

[@anthonytonaus8497]

Okay I'd just like to point out that how he's working making transfers is piss poor. He should know better to only work side to side and I believe that's the reason for his contamination. I don't wear gloves and I made my entire flowhood from parts from lowes. There hepa filters and everything, other than the blower and I've never had that many plates contam on me for such a small run like that. I guess it doesn't relate to the video much but it was cringe none the less. I get made fun of all the time for not having the proper filter and the amount of contamination he just displayed is what I got after 3 months of using it. Also maybe raise up your petri dishes a couple inches. Sorry people I like this guy a lot but like what are you doing man?

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

It was not my best work but I was more interested in other things than sterility - I usually do my transfers in my vertical hood this is more for asthetics

[@anthonytonaus8497]

Fair enough. And you're definitely right about the mold. Trich just took half of everything I had. All my maitake just ate s*** and I'm down to one tub of zapotecorum and weraroa. I'd say I'd love to see a video on fermenting wood from you maybe I'm doing something wrong. Do you have a discord by chance? @@FreshfromtheFarmFungi

[@TheCommuted]

Where's the tag line?

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

#mushlove! I cut it too short!

Absolutely ridiculous, one needs a heat gun to do this ? I don’t see anyone else doing this. Grafting tape is what people are using these days if you want to save money. Do your research folks and you will find the majority of people are using Grafting tape with 100% success.

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

grafting tape is the same material as parafilm (parafin wax) but lower quality and thicker. I have mentioned using it in the past but it’s inferior to both of these methods.

[@renegarza1436]

I love your videos but the way you pronounce Agar it cringes my whole body lol. There are augers and there is agar. Not hating FYI. Has anyone else mentioned the way u pronounce it?

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

@@renegarza1436 this is the way most professional med techs and medical professionals pronounce it where is the environment I was trained - it makes me cringe hearing the self taught mycophiles online say it “aygar” but it’s the same stuff - I also grew up in Buffalo so I have a heavy “canadian” accent