Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) Liquid Mycelium in a Syringe 10 ml

Growing instructions

GROWING INSTRUCTIONS

Liquid mycelium is one of the best and fastest ways to “seed” mushroom growing substrates and grains. It is a mixture of sterilized water, malt extracts and live mycelium.

Why use liquid culture? Using a syringe, live mycelium can be easily injected (inoculated) into the substrate of choice, reducing the risk of contamination as the mycelium comes from a sterile environment and is injected into a new, also sterile, environment. In addition, the incubation time is significantly reduced and the colonization of the substrate or grain is faster.

How to store liquid mycelium? Store in the refrigerator at a temperature of 1-5°C. Unopened syringes of liquid mycelium can be stored in the refrigerator for three months, but not in the refrigerator for only one month.

Inoculation of grains with liquid mycelium

Cereal grains such as rye, wheat, oats, etc. are suitable for cultivation. Soak them for at least 12 hours before cooking. Then boil for 10-15 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the grains as they spoil more easily. Drain well after cooking. Place the prepared grains in filter bags, which you can also purchase from us, and sterilize in a pressure cooker. To do this, boil them for 1.5 hours at 15 PSI. When they are cooled, take them out and tape them up. Begin inoculation with liquid mycelium. First, you need to disinfect the selected puncture sites (spirit 70%, hydrogen peroxide). Then we inoculate the grain in several places in the bags and seal these places tightly with adhesive tape. After vaccination, place the grain bags in a room with a temperature of around 21°C. Space them out to allow air to circulate between them. After about 10 days, the colonization process will be visible. To speed up the further process, gently mix the grains in the bag.

One syringe can be enough for several bags of grain.

Inoculation of substrates with liquid mycelium

First, prepare the substrate for inoculation. To do this, pour the substrate (hardwood sawdust, chopped straw) into a bag with a microfilter, which you can buy from us. The water may be cold. Crimp the top of the bag with the fastening strap or tape it. Pasteurize them at 60°C for about 1 hour. It is important that the pasteurization temperature cannot exceed 70°C. Then take them out of the pot to cool. First, you need to disinfect the selected puncture sites (salicylic spirit, hydrogen peroxide). Then we graft the substrate in several places and seal these places tightly with adhesive tape. After vaccination, put the substrate bags in a clean place. Space them out to allow air to circulate between them. Growth temperature, humidity and light availability depend on the type of mycelium. After about 10 days, the colonization process will be visible.

One syringe of liquid mycelium can be enough to inoculate about 3 bags of substrate.

IMPORTANT! In both cases of vaccination, special attention should be paid to the moment of unscrewing the cap and screwing in the needle, when it is necessary to thoroughly disinfect the cap and the thread of the syringe. If we don’t, the negative pressure created by unscrewing the cap can attract bacteria or other airborne fungi into the syringe and contaminate our culture. If you haven’t used all the mycelium, don’t remove the needle, put it back in the bag and refrigerate.