MycoFarm Truffle

MycoFarm Truffle

Everything you need to produce fresh sclerotia "truffles" (such as Pleurotus tuber-regium) mushrooms (except culture syringe). Kit contains: 650g Rye Injector bag, 10 mL liquid culture vial, swabs, withdrawing equipment. This is a two step process which would suit the more experienced cultivator. Wash and clean hands with alcohol gel and work in a clean environment.

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Liquid culture vial
Vial with cap removed

Firstly, the culture/spores are boosted in liquid culture and, once growing, transferred to the rye grain. This leads to a more rapid colonisation and better yield in many of these species (however you could just inject a MycoFarm directly with P.tuberregium spores or culture but the results will not be as good and may even fail).

1 . Remove only the small centre circle from the aluminium cap leaving the rest of the cap in place. Swab the grey rubber centre portion and inject the liquid culture vial with approx 2.5mL of culture/spores. Incubate at correct temp (usually 20-25 C)

Mix contents by shaking gently every few days. Within 1-2 weeks, white fluffy growth of mycelium will be visible in the liquid. N.B. See photo: the liquid above the fluffy mycelia is still transparent - if it is cloudy even after being left to settle for a few minutes it may be contaminated with bacteria. If so, best to get another vial and start again (contact your supplier)

2. This step needs to be done carefully, so get everything ready, read through first and have a practice run. Work in a clean area. Shake the vial vigorously, swab lid (keep swab handy for later) and turn vial upside down so the liquid is near the cap. Withdraw most of the liquid culture using a sterile syringe and leave a small amount remaining in the vial. It is not necessary to get every last drop (and trying to get the last this may increase risk of contaminants entering). Before removing the syringe/needle, grip the barrel/plunger carefully to stop it moving and the contents being sucked back into vial under pressure. Try not to draw any extra air into the syringe. The alcohol swab can be placed over needle when withdrawing to reduce risk of contamination.

3. Inoculate rye grain bag using 5-10mL of the culture produced in step 1 using a process similar to a standard mycofarm. Swab injection port and needle before inoculation.

4. Mix well. The best way to do this is to fold the bag overjust below bottom white filter and shake grain around so it doesn't come into contact with filters (as this can increase chances of contamination). Stand the bag upright so the grain is not touching the white strips and incubate in the dark (eg cardboard box) at room temp approx 18 - 25 C. Do not mix contents again. After approx 3 months and sclerotia will reach a reasonable size. Even longer (6 months or more) will give larger yields. During these long incubations some contaminants can sneak in but the kit can still sometimes give good results.

Always cover and discard any sharps carefully in a sharps bin or in a strong plastic container (such as an old bleach bottle with child-safe lid) and dispose of safely.