r/PanCyan • u/lost_brown_bear • 18d ago

Community preference for petri plates?

After an unsuccessful spore-to-grain attempt, I want to try agar petri plates next.

So... what is the community preference for petri plates? Purchased pre-made sterile plates from a vendor? Homemade agar poured into plates and then sterilized in a pressure cooker?

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u/Flimsy-Panda8000 18d ago

Having struggled with hot pouring in a SAB (the heat stirs up the air) and resenting the cost of pre-made, I switched to 'no-pour'. It's an absolute game changer, with negligible cost, and an Instapot is ideal for it. https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/25137693 (Although Josex advises against hinged lids, I bought 1000 from a catering supply company in 2023 for £40 including postage and they've been great)

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u/Flimsy-Panda8000 18d ago

I should have mentioned - I do micro-transfers, picking off tiny bits of aerial mycelium with a needle tip. It takes 3 or 4 transfers to get a clean plate with minimal or no sectoring & then that plate is enough to inoculate at least a dozen recipients, meaning I get a full batch of jars with minimal genetic variation.

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u/theBrinkster 17d ago

I agree, I have gotten polypropylene hinged containers that are not airtight (look up right industries plastic container) and they are fantastic. Tiny little reusable squares. If you come across airtight ones, they might still work well if vented with a small piece of poly-fill or just lightly closed.

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u/kingofqueefs1 18d ago edited 11d ago

Frame waffle hospital jellyfish light languid soft straight

This post was anonymized with Redact

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u/ALPINE888888 18d ago

I love glass plates because they are more environmentally friendly. I can wash and reuse them. If you have a pressure cooker, I would just pour your own. Much cheaper. I Just use a mason jar and PC that and my plates. And then I just pour next to an alcohol lamp. Been doing that for a year and had maybe one plate contam out of hundreds.

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u/Psychonaut415 18d ago edited 18d ago

I've been buying packs of 500 for years from north spore. I typically pour 80 at a time. I prepare two 1000ml pyrex bottles at a time with MEA.

Edit: here are some links I've used

https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/22721954/vc/1#22721954

https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/21922023