Ok this is embarrassing, but after tripping on PE every other day I got overly paranoid, became concerned, read too much into the remarks and behavior of the people around me, and destroyed everything - agar, prints, shrooms, supplies. I guess this is a testament to the power of this strain. But it's better to be safe than sorry. I will resume my studies in 3 weeks time.
PS: Am I correct in assuming I can shoot spores from a syringe directly onto an agar plate and get mycelium?
I don't even know how to address that first part..
If you're going from syringe to agar, just a drop, it's not the easiest thing to get a drop out. One can also cut a lil divot in the agar and try to put the drop in the divot.
If you do "squirt too much", try swirling it around the surface of the agar IMHO
I have a volatile girlfriend who can't keep a secret, and if she found out about my shrooms she might get me in trouble. I wasn't willing to take that risk. Although I'm not happy my shrooms are gone, I thought it prudent to take the extra precaution. I was getting lax in my 'security measures' and keeping my fruiting chambers in a closet under a blanket where they could be found. I'm going to be more careful in the future, lol.
Sounds like cutting a divot would be best for PE, since the PE spore syringes contain far less spores than a regular cubensis syringe.
