Spores for practically any delicious mushroom one could possibly desire to grow can easily be purchased from the internet. Out of all the various species available‚ the Pleurotus Ostreatus‚ more commonly known as the Oyster Mushroom‚ seems to be one of the easiest to cultivate.

The simplest way for the beginner to start would probably be to purchase a clean sterile “spore-syringe” from a reputable source. These typically come in a 10cc (cc = cubic centimeters = millimeters) volume. They are not full of dark visible specks of spores like some websites may attempt to promote. They are typically always clear like the sterile water in which they are suspended in. This option is definitely the most expensive way to obtain spores. But also the cleanest and also the method with the highest rates of success for the beginner.

The second option‚ usually reserved for someone who is a little more experienced‚ is to obtain a “spore-print”. A spore print typically contains enough material for at least fifty (50) fully viable 10cc spore syringes‚ if not more. So armed with a little knowledge and some previous cultivation experience‚ this would definitely be getting the most “bang” for your buck. Prints will cost you more but will provide you with your money’s worth in the long run. A typical cost comparison would be: $15-$20 per syringe‚ and around $30-$50 per print.

So it doesn’t take a math wizard to calculate the amount of savings that can be acquired due to an increase in knowledge and expertise on being able to use the prints instead. The following procedure is for those who want to know how to start with a spore print and make a sterile spore syringe to be used for inoculating the substrate.

Start by gathering together the following items: a pressure cooker‚ paper towels‚ isopropyl alcohol‚ a half-pint mason jar‚ a quart mason jar‚ distilled water‚ an exacto knife‚ a large Rubbermaid container‚ and a brand new (empty) sterile 10cc syringe. The syringe can be found at a farm supply store.

First make sure that the pressure cooker is clean. Wash the outside with bleach. Fill the small mason jar with the distilled water. Seal the jar‚ and then back the lid off just a little to slightly loosen the seal. Do the same with the exacto knife‚ although you will need the quart mason jar for that, and you can use tap water for this one. Place the jars in the pressure cooker. Add approximately three inches or so of regular tap water to the vessel. Place the pressure cooker lid in position. Leave the stop-cock open while heating on “high”.

When you see high pressured steam emitting from the stop-cock it is time to close it with the pressure regulator. Set the regulator valve to use the 15 psi setting. After a few minutes you will have to adjust the heat level based on the “jiggles” and “rattles” you hear coming from the regulator. You don’t want it jiggling non-stop. So turn the temperature down until you hear a jiggle every 10 seconds or so. Let the jars sterilize for about 30 - 45 minutes.

After the required time has passed‚ turn off the heat‚ soak the paper towel in the alcohol‚ and wrap it around the pressure gauge and stop-cock. Let the entire system cool to room temperature. This will take a few hours. If you don’t take heed to that last little bit of advice‚ then you will risk having all of the sterilized water boiling out of all the jars and having contaminated particles filter in.

After the cool-down‚ take the pressure cooker to the work-area. Wipe the entire outside down with either peroxide or bleach. Also make sure the area is cleaned as mentioned in Chapter 2 - The “Sterile” Work Area. Take the “clean” Rubbermaid container and place it on it’s side. Mist the inside with peroxide. Make sure you have your gloves and mask on. Place the new spore syringe in the container. Place the water and exacto knife in the container. Place your spore print in the container (hopefully you left it in the plastic bag that it was shipped in!). Now these next few steps are critically important!

Remove the exacto knife from its jar and set it aside in the container. Carefully loosen the lid of the jar of sterilized water, but leave it in place. Carefully and barely open the bag with the spore print. As quickly as possible - scrape a small amount of spores off of the print and into the jar of sterilized water with the sterilized knife. Reseal the spores in their plastic baggie. Close the lid on the spore solution and shake vigorously. Now‚ quickly fill the syringe or syringes with the inoculation solution‚ and recap each one right away. Important! - do not allow any peroxide or bleach to come into contact with the solution‚ or the tip of any syringe. These chemicals will destroy the viability of the spores on contact. Only the “germinated” spores are resistant to this kind of destruction. As a matter of fact‚ the mushroom mycelium tends to thrive contaminant free with a light daily misting of a water and peroxide solution (90% to 10% ratio).

And so that’s how you make a spore syringe! However‚ you could have spared yourself all of the above mentioned work by simply purchasing a viable spore syringe from a reputable internet supplier.