Cloning Baby Portabello's from walmart

[limeade]

yes, im trying it, off to take some pics.

[wildburr]

Cool, cant wait to see how it works for you.

[BuckarooBanzai]

Getting a clean clone is most assuredly do-able (especially with a transfer or two). Great practice for mastering cloning.

Fruiting 'em is another matter, though. Portobellos are actually a strain of Agaricus bisporus, so you can use the same process to grow them (LOTS of info out there about cultivating A. bisporus).

The problem (if you even want to call it that) comes in the casing layer. Unlike cubies, Agaricus will not fruit properly without a casing layer.

Further, said casing layer needs to be biologically "live" (i.e. not sterilized and not Pasteurized). Something about the bacteria (I think it's a bacterial response - fuzzy today) in "living" soil trips off the fruiting response.

This is where you will discover one of the more interesting things about this hobby that I have learned - cubies are just about the easiest to grow mushrooms on the planet.

G'luck and keep us posted!

[Myc]

Currently working on some grocery store clones myself
I've found that they do well on MEA
Rye grass seed as a spawn substrate is best
I used Lazlo's advice and have had great success after many failures

The hardest part of the operation
Was cleaning up a bacterial infection which wouldn't seem to go away
It even wound up in the spawn jars from transfers of, for all appearances, "clean" agar culture.
It's taken me 9 months to finally have a colonized substrate
Be patient
Good luck
And keep us posted!

[limeade]

I ended up finding i had a lot of cleaning to do before i took cuttings, ie; my work space, the glove box, utensils, the room next to it is wasted, so yeah, im going to get my place back in order and take the cuttings and the pictures in a few hours yet.

BUT, im still doing this

[limeade]

Originally Posted by Myc

Currently working on some grocery store clones myself
I've found that they do well on MEA
Rye grass seed as a spawn substrate is best
I used Lazlo's advice and have had great success after many failures

The hardest part of the operation
Was cleaning up a bacterial infection which wouldn't seem to go away
It even wound up in the spawn jars from transfers of, for all appearances, "clean" agar culture.
It's taken me 9 months to finally have a colonized substrate
Be patient
Good luck
And keep us posted!

this is the problem

I have maybe 40 plates.
I have to give 10 to APE1.0
10 to Penis Envy
10 to Palenque

so, hoping 10 plates would be enough for this transfer, and I HIGHLY expect some sort of bacterial cntams.

[BuckarooBanzai]

Do you make your own plates?

If not...may I suggest:
http://forums.mycotopia.net/fungi-gr...zai-style.html

[limeade]

Originally Posted by BuckarooBanzai

Do you make your own plates?

If not...may I suggest:
http://forums.mycotopia.net/fungi-gr...zai-style.html

I don't, quite honestly i waste money on ordering 20 pack sleeves of plastic ones, I don't even make my own agar, i order it pre made, at least im not so lazy i order pre poured,

I really want to be able to make my own, pour it in 1/2 pints, and go with it.
but i already devote so much time to everything else in my hobby

[BuckarooBanzai]

Waste is a relative term, man! Time is the most precious commodity on the planet.

[limeade]

Originally Posted by BuckarooBanzai

Waste is a relative term, man! Time is the most precious commodity on the planet.

this is true, but im about to get my glove box ready after i eat some food.
was thinking of peroxidating the agar, but still haven't decided, every time I attempt this i get frazzled with all the details.

[BuckarooBanzai]

Perioxidated agar works, but it is a bitch to get just right. If the agar is too hot, it just burns the peroxide off quickly. If the agar is too cool, the peroxide can actually cause it to gel too quickly and become "unpourable" (better words are available, I'm sure, but that is the one I came up with).

[livewire420]

check this one out its by lazlo
http://forums.mycotopia.net/agar-str...ntiseptic.html (Using NON-IODIZED salt for a culturing antiseptic)

[limeade]

Originally Posted by BuckarooBanzai

Perioxidated agar works, but it is a bitch to get just right. If the agar is too hot, it just burns the peroxide off quickly. If the agar is too cool, the peroxide can actually cause it to gel too quickly and become "unpourable" (better words are available, I'm sure, but that is the one I came up with).

yeah that's good advice,

i knew that all this could happen, the heat burning it off, or making it cool too quickly and become unpourable. Now that I have everything in place, i may just wait till morning to do it. only thing left is to pour plates.

[limeade]

Originally Posted by livewire420

check this one out its by lazlo
http://forums.mycotopia.net/agar-str...ntiseptic.html (Using NON-IODIZED salt for a culturing antiseptic)

i've looked at this aseptic technique before, and this tek in fact.

I'm sitting with a quart of vac sealed MeA, so im not sure if adding the salt right before pouring would work, i know 5ml of h2o2 at 135*F should work, for both keeping the h2o2 in tact, and still being able to pour plate.

[Myc]

Never used the salt before
But the H202 agar is pretty easy and very effective

Well worth the time IMO

[limeade]

Originally Posted by Myc

Never used the salt before
But the H202 agar is pretty easy and very effective

Well worth the time IMO

at about what temperature do you add it to your agar.

[Myc]

I don't measure temperature but I've gotten good at geusstimating
I use this tek to "pour" agar using 60cc syringes
http://forums.mycotopia.net/faq-freq...zai-style.html (Agar for the masses - Banzai Style!)
I just draw up a little less than one cc of H2O2
Then fill the syringe with the liquid (but not hot) agar
I haven't even been shaking it up or anything
Just pouring right away
It works very well for me.

[limeade]

Originally Posted by Myc

I don't measure temperature but I've gotten good at geusstimating
I use this tek to "pour" agar using 60cc syringes
http://forums.mycotopia.net/faq-freq...zai-style.html (Agar for the masses - Banzai Style!)
I just draw up a little less than one cc of H2O2
Then fill the syringe with the liquid (but not hot) agar
I haven't even been shaking it up or anything
Just pouring right away
It works very well for me.

yeah up until now i've done everything this way "by feel",
this is becoming alien to me, but i'll get it.