A FOAF sent this to me, so I'm posting it. Please not that "I" from this point on refers to him. Also, PLEASE don't comment until I finish the thread. I'll indicate completion with a "post is complete" message. Thanks for being patient...
As always, click any picture to see the full sized version...
Premise:
I have noticed a lot of questions about what jars "should" look like. Does mine look right? Does it look dry? Does it look wet? Should it be farther along than this? What SHOULD my jar look like on day 5?
In an effort to help aleviate some newbie stress, I’ve decided to put together this photo essay on the "standard" life cycle of a jar. Please note: these jars are Mycrotopia substrate, they were inoculated with liquid culture, they were incubated at 83F and the strain is a very aggressive B+ isolate. The end result of these four factors is that these jars grew very quickly.
If your jars are "standard" BRF mix, they will go just a little slower. If you are incubating at a cooler temperature, your jars will go just a little slower. If you are inoculating with spore water, your jars may be a day or two behind these. If you aren’t using an aggressive culture, your jars may go a little slower.
Don’t be horribly concerned if your growth spots are smaller, or take longer to show up. This essay should NOT be taken as an absolutely literal interpretation of what you will see. Even following these exact parameters, different strains can grow at different speeds.
This is an FYI of what you MIGHT see. It is NOT an absolute ruler to judge your success by.
Strain: B+, agar isolate
Jars: wide mouth ½ pints, silicone injection ports with double tyvek vents
Substrate: Mycrotopia mix (http://www.mycrotopia.com)
Incubation: 83F, total darkness
Liquid culture: malt extract, dextrose and Karo (4% sugar by weight)
Jars were inoculated with a total of 2mL of liquid culture (.5mL per injection site). The sharpie nmbers on each jar indicate the jar and inoculation site. Six jars were originally photographed for this essay, the slowest and fastest were discarded. The pictures you see below are of jar 4, the “median speed” grower of the group.
It is HIGHLY recommended that you use Mycrotopia mix substrate for jars. The mix is, quite simply, superior in speed (and later production) to a “plain” BRF mix. Ordering directly from Hippy3 is the “best” way to go, because the mix is always perfect and every order helps support this wonderful site. If you can’t afford to buy Mycrotopia mix, a little digging on this site will locate Hippy3’s recipe and allow you to make your own Mycrotopia substrate. “Plain” BRF WILL WORK ADEQUATELY, if that is your choice. Mycrotopia substrate just works a little better...
Standard BRF Vs. Mycrotopia mix:
BRF (left), Mycrotopia (right) at 3 days of incubation
Some growth was noted at sites 4 and 1 on day 1 (24 hours after inoculation). The growth areas were so small, however, that they were difficult to photograph effectively without an exteme closeup. Closeups can be extemely misleading - I wanted you to see the jar in toto. Also, those starting with spore water will likely not have visible growth on day 1. As a result (and to avoid confusion), we will begin with jar 4 on day 2 (48 hours after inoculation):
Day 2:
Jar 4, inoculation site 1, 48 hours growth
Jar 4, inoculation site 2, 48 hours growth
Jar 4, inoculation site 3, 48 hours growth
Jar 4, inoculation site 4, 48 hours growth
Day 3:
Closeup, jar 4, inoculation site 1, 3 days growth
Jar 4, inoculation site 1, 3 days growth
Jar 4, inoculation site 2, 3 days growth
Jar 4, inoculation site 3, 3 days growth
Jar 4, inoculation site 4, 3 days growth
Attached Thumbnails
Edited by Sidestreet, 02 October 2016 - 03:48 PM.
