Inoculating Grain Spawn with Liquid Culture

Materials Needed

- Ceres - Sterile grain 
- Liquid culture syringe with mushroom mycelium
- Sterile injection port or self-healing injection port
- Alcohol wipes or a sterilizing solution of 70% alcohol
- Gloves (optional but recommended)

Steps

1. Prepare Your Work Area:

- Ensure your workspace is clean to reduce contamination risk. Wipe down surfaces, hands and all items with alcohol or a sterilizing solution. 
- Wash your hands thoroughly and wear gloves if available.

2. Prepare Liquid Culture Syringe:

- Shake the liquid culture syringe gently to distribute the mycelium evenly.
- Gently pop the needle out of the paper container, while at the same time unscrew the cloured cap on the syrings.
- Immediatley screw the needle (with its plastic cap still on) straight on the syringe

3. Inject Liquid Culture:

- Swipe down with alcohol solution the black injection port on your Ceres bag
- Gently remove the cap on the needle and insert the syringe needle into the injection port and slowly inject the entire liquid culture.
- Slowly remove the needle once done. Discard needle and syringe.

4. Incubate:

- Place the inoculated grain spawn in a warm, dark and clean place (ideally between 20-25°C). Keep it upright making sure the filter has no contact with the grain inside and is able to breath properly
- Check periodically for signs of mycelium growth and contamination. Healthy mycelium will be white and fluffy, while contamination can appear in various colors (green, black, grey).

 

5. Colonization:

- Allow the grain spawn to fully colonize. This can take anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks depending on the species and environmental conditions.
- Once the grain is fully colonized, it is ready to be used for spawning to bulk substrate or fruiting.

 

Tips

- Always work in as clean an environment as possible to minimize contamination.
- Sterilize all tools and surfaces before and after the inoculation process.

By following these steps, you should be able to successfully inoculate grain spawn with liquid culture and start your mushroom cultivation journey.

Inoculating Substrate with Grain Spawn

Materials Needed

- Fully colonized grain spawn bag
- Sibilla - Sterilized bulk substrate
- Alcohol wipes or a sterilizing solution of 70% alcohol
- Gloves (optional but recommended)
-Clean working area, with no air draft
-Scissors
-Paper clips

 

Steps

1. Prepare Your Work Area:

- Ensure your workspace is clean to reduce contamination risk. Wipe down surfaces, hands and all items with alcohol or a sterilizing solution. 
- Wash your hands thoroughly and wear gloves if available.
-Make sure the room you choose to work in has all doors and windows closed, and no air conditioning. You want the environment to be still.

 

2. Break up your grain spawn:

- Before opening the grain spawn bag, break up the colonized grain to ensure it is evenly distributed. You can do this by shaking or bag, or by using your hands (with gloves) to crumble it apart.

 

3. Inoculate substrate bags:

- Cut open all three of your bags, just under the seal.
- Gently pour half of your grain spawn in each of the two substrate bags
- Make sure to keep the flaps of the substrate bags as close as possible minimizing the time the substrate is exposed to air
-As soon as you are done, roll up the top of the two sustrate bags, all the way to the bottom until air starts filling up betweent the top of the bag and the substrate, this will make the bag enlarge like a balloon, if you make sure to keep the top of the bag well folded. Use stop folding when you see resistance, and at this point shake the bag vigourously so that the grain spawn becomes mixed and evenly distributed within the substrate. 
- Roll the top of the bag, up again, but not all the way to the top. At this point use paper clips to keep the folds in place and therefore maitaing your bag completley seeled.

Follow this link for a visual rappresentation of this procedure. (The whole video is for a different kit, you can use as reference for certain similar procedures, but make sure to follow this guide)

 

4. Incubation:

- Place the inoculated substrate bagss in a warm, dark and clean place (ideally between 20-25°C). Keep it upright making sure the filter has no contact with the grain inside and is able to breath properly
- Check periodically for signs of mycelium growth and contamination. Healthy mycelium will be white and fluffy, while contamination can appear in various colors (green, black, grey).

Fruting your mushroom blocks

Materials Needed

- Knife
- Water sprayer

You can find the instruction for fruiting your mushroom blocks here!