Tag: Petri dish

HOW TO CLONE MUSHROOMS

Freak of Natural Staff

  There are two main ways to clone a fruiting body of a mushroom: starting from a pin, which is a small specimen of a mushroom that has just popped, or through a small section of the inner tissue of a more mature mushroom. Personally I prefer to clone fruiting bodies that have already shown their characteristics taking a section from it. The section is usually taken from the stem where it meets the cap. Any residual tissue is removed from the stem, the hat is removed from the stem…

GROWING MUSHROOMS: MYCELIUM CULTURE MEDIA

Freak of Natural Staff

  When growing mushroom, culture media are usually medium solid and consist of a water base to which nutrients are added, and a compound with solidifying properties, which is normally Agar. The compound is mixed in the liquid phase, bringing the water in which the nutrients and Agar powder are dissolved to a boil. The liquid is sterilized and then poured into Petri dishes where it will cool and solidify to obtain a gelatinous consistency where it is possible to inoculate the mycelium to start the culture. The culture medium…

GROWING MUSHROOMS: THE SPORES

Freak of Natural Staff

  WHAT ARE MUSHROOMS SPORES? We know that re the spores that allow mushrooms propagation. They separate from the fungi and travel long distances thanks to the air currents until they fall on a suitable substrate, giving birth to another colony of mushrooms.   When we collect these spores, we can place them in a container containing substrate, and start cultivation. Growers do not normally use spores to grow mushrooms due to the high genetic variability. Each pair of spores will generate a different individual. This means that hundreds of…