How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (2024)

In this post, we're going to break down how to make liquid culture, why it's a game-changer for growing mushrooms fast and what a good or contaminated liquid culture looks like (with photos).

Liquid culture, or LC broth, is a blend of water and some basic sugars. It's is used to expand mycelium before you introduce it to grain spawn. There's a variety of recipes out there for liquid culture, and I'll walk you through how to make 3 of them today.

Over my years of dabbling in mushroom cultivation, I've whipped up more batches of liquid culture than I can count. Trust me, even a small misstep like drilling the hole in the wrong spot on the jar lid can lead to losing half your precious culture. So, stick with me as I guide you through the essential do's and don'ts of making liquid culture – because getting it right makes all the difference.

How To Make Liquid Culture?

I have created a table below which covers the most common liquid culture recipes, choose a mixture you wish to use then follow the instructions in this post.

I believe these are the best ingredients since they create a clear culture which can be easily analysed.

Recipe NameNutrient Amount (Grams)WaterPercentage (NA:W)
Karo LC24g600ml4%
Honey LC24g600ml4%
LME LC1g600ml0.16667%

If you want to create a formula which is not listed in this table then you simply do the following:

(Water X Percentage) / 100 = Nutrient Amount.

OR

(Nutrient Amount / Percentage) X 100 = Water.

OR
Follow the links in the table which contain a more detailed table for each technique.

We recommend creating multiple jars at one time to improve the chances of creating a clean liquid culture broth.

Requirements

Create the Liquid Culture Jar.

Grab a jar and put a hole in the lid using a screwdriver or something similar. The hole should be as close to the edge of the lids as possible as show in this picture below, if you put it in the centre it will be difficult to tilt and remove all the liquid culture.

How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (1)

Next, fill the jar with 600ml of warm water. Some people like to use distilled water but realistically tap water is perfectly fine and probably adds nutrients.

Measure out the amount of nutrient (24g for me) you are going to be using and add it to the jar then give it a quick swirl/mix with a spoon.

Place 2 strips of micropore tape over the hole you created in the lid and screw on the lid to the jar.

Finally, place some foil over the top of the jar and secure it with a rubber.

How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (2)

Sterilize the Liquid Culture Jar.

Place the liquid culture jar into your pressure cooker and sterilize at 15psi.
It should take around 30-40mins to sterilize the culture and remove all contaminants.
When the time is up, turn off the heat and allow the pressure cooker to cool overnight before moving to the next step.

How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (3)

Inject the Liquid Culture Jar.

The first thing you want to do is find somewhere to inoculate your mixture. It is possible to do this on a kitchen counter if it is clean however using a still air box is always advised.

  • Collect your butane lighter, liquid culture syringe and micro-pore tape.
  • Wipe down your surfaces and put on gloves and a face mask.
  • Remove the jars from the pressure cooker.
  • Wipe the lid of the jar with alcohol wipes.
  • Pop a piece fo micro-pore tape on top of the jar which you are going to fold down.
  • Shake the needle to spread out the current mycelium.
  • Flame sterilize the needle until it is glowing red.
  • Insert syringe and inject 1cc of liquid culture.
  • Remove the syringe and flip down the micropore tape.
  • Place the jar into incubation temperatures(18-20c or 64-68f).
How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (4)
How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (5)
How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (6)
How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (7)
How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (8)

Wait 7-14 days.

Stir the jar daily to prevent clumpy solid mycelium masses (without opening the jar).

Note: Alternatively you can place your jar onto a stirring plate to speed up the process.

How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (9)

What Does Good/Bad Liquid Culture Look Like?

Good Culture

The liquid should be clear and you should be able to see through to the other side of the jar. Inside the liquid, there should be a white clump of mycelium or lots of little clumps.

How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (10)
How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (11)
How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (12)
How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (13)
How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (14)
How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (15)

Bad Culture

Common signs of contamination are if the culture is cloudy and you cannot see through it (wait a week after inoculation to check this as sometimes the mycelium cleans up the culture), if it releases a foul smell or has a green colour scum on the top of the culture when it is left to settle for a few days.

How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (16)
How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (17)

Normally the best way to find out if the culture is clean is to try it out on grain or agar and see if it contaminates. If you follow sterile technique but the jars are repeatedly being contaminated in the same way it’s likely your jar of liquid culture.

Benefits Of Liquid Culture?

  • Faster Growth – Since the medium already contains live mycelium it normally colonises a substrate substantially faster. This gives LC an advantage over spores.
  • Unlimited Mycelium Supply – if you learn how to make liquid culture you can turn 1 LC syringe into an unlimited supply. However, you must take senescence into consideration (so use a master jar).
  • It’s Cheap – making liquid cultures is very cheap and can be done with household ingredients.

No, Liquid culture does not need gas exchange. The mycelium is submerged in a liquid solution therefore there is no need to for air exchange holes to be placed in your lid.

I am not sure exactly how the mycelium breaths in this situation however it most likely has something to do with absorbing the oxygen which makes up H2O (water).

Does Making A Liquid Culture Require A Pressure Cooker?

Actually, no, you can sterilize the liquid culture recipe in a microwave if you don’t have a pressure cooker.

Place your mixture into a microwavable container, the put it inside the microwave for 3 minutes, remove and shake, then place it in for another 3 minutes.

How Long Does Liquid Culture Last?

Liquid Culture can survive at room temperature for 6 months until the nutrients in the solution have been used up.

So you're Liquid culture is good for a decent amount of time suspended in the solution

If you need to your liquid culture to last longer putting it into a refrigerator should allow it to survive for years.

When to Stir/Shake Liquid Culture?

It is recommended to shake or stir (using a magnetic stirrer like this) at least once a day.

If you don't do this the mycelium will create a huge blobby mass as seen below.

This also speeds up the expanding process as there is more surface area for the mycelium to grow off.

I did not shake those Jars so I could highlight what a clean culture would look like (clear).

How Long Does Colonization Take?

Liquid culture usually takes between 7-14 days to accumulate enough mass to be used in an actual inoculation.

It can take longer for the Jar to be completely colonized and the growth to slow down.

Several factors can come into play here such as whether you shake the culture, temperature and Mycelium vigour.

28 comments

You may also like

How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (18)

How to Grow Lion’s Mane Mushroom [In a Jar]

How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (19)

Coco Coir (CVG) Mushroom Substrate Recipe

How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (20)

How to Prepare Wheat or Rye Grain Spawn.

How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (21)

Bulk Substrate for growing mushrooms.

1 comment

Leave a comment

  • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (22)

    Dr S L Godara

    Earlier traditional methods for multiplication of mushroom was used. This technique for multiplying the culture will be helpful for faster growth and full fill the demand of the mushroom growers.

    Reply

  • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (23)

    chris

    how should I store my just made up liquid culture jar and for how long before refrigerating it? also what temp and lighting should I use when starting the new jar? thanks

    Reply

    • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (24)

      MrMush

      Hi Chris,

      I just put it on a shelf somewhere (room temperature), i don’t worry about lighting. After about 30 days I will move it into a fridge but really it depends on growth, if the there is a large clump (when i haven’t stirred it) or the jar is full with Mycelium (when i have been stirring).

      Thanks.

      Reply

      • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (25)

        chris

        Mr Mush thanks so much for the fast response I been looking for a page exactly like this that answered all my questions and finally found it thanks for all the info will help out and save me tons of $$$~~~Chris

        Reply

  • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (26)

    Chris

    I have successfully made liquid culture from your instructions (Thank-You!) I do have another question as I have successfully used up my culture and have Some left which is great my question is can I make this recipe up and add the remaining culture via syringe in the same manner and have a successful grade culture usable to the same effect thanks again~~~Chris

    Reply

    • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (27)

      MrMush

      I think you are referring to transferring the culture and making more from your current leftovers? Yes i have done this with varied success so it does work.

      The best way to do it however is when i use my culture (the first time i draw it into a syringe) I transfer some to a new jar then use the remaining culture (in the syringe) for inoculation. This means the needle hasnt been going in and out of the same jar more than one time.

      Reply

      • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (28)

        Chris

        Great thank you very much for the response~~~Chris

        Reply

  • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (29)

    kevin

    “However, you must take senescence into consideration (so use a master jar).” How and just how long can you keep it?

    Reply

  • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (30)

    Moeketsi Mahasa

    Thank you so much for a clear straight forward explanation. I have read other recipes before and yours is the best for me. I will try it and report back.

    Reply

  • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (31)

    douglas p lundy

    Good stuff here, and what the video teks do not share because then we will not need to buy spore syringes at all. Ive tried this from captured spores with no luck but I will get it!

    Reply

  • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (32)

    Nahid Ameen

    Hi. I bought a magnetic stirrer. How long shall I stir it? And do I stir daily for a week?

    Reply

    • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (33)

      MrMush

      People have different preferences. Pop it on the stirrer for 10 minutes a day would be my advice. You really just want the Mycelium to break up a bit and spread out so it doesn’t clump like some of my pictures above^.

      Reply

  • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (34)

    Leaf

    Congratulations on an excellent fungal site.
    I’m starting down the road of edible fungi with a slight complication.
    We are living in Dominica, Caribbean island, minimum temp is 23, highs around 34. We are in a rain forest environment growing Cacao and Sugarcane. The idea is to use the Sugarcane waste as the substrate.
    Any thoughts on the issues of the climate here ?
    Leaf

    Reply

  • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (35)

    walter godsoe

    Why does 4 teaspoons of honey in 400 ml of water sound too sweet? Is 4 teaspoons correct?

    Reply

    • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (36)

      MrMush

      Yes a teaspoon is 5ml. So 4 of them is around 4-5% of 400ml. Dont get to worried about the exact figures here its far easier to just get a flat tsp measure (or just under) and mix it into 100ml hot water than weighing out sticky honey to exact figures.

      Reply

  • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (37)

    Joshx

    This is just wonderful article. Great job!

    Reply

  • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (38)

    Okafor Ifeanyi luke

    So interesting, I’m going to try this methods

    Reply

  • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (39)

    This is awesome I have been searching for this forever. So easy I’m going to do this

    Reply

  • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (40)

    MM

    When I add honey to distilled water it instantly becomes cloudy even before pressure cooking it. Maybe it depends on the honey I use? Mine is organic honey.

    Reply

    • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (41)

      MrMush

      Its best to use clear honey so you can see through the glass

      Reply

  • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (42)

    Gaspar Papai

    Hello MrMush, I’m wondering if you are planning to write an article about how to make a tincture out of lion’s mane or other mushrooms. Pros and cons.
    Thank you
    Gaspar

    Reply

    • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (43)

      MrMush

      Yes i am soon.

      Reply

  • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (44)

    Rene Gagnon

    Thank you for this wisdom.

    Reply

  • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (45)

    Jason

    You need gas exchange if going from spores to oxygenate and remove metabolites. Source: Stamets – Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms.

    Reply

  • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (46)

    William AsanteI

    We do not have already prepared liquid syringe in my country so please, show me how to prepare liquid culture without any,
    william

    Reply

    • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (47)

      MrMush

      Checkout how to clone mushrooms, the syringe transfer method could be used used if you dont have access to LC.

      https://ezmushroom.com/grow/how-to-clone-mushrooms/

      Reply

  • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (48)

    Wa

    Hello
    Great article on liquid culture, seems like the best solution for me to use. I’m curious, can I take mycelium from a full jar and using a syringe put some into a fresh jar and keep this growing in this stage forever? I mean continue to put some from the mature jars into fresh jars. Does that make sense?

    Reply

    • How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (49)

      MrMush

      Yes you can do that eventually the mycelium will loose vigour but it will keep you going for a while.

      You could also learn how to make / use agar then go from the liquid culture to the agar then chop the agar up and put it into the grains. Then next time repeat from the jar to the agar to the grain. That should last a while.

      Reply

How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. (2024)

FAQs

What is the ratio of honey to water for liquid culture? ›

Honey liquid culture recipe: Add 16g of honey (4 teaspoons) to 400ml of water and stir until the honey dissolves. Karo and LME recipe: Add 16g of Karo light corn syrup and 4g of Light Malt Extract (LME) to 500ml of water.

How long does it take for mycelium to grow in liquid culture? ›

Initial mycelium growth is visible within 1-3 weeks of inoculating your pod with spores or liquid culture. Full colonization usually occurs within 4-5 weeks, though it can sometimes take longer.

Do you need distilled water for liquid culture? ›

This will serve as the base of your liquid culture. It's recommended to use distilled or purified water to minimize the risk of contaminants that could potentially impede the growth of the mycelium. Adding Light Malt Extract: Measure out 40 grams of light malt extract.

How much time to sterilize liquid culture? ›

Sterilize the Solution: Place the filled jars in a pressure cooker and sterilize them at 15 psi for 15 to 20 minutes. This step is crucial to eliminate any contaminants in the solution.

What is the ratio for liquid culture recipe? ›

Precise measurement of ingredients in your liquid culture recipe is important. To achieve the optimal sugar-to-water ratio, add 1 gram of light malt extract for every 600 milliliters of water. For other sugars, such as honey, use 24 grams per 600 milliliters of water, which is equivalent to 4 percent.

How much honey per gallon of water? ›

The ratio ranges from 1 lb. honey per gallon of water for a very light "soft-drink" to 5 lbs. per gallon for a sweet dessert wine. The less honey, the lighter the mead, and the quicker it can be made.

How often should I stir liquid culture? ›

Mushroom liquid cultures need to be mixed periodically so the mycelium does not clump together. I like using magnetic stir plates and a delay timer. A few seconds on and a few hours off.

Does mycelium float in liquid culture? ›

This nutritious mixture helps develop mycelium to full growth, and once it does, it becomes inoculated with spores. Think of it this way: a liquid culture is just nutrient broth with mycelium floating inside.

What does healthy liquid culture look like? ›

A good liquid culture will often be a tiny bit cloudy and then clear up. This is because the bacteria starts to grow a tiny bit but the mycelium is so far ahead that it scours the liquid culture of bacteria and particulates and then dominates it (mycelium has been fighting bacteria like this for millions of years).

How long do mushroom liquid cultures last? ›

Usage and Shelf Life

While liquid cultures can be stored for many months, we recommend using them within six months for the best results. In our experience, liquid cultures of nearly any variety can grow even after a year of storage in the refrigerator.

What temperature do you incubate liquid culture? ›

To properly incubate your mycelium it must remain at a constant temperature between 70 and 90 degrees depending on what species you are growing. This temperature is also ideal for countless number of other molds and bacteria.

How long to pressure cook mushroom liquid culture? ›

Pressure cook at 15psi for 15 minutes. 15psi results in a temperature of approx 121C (250F) in the pressure cooker. 15 minutes at this temperature is sufficient to kill competing organisms in the solution.

What is the ratio of honey to water? ›

The ratio of water to honey depends on the type of mead you want to make. For a dry mead, the ratio is 4 parts water to 1 part honey; a sweet mead is 2 to 1. Kluz likes his mead sweet, so he typically uses 1 3/4 gallons of honey and tops it off with 3 1/4 gallons of water.

What is the best percentage of water in honey? ›

What's the percentage of water in honey? It turns out that the acceptable percentage of naturally occurring water in honey is between 15.5% and 18.6%. The best quality honey as judged in competitions is between 15.5% and 17%, but up to 18.6%, it is still excellent quality.

How to make the best honey water? ›

Fill a mug with one-half to one cup (120 to 240 milliliters) of warm water. Stir in 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of honey. Taste the water. Add more warm water if needed.

What is the water content of honey before it is capped? ›

When harvesting honey, the moisture level is important to consider. For most beekeepers, we simply let the bees tell us when the moisture level is around 17-18%. This is when the bees cap off the comb to prevent the honey from absorbing any moisture.

Top Articles
Days of our Lives Daily Recaps (Friday, July 26, 2024)
He Had It Coming (Pop! Six! Squish! Uh uh, Cicero, Lipschitz!)
Scheelzien, volwassenen - Alrijne Ziekenhuis
How To Start a Consignment Shop in 12 Steps (2024) - Shopify
Global Foods Trading GmbH, Biebesheim a. Rhein
Shoe Game Lit Svg
Brady Hughes Justified
Tesla Supercharger La Crosse Photos
Online Reading Resources for Students & Teachers | Raz-Kids
Mcoc Immunity Chart July 2022
Nc Maxpreps
Mylaheychart Login
Visustella Battle Core
Xm Tennis Channel
Catsweb Tx State
Mercy MyPay (Online Pay Stubs) / mercy-mypay-online-pay-stubs.pdf / PDF4PRO
Taylor Swift Seating Chart Nashville
Nyuonsite
Best Nail Salon Rome Ga
60 X 60 Christmas Tablecloths
How Much You Should Be Tipping For Beauty Services - American Beauty Institute
Lonesome Valley Barber
Morristown Daily Record Obituary
Never Give Up Quotes to Keep You Going
Somewhere In Queens Showtimes Near The Maple Theater
The Tower and Major Arcana Tarot Combinations: What They Mean - Eclectic Witchcraft
Craigslist Org Appleton Wi
Air Quality Index Endicott Ny
Japanese Mushrooms: 10 Popular Varieties and Simple Recipes - Japan Travel Guide MATCHA
Https E22 Ultipro Com Login Aspx
Bolsa Feels Bad For Sancho's Loss.
Giantbodybuilder.com
Craigslist Auburn Al
Lesson 1.1 Practice B Geometry Answers
Askhistorians Book List
Ewg Eucerin
Missing 2023 Showtimes Near Grand Theatres - Bismarck
Homewatch Caregivers Salary
Where Can I Cash A Huntington National Bank Check
Great Clips On Alameda
Studio 22 Nashville Review
Kazwire
Riverton Wyoming Craigslist
Craigslist - Pets for Sale or Adoption in Hawley, PA
Setx Sports
Human Resources / Payroll Information
Waco.craigslist
5103 Liberty Ave, North Bergen, NJ 07047 - MLS 240018284 - Coldwell Banker
Espn Top 300 Non Ppr
60 Days From August 16
Craigslist Yard Sales In Murrells Inlet
Selly Medaline
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Ms. Lucile Johns

Last Updated:

Views: 5920

Rating: 4 / 5 (61 voted)

Reviews: 84% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Ms. Lucile Johns

Birthday: 1999-11-16

Address: Suite 237 56046 Walsh Coves, West Enid, VT 46557

Phone: +59115435987187

Job: Education Supervisor

Hobby: Genealogy, Stone skipping, Skydiving, Nordic skating, Couponing, Coloring, Gardening

Introduction: My name is Ms. Lucile Johns, I am a successful, friendly, friendly, homely, adventurous, handsome, delightful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.