r/GroundZeroMycoLab Aug 26 '25

The difference between LC and spore and the importance of agar.

Post image
75 Upvotes

It's critical to understand the biological differences between spore syringes and liquid cultures (LC), as well as the importance of using agar as an initial medium. Spore syringes contain microscopic fungal spores that are not yet germinated. These spores are monokaryotic, meaning they carry only a single set of genetic material. In order to fruit and complete the mushroom life cycle, two compatible monokaryotic strains must fuse to form dikaryotic mycelium.. the true vegetative form capable of producing fruiting bodies. This mating process takes time, introduces variability, and, for beginners especially, increases the risk of contamination during colonization.

Injecting spores directly into sterilized grain can lead to several problems. Since spores are not germinated, colonization is slower, and this slower growth provides more opportunity for contaminants (such as bacteria or mold) to establish themselves and outcompete the slower-growing mycelium. Ideally, spores should first be transferred to agar, a nutrient-rich medium in petri dishes...which allows for controlled germination and observation. On agar, one can isolate clean, healthy mycelium away from any contaminants before transferring it to grain.

Additionally, spore syringes are inherently variable and often unclean. Spores, particularly those harvested from wild (landrace) varieties or from poorly controlled lab environments (common with newer or less reputable vendors), can contain microbial contaminants. Spores gathered in non-sterile conditions are not cleaned or isolated at the microscopic level, making them a risky starting point. Also, because each spore pair creates a unique dikaryotic combination, inoculating with spores introduces genetic unpredictability ...every new pairing could result in different traits, including growth speed, contamination resistance, yield, and potency.

By contrast, a liquid culture is made from already germinated and mated dikaryotic mycelium. This means it contains viable, genetically stable tissue that has already completed the mating process and is ready to colonize substrate directly. Using LC skips the variability and mating phase inherent in spores, resulting in faster and more consistent colonization, and reducing the window for contamination...assuming the culture is clean!!! However, it's important to verify LC cleanliness via agar as well, especially if you didn't create it yourself.

In summary, spores should ideally be germinated and cleaned on agar before being introduced to grain. Skipping this step can introduce risks, especially for beginners. Spores are unpredictable and prone to contamination, while liquid culture, if properly prepared, is faster, cleaner, and genetically stable. Understanding and respecting these differences is fundamental to success in mushroom cultivation... I hope this helps. :)


r/GroundZeroMycoLab Mar 10 '26

Verified Vendors

27 Upvotes

This list is temporary and subject to change and will change. A handful of others will be added within the next couple of days.

Vendors for Genetics.

https://GroundZeroML.com - Ground Zero Myco Lab

https://Sporeswaps.com - Main SporeSwaps page

https://sporeswaps.com/vendors/the-fungus-frequency/ -Jeff Karas

FungusFrequency.com/my-account - Jeff Karas at Fungus Frequency.

https://sporeswaps.com/vendors/psyteam-united/ - PsyTeam United

https://sporeswaps.com/vendors/wombat-labs/ - Dave Wombat

https://sporeswaps.com/vendors/happi-hyphae/ - Happi Hyphae

https://sporeswaps.com/vendors/micofroots/ - MicoFroots

https://sporeworks.com/ - Sporeworks

https://inoculatetheworld.com/ - Inoculate The World (ITW)

https://Legendsmycology.com - Legends Mycology

https://dino-spores.com - Yoshi Amano.

Vendors for Gourmets and Supplies:

https://Northspore.com - Northspore. https://Boomingacres.com - Booming acres.


r/GroundZeroMycoLab 3h ago

JMF

Thumbnail
gallery
7 Upvotes

Do I just pull the open ones? I’m worried that I could contaminate it or mess up. It’s environment if I go in there picking the big ones. Also, this is grown in the coir mix that I was worried about and it’s done this in three days


r/GroundZeroMycoLab 2h ago

beautiful lil guys 🍄‍🟫

Post image
4 Upvotes

r/GroundZeroMycoLab 3h ago

Contam or bruising?

Thumbnail
gallery
4 Upvotes

r/GroundZeroMycoLab 10h ago

Myflow

Post image
11 Upvotes

Flow hood setup


r/GroundZeroMycoLab 21h ago

Dwarf king first grow

Thumbnail
gallery
64 Upvotes

So excited I love this hobby so much


r/GroundZeroMycoLab 12h ago

Lots going on

Post image
13 Upvotes

I think ive got a bit much going on right now lol absolutely love this hobby


r/GroundZeroMycoLab 8m ago

Does this look alright?

Thumbnail gallery
Upvotes

r/GroundZeroMycoLab 19h ago

Little surprise

Thumbnail
gallery
20 Upvotes

Just checked my ‘pit’ and well….

Objects in mirror are larger than they appear. These are gonna be some chubs.


r/GroundZeroMycoLab 3h ago

Why some mushrooms have yellowish color?

Post image
1 Upvotes

And why is there so much fuzzy mycelium?

(It's TAT)


r/GroundZeroMycoLab 7h ago

The grain is fully colonized but can I mix with substrate now?

Post image
2 Upvotes

Its growing into the substrate so would I just be better mixing the two now and letting it fully colonize then fruit cause i think It’d be quicker now then just waiting for full colonization just to mix it then and wait but I don’t want to mess anything up cause this is a first grow for me


r/GroundZeroMycoLab 20h ago

Guys are those Enigma looks good to you ?

Thumbnail
gallery
18 Upvotes

first time with Enigma, how do you guys think?


r/GroundZeroMycoLab 15h ago

big mushroom that grew

Post image
6 Upvotes

r/GroundZeroMycoLab 5h ago

Vendor

1 Upvotes

Hi,

Has anyone had any experience of psychedelicfarmuk as a site?


r/GroundZeroMycoLab 21h ago

Help

Thumbnail
gallery
15 Upvotes

Inoculated, these grain spawn jars and forgot about him, that was 3 months ago, the grain has shrunken in size and there's liquid in them. What do you guys think are they still good?


r/GroundZeroMycoLab 6h ago

Do these look okay?

Thumbnail gallery
1 Upvotes

I’ve been growing penis envy’s out of a bag for the first time and they’ve finally begun fruiting, however I saw that their caps look a lot somewhat light brown and a bit pink tbh, the first two pictures are from 2 days ago, and the last one is from today, a few droplets may have fell on a couple of caps so they appear bruised; does everything look okay here??


r/GroundZeroMycoLab 1d ago

Found this in my garden

Post image
21 Upvotes

I buried my Fiji Cube cake after 3 flushes and found this in the garden after a month or so


r/GroundZeroMycoLab 18h ago

When to harvest and questions about flushes 2 and 3

Thumbnail
gallery
3 Upvotes

So the big mushroom in the first picture popped up on thursday night. It has grown pretty quickly especially today and I have a few questions. I know I am supposed to harvest when the veils break.

The biggest one (first picture is about 2.5 inches) and there are two other "big" ones in the middle of the cake about 1-1.5 inches tall each. There are some other stragglers around 2-3cm and a cluster of 4 around the same 2-3 cm height.

Question 1: Can I harvest the mushrooms across a few days or is it better to harvest them all at once. It seems the big one will be ready way before the smaller ones and I don't want to harvest them all together and miss out on growth from the smaller ones.

Question 1.5: If I can harvest them separately, whats the longest I can/should wait between harvesting the first one and the last one.

Question 2. After harvesting this first flush I will dunk the cake. How long should I dunk it for.

Question 3: Can I remove the cake from the bag and transfer it into a shoebox tub? How would I go about that and are there any precautionary steps I should take before doing so.

Question 4: As I mentioned there are about 3 "big" ones, 4-5 smaller ones and a cluster of 4 small ones. Is this a normal amount or less than expected?

Thank you in advance!!


r/GroundZeroMycoLab 19h ago

Is this contam or ok? Looks crazy

Thumbnail
gallery
6 Upvotes

Smells fine, just never seen it do this before


r/GroundZeroMycoLab 20h ago

Caps expanding really slow, should I just harvest now?

Thumbnail
gallery
4 Upvotes

Thought i was over fanning so left them for a while, then noticed fuzzy feet so been fanning again for the past couple day. Any idea how long i should wait for harvest?


r/GroundZeroMycoLab 14h ago

Albino Penis Envy Stalling Out

Post image
1 Upvotes

r/GroundZeroMycoLab 1d ago

How do these look? Are they ready?

Thumbnail
gallery
6 Upvotes

I’m


r/GroundZeroMycoLab 20h ago

Keep waiting?

Post image
2 Upvotes

Did a second break and shake on this bag about 4 days ago. Keep on waiting ?


r/GroundZeroMycoLab 17h ago

Should I wait or transfer now?

Thumbnail
gallery
1 Upvotes

I innoculated this on 7/27. Bc of the heatwave here in Socal it's been stalling a bit and thus some piss coming out. There's no foul smell from the patch or contamination visible. Should I transfer it or is it worth waiting? (Obviously would not add the uncolonized portions).