If you want to grow shroom spores but don’t have a microscope, you can learn how to make a spore print. Spore prints are great for identifying mushroom species, but they aren’t ideal for consumption. That’s because spores can have a variety of colors.
To make a spore print, you’ll need a glass jar, a mushroom cap, a sharp knife, tweezers, paper, and a sterile environment. These components will be useful when you want to inoculate a substrate for growing a new batch of mushrooms.
Make sure to leave your mushroom undisturbed for at least 24 hours. Then, wrap your spore print in a resealable plastic baggie. You may want to seal it to avoid moisture.
Spores from gill-covered mushrooms can be studied on a glass microscope slide or aluminum foil. Some people prefer to use tin foil instead, because it is more sterile.
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Another way to make a spore print is to place a glass jar over a mushroom cap. This will prevent air currents from blowing away the spores. However, this can be difficult with polypores.
Once you’ve made a spore print, you can transfer it to a microscope slide or to nutrified agar media. Inoculating a medium is important, because if the spores are left on the agar plate, they will die.
When you are ready to cultivate a new batch of mushrooms, you can mix the spore solution with sterilized water. You can also buy a spore syringe, which is a needle designed to drop the spores and water onto a slide.
