Liquid Culture Syringes 101 (Guide, Tutorial, and Tips)

Liquid Culture Steps & Rules: (Liquid Culture Syringe Guide & Tutorial)

1: Before doing anything, wash your hands with antibacterial soap, pop some nitrile gloves on, and bust out a bottle of 70% isopropyl alcohol!

2: Rub your hands (with gloves on) with isopropyl for maximum sterility, then wipe down your work surface with the isopropyl. Remove contents from the packaging, and wipe down the syringe and the needle packaging thoroughly (not the needle itself).

3: Carefully remove the 18g needle from the packaging, set it aside, then remove the syringe from the packaging. Unscrew the luer lock, ensuring the syringe is upright to ensure the contents do not spill out. Screw on the 18g needle tightly

4: Carefully and steadily hold your syringe horizontally with one hand and carefully but swiftly pull away the needle cap with the other hand. Make sure both hands separate at a reasonable distance from each other to create a safe distance between your hand and the needle.

5: Now we get to do the fun part; we can now inoculate our media!
Remember: The first use of your needle is already sterile from packaging. Now inoculate your media of choice either in a still-air box or flow hood. For beginners, we recommend using a still-air box.
Make sure that the air around you is still, and turn off any fans as well. This is to ensure that you aren't accidentally introducing air-borne contaminants into your media.
WARNING: NEVER use a flame source inside the still air box! The fumes from any isopropyl alcohol in the box are flammable and can cause the whole still-air box to combust and cause injury! If you must you a flame source, do it outside of the box first.

Inoculation Tips:
We recommend no more than 1cc of liquid culture per inoculation as any extra moisture can increase the risk of contamination! After you are finished, flame sterilize the needle for around 5-10 seconds before using it again; let the needle cool down, and then you are good to go!

Please make sure to follow these steps and safety precautions every time you are working with your syringe.

Place the cap back on the syringe after each session. You may store the syringe in the refrigerator for a longer shelf life. Liquid culture can survive anywhere from 1-2 years in the fridge or around a year in a cool, dry, dark environment.

 

Flame Sterilization:

After the first use of your liquid culture syringe, you must ensure you sterilize the needle with a flame source for 5-10 seconds, usually until you see the needle turn orange, before doing another round of inoculation.

Several flame sources may be used, the most common being: butane torches, dental alcohol lamps, and even just your regular lighter.

Note: It is absolutely important to remember to let the needle cool down before using it as the extreme heat can and will kill the mycelium on contact.

There are many different ways to use liquid culture; if you have purchased one from us, then it is clear you have an idea of what you will be using it for. We will be creating more advanced lessons on how to use liquid culture in the future that we will include in the learning resource section;

in the meantime, we recommend starting off with one of our All-In-One mushrooms grow bags, which makes it a breeze to get a feel for mushroom cultivation if it is your first rodeo.

We hope this helps answer any and all questions about how to use and care for your liquid culture, as well as important safety precautions.

If you have any issues with your Liquid Culture Syringes, if there happens to be a defect, contamination, or any other issues, please feel free to contact us through email or phone; you may find all contact information on the Contact Us page. 

Alternatively, you may use our live chat feature during business hours, which is 9 am - 9 pm PST.

We will diligently get back to you and assist you until your issue is resolved, your satisfaction is our top priority.

 

Thank you for being a valued customer here at the GLabz! 

 

Mush love! <3

 

Jeremy (Founder)