I use powdered malted barley as a substitute for the soy peptone. It’s available in bulk at home brew stores and can be easily ground into a powder. It’s been used for many centuries for feeding and stimulating the yeasts in bread making and works equally as well for mushroom production.
Finally; someone honest about culture times. 2 weeks to a couple of months. I think its interesting how everyone else miraculously can get full mycelium growth in 2 weeks.
I just mixed up a batch of lc jars, agar and grains, each with a bit of stinky peptone for growth boosting nitrogen levels. Careful not to over do it though. I would imagine using too mush can burn things up, I would think, right?
Thank you!!! I have been growing for 3 months and I have decided to go full in with growing g. Your video has been so helpful to get started making liquid culture. Well Done.
I started using pp5 plastic canning lids, great for pressure canner, and I still use red RTV and micropore tape. Plus you can get silicone seals that are replaceable so they don't rust and will last forever. When heating needle you can sometimes burn some bits still in there and then you push them into your jar and they try to fool you looking like contamination. So you can slightly pull back on your syringe right before you flame it. Toss a glass marble in the jar before you sterilize, makes a cheap stirrer that breaks the mycelium up nicely and lasts forever. I love watching these videos. Getting ready to kick it into a higher gear, it's always great to hear from guys that really know what they're doing, your low contamination rate says it all.
Great vid. I just loosen the lids cover loosely with foil pressure cook then let cool overnight in the cooker. I open the cooker in front of the flow table and screw them down as I remove from cooker. Never a single issue
Guys this tek grows some very chunky LC even under refrigeration, so make sure you use 14 or 16 gauge hypodermic needles in your syringes or you may get clogs if you intend to pull syringes from these jars.
@@zuul902 No, they are harder to find nowadays. Veterinary suppliers can be a good place to look, but Shroom Supply has 14 gauge needles which would work fine. Here's a link: www.shroomsupply.com/syringes-needles/sterile-needles
Just bought 450 worth of mushroom spore's...for 34 years I've been growin everything else. So I figured why not,never did or even thought of growin these!!! Lol but down the rabbit hole I go,go,GOOOOOO Thanks blessed be...
WOW! First time I have seen a video on mushrooms with the flow hood setup and being used correctly. You should not sit directly in front of a horizontal flow laminar flow hood, you are meant to sit to the side of the laminar air flow, sitting in front of the flow causes it to go up your body , back towards the filter and then back down into the airflow contaminating it. Well done good sir. To sit in front of a flow hood you have to use a vertical (top down) flowing flow hood.
I think it always just made sense to me to do it that way, so that's how I set the table up. Glad I got it right 👍😁 I've always had very little contamination even though my basement is far from a sterile setting. The flowhood does the trick. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for saying this. It seemed totally wrong to me to have it blasting into your eyes. It’d roll a wave of contam back into your workspace and spores into your eyes and lungs. Glad to have the confirmation that it needs to be at the side. 😁
LOL That is not going to happen. Use a smoking incense or cigar or sprinkle some flour above the air flow and see how far it makes it. Air molecules don't bounce upstream at these velocities.
@@ghz24 lol yourself, clearly you don't have or have used a flow hood, flour indeed.... Use some fluorescing trace powder actually meant for this kind of testing and you will see how much of a difference it makes. Vertical flow for working in front, horizontal flow for working to the side, there is a reason actual labs use vertical hoods for clean work.
@@quadlawnmowerman Use whatever powder you want it still cannot swim upstream. You obviously don't understand the term laminar flow. Why do the manufacturers put those side panels right in the way? Why don't the manufacturers photos portray users sitting in the "right" place? Successful sterile technique can be accomplished from either place it's more about placement of hands, tools, and cultures relative to the air flow. Better quality horizontal flow hoods have the return plenum under and around the opening to avoid turbulent air near the edge of the bench closer to the filter. This is because contaminates can no more swim up a 100 foot per minute air flow than you can swim up Niagara falls. BTW horizontal laminar flow hoods are superior to vertical designs due to the back wall having an inherently turbulent zone. Turbulent being the opposite of laminar. Vertical designs are usually selected over horizontal ones due to bench space or floor space considerations not for performance. Most vertical designs can't even technically be called laminar flow, they are turbulent by design.
I love your videos. I followed your instructions and used your techniques and methods and my spawn turned out great. I'm now at the fruiting stage and I can't wait for the harvest. I would like to know how you clear your jars and lids after using them so I can reuse them for another batch. Can you enlighten me? Thanks for all the great information.
Awesome, glad your grow is going well. I have a round bristle brush on a stick I use for cleaning jars. Just warm soapy water works great. I gently wash my lids with a sponge.
When I do the RTV lids I drill another hole and use either micropore tape, or pillow stuffing over it so it can air exchange just like the other ones : ) I've been looking for anybody who regularly uses wheat as it's what I can get for cheap where I am. Making my way though ALL of your videos fella thanks so much!!
Usually when I'm working with flame and alcohol it's July and I've recently visited a nearby rez. And the wife is still mad about how much I spent. But your point is well taken.
You still need grain as a spawn medium. This just allows you to make and expand liquid culture to make tons of grain spawn efficiently. Liquid culture straight to substrate generally doesn't work well unless you are doing pftek.
Thanks for yet another great video! Just wondering, after you've stored syringes in the fridge, should you allow them to come back to room temp before injecting into spawn?
Hi, Thanks for the really great video tutorial. Your videos ares some of the best. I was wondering what the spec is on the blower you used on the laminar flow hood. I am about to build one and the info would be useful. Kind regards from the UK,
It's an Aero-Flo CF Series 6" centrifugal fan. 460 cfm free air flow. They actually make centrifugal fans that you can control with a rheostat as well, so you can dial the fan up and down. I used one of those when I built my second flowhood for a friend.
@@RenegadeMushrooms Thanks mate, really appreciate the prompt reply. One other thing as a newcomer, which is why I watch the best tutorials which are yours. Quick question; Once the substrate is inoculated and the bag sealed, placed on some shelving to incubate and colonize; do I need high humidity, or is that best left to the fruiting chamber once colonized ?? Cheers, Tom
@@tombennett7722 The bag provides all the humidity during colonization so you don't have to worry about it until fruiting. Thank you for the kind words.
Great video, thanks. I'm sorry if you already answered this question. I'm brand new to this, but I'm a medical professional. We use sterile needles right out of the package and inject people with various things (vaccines, medicines, etc) without flaming the needle or wiping it with alcohol, as it's sterile out of the plastic cap. Why do all of the mushroom growers sterilize the needle when it's already sterile?
I'm using the same needle for multiple transfers so I flame between steps. There is no need to for the first use right out of the package of course, but you get in the habit, so it's just muscle memory. Plus my needles have been sitting on a dusty old basement shelf for 15 years, so it's a "trust but verify" kinda thing.
Thanks very for your video. Lots of good information. When you almost finish liquid culture jar can you use the liquid culture in the jar to expanse to make another batch liquid culture jars? So we don’t need to buy liquid culture again . Thank you
Yes, you can use that original jar to keep making new jars. Also, you should refresh them on to new nutrient broth once a year, even if you're jar isn't empty.
@@RenegadeMushrooms could you make a video explaining the refresh? Or would you just make a new LC broth, pasteurize it, and then shoot it into the old jar on top of what is left?
Always such good videos! I am wondering, can you do this with both spore & live culture (mycelium) syringes? I have some of both types of syringes & it looks like later in your video the syringe is a spore syringe, but I wasn't sure.
I really like the tone and pace of your videos. I held off on the video about jar lids -- jar lids? -- and now wish I'd seen it weeks ago. I have some jars of LC that look like yours and others more like frog eggs, with spots. I assume these are bad but I intend to grow them out, just to see what happens.
Thank you for your kind words. I rarely if ever get contamination in my liquid culture, but it is nearly impossible to tell just by looking at it. Mycelium grows in all kinds of crazy ways in LC. I always recommend testing a new batch on a grain jar before going big with it.
I would have to agree. His tone and pace makes for easy digestion of the information he is relaying, and his info is good as well. I came across this video in my recommended feed, and even though Ive known this info for many years, he kept me watching anyway, lol
Hi! There's no need to aspirate on the rtv lids with no GE hole. Just leave the lid loose 1/4 turn with some foil over it. also, why do you wipe the needle after flame sterilizing it? You sterilize it and then contaminate it after with the alcohol essentially. The alcohol can only sanitize, not sterilize like a flame.
I've never tried the 1/4 turn method, thanks for the tip. Wiping the needle with the alcohol towel rapidly cools and cleans the soot off it, keeping my injection ports clean. I always use this method, and it never causes any contamination.
@@RenegadeMushrooms no problem! I use it, and know a lot of other growers that use it with great success. I usually flame the needle, then squirt out a tiny drop of liquid to cool the needle before injecting. Whatever works though 🤷 great video!
I'm doing my first run of LC today using this recipe.. I have four RTV lids and four filter lids (just to see the difference). Hadn't thought of just leaving the lid slightly ajar, thanks for the extra tip 🤙🤙
Great video! When the culture gets old but you love the mushrooms that the culture produces. Can you use a syringe of it to Inoculate a new jar to keep it going?
Thank you for all your amazing vedio tutorials. One tiny question. Why dont you let the lid be slightly unscrewed while pc sterilizing and then close it with the foil on top after the removal?
You don't need to vent the lids on these jars because the filter disc in the lid allows the pressure to equalize. After I inject them, I leave the foil lid off for a bit to allow the filter discs to dry out. Once they are dry, I recover them with foil. If the filter disc remain wet, they will eventually contaminate with mold.
Does Appalachian gold fungi send liquid cultures over night with an ice pack? I’m in Florida and it’s a challenge getting a liquid culture through mail without contamination from the heat
Thank you for your interesting and helpful videos. You keep talking about the 4 percent sugar solution based on Karo Light Corn Syrup. If I am correctly informed, Karo Light Corn Syrup contains 33.3% glucose. So your recipe with the 4 percent Karo Light Corn Syrup results in a glucose solution of about 1.3%. Did I understand that correctly? Many greetings Urs
I don't think the sugar content for light karo is that low. Information I found says 76% sugar. At any rate, just add 4% karo and a pinch of soy peptone and anything will grow like crazy on it.
@@RenegadeMushrooms In Switzerland you hardly ever find corn syrup, and certainly not Karo Light Corn Syrup. That's why I have to convert it to glucose. Corn syrup is mainly based on glucose, 76% glucose sugar, as you wrote to me. So your LC mixture has around 3% glucose + soy peptone. Thank you!
Awesome. Thanks. Can you use honey (or something else that is easier to attain loacally) in stead of light corn syrup? What is the reason you don`t crank the heat up to full when heating up the pressure cooker?
Yes honey works well, lots of recipes online. I've always heard that it's better for your containers, jars or bags, to not just crank up the heat on your PC. Helps prevent cracking, bag failure, etc. I usually start on medium high and give it about an hour to warm and pressurize up.
You are correct, new syringes are sterile in the package. But the syringe is also stuffed with polyfil. The polyfil needs to be sterilized as well, because it helps to filter the incoming fresh air. That's why I do the alcohol procedure.
@@RenegadeMushrooms Ok, i see. I didn't think about that. You are correct about that. The only reason i commented on that is just that so people who openes a syringe that is already sterile does NOT heat in a flame when not needed, because that makes the hardening of the syringe to wear of and it gets dull or bent much easier. I am not the guy who tries to correct you. I am the strange guy just commenting for the benefit of the collective. Cheers from me and my Mini swamp-farm i Sweden :).
Thank RM, much appreciation. Was wondering if you think a simple pin hole covered with micropore tape would suffice for pressure management on LC only jars. Being a moto mechanic, I've got a ton of HT gasket goo around the workshop and would love to roll my own lids if possible. Also had a question on your lam flow unit. Are you running any kind of special venting outside your workspace or is the unit just sitting on your bench? Thanks again.
Yes, there are people that use micropore tape, but if you do, go with two layers. I prefer the synthetic filter discs personally. My flowhood is just sitting on the bench, no special venting.
Great video, can't get enough of them!!! Got a question, I did all of the procedure the same way you did and inoculate six different jars with six different strains. After few days five of the jars are same color as they were before with nice build up of mycelium but one strain turn the liquid kind of cloudy. Do you think it could be just how mycelium grows for this particular strain or could be a sign of a problem?
Sorry for the late reply and thank you for your kind words. It may be indicative of the species in that jar. Some species like Hericium tend to stain the LC. What species is turning color on you?
I find watching a variety of mycology enthusiasts quite fascinating. I love the free tutorial aspect and I greatly appreciate your efforts in producing helpful educational content... I'm also always pleasantly surprised to see the fluidity in mother nature and the subtle ways she tips her hat to her abundance against humanity's attempts at "rules". While you go for a 4% sugar solution using light caro, another enthusiast will teach sticking to a 2% solution using other forms such as glucose, dextrose,etc. While you teach using soy peptone, many enthusiasts never use it. We attempt turning everything into an absolute, a "science", while nature reminds us there's a million nutrients mushrooms can use & it's not as difficult as we try and portray it. There's room to breathe ❤️
Glad you are enjoying the content. Yes there are many recipes that are effective in all aspects of mushroom cultivation, liquid culture, spawn, substrate, etc. One of my favorite things about creating content for the channel is being able to experiment with new techniques and share results with thousands of other like-minded people.
I put two marbles in my liquid cultures I make. I'm gonna have to try the peptone out though. The recipe I've been using is just LME (light malt extract), and corn syrup or honey. And they last so far up to a year for certainty.
started my LC like you did trying to follow your procedures. after a week one of my blue oyster mix developed one 3/8" white solid like disc that floats on top. what is it and is it bad? love your vids. thanks
That's normal. Usually it happens when you're not swirling your jars regularly to mix them up, but it's not a big deal. It's just your mycelium forming a heavy mat at the surface of your liquid culture. When you go to pull syringes out you'll just have to give it a little swirl to move the mat out of the way so it doesn't clog your needle.
Expanded some syringes with this method and worked great. Any chance you can explain generations to me. I’ve searched near and far and there isn’t much online about it. Do you have to make a spore print to get back to gen1? Then is it a new generation every time it’s expanded or how does that work! Thanks in advance
I'm actually making a video on that right now if you can hang on a bit. Should be ready in a week or two. I think it will answer all of your questions.
@@RenegadeMushrooms awesome. Of all the mushroom questions I’ve had this is the one thing I can not find anything on. Looking forward to it! Thanks so much!
@@rickfoss1136 My video will cover this as it relates to liquid culture and keeping it vigorous over many years, but I can give you some background/additional information. In general, there are two ways we can capture mushroom cultures, spore germination (sexual reproduction) and tissue cloning. Both are typically done on agar plates, and for both the initial plate can be called generation 1. Each grouping of plates started from samples of the initial plate are gen 2, gen 3, etc. Same for liquid culture, each round of jars you expand out from the additional jar would be the next generation. So, in terms of starting a new strain, you do really need to go back to spores to hit gen 1 again. Tissue clones are exactly that, genetically identical clones of the original mushroom. Spore pairings (sexual reproduction) produces a new genetically unique individual with unique behavioral characteristics. Most of the commonly cultivated mushrooms can be cloned/expanded almost in perpetuity without much genetic degradation. Some species however, like Cordyceps and Morels, senesce or genetically degrade quickly with cloning. Over-expansion with these species quickly leads to impotent strains incapable or forming fruiting bodies or mushrooms, so strains with minimal expansion are desirable. Both cloning and spore pairings have their time and place, but it is important to know as much as you can about the cultures you're growing, especially when working with species prone to senescence.
@@RenegadeMushrooms thanks so much for the info. Makes sense for sure. Can’t wait for your video on it. It’s always fun to follow along with what you have going on. Also appreciate that your always interacting with the viewers if they have questions. Much respect ✊🏼
Would this recipe work fine without the peptone? I am willing to wait longer for growth but I already have everything else needed laying around so it would be nice to not have to buy an additional ingredient
How long can you store the nutrient solution before you add the lc. Also, how is the best way to store the nutrient solution until you’re ready to inoculate? Thanks for all your help.
First try at inoculating with LC done today. Hoping I could ask 2 questions: 1) If I am going to store the LC left in the syringes for about 6 months in the frig, is it okay to leave the needle on the syringe or should I put the plastic cap back on the syringe? 2) When I am storing the LC during the incubation period, do I sterilize the aluminum foil caps when I place them back on the jars after the microscreen dries out? 3) Thank you so much for responding and the great video.:)
You can leave the needle on, but you should have a plastic cap that goes over the needle. Make sure that cap is in place, and then place it in a clean sealed plastic bag. There is a chance that the mycelium will grow enough to clog the syringe even under refrigeration though, just so you know. It is not necessary to re-sterilize your foil, as long as everything is dry, you will be fine.
hello renegade!!! is there an alternative to soy peptone? In Spain it is difficult to obtain and very expensive. Many greetins !!!!! Thanks very much for yours videos!!!
No light is needed during incubation generally. A little light won't hurt, but direct bright light is detrimental and should be avoided. Thanks for watching 👍
I used your method and have 3 jars going one with cordyceps, lions mane and pioppino. I bought them from Fresh from the Fungi he gave me the pioppino for free. They are ready to use but I'm not. Can I refrigerate them to slow down the growth? I finally have my flow hood done. It has low, med and high and I added a receptacle next to the speed control switch. looks nice.
Awesome, you're going to love that flowhood. Yes, all those species can be refrigerated once the jars look nice and colonized. It will definitely slow the growth down. I always store the jars in a small storage tote in the fridge. The Cordyceps should be used as soon as possible but it can hang for a bit in the fridge. I can't wait to hear how your grows go 👍
I'm using lids with injection port and micro filter. When they come out the PC I'm going to try wiping the microfilter with isopropyl alcohol, and putting a stick on injection port on. And see if that will stop mold when you swirl the jars and get the filter wet. What do you think? Do you think that would hurt anything?
Are you talking about putting a port over the top of your filter disc, or removing the filter disc and replacing with an injection port? I'm not sure just adding a port over top of the disc will stop mold growth if you repeatedly get the filter wet. Better I think to avoid getting it wet or just don't use a filter and manually equalize pressure after the PC run. Always cool to try new things though, so let me know how it goes if you try it.
@@RenegadeMushrooms Okay, I'm just getting started, might try a couple layers of tape or pillow stuffing. I am starting with some easy ones: lionsmane and oyster. The discs are a good price, just shipping em to Canada is a bit pricey. Thanks for the help, love your channel
Probably, but I've never tried it. The smallest volume I've done is one pint. If it were me, I would probably go a bit longer to be safe. I'm also wondering if some of your LC will leak out of the syringe, but not sure on that.
You could sterilize your LC jars whenever you have time this week and just store them in the fridge in a storage container until you are ready to shoot them up with your syringes. I've stored them for several weeks with no issues. Just make sure you get some 12 gauge hypodermic needles to pull from your jars when they are colonized, otherwise you may get clogs. These vented lids and this peptone recipe grows some crazy chunky LC. Aaaand...remember to keep those filter discs dry.
It usually takes a couple of weeks of incubation, sometimes longer depending on species. You want the liquid to look soupy with mycelium when you stir or shake the jar. That will ensure you get plenty of mycelium in your syringes when you pull them.
Hi, wat to do with the liquid cultures? Do I nid to inject them into the sugar water like in your video? Here in Singapore I can only find liquid cultures.
Apologies but one last thought on the liquid culture. As far as the circulation or oxygenation goes. Is it possible I could have been over stirring mine? Somehow I got the idea I was supposed to leave it on a stir plate for the first 5 days. But now as I think about it that would be like shaking a bag of grain everyday and never letting it have time to recover. Thanks again for all your help and guidance #mushroomfantasies
From what I understanding, the constant stirring doesn't hurt mycelium suspended in liquid. It's the concussion of the mycelium in grain/sawdust that causes delay in recovery when working with spawn. Usually when I see LC being left on a stir plate 24/7 it's on a fairly low setting, just gently swirling it and it grows fine.
@@RenegadeMushrooms since I started letting mine rest (not constantly spinning) I'm getting better results. I'm still not getting the fast growth you get though. I feel like there's a bit of a learning curve. And I'm still on it lol. I started working with agar from spore first and got good at that. Now I'm trying to figure out L.C.
If you put it in the fridge will that stop it from growing? Slow it down? Or will it keep growing at the same rate? At what temperature do you keep your fridge? I keep mine at 35 degrees. Is that to cold? Great video by the way. This way can save a lot of people alot of money.
I keep my LC fridge at about 40 F. You don't want anything to freeze if it gets pushed to the back. The effect depends on the species. Cold-tolerant species will continue to grow, just more slowly. Warmer species will stall. Fridge temps will kill tropical cultures like pink oyster, almond agaricus, etc., so those are best kept at room temp.
Can the water on the bottom of the PC touch the bottom of the mason jars? I thought we had to use a lift to make sure that the jars are not sitting on water during the PC cycle? Or is it ok?
Hello, is what’s in the syringe is liquid culture? I was curious how to inject agar culture into liquid culture without opening the jar or the flask of inoculated liquid culture. Thank you.
Easiest way is to just cut an agar wedge and drop it in a jar of sterilized liquid culture. You can do that with a glove box or flowhood, but you have to lift the lid.
Fabulous Videos!. . .thanks so much. Two related questions 1) If properly cared for what is the shelf life of the culture in the syringes and 2) What is the shelf life of the fully cultured liquid in the jars? If the variety matters use Cordyceps as an example. Thanks again!
Cordyceps cultures degrade very quickly, they are very different from most other mushroom species. 3 months is considered max as a general rule for cordyceps LC under refrigeration whether in a syringe, or a jar. Most other species I would say 6 months for a syringe or 1 year for a jar under refrigeration.
@@RenegadeMushrooms so do you continuously buy syringe filled culture or can you use the fully cultured jar cordyceps to start more culture as you approach the 3 month limit on its self life?
@@josephpuentes3788 If you are looking to do Cordyceps, you will need to buy new syringes every few months, unless you want to do your own ascospore isolates, which is a whole other ball of wax. Also, you need to buy good cultures, there are alot of junk Cordyceps cultures floating around out there. For most other species, you can just refresh your cultures once a year and ride them for many years.
Thank you for the video! there is a problem if I use concentrated corn syrup, because I can not get light corn syrup here in Argentina. Or I can get corn syrup but it's dark, the concentrated one is light (I mean the color). Thank you again!
so I have watched both videos on using a sealed rtv lid verses the stick on system. I gathered from your mention about the stick on system is a more recent change for you. Are you still having the same good results with very little contamination?
Yes, I'm still having good results with the stick-on system. It's a simpler more user-friendly setup and that's why I recommend it for beginners. That being said, I personally only use that setup for liquid culture if I'm going to use it with the mycelium flood method like I show in my Cordyceps video. For stock culture jars, I much prefer just the RTV injection port with no filter.
Hi. Can I substitute the peptone for a malt extract as a food source? I can't find peptone in my location. And if yes, is the ratio water to corn syrup to malt is the same?
great video! have learned so much from your channel, thanks! During colonization, How do you store the tote with the LC jars? in a dark place or just out in the open?
Just sitting on a table in my basement with a bath towel over the top to give it a little shade. They don't need total darkness, you just don't want any direct bright light. Glad you are finding helpful info here 👍
The liquid inside the syringe is living mycelium suspended in a nutrient broth (called "liquid culture"). There are tons of liquid culture suppliers online. If you need empty syringes, I get them from here: www.shroomsupply.com/syringes-needles/sterile-syringes/?referrer=CNWR_684691708647669
Usually the jars are ready to use in about 2 weeks, but it depends on the mushroom species and also temperature. When you swirl the jar and there are little bits or chunks of mycelium well distributed throughout the liquid, they are ready to use. Thank you for watching!
No, just skip the soy peptone and use the karo. It will be fine. Peptone is a nice additive if you need a lot of mycelium asap, but it's not necessary. I'm always here if you need help 👍 Good luck.
Hey thanks for the great video. I'm just starting with my first syringe of culture that I purchased. In case I make a mistake I am trying to expand that culture into jars. I notice from your video that you put an entire syringe into one jar to grow more culture. Can I use my syringe and spread it over more than one jar so I have a safety net of more than one jar available to me? What's the minimum I can squirt into each jar to make more culture?
That's a great question, there are a lot of variables, but I would stay within 3 ft. of the filter surface. I would say I do 99% of my work inside 2 ft. of the surface.
Great info.... thanks! I just bought a bunch of stainless steel lids with silicone gaskets for other purposes but am wondering if the silicone would hold up in the pressure cooker if I tried to use them for LC's?
I've only ever used RTV silicone, but that holds up very well in the PC. You can check the physical properties of what you have against the temp of a PC at 15 psi which is 252 F.
long time amateur mycologist here (almost 30yrs), and I promise you that red high-temp RTV will definitely hold up to not only a pressure cooker, but a pressure canner as well. I used it for many years, and it can be used through many sterilizations. However, I would like to mention to you that eBay has self healing injection ports in quantities of 100 for the price of a tube of high temp RTV that are better (in my opinion), and look much more professional than the Microppose adhesives he is using. Also to note, syringe filters are pretty cheap (less than a dollar each, less then half that if you purchase in bulk) and work considerably better and are much more durable than those filters or micropore tape. PP5 plastic lids are so much better (again, in my opinion) than metal lids. However, I would like to reiterate that I used metal lids and RTV for many many years, and they certainly did the job, no problems. This guy in the video is definitely teaching tried and true techniques. Just my 2c, hope this helps you. Mush love :)
@@SwiggitySwagDopeInTheBag Lots of people digging the PP5 plastic lids, I'll have to try them out. Do you use a gasket under them? Have you tried the Microppose products? They are actually proving to be quite durable and easy to use for me. I'm a fan. I've never seen a pre-made injection port even come close to the durability of RTV, and I've tried a lot of them. If you found good one's on ebay, please post a link.
@@RenegadeMushrooms The PP5 lids are a game changer, I know youll like them. I have tried the Microppose injection ports and filter discs both for my lids and tubs. The adhesive didnt fair well for repeated use on the lids (might be the difference between PP5 and metal, not sure). I still use them for my tubs though (way better than micropore tape, in my opinion). Ill find you a link for the injection ports. I use the cheap ones and change them out every 15 sterilizations or so, just for good measure. Theyre super cheap, and super easy to replace, takes me maybe 5 sec
The peptone is a nice additive, but it's not necessary. You can skip it and just use the karo syrup. You can also order peptone online at shroomsupply.com
at what point do you move the inoculated bag from the tub into the fruiting chamber? My cultures came from Liquid Fungi blue, golden and shiitake. the shiitake seems very slow to culture up. is that normal? what's the best temps for fruiting and how long do you keep the lights on in the fruiting stage? all the time or how many light and dark hours? thanks for the quick reply last time appreciate it.
When growing oysters, I leave them in the tubs until the pins are about an inch long, then I move then to the chamber where they can get enough free air exchange to develop normally. Lights are 12 hours on, 12 hours off, LEDs in the 6500K spectrum.
Your liquid jars you made once colinized can you also make a bunch of innockulated syringes. Sorry I'm new. Love your video just found you and subscribed.
Cool, thank you and welcome to the channel. Yes, once your jar is colonized, you can pull hundreds of syringes from that single jar and use them to make grain spawn. Then, once your grain spawn is ready, you can spawn that to your substrate. If you want to see the next step (using your LC to make grain spawn) check out this video: ruclips.net/video/iWKnTKRwsU8/видео.html
I love your videos. the more I watch your presentation, the more I am interested in running this business. I have questions, I want to start this business but I am wondering if there are markets that I can sell them.
I wrote this to another subscriber who asked the same question. "I started out my online business 15 years ago intending for it to be primarily gourmet. I quickly realized 95% of my customers were looking for medicinal so I shifted gears. Nowadays I have an Etsy site where I sell both (dried product), but the majority of my business is still medicinal. Online you will fair better going dried medicinal product IMO. There is a high demand, and a shortage, of USA grown high quality medicinal mushrooms. As far as the fresh gourmets go, target local high end restaurants and develop relationships with the chefs, that's where the money is. Dry your unsold gourmet product and market it online. Just my 2 cents."
@@RenegadeMushrooms I don't blame you. I sell my soaps and other health products there and they just about make it impossible to make a profit with all their fees! Thanks!
Hope all is going well. I followed the video and expanded my lc. I made the lc a few months ago, I used the expanded lc and produced mushrooms. I have stirred with magnetic sticks weekly. I’ve noticed the lc still has an amber color, the mycelium at the bottom appears good, but I’m getting a white mass floating on top of the lc. Is that contamination? How do I test the lc to verify it is ok to use? Thank you for your help.
That is totally normal that jars form that white mat on top. The mycelium takes off on the surface because of the FAE. I would guess that your jars are still fine, but you can test them on a small grain jar (I usually use half or quarter pints). You can also test them on agar if you have a flowhood.
Peptone is not a sugar, it's a separate nutritional additive. You can skip the peptone and just use karo syrup. The mycelium will grow more slowly, but it will work fine.
Typically no. With most gourmets you just keep the block in humid conditions and they will flush again. If pins form under the plastic you may need to cut some new holes and set them free.
Man Great Video Bro quick question do you by chance have the link on where you purchased your soy peptone? I wanted the non gmo kind thanks a million 👌🏻
I use powdered malted barley as a substitute for the soy peptone. It’s available in bulk at home brew stores and can be easily ground into a powder. It’s been used for many centuries for feeding and stimulating the yeasts in bread making and works equally as well for mushroom production.
Good stuff 👍
Finally; someone honest about culture times. 2 weeks to a couple of months. I think its interesting how everyone else miraculously can get full mycelium growth in 2 weeks.
Peptone does make a big difference in colonization time, but it can vary quite a bit. Thanks for watchin 👍
I just mixed up a batch of lc jars, agar and grains, each with a bit of stinky peptone for growth boosting nitrogen levels. Careful not to over do it though. I would imagine using too mush can burn things up, I would think, right?
I went to full colonization in 2 weeks🤷🏼♀️ but we also used peptone.
Is that the version of the Presto designed for electric/ convection hobs? Positively surprised you're using an electric hot plate.
My colonization time varies greatly between mushroom types... im pretty new, so this is very hard for me to understand!!
Thank you!!! I have been growing for 3 months and I have decided to go full in with growing g. Your video has been so helpful to get started making liquid culture. Well Done.
I started using pp5 plastic canning lids, great for pressure canner, and I still use red RTV and micropore tape. Plus you can get silicone seals that are replaceable so they don't rust and will last forever.
When heating needle you can sometimes burn some bits still in there and then you push them into your jar and they try to fool you looking like contamination. So you can slightly pull back on your syringe right before you flame it.
Toss a glass marble in the jar before you sterilize, makes a cheap stirrer that breaks the mycelium up nicely and lasts forever.
I love watching these videos. Getting ready to kick it into a higher gear, it's always great to hear from guys that really know what they're doing, your low contamination rate says it all.
I use stainless steel ball bearings, but I've heard glass marbles work well too. Thanks for watching and putting in your 2 cents.
I use PTFE magnetic stir bars. They sure have made life easier for me
Great walk-through, packed with handy tips and small details. Thanks so much!
Great vid. I just loosen the lids cover loosely with foil pressure cook then let cool overnight in the cooker. I open the cooker in front of the flow table and screw them down as I remove from cooker. Never a single issue
Guys this tek grows some very chunky LC even under refrigeration, so make sure you use 14 or 16 gauge hypodermic needles in your syringes or you may get clogs if you intend to pull syringes from these jars.
do you have a link to these from amazon?
@@zuul902 No, they are harder to find nowadays. Veterinary suppliers can be a good place to look, but Shroom Supply has 14 gauge needles which would work fine. Here's a link:
www.shroomsupply.com/syringes-needles/sterile-needles
Thanks for sharing this idol 🍄 very interesting content .new friend sir see you idol🍄🥰
You can find the thicker gauge needles at tractor supply. They have the syringes as well.
@@ChondroMan Good tip, thank you
Just bought 450 worth of mushroom spore's...for 34 years I've been growin everything else. So I figured why not,never did or even thought of growin these!!! Lol but down the rabbit hole I go,go,GOOOOOO
Thanks blessed be...
Cheers just starting out wit mushroom growing out getting some good information from the community great content thanks
WOW!
First time I have seen a video on mushrooms with the flow hood setup and being used correctly. You should not sit directly in front of a horizontal flow laminar flow hood, you are meant to sit to the side of the laminar air flow, sitting in front of the flow causes it to go up your body , back towards the filter and then back down into the airflow contaminating it. Well done good sir. To sit in front of a flow hood you have to use a vertical (top down) flowing flow hood.
I think it always just made sense to me to do it that way, so that's how I set the table up. Glad I got it right 👍😁 I've always had very little contamination even though my basement is far from a sterile setting. The flowhood does the trick. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for saying this. It seemed totally wrong to me to have it blasting into your eyes.
It’d roll a wave of contam back into your workspace and spores into your eyes and lungs.
Glad to have the confirmation that it needs to be at the side. 😁
LOL That is not going to happen.
Use a smoking incense or cigar or sprinkle some flour above the air flow and see how far it makes it.
Air molecules don't bounce upstream at these velocities.
@@ghz24 lol yourself, clearly you don't have or have used a flow hood, flour indeed....
Use some fluorescing trace powder actually meant for this kind of testing and you will see how much of a difference it makes. Vertical flow for working in front, horizontal flow for working to the side, there is a reason actual labs use vertical hoods for clean work.
@@quadlawnmowerman Use whatever powder you want it still cannot swim upstream.
You obviously don't understand the term laminar flow.
Why do the manufacturers put those side panels right in the way?
Why don't the manufacturers photos portray users sitting in the "right" place?
Successful sterile technique can be accomplished from either place it's more about placement of hands, tools, and cultures relative to the air flow.
Better quality horizontal flow hoods have the return plenum under and around the opening to avoid turbulent air near the edge of the bench closer to the filter.
This is because contaminates can no more swim up a 100 foot per minute air flow than you can swim up Niagara falls.
BTW horizontal laminar flow hoods are superior to vertical designs due to the back wall having an inherently turbulent zone.
Turbulent being the opposite of laminar.
Vertical designs are usually selected over horizontal ones due to bench space or floor space considerations not for performance.
Most vertical designs can't even technically be called laminar flow, they are turbulent by design.
I love your videos. I followed your instructions and used your techniques and methods and my spawn turned out great. I'm now at the fruiting stage and I can't wait for the harvest. I would like to know how you clear your jars and lids after using them so I can reuse them for another batch. Can you enlighten me? Thanks for all the great information.
Awesome, glad your grow is going well. I have a round bristle brush on a stick I use for cleaning jars. Just warm soapy water works great. I gently wash my lids with a sponge.
When I do the RTV lids I drill another hole and use either micropore tape, or pillow stuffing over it so it can air exchange just like the other ones : ) I've been looking for anybody who regularly uses wheat as it's what I can get for cheap where I am. Making my way though ALL of your videos fella thanks so much!!
Cool, let me know if you have any questions and thanks for watchin 👊
You Rock man! Thanks for the mushroom education 5 🌟
What’s the best temp to keep the jars at after being inoculated.
Depends on the temperature preferences of the species, but 65 to 70F is what I go with typically.
Excellent video
Usually when I'm working with flame and alcohol it's July and I've recently visited a nearby rez. And the wife is still mad about how much I spent. But your point is well taken.
😂
A wooden dowel will also work as a stir bar.
Thanks for sharing. If I can understand you very well. It mean I don't need grain.
Please can you explain.
Best regards
You still need grain as a spawn medium. This just allows you to make and expand liquid culture to make tons of grain spawn efficiently. Liquid culture straight to substrate generally doesn't work well unless you are doing pftek.
Thanks for yet another great video! Just wondering, after you've stored syringes in the fridge, should you allow them to come back to room temp before injecting into spawn?
I never do, doesn't seem to matter much. I just pull them out take what I need, and back in the fridge.
Hi, Thanks for the really great video tutorial. Your videos ares some of the best. I was wondering what the spec is on the blower you used on the laminar flow hood. I am about to build one and the info would be useful. Kind regards from the UK,
It's an Aero-Flo CF Series 6" centrifugal fan. 460 cfm free air flow. They actually make centrifugal fans that you can control with a rheostat as well, so you can dial the fan up and down. I used one of those when I built my second flowhood for a friend.
@@RenegadeMushrooms Thanks mate, really appreciate the prompt reply. One other thing as a newcomer, which is why I watch the best tutorials which are yours. Quick question; Once the substrate is inoculated and the bag sealed, placed on some shelving to incubate and colonize; do I need high humidity, or is that best left to the fruiting chamber once colonized ?? Cheers, Tom
@@tombennett7722 The bag provides all the humidity during colonization so you don't have to worry about it until fruiting. Thank you for the kind words.
FYI,
Hole punches for paper make a clean edged, perfect size hole for injection port and filter.
I've heard that but never tried one, good suggestion 👍
I cant get it to push threw
Great video, thanks. I'm sorry if you already answered this question. I'm brand new to this, but I'm a medical professional. We use sterile needles right out of the package and inject people with various things (vaccines, medicines, etc) without flaming the needle or wiping it with alcohol, as it's sterile out of the plastic cap. Why do all of the mushroom growers sterilize the needle when it's already sterile?
I'm using the same needle for multiple transfers so I flame between steps. There is no need to for the first use right out of the package of course, but you get in the habit, so it's just muscle memory. Plus my needles have been sitting on a dusty old basement shelf for 15 years, so it's a "trust but verify" kinda thing.
Gotcha. Thanks.
Thanks very for your video. Lots of good information. When you almost finish liquid culture jar can you use the liquid culture in the jar to expanse to make another batch liquid culture jars? So we don’t need to buy liquid culture again . Thank you
Yes, you can use that original jar to keep making new jars. Also, you should refresh them on to new nutrient broth once a year, even if you're jar isn't empty.
@@RenegadeMushrooms could you make a video explaining the refresh? Or would you just make a new LC broth, pasteurize it, and then shoot it into the old jar on top of what is left?
Always such good videos! I am wondering, can you do this with both spore & live culture (mycelium) syringes? I have some of both types of syringes & it looks like later in your video the syringe is a spore syringe, but I wasn't sure.
This method works well with spore and liquid culture syringes. Glad you are enjoying the videos 🧡
I really like the tone and pace of your videos. I held off on the video about jar lids -- jar lids? -- and now wish I'd seen it weeks ago. I have some jars of LC that look like yours and others more like frog eggs, with spots. I assume these are bad but I intend to grow them out, just to see what happens.
Thank you for your kind words. I rarely if ever get contamination in my liquid culture, but it is nearly impossible to tell just by looking at it. Mycelium grows in all kinds of crazy ways in LC. I always recommend testing a new batch on a grain jar before going big with it.
I would have to agree. His tone and pace makes for easy digestion of the information he is relaying, and his info is good as well. I came across this video in my recommended feed, and even though Ive known this info for many years, he kept me watching anyway, lol
And he’s good looking too! 😅
Where can I look up what strain needs what conditions?
Thanks again for all you do.
Mycelium Emporium is a great resource and they have a ton of cultures. In terms of books, I would go Stamets or Tradd Cotter, most recent editions.
Thanks
Thank you for all the info. I only have a instant pot, do you have instructions for that type pot?
Sorry, never used one, but I'm sure there are instructions online somewhere.
20:46 all the pros say don't wipe the tip after flame sterilize.
All the "pros" don't know that it doesn't matter, most people just regurgitate what they hear without actually putting it into practice.
Hi! There's no need to aspirate on the rtv lids with no GE hole. Just leave the lid loose 1/4 turn with some foil over it. also, why do you wipe the needle after flame sterilizing it? You sterilize it and then contaminate it after with the alcohol essentially. The alcohol can only sanitize, not sterilize like a flame.
I've never tried the 1/4 turn method, thanks for the tip. Wiping the needle with the alcohol towel rapidly cools and cleans the soot off it, keeping my injection ports clean. I always use this method, and it never causes any contamination.
@@RenegadeMushrooms no problem! I use it, and know a lot of other growers that use it with great success. I usually flame the needle, then squirt out a tiny drop of liquid to cool the needle before injecting. Whatever works though 🤷 great video!
I'm doing my first run of LC today using this recipe.. I have four RTV lids and four filter lids (just to see the difference). Hadn't thought of just leaving the lid slightly ajar, thanks for the extra tip 🤙🤙
Outstanding video! Thank you so much for the help. Those micropose ports seem very helpful. Will order some.
Someone has probably already said something, but is it OK to work in a flow hood with it coming across your space instead of in front?? 🤯 27:54
Yes, either setup seems to work fine.
@@RenegadeMushrooms very novel idea. Thx for the tip!
You are the man. Thank you for showing me this.
Great video! When the culture gets old but you love the mushrooms that the culture produces. Can you use a
syringe of it to Inoculate a new jar to keep it going?
Yes, you can, but there are some nuances to that process. I'm actually working on a video on that exact topic now. Should be out in a few weeks.
Could you just steam the liquid atop the stove in a large sterilizing pot to sterilize it? Or is a pressure cooker necessary?
A pressure cooker is necessary for true sterilization. I typically do 25 minutes at 15 psi for liquid culture jars.
Thank you for all your amazing vedio tutorials. One tiny question. Why dont you let the lid be slightly unscrewed while pc sterilizing and then close it with the foil on top after the removal?
You don't need to vent the lids on these jars because the filter disc in the lid allows the pressure to equalize. After I inject them, I leave the foil lid off for a bit to allow the filter discs to dry out. Once they are dry, I recover them with foil. If the filter disc remain wet, they will eventually contaminate with mold.
Does Appalachian gold fungi send liquid cultures over night with an ice pack? I’m in Florida and it’s a challenge getting a liquid culture through mail without contamination from the heat
He might if you ask him. Jeff is usually pretty responsive to inquiries.
Superb
Please.let. me know the materials
which is needed
Distilled water, light karo syrup (corn syrup), and soy peptone is optional.
Thank you for your interesting and helpful videos.
You keep talking about the 4 percent sugar solution based on Karo Light Corn Syrup.
If I am correctly informed, Karo Light Corn Syrup contains 33.3% glucose.
So your recipe with the 4 percent Karo Light Corn Syrup results in a glucose solution of about 1.3%.
Did I understand that correctly?
Many greetings
Urs
I don't think the sugar content for light karo is that low. Information I found says 76% sugar. At any rate, just add 4% karo and a pinch of soy peptone and anything will grow like crazy on it.
@@RenegadeMushrooms
In Switzerland you hardly ever find corn syrup, and certainly not Karo Light Corn Syrup. That's why I have to convert it to glucose.
Corn syrup is mainly based on glucose, 76% glucose sugar, as you wrote to me.
So your LC mixture has around 3% glucose + soy peptone.
Thank you!
Awesome. Thanks.
Can you use honey (or something else that is easier to attain loacally) in stead of light corn syrup?
What is the reason you don`t crank the heat up to full when heating up the pressure cooker?
Yes honey works well, lots of recipes online. I've always heard that it's better for your containers, jars or bags, to not just crank up the heat on your PC. Helps prevent cracking, bag failure, etc. I usually start on medium high and give it about an hour to warm and pressurize up.
The syringes is sterile when opened as new but when re-used you have to to the same procedure he does. Correct me if i am wrong. Cheers from Sweden :)
You are correct, new syringes are sterile in the package. But the syringe is also stuffed with polyfil. The polyfil needs to be sterilized as well, because it helps to filter the incoming fresh air. That's why I do the alcohol procedure.
@@RenegadeMushrooms Ok, i see. I didn't think about that. You are correct about that. The only reason i commented on that is just that so people who openes a syringe that is already sterile does NOT heat in a flame when not needed, because that makes the hardening of the syringe to wear of and it gets dull or bent much easier. I am not the guy who tries to correct you. I am the strange guy just commenting for the benefit of the collective. Cheers from me and my Mini swamp-farm i Sweden :).
@@danielengsvang3126 Awesome bro. Thanks for watching and commenting.
When you said there was contimination. Did you see it in the jar. Or was it when you tested on grain/agar?? Keep up the awesome work btw
Typically you can't see contamination in liquid culture, so it's best to test it on agar or a small grain jar before going into production with it.
How about using the RTV silicone port with another hole that's got micropore tape over it?
Yep that will work, just use two layers of micropore tape.
@@RenegadeMushrooms 👍👍👍
Thank RM, much appreciation. Was wondering if you think a simple pin hole covered with micropore tape would suffice for pressure management on LC only jars. Being a moto mechanic, I've got a ton of HT gasket goo around the workshop and would love to roll my own lids if possible. Also had a question on your lam flow unit. Are you running any kind of special venting outside your workspace or is the unit just sitting on your bench? Thanks again.
Yes, there are people that use micropore tape, but if you do, go with two layers. I prefer the synthetic filter discs personally. My flowhood is just sitting on the bench, no special venting.
@@RenegadeMushrooms Thanks!
Just what I needed . Thanks
Great video, can't get enough of them!!! Got a question, I did all of the procedure the same way you did and inoculate six different jars with six different strains. After few days five of the jars are same color as they were before with nice build up of mycelium but one strain turn the liquid kind of cloudy. Do you think it could be just how mycelium grows for this particular strain or could be a sign of a problem?
Sorry for the late reply and thank you for your kind words. It may be indicative of the species in that jar. Some species like Hericium tend to stain the LC. What species is turning color on you?
Any cloudiness probably means yeast or bacterial contamination.
@@RenegadeMushrooms Thank you
I find watching a variety of mycology enthusiasts quite fascinating. I love the free tutorial aspect and I greatly appreciate your efforts in producing helpful educational content... I'm also always pleasantly surprised to see the fluidity in mother nature and the subtle ways she tips her hat to her abundance against humanity's attempts at "rules".
While you go for a 4% sugar solution using light caro, another enthusiast will teach sticking to a 2% solution using other forms such as glucose, dextrose,etc.
While you teach using soy peptone, many enthusiasts never use it.
We attempt turning everything into an absolute, a "science", while nature reminds us there's a million nutrients mushrooms can use & it's not as difficult as we try and portray it.
There's room to breathe ❤️
Glad you are enjoying the content. Yes there are many recipes that are effective in all aspects of mushroom cultivation, liquid culture, spawn, substrate, etc. One of my favorite things about creating content for the channel is being able to experiment with new techniques and share results with thousands of other like-minded people.
I put two marbles in my liquid cultures I make. I'm gonna have to try the peptone out though. The recipe I've been using is just LME (light malt extract), and corn syrup or honey. And they last so far up to a year for certainty.
Stainless ball bearings work well too. The peptone is nice if you need a ton of mycelium quickly, it's insane how fast and thick it grows.
@@RenegadeMushrooms believe it or not I've actually heard ppl suggest using broken Glass as a stir bar 😂
I use broken glass it cutts it up real fine when you swirl long enough
started my LC like you did trying to follow your procedures. after a week one of my blue oyster mix developed one 3/8" white solid like disc that floats on top. what is it and is it bad? love your vids. thanks
That's normal. Usually it happens when you're not swirling your jars regularly to mix them up, but it's not a big deal. It's just your mycelium forming a heavy mat at the surface of your liquid culture. When you go to pull syringes out you'll just have to give it a little swirl to move the mat out of the way so it doesn't clog your needle.
Expanded some syringes with this method and worked great. Any chance you can explain generations to me. I’ve searched near and far and there isn’t much online about it. Do you have to make a spore print to get back to gen1? Then is it a new generation every time it’s expanded or how does that work! Thanks in advance
I'm actually making a video on that right now if you can hang on a bit. Should be ready in a week or two. I think it will answer all of your questions.
@@RenegadeMushrooms awesome. Of all the mushroom questions I’ve had this is the one thing I can not find anything on. Looking forward to it! Thanks so much!
@@rickfoss1136 My video will cover this as it relates to liquid culture and keeping it vigorous over many years, but I can give you some background/additional information. In general, there are two ways we can capture mushroom cultures, spore germination (sexual reproduction) and tissue cloning. Both are typically done on agar plates, and for both the initial plate can be called generation 1. Each grouping of plates started from samples of the initial plate are gen 2, gen 3, etc. Same for liquid culture, each round of jars you expand out from the additional jar would be the next generation. So, in terms of starting a new strain, you do really need to go back to spores to hit gen 1 again. Tissue clones are exactly that, genetically identical clones of the original mushroom. Spore pairings (sexual reproduction) produces a new genetically unique individual with unique behavioral characteristics. Most of the commonly cultivated mushrooms can be cloned/expanded almost in perpetuity without much genetic degradation. Some species however, like Cordyceps and Morels, senesce or genetically degrade quickly with cloning. Over-expansion with these species quickly leads to impotent strains incapable or forming fruiting bodies or mushrooms, so strains with minimal expansion are desirable. Both cloning and spore pairings have their time and place, but it is important to know as much as you can about the cultures you're growing, especially when working with species prone to senescence.
@@RenegadeMushrooms thanks so much for the info. Makes sense for sure. Can’t wait for your video on it. It’s always fun to follow along with what you have going on. Also appreciate that your always interacting with the viewers if they have questions. Much respect ✊🏼
Would this recipe work fine without the peptone? I am willing to wait longer for growth but I already have everything else needed laying around so it would be nice to not have to buy an additional ingredient
Yeah it will work fine without it, just slower growth.
great information thank you. How many grain jars can you inoculate with a pint of colonized mycelium?
If you're doing quart grain jars, I would say about 60. Thanks for watching 👍
How long can you store the nutrient solution before you add the lc. Also, how is the best way to store the nutrient solution until you’re ready to inoculate? Thanks for all your help.
I put them in the fridge (foil lids on) in a storage tote. I've kept them in there for a few months and they've been fine.
Thank you
First try at inoculating with LC done today. Hoping I could ask 2 questions:
1) If I am going to store the LC left in the syringes for about 6 months in the frig, is it okay to leave the needle on the syringe or should I put the plastic cap back on the syringe?
2) When I am storing the LC during the incubation period, do I sterilize the aluminum foil caps when I place them back on the jars after the microscreen dries out?
3) Thank you so much for responding and the great video.:)
You can leave the needle on, but you should have a plastic cap that goes over the needle. Make sure that cap is in place, and then place it in a clean sealed plastic bag. There is a chance that the mycelium will grow enough to clog the syringe even under refrigeration though, just so you know. It is not necessary to re-sterilize your foil, as long as everything is dry, you will be fine.
hello renegade!!! is there an alternative to soy peptone? In Spain it is difficult to obtain and very expensive. Many greetins !!!!! Thanks very much for yours videos!!!
You can skip the soy peptone and just use the karo syrup. The mycelium will grow more slowly, but it will still work fine.
I use the same glasses. I have sometimes trouble with the lids they are not tight.
I always check them, they tend to loosen a bit in the pressure cooker.
Really enjoying your content!! When cultures are in incubation, are they receiving any light?
No light is needed during incubation generally. A little light won't hurt, but direct bright light is detrimental and should be avoided. Thanks for watching 👍
@@RenegadeMushrooms thanks for doing what you do
I used your method and have 3 jars going one with cordyceps, lions mane and pioppino. I bought them from Fresh from the Fungi he gave me the pioppino for free. They are ready to use but I'm not. Can I refrigerate them to slow down the growth? I finally have my flow hood done. It has low, med and high and I added a receptacle next to the speed control switch. looks nice.
Awesome, you're going to love that flowhood. Yes, all those species can be refrigerated once the jars look nice and colonized. It will definitely slow the growth down. I always store the jars in a small storage tote in the fridge. The Cordyceps should be used as soon as possible but it can hang for a bit in the fridge. I can't wait to hear how your grows go 👍
AWESOME - THANK YOU BROTHER!!
thank you
Is there a downside to using quart jars instead?
No, quarts work fine. I just use pints because by the time they are getting low, it's time to refresh them anyway. I don't go through a ton of volume.
Great video, thanks from N.C.! 💪😎🇺🇲
I'm using lids with injection port and micro filter. When they come out the PC I'm going to try wiping the microfilter with isopropyl alcohol, and putting a stick on injection port on. And see if that will stop mold when you swirl the jars and get the filter wet. What do you think? Do you think that would hurt anything?
Are you talking about putting a port over the top of your filter disc, or removing the filter disc and replacing with an injection port? I'm not sure just adding a port over top of the disc will stop mold growth if you repeatedly get the filter wet. Better I think to avoid getting it wet or just don't use a filter and manually equalize pressure after the PC run. Always cool to try new things though, so let me know how it goes if you try it.
Great video, thank you. Just wondering, what do you think of micropore tape over air exchange hole instead of those discs?
It works in a pinch, but I recommend using two layers of tape. I much prefer the discs if you can afford them.
@@RenegadeMushrooms Okay, I'm just getting started, might try a couple layers of tape or pillow stuffing. I am starting with some easy ones: lionsmane and oyster. The discs are a good price, just shipping em to Canada is a bit pricey. Thanks for the help, love your channel
I have a question...if I fill a syringe with water and pc it for 10 minutes will it be sterile enough to make grain liquid culture (myceliated water)
Probably, but I've never tried it. The smallest volume I've done is one pint. If it were me, I would probably go a bit longer to be safe. I'm also wondering if some of your LC will leak out of the syringe, but not sure on that.
I will receive my cultures this Friday, When should I do the sterilizing process with the pressure cooker. thanks
You could sterilize your LC jars whenever you have time this week and just store them in the fridge in a storage container until you are ready to shoot them up with your syringes. I've stored them for several weeks with no issues. Just make sure you get some 12 gauge hypodermic needles to pull from your jars when they are colonized, otherwise you may get clogs. These vented lids and this peptone recipe grows some crazy chunky LC. Aaaand...remember to keep those filter discs dry.
Could you share the link where u got the Cordyceps M? Appreciate it!
www.terrestrialfungi.com/
Great video, thanks! How do you know when your liquid culture is "done"? Kind of a loaded questions, but any tips are greatly appreciated :)
It usually takes a couple of weeks of incubation, sometimes longer depending on species. You want the liquid to look soupy with mycelium when you stir or shake the jar. That will ensure you get plenty of mycelium in your syringes when you pull them.
Hi, wat to do with the liquid cultures? Do I nid to inject them into the sugar water like in your video? Here in Singapore I can only find liquid cultures.
That's the best way if you want to expand your culture. 4% sugar solution. Corn syrup or honey works well.
Apologies but one last thought on the liquid culture. As far as the circulation or oxygenation goes. Is it possible I could have been over stirring mine? Somehow I got the idea I was supposed to leave it on a stir plate for the first 5 days. But now as I think about it that would be like shaking a bag of grain everyday and never letting it have time to recover. Thanks again for all your help and guidance #mushroomfantasies
From what I understanding, the constant stirring doesn't hurt mycelium suspended in liquid. It's the concussion of the mycelium in grain/sawdust that causes delay in recovery when working with spawn. Usually when I see LC being left on a stir plate 24/7 it's on a fairly low setting, just gently swirling it and it grows fine.
@@RenegadeMushrooms since I started letting mine rest (not constantly spinning) I'm getting better results. I'm still not getting the fast growth you get though. I feel like there's a bit of a learning curve. And I'm still on it lol. I started working with agar from spore first and got good at that. Now I'm trying to figure out L.C.
@@momsmushroomsjodyfoster5786 I have LC down, now I'm trying to figure out agar 😁
Can you post a video on adding peptones to the LC to make it grow faster?
If you put it in the fridge will that stop it from growing? Slow it down? Or will it keep growing at the same rate? At what temperature do you keep your fridge? I keep mine at 35 degrees. Is that to cold? Great video by the way. This way can save a lot of people alot of money.
I keep my LC fridge at about 40 F. You don't want anything to freeze if it gets pushed to the back. The effect depends on the species. Cold-tolerant species will continue to grow, just more slowly. Warmer species will stall. Fridge temps will kill tropical cultures like pink oyster, almond agaricus, etc., so those are best kept at room temp.
@@RenegadeMushrooms awesome! Thank you for the great vids, getting back to us, and having such great knowledge! You are the best!
You buy it. Got it. A 30 minute video, answered in the first 45 seconds.
Can the water on the bottom of the PC touch the bottom of the mason jars? I thought we had to use a lift to make sure that the jars are not sitting on water during the PC cycle? Or is it ok?
No it's fine, the bottoms of the jars can sit in water. If you are running a 23 qt. Presto PC like me I always add about 2 liters of water.
Glad I found you & Subscribed 👍💖🤗🙏
Me too 😁 Thx for watching, much more to come.
Hello, is what’s in the syringe is liquid culture? I was curious how to inject agar culture into liquid culture without opening the jar or the flask of inoculated liquid culture. Thank you.
Easiest way is to just cut an agar wedge and drop it in a jar of sterilized liquid culture. You can do that with a glove box or flowhood, but you have to lift the lid.
Fabulous Videos!. . .thanks so much. Two related questions 1) If properly cared for what is the shelf life of the culture in the syringes and 2) What is the shelf life of the fully cultured liquid in the jars? If the variety matters use Cordyceps as an example. Thanks again!
Cordyceps cultures degrade very quickly, they are very different from most other mushroom species. 3 months is considered max as a general rule for cordyceps LC under refrigeration whether in a syringe, or a jar. Most other species I would say 6 months for a syringe or 1 year for a jar under refrigeration.
@@RenegadeMushrooms so do you continuously buy syringe filled culture or can you use the fully cultured jar cordyceps to start more culture as you approach the 3 month limit on its self life?
@@josephpuentes3788 If you are looking to do Cordyceps, you will need to buy new syringes every few months, unless you want to do your own ascospore isolates, which is a whole other ball of wax. Also, you need to buy good cultures, there are alot of junk Cordyceps cultures floating around out there. For most other species, you can just refresh your cultures once a year and ride them for many years.
@@RenegadeMushrooms I would really love to see how fresh cultures are made!
@@Flumphinator I recommend joining the Cordyceps Cultivation Facebook Group if you're interested. The genetics end of it is fascinating.
If you use honey instead of light Karo, is it the same amount? Not sure if the sugar content is comparable.
Yes, it's comparable
Thank you for the video! there is a problem if I use concentrated corn syrup, because I can not get light corn syrup here in Argentina. Or I can get corn syrup but it's dark, the concentrated one is light (I mean the color).
Thank you again!
Concentrated corn syrup should work fine, you can also use honey 👍
@@RenegadeMushrooms Hey! it's an honor to have your answer, thank you very much
Well explained, thank you.
so I have watched both videos on using a sealed rtv lid verses the stick on system. I gathered from your mention about the stick on system is a more recent change for you. Are you still having the same good results with very little contamination?
Yes, I'm still having good results with the stick-on system. It's a simpler more user-friendly setup and that's why I recommend it for beginners. That being said, I personally only use that setup for liquid culture if I'm going to use it with the mycelium flood method like I show in my Cordyceps video. For stock culture jars, I much prefer just the RTV injection port with no filter.
Hey I joy your videos, can I make pint size jars of grain spawn I’m just starting I want to make lions mane
Absolutely, pints work well for spawn. I would use about 2 to 3 ccs of liquid culture per pint.
Hi. Can I substitute the peptone for a malt extract as a food source? I can't find peptone in my location. And if yes, is the ratio water to corn syrup to malt is the same?
great video! have learned so much from your channel, thanks! During colonization, How do you store the tote with the LC jars? in a dark place or just out in the open?
Just sitting on a table in my basement with a bath towel over the top to give it a little shade. They don't need total darkness, you just don't want any direct bright light. Glad you are finding helpful info here 👍
Been watching your videos for a while! Love them! Have you gotten a stir plate and stir bars yet? Just curious.. Keep it up dude!!
No, not yet, still doing the old manual shake. At some point I would like to though. Glad you are enjoying the videos 👍
where can i get the syringe's and what's the liquid already present inside the syringe that you've injected.
The liquid inside the syringe is living mycelium suspended in a nutrient broth (called "liquid culture"). There are tons of liquid culture suppliers online. If you need empty syringes, I get them from here:
www.shroomsupply.com/syringes-needles/sterile-syringes/?referrer=CNWR_684691708647669
I love your video. I have question, if you done this, when can you use them?
Usually the jars are ready to use in about 2 weeks, but it depends on the mushroom species and also temperature. When you swirl the jar and there are little bits or chunks of mycelium well distributed throughout the liquid, they are ready to use. Thank you for watching!
Great video. Just starting out. My LC syringes have just arrived.
Can gypsum be used instead of soy peptone? Thanks.
No, just skip the soy peptone and use the karo. It will be fine. Peptone is a nice additive if you need a lot of mycelium asap, but it's not necessary. I'm always here if you need help 👍 Good luck.
I use both in my LC and it’s 🔥
Hey thanks for the great video. I'm just starting with my first syringe of culture that I purchased. In case I make a mistake I am trying to expand that culture into jars. I notice from your video that you put an entire syringe into one jar to grow more culture. Can I use my syringe and spread it over more than one jar so I have a safety net of more than one jar available to me?
What's the minimum I can squirt into each jar to make more culture?
Yes, you can do two or three jars of LC with a 10cc syringe no problem.
How far out in front of the flow hood is “safe” to work? Is there a point that contaminants start to show up?
That's a great question, there are a lot of variables, but I would stay within 3 ft. of the filter surface. I would say I do 99% of my work inside 2 ft. of the surface.
Thank you! Just getting started at home and learning a lot from your videos and approach!
Great info.... thanks! I just bought a bunch of stainless steel lids with silicone gaskets for other purposes but am wondering if the silicone would hold up in the pressure cooker if I tried to use them for LC's?
I've only ever used RTV silicone, but that holds up very well in the PC. You can check the physical properties of what you have against the temp of a PC at 15 psi which is 252 F.
It will 😁
long time amateur mycologist here (almost 30yrs), and I promise you that red high-temp RTV will definitely hold up to not only a pressure cooker, but a pressure canner as well. I used it for many years, and it can be used through many sterilizations. However, I would like to mention to you that eBay has self healing injection ports in quantities of 100 for the price of a tube of high temp RTV that are better (in my opinion), and look much more professional than the Microppose adhesives he is using. Also to note, syringe filters are pretty cheap (less than a dollar each, less then half that if you purchase in bulk) and work considerably better and are much more durable than those filters or micropore tape. PP5 plastic lids are so much better (again, in my opinion) than metal lids. However, I would like to reiterate that I used metal lids and RTV for many many years, and they certainly did the job, no problems. This guy in the video is definitely teaching tried and true techniques. Just my 2c, hope this helps you. Mush love :)
@@SwiggitySwagDopeInTheBag Lots of people digging the PP5 plastic lids, I'll have to try them out. Do you use a gasket under them? Have you tried the Microppose products? They are actually proving to be quite durable and easy to use for me. I'm a fan. I've never seen a pre-made injection port even come close to the durability of RTV, and I've tried a lot of them. If you found good one's on ebay, please post a link.
@@RenegadeMushrooms The PP5 lids are a game changer, I know youll like them. I have tried the Microppose injection ports and filter discs both for my lids and tubs. The adhesive didnt fair well for repeated use on the lids (might be the difference between PP5 and metal, not sure). I still use them for my tubs though (way better than micropore tape, in my opinion). Ill find you a link for the injection ports. I use the cheap ones and change them out every 15 sterilizations or so, just for good measure. Theyre super cheap, and super easy to replace, takes me maybe 5 sec
Can I use something in replacement of the Peptones 🤔🤔
The peptone is a nice additive, but it's not necessary. You can skip it and just use the karo syrup. You can also order peptone online at shroomsupply.com
at what point do you move the inoculated bag from the tub into the fruiting chamber? My cultures came from Liquid Fungi blue, golden and shiitake. the shiitake seems very slow to culture up. is that normal? what's the best temps for fruiting and how long do you keep the lights on in the fruiting stage? all the time or how many light and dark hours? thanks for the quick reply last time appreciate it.
When growing oysters, I leave them in the tubs until the pins are about an inch long, then I move then to the chamber where they can get enough free air exchange to develop normally. Lights are 12 hours on, 12 hours off, LEDs in the 6500K spectrum.
The mason jars are just disinfected with 70% hydrogen peroxide before pouring in the agar liquid or does the pressure cooker sterilize everything?
No need to do that, the PC kills everything.
Can you give me the link for the adhesive injection port ect,...Thanks
microppose.com/
Your liquid jars you made once colinized can you also make a bunch of innockulated syringes. Sorry I'm new. Love your video just found you and subscribed.
Cool, thank you and welcome to the channel. Yes, once your jar is colonized, you can pull hundreds of syringes from that single jar and use them to make grain spawn. Then, once your grain spawn is ready, you can spawn that to your substrate. If you want to see the next step (using your LC to make grain spawn) check out this video:
ruclips.net/video/iWKnTKRwsU8/видео.html
@@RenegadeMushrooms awesome I really appreciate your help. I will check that video out with others. Thanks 👌
I love your videos. the more I watch your presentation, the more I am interested in running this business. I have questions, I want to start this business but I am wondering if there are markets that I can sell them.
I wrote this to another subscriber who asked the same question.
"I started out my online business 15 years ago intending for it to be primarily gourmet. I quickly realized 95% of my customers were looking for medicinal so I shifted gears. Nowadays I have an Etsy site where I sell both (dried product), but the majority of my business is still medicinal. Online you will fair better going dried medicinal product IMO. There is a high demand, and a shortage, of USA grown high quality medicinal mushrooms. As far as the fresh gourmets go, target local high end restaurants and develop relationships with the chefs, that's where the money is. Dry your unsold gourmet product and market it online. Just my 2 cents."
@@RenegadeMushrooms Thank you very much my friend. Have a blessed night
@@RenegadeMushrooms Just did a quick search for "Renegade" on Etsy and nothing came up. What is the name of your shop?
@zumbapatty4988 I don't have one anymore. I quit selling a little while ago to focus on the RUclips deal.
@@RenegadeMushrooms I don't blame you. I sell my soaps and other health products there and they just about make it impossible to make a profit with all their fees! Thanks!
Hope all is going well. I followed the video and expanded my lc. I made the lc a few months ago, I used the expanded lc and produced mushrooms. I have stirred with magnetic sticks weekly. I’ve noticed the lc still has an amber color, the mycelium at the bottom appears good, but I’m getting a white mass floating on top of the lc. Is that contamination? How do I test the lc to verify it is ok to use? Thank you for your help.
That is totally normal that jars form that white mat on top. The mycelium takes off on the surface because of the FAE. I would guess that your jars are still fine, but you can test them on a small grain jar (I usually use half or quarter pints). You can also test them on agar if you have a flowhood.
Thank you very much for the reply. What is fae? Filtered air exchange? I’m glad to hear you think they’re fine, I will do a small test.
Instead of peptone could I use molasses?
Peptone is not a sugar, it's a separate nutritional additive. You can skip the peptone and just use karo syrup. The mycelium will grow more slowly, but it will work fine.
Good morning, I have another question. Can I use Agave instead of corn syrup?
Most natural sugars work, but I've never heard of anyone trying agave. Try it out and let us know.
after the first pick do you have to do anything to the block in preparation
for the 2nd or 3rd flushes
Typically no. With most gourmets you just keep the block in humid conditions and they will flush again. If pins form under the plastic you may need to cut some new holes and set them free.
Man Great Video Bro quick question do you by chance have the link on where you purchased your soy peptone? I wanted the non gmo kind thanks a million 👌🏻
www.shroomsupply.com/agar-culture-media/bottled-media-mixes-additives/soy-peptone
👍
@@RenegadeMushrooms Thank you so much my friend!!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻