Spore Prints.
First you need a fresh cap,One that is fully opened and the partial vail has torn,You may also want to wait until the cap start to drop its spore load
before a print is taken,but not necessary.I have found either way will drop spores,but a heavier print was given when the caps started to drop there spores first,if this is true in all cases,I don't know.
Now clean your glove box,or the work area in front of your flow hood.Clean your self and wear gloves and a mask if you have them.Clean the air in your work area.Select the cap to be printed and insert a clean push pin,needle,anything you can use as a handle into the top of the cap,this is so you do not have to touch the mushroom.Next...with a sterile blade,cut the stem just under the cap,being care full not to touch the gills on the underside of the mushroom.You can cut it high enough so the mushroom sits on the stem like a table and not the surface of where you are taking the print,or you can place another push pin on the underside to act as a leg,but again this is something I have found not necessary,I'm no pro and may be wrong but so far no have had no problems just laying the cap on the surface to be printed.Now place the cap on an alcohol cleaned square of tinfoil,petri dish,shot glass or your jar.It is said that you should have the glass overhang the edge of the foil to allow some moisture to escape,If using a petri dish an idea would be to place a piece of tis\sue paper between the top and bottom to allow a little moisture escape,again something that has just worked for me.Now leave it for about 24 hours,although they can and do drop spores before this time period,just something I have been doing,and having success.Once a the print has dropped,you can try and get another print from it on another clean surface.One cap may give a couple to a few prints.Once the print has been taken allow it to dry and then seal for storage.I have been using Glad Press n Seal and rather like it. Mark with date,strain,etc.Store in a dry,dark,cool place free of moisture.
Spore syringe.
Again there are many ways to make a spore syringe out of a print.Of the ways I will describe ,the shot glass and the 125ml canning jar are my favorite.You will need a sterile syringe.If reusing a syringe it can be sterilized by boiling some water in a pot,sucking the boiling water into the syringe and ejecting it a few times.Next fill the syringe 1/4 full with alcohol and then pulling plunger all the way open.Shake the syringe so the whole inside surface gets washed with the alcohol.eject and repeat with the water a few more times.Fill the syringe one final time with boiling sterile water,cap and place in a piece of tinfoil,a lightly alcohol misted paper towel or a clean zip lock bag until it cools.
Zip-Lock Baggy Method.
If you took your print on tinfoil,place it in a small zip lock bag.With your inoculating loop,scrape the print from the foil while its in the bag,get as much of the print off as you can.Wipe the outer surface of the bag with alcohol,insert needle and eject 1/4 of the syringe into the bag.Shake the bag to get as many spores mixed into the water as you can and suck it back up.wipe the needle with alcohol and cap.Store in zip lock bag in the fridge for a few days before you use to allow spores to saturate.Syringes stored in this manner are supposed to keep for months even years.
Shot glass method.
If you took your print in a shot glass,with a sterile syringe,inject 1/4 of the water from the syringe into the glass,stir with the needle.Suck it back up.Eject the syringe and suck it up one or two more times,wipe needle with alcohol,cap,store,use.
125ml Canning Jar.
If you took your print in the 125ml canning jar.Prepare the lid by drilling one hole somewhere around the outer rim large enough for your needle to fit in.Eject 1/4 of the water into the jar,swirl lightly,suck back up,repeat one or two times to evenly disperse spores,wipe,cap,store,use.
As of now I have had 100% success using any one of these methods.Evey syringe made and used ,germinated,and am noticing a faster germination and colonization from the syringes I made ,and the original one I started with.If this is due to the spores being fresher, I'm not sure,but I have jars that are 25%plus colonized in two days.Not with one syringe,as of now its three sets that are showing this pattern.Fluke maybe,but not complaining.Will put those pic's up as well .
