How to Preserve Mushroom SporesHow to Preserve Mushroom Spores

The spores that fall from mushroom spores are extremely small. Some mushrooms drop black or cinnamon-colored spores, but they are generally white.

There are two main methods of preserving spores. You can either scrape them off of an agar plate or make spore syringes. Both have their advantages. For scraping spores off of an agar plate, use tinfoil. Spore syringes should be sterile and stored in a sterilized sealable plastic bag.

Spore syringes can be reused for up to four months. It is best to store spore syringes in the refrigerator. This helps prevent light exposure, which can shorten the spore’s lifespan.

Mushroom spores can also be used to make greeting cards or artwork. Use colored paper to highlight the spores or to create an artistic pattern.

A spore’s color can be crucial to identification. Some fungi produce zombie-like spores. Psilocybin spores are a good example.

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However, spores can also be contaminated by bacteria. To prevent this, make sure to store psilocybin spores in a sterile container and wipe them off with alcohol.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy project to learn more about mushroom spores, try making spore prints. These simple images are easily obtained using a gill-covered mushroom or a polypore growing on a tree.

You can use a microscope to study spores on glass or white paper. After you’re done, you can put the mushroom caps into a zip lock bag or encase them in aluminum foil.

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