How to Grow Mushroom Spores in a Petri Dish

Mushrooms are both a nutritious food and an educational science project. Although they resemble plants to some degree, mushrooms are really fungi. The life cycle of a mushroom starts with a microscopic spore, which grows into hair-like hypha, which in turn become known as mycelium, and finally develop into the familiar stem and cap. Mushroom growers start cultures in petri dishes of agar, a gelatinous substance derived from red algae, in order to isolate samples with the most desirable traits and ensure a good crop.

Kitchen scale
Agar
Glass measuring cup
Saucepan
Sterile petri dishes
Mushrooms
Knife
Straw, sawdust or log

Instructions

- 1
  Prepare the agar. Use a kitchen scale to measure one gram agar for every 3.5 oz. of water you plan to use. Measure the water in the glass measuring cup. Place the agar and water in a small saucepan and let it sit for two hours or so. Place the saucepan on the stove and boil over low heat until the agar is completely dissolved.
- 2
  Pour small amounts of agar into sterile petri dishes while it is still hot. Let the agar cool completely.
- 3
  Place a small piece of mushroom tissue, mycelium or spores on the petri dish. Place the petri dish in a dark, warm place for about one week. The temperature should be between 72 and 82 degrees F (22 to 28 C).
- 4
  Sterilize a knife blade by holding it in an open flame until it is red hot. Allow the blade to cool completely. Cut a small piece of mycelium and agar from the petri dish, and place it on the growing medium of your choice. The medium you choose will depend on the type of mushroom you wish to grow -- commonly used substrates include straw, sawdust and logs.

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