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Growing Media Recipes
Because a different mediums are required at different stages of the mushroom life cycle, we have developed several formulas which provide the optimal nutrient profile, pH balance, & microbial content for each respective stage of growth.
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*We recommend that only experienced growers who have had success growing in the past & who possess specialty equipment like a Laminar Flow Hood experiment with Liquid Cultures and Agar Petri dishes*
Liquid Culture Recipe
Supplies needed for this recipe:
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Rag or paper towel
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Measuring cup
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Distilled/RO water PH 7.0
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Sterilizer/Pressure Cooker
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Erlenmeyer Flask (1000mL or 2000mL)
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Cotton batting (if using Erlenmeyer flasks)
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Scissors (for cotton batting - if using flasks)
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Step 1: Put on your PPE (gloves, mask, hairnet)
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Step 2: Soak the rag or heavy-duty paper towel with isopropyl alcohol and wipe down the surface that you will be working on. Wipe down the magnetic spinners and scale too.
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Step 3: Take the clean and sterile measuring cup and put it on the scale. Tare the scale.
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Step 4: Add 40 grams of Spores Lab Liquid Culture Formula to the measuring cup and mix well to ensure proper distribution of the ingredients in this mix.
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Step 5: Add 800 to 1000mL (depending on the size of your jar/flask) of distilled water to the clean and sterile flask/mason jar and place the container on the large magnetic spinner. Slowly add the dry mixture to the container in three parts. This is to prevent clumping.
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Step 6: Disinfect the large (25mm) magnetic spinner bar. Insert the large magnetic spinner bar into the flask, place flask on the magnetic spinner and allow the mixture to spin for 10 minutes.
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Step 7: While the mixture is spinning, disinfect a pair of scissors and use those scissors to cut a piece of cotton batting widthwise. Fold the piece of cotton twice and roll it up. Note: designate a pair of scissors to use for this task only and store these scissors in a glass of isopropyl alcohol. Scissors can easily pick up bacteria and spread it to your liquid culture if you are not careful. Note: This is not necessary if using mason jars.
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Step 8: Disinfect the magnetic spinner wand. After the mixture has been spinning for 10 minutes, remove the large magnetic spinner bar with the wand. Immediately disinfect the wand with isopropyl alcohol. These wands are especially prone to attracting mold and bacteria and it is important to keep them very clean and sterile. Now disinfect the small (15mm) magnetic spinner bar and add it to the flask.
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Step 9: Finally, put the cotton in the mouth (opening) of the flask, or put the lid on the mason jar.
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Step 10: Place container in sterilizer, and sterilize for 60 minutes.
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Step 11: Once sterilizer has cooled, remove the container and inoculate your LC medium within 24hrs.
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Step 12: Inoculate by either blending an agar plate in a sterilized Eberbach container using the Waring Blender Base (see supply list) and adding this blended agar to the LC medium, or by finely slicing the agar with a scalpel and placing the small chunks of agar in the LC medium. Smaller chunks are better.
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Step 13: After inoculation, place flask on the magnetic spinner and dial the spinner until the mixture is spinning, but at the slowest speed possible. Keep an eye on the spinner and adjust speed if necessary.
Agar Culture Recipe
Supplies needed for this recipe:
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Funnel
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Whisk
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Rag or paper towel
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2 measuring cups
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Distilled water
Step 1: Put on your PPE (gloves, mask, hairnet)
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Step 2: Soak the rag or heavy-duty paper towel with isopropyl alcohol and wipe down the surface that you will be working on. Wipe down the scale too.
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Step 3: Take the first clean and sterile measuring cup and put it on the scale. Tare the scale. Also, turn on the electric sterilizer.
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Step 4: Add 45 grams of MYCO-PRO™ Agar Petri Dish Formula to the measuring cup.
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Step 5: Measure out 1000mL of water into the second clean and sterile measuring bowl. Now add the dry mixture to the distilled water in three parts. Whisk continuously while adding the dried mixture as this prevents clumping.
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Step 6: Take the clean and sterile funnel and flask and put the funnel into the mouth of the flask. Pour the agar mixture through the funnel and into the flask. Try to pour the mixture straight and do not let the mixture touch the sides of the flask. Give the mixture a swirl once it is in the flask and continue to swirl the mixture often while completing step 7 to prevent clumping.
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Step 7: Cut a 6" cotton batting strip. Fold the strip three times and roll it up. Put the cotton in the mouth (opening) of the flask.
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Step 8: Sterilize your working surface and the outside and lid of your sterilizer with a rag or heavy-duty paper towel that has been soaked in isopropyl alcohol.
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Step 9: Place the flask with the agar mixture into the sterilizer/pressure cooker. Secure the lid and sterilize for 60 minutes at 15 PSI.
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Step 10. Set the clean and sterile petri dishes in front of the flow hood. Remove the flask of agar medium from the sterilizer as soon as the sterilizer has cooled, and wait until the flask is about 60 degrees Celsius before pouring (measure this with a temperature gun). Carefully pour the agar medium evenly into the prepared petri dishes. Place the lid on the petri dishes and let the dishes set overnight in front of the flow hood.
Fruiting Medium Recipe
Supplies needed for this recipe:
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Mixing Tub
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Mixing Tool (shovel)
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Coconut Coir
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Worm Castings
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Spaghum Peat Moss
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Medium grind Vermiculite
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Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3)
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Electric Sterilizer OR Conventional Oven
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Distilled OR Reverse Osmosis OR pH 7 water
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*MYCO-PRO™ Fruiting Medium can be used in place of Vermiculite/Coco/Peat/CaCO3/Worm Castings
Step 1: Mix Vermiculite and Coconut Coir in the mixing tub at a 50/50 ratio.
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Step 2: Add 100 grams of powdered CaCO3, 500 grams of Peat Moss, and 300 grams of worm castings for every 10kg (or 40 Litres) of dry mix.
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Step 3: Mix these ingredients well.
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Step 4: Add approximately 1.25L of water for every 1kg of dry mix
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Step 5: Keep mixing and adding small amounts of water until the medium drips when lightly squeezed. The reason we recommend starting with 1.25L of water for every 10kg of mix, then adding water as needed is due to variance in hydration level of the input ingredients from different suppliers. Alternatively, if you use MYCO-PRO™ Fruiting Medium, simply add 1.25 litres of water for every 1kg of dry mix for perfect moisture content.
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Step 6: Place the medium in a Type 14A 0.5 micron filter autoclavable bag and cook the medium at 15PSI for 120 minutes OR place the medium in a Type 14A 0.5 micron filter autoclavable bag and cook in a conventional oven at 180 Fahrenheit for 6 hours.
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*If using a sterilizer don’t forget to cut a small slit in the corner of the bag so it does not rupture during sterilization*
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Step 7: Remove the sterilized fruiting medium from the cooker/oven, let cool, and mix it with colonized grain spawn to create a Fruiting Tray.
Casing Medium Recipe
Supplies needed for this recipe:
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Mixing Tub
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Mixing Tool (shovel)
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Coconut Coir
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Worm Castings
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Spaghum Peat Moss
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Medium grind Vermiculite
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Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3)
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Electric Sterilizer OR Conventional Oven
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Distilled OR Reverse Osmosis OR pH 7 water
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*MYCO-PRO™ Casing Medium can be used in place of Vermiculite/Coco/Peat/CaCO3/Worm Castings
Step 1: Mix Vermiculite and Coconut Coir in the mixing tub at a 50/50 ratio.
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Step 2: Add 100 grams of powdered CaCO3, 2000 grams of Peat Moss, and 300 grams of worm castings for every 10kg (or 40 Litres) of dry mix.
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Step 3: Mix these ingredients well.
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Step 4: Add 1.25L of water for every 1kg of dry mix
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Step 5: Keep mixing and adding small amounts of water until the medium drips when lightly squeezed. The reason we recommend starting with 1.25L of water for every 10kg of mix, then adding water as needed is due to variance in hydration level of the input ingredients from different suppliers. Alternatively, if you use MYCO-PRO™ Casing Medium, simply add 1.25 litres of water for every 1kg of dry mix for perfect moisture content.
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Step 6: Place the medium in a Type 14A 0.5 micron filter autoclavable bag and cook the medium at 15PSI for 120 minutes OR place the medium in a Type 14A 0.5 micron filter autoclavable bag and cook in a conventional oven at 180 Fahrenheit for 6 hours.
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*If using a sterilizer don’t forget to cut a small slit in the corner of the bag so it does not rupture during sterilization*
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Step 7: Remove the sterilized fruiting medium from the cooker/oven, let cool, and apply a 1/2" casing layer to a fully incubated fruiting container.