> GEAR LIST // LAB 01

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Everything I use for culture work, grouped by protocol. Items marked start here are the minimum kit: enough to pour agar, make liquid culture and run grain spawn. Upgrade the rest as you go.

This list covers what to buy. The step-by-step methods are in Lab Protocols Vol. 01, coming soon.

PROTOCOL 00 // STERILIZATION

Kill everything in your media, then keep it out while you work.

• Pressure cookerstart here Sterilizes agar, broth and grain. Nothing else reaches the temperature you need.

  Look for

  Holds 15 PSI, fits several quart jars

  Budget

  A basic 16 qt stovetop canner

  Upgrade

  A heavy-duty canner with a metal-to-metal seal

  I use

  Presto 01784 (works on induction)

  Link coming soon
• Still air boxstart here A clear tote with arm holes. Still air keeps spores from landing in your work.

  Look for

  Clear tote, about 60 to 100 qt

  Upgrade

  A laminar flow hood

  Link coming soon
• 70% isopropyl alcohol and a spray bottlestart here Wipes down every surface, tool and glove before work. 70% kills better than 99%. Link coming soon
• Nitrile glovesstart here Spray them, work, spray again. Your hands carry more contamination than anything else. Link coming soon
• Alcohol lamp or butane torch lighter Flames scalpels and needles red-hot between transfers. Link coming soon

PROTOCOL 01 // AGAR

Grow a culture you can see, inspect and clean up.

• Agar powderstart here The gel that holds your nutrient media. Link coming soon
• Light malt extractstart here The food in malt extract agar. Light extract keeps plates clear enough to read. Link coming soon
• Petri dishes, 90 mmstart here Pre-sterilized plastic plates for pouring. Link coming soon
• Parafilmstart here Seals plates so they stay clean while they grow. Link coming soon
• Scalpel and blades Cuts clean wedges from the leading edge of a colony. Link coming soon
• Digital scale, 0.1 g Agar recipes are measured in grams. Kitchen scales aren't precise enough. Link coming soon
• Activated charcoal Turns agar black, which makes white mycelium and contamination easier to see. Link coming soon

PROTOCOL 02 // LIQUID CULTURE

Multiply a clean culture fast, in sugar broth.

• Jars with injection-port and filter-patch lidsstart here Let you add and draw culture by needle, while air exchanges through the filter. Link coming soon
• Syringes and needlesstart here Move liquid culture into grain without opening the jar. Link coming soon
• Magnetic stirrer and stir bars Breaks up mycelium clumps so every syringe draws evenly. A glass marble and shaking works too. Link coming soon

PROTOCOL 03 // GRAIN SPAWN

Turn a small clean culture into a jar of colonized grain.

• Grain: popcorn or wheatstart here The food your mycelium colonizes. Popcorn is cheap and resists bursting. Link coming soon
• Wide-mouth quart jarsstart here Pair with filter-patch lids. Wide mouths make shaking and transfers easier. Link coming soon
• Gypsum A pinch per jar keeps grains from clumping and adds calcium. Link coming soon
• Drying rack with mesh Surface-dries grain before jarring. Wet grain is the top cause of bacterial contamination.

  I use

  A PVC frame with wire mesh, built in the lab

  Link coming soon