Mushroom Growing Prep and Supplies
Goal
The goal of this blog post is to outline what I do before I start growing my mushrooms. That way I am able to avoid pauses when growing.
Materials Required
Sterilization supplies
- Rubbing alcohol
- Paper towels
- Still air box (SAB)
- Gloves
- Lighter optional
- Aluminum foil
- Rubber bands
- Pressure cooker/Big pot
- Scalpel
Monotub supplies
- Plastic tote
- Brick of coco coir
- Bucket with lid
Agar plates supplies
- Agar Agar Powder
- Light Malt extract
- Food coloring
- Glass Petri dishes
- Glass bottle
- Spores, Liquid culture (LC) or colonized agar
- Parafilm
Grain Spawn Jars supplies
- Grain – Brown rice
- Jars
- Knife
- Spores, Liquid culture (LC) or colonized agar
- Pot
Method and Explanation
Sterilization
It is important to create a clean space for your spores to germinate and spread so that they do not have to fight against other fungi. Let’s walk through the different steps and how you should sterilize it. If you have read some of my previous posts that my sterilization techniques were poor but we learn from our mistakes.
*if you don’t plan on working with agar you can scroll*
Agar plates
You can sterilize your glass Petri dishes by rolling them in foil and placing them in the oven at 200 degrees Celcius for about 20 minutes. You should wait until they have cooled down.
After you have mixed your agar powder and nutrient mix, you need to sterilize the agar. You can pour the agar into a glass bottle. Poke a hole in the top and cover it with micropore tape. Cover with aluminum foil and secure with a rubber band. Place the agar-filled bottle in a bot or pressure cooker filled with water for 1.5h – 2h. Remove and wait for it to cool before using it.
Wipe down the still air box with rubbing alcohol and a paper towel. Place Petri dishes and agar bottle in the SAB. Spray rubbing alcohol. Wipe down gloves. Fill the Petri dishes with agar in the SAB. Once agar has cooled you can add the spores or you can cover it with parafilm for later.
Grain spawn jars
After you have hydrated your grains, you can add them to the clean jars. Poke a hole in the lid and cover it with micropore tape. Cover the lid with aluminum foil and secure with a rubber band. The lid should be slightly loose to prevent too much pressure build-up. Pressure cook or steam bath for 1.5h -2h. Clean to cool.
Wipe down the still air box with rubbing alcohol and a paper towel. Wipe down each jar with rubbing alcohol after tightening the lid and removing the aluminum foil. Make sure to get into the nooks and crannies. Place them in the SAB. Place a spore syringe, LC or agar plate in the SAB. Spray rubbing alcohol in the SAB and wait 10 minutes. Innoculate jars. Only remove SAB when jars are firmly closed.
Monotub
Warning
This is not a comprehensive growing guide. The detailed methods and measurements are not included. You can check other blog posts or you can see directly from my sources below.
Reference and Supply list
References
Broke Boi tek (brown rice spawn)
Supplies
Masiye labs
- Glass petri dishes
- Glass bottle for agar
Takealot.
- Light malt extract
- Pressure cooker
- Gloves