What is Mushroom Liquid Culture?
Mushroom Liquid Culture is a sterile mixture of water and one of a few specific sugars. (we will tell you how to make liquid culture below). The purpose of this nutritious mixture is to develop mycelium growth, once it has been inoculated with mushroom spores.
You could think of liquid culture asmycelium floating in a nutrient broth. Liquid culture makes inoculating substrates easier. Once the mycelium has established itself in the nutritious, sugary broth, the mycelium-rich mixture can be inoculated onto a substrate of your choice or stored as a living mushroom culture.
Advantages of using Mushroom Liquid Culture
- The risk of contamination is lower
- According toLiquid Culture Shroomery, using liquid culture reduces incubation time
- Limitless mycelium growth – once mycelium starts developing, it doesn’t stop
What are the disadvantages of using Mushroom Liquid Culture?
- A sterile working environment is essential
- Better suited for advanced mushroom cultivation
- You can’t see contamination in liquid culture. You will only know your mixture is contaminated when you use it.
What you will need:
- Grain spawn jar, also known as an airport jar
- Pressure cooker
- 10ml syringes
- Needles (Note: the bigger the number, the smaller the needle. We recommend 18 gauge)
- One of the following sugars, to mix with water: organic honey, corn syrup, corn sugar, light malt extract, dextrose (glucose).
Sucrose (household sugar) shouldnotbe used. For this guide, we chose honey.
What is the best sugar to water ratio?
A ratio of 4% is best.
This equates to 4cc, 4ml, or 1 teaspoon of honey per 100ml of water.
A 3% to 5% ratio is fine, but be aware, too much sugar (10% and more) is harmful to mycelium.
A step-by-step guide to making your own mushroom liquid culture:
- Carefully measure and mix the sugar you choose with water in the jar. Warm water will help the sugar dissolve quickly, but it is optional.
- Put the lid on the jar.
- Cover the top of the jar with aluminum foil and put it in a pressure cooker.
- Cook at 15 psi for no longer than 15-20 minutes. Over-cooking the sugar will lead to caramelization, which will result in poor to no mycelium growth.
- Allow the pressure cooker to cool off naturally before removing the jar. Be careful. The jar will be very hot.
- Allow the jar and contents to reach room temperature.
- Add some mother culture to your liquid culture. (more on where you can buy your mother culture below).
Important Note:
If you are not using an airport jar, don’t remove the lid until you are ready to inoculate your substrate and replace the lid as soon as you are done. This will prevent airborne contaminants from entering the jar and ruining your mycelium.
How to add mother culture to your liquid culture
Once your jars have cooled after being in the pressure cooker, you can add a few ccs of mother culture. Shake the mother culture briskly to break up the mycelium.
If you are using a syringe needle for the first time, it should be sterile. If not, use a lighter or candle to sterilize the needle by holding it in the flame until it is red hot.Careful now!Use an alcohol wipe to cool the needle down.
Insert the needle through the self-healing injection hole in your airport jar lid and inject 1 to 2ml of liquid culture into the jar. Repeat if you have more than one jar.
What to do with a jar of mushroom liquid culture
Simply leave it on the shelf and wait for it to grow. Most mushroom cultures grow best at around 77°F (25 °C). Any variation in this temperature will cause them to grow more slowly.
Do not disturb the jars for 4 to 5 days. During this time, the mycelium enters its growth stage, and you will see it grow as it consumes the sugar. After the initial resting period, you should swirl the culture every couple of days to break up the mycelium and introduce oxygen into the culture.
When the mycelium has grown and almost fills the jar, vigorously agitate the liquid culture to break the mycelium up as much as possible. When you are ready to inoculate your substrate, transfer the culture to agar, or share some with your friends, tilt the jar so that the liquid reaches the injection port and, with a sterile syringe and needle, suck the culture into the syringe until it’s full.
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FAQs
How much of my mushroom liquid culture syringe should I inject into my research substrate? You should inject 5cc (or mL) of your MYYCO syringe into your research substrate. Too much can cause too damp of an environment and create mold or rot and too little will not allow for proper microscopic research.
How do you make liquid culture solution? ›
To make liquid culture, mix a sugar source (like light malt extract or honey) with water, sterilize the solution, and then introduce mushroom mycelium. Use a canning jar with an airport lid for the culture and a pressure cooker for sterilization.
Should I buy liquid culture or spores? ›
Liquid Culture vs.
spores revolves around speed and diversity. Liquid culture accelerates mycelium growth, boasts higher success rates, and lowers contamination risks—ideal for beginners and seasoned growers. Spores, however, embrace genetic diversity, paving the way for a more organic cultivation process.
Can I use sugar for liquid culture? ›
How do you make a liquid culture solution? Most growers agree that 4% sugar to water is the best ratio, but anywhere from 3% to 5% will be fine. The amount of water and nutrients required will depend on the size of your jars. But generally, aim to fill your jars to around 80%.
How much liquid culture should you use? ›
How much liquid culture you need is depending on the medium you are inoculating. If you are using our sterilised grain bags we recommend that you use 10 ml of liquid culture per bag. You can use less but it will slow down the process while increasing the risk of failure.
How do you know if liquid culture has gone bad? ›
Cloudiness: A clear liquid culture should remain transparent. Cloudiness or turbidity can indicate the presence of bacteria or fungal contamination.
How much liquid culture per quart jar? ›
Inoculating Grain from a Syringe
Then you can quickly lift the lid of the grain jar and inject the syringe. The first bit of liquid will cool down the syringe. Usually about 1 – 2 CC's of liquid culture is sufficient per quart sized grain jar.
What does a healthy liquid culture look like? ›
A good liquid culture will often be a tiny bit cloudy and then clear up.
How often do you stir liquid culture? ›
Several hours of spinning could be harmful. After spinning new LC for about a week at 7 minutes a day, your LC is ready for testing on an agar dish. I like using 60 mm dishes, small and will tell you if the culture is clean and healthy. Hopefully your LC is clean and can be stored in the fridge for 6 months use.
Can liquid culture go bad? ›
Usage and Shelf Life
While liquid cultures can be stored for many months, we recommend using them within six months for the best results.
This should take 10-14 days at warmer temperatures, or 16-21 days at temperatures around 70 degrees. Please research the specific species of mushroom you are cultivating in order to incubate at correct temperature.
How fast does mycelium grow in liquid culture? ›
Initial mycelium growth is visible within 1-3 weeks of inoculating your pod with spores or liquid culture. Full colonization usually occurs within 4-5 weeks, though it can sometimes take longer.
How to make mushroom liquid? ›
The Tincture Recipe
- Soak 1/2 of the mushrooms in 190 proof Everclear for 2 weeks, shaking regularly. ...
- Strain, retaining mushroom solids, and set aside liquid.
- Add unused 1/2 of mushrooms to the alcohol drained mushroom solids and soak in hot water (130-160 degrees) for 12 hours using a crockpot set to warm.
Here's my video on how to make liquid culture! For Karo, Honey, and Corn Syrup use 20grams per 500ml of water(4% sugar content). For Light Malt Extract and masters mix use 1g per 500ml (about 1/4tsp).
How long should liquid culture take? ›
Mycelium will incubate anywhere from 70-86 degrees Fahrenheit depending on the specific strain. Allow the bag to fully colonize (turn completely white). This should take 10-14 days at warmer temperatures, or 16-21 days at temperatures around 70 degrees.
Can liquid culture get contaminated? ›
In my experience, most all liquid cultures will contain some amount of bacteria unless you have gone with a clean room and flow hood, and in fact most all substrates do contain a tiny bit of bacteria that is introduced during the inoculation with spores or liquid culture.
How many spores do you inject into liquid culture? ›
All you need to do is inject around 1ml of spores into the liquid culture vial, then shake.
