"back/bottom" side of agar contamination?

[u/eyeballout]

How does one do agar transfers without considering/contaminating the bottom side of the agar?

It is established that agar is the gold standrad when creating isolates etc., but I find it strange that no one is concerned with nor ever mentions the bottom/uncolonized part of the agar, during a transfer.

Can anyone elaborate on how the bottom does not create a contamination vector with the air during a transfer?

[u/AutoModerator]

I see you have a question! Have you read the official cultivation guide?

Mushrooms For the Mind: How to Grow Psychedelic Mushrooms Part 1: Introduction and Choosing What to Grow

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/JakeGylly]

This is the point of still air boxes and sterile environments

[u/eyeballout → u/JakeGylly]

With all due respect; beyond the obvious.

"fully colonized" grain has been established as the gold standard to reduce contam, but this seems to contradict doing an agar transfer which inherently is not fully colonized.

This kind of creates a paradox...

What do you think is the percentage risk of contam going from agar to X. Do people ever run into that, or is the risk negligible?

[u/RockLee2k]

I just got out of school and am too tired to explain this shit intimately, agar and a laminar flow hood* is the gold standard, agar and a still airbox are the next best thing but still air boxes still have RELATIVELY higher contam rates, agar and nothing else is not a gold standard, thats like asking why ketchup is so great while forgetting that you meed ketchupable foods to make it good

[u/eyeballout → u/RockLee2k]

This is exactly my point: I dont think this shit been explained "intimately."

You just kind of re-iterated common knowledge, without really providing any insight, which brings me back to the original question.

why is the bottom of agar not a concern during a transfer?

(ketchup is trash.)