rottenjonny Posted January 23, 2014 Hi Everyone, I'm new to the site having found it while researching mycology. What a great community! I have been trying to get some growth lately and have been hitting the wall. I think the spores I am working from are too old... Does anyone know how I can know this for sure? or any methods to revive them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ace1928 Posted February 3, 2014 Try hydrating the spores in a little bit of distilled water first and then putting a tiny bit onto agar. If they still dont germinate then they are no good.Best of luck Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rottenjonny Posted February 11, 2014 Thanks Ace, Turns out the answer to my problem was a liquid culture. 125ml Vegemite jar of water + a teaspoon of honey. There is now about half a jar of oysters in there. I think by suspending the spores in water they had ample opportunity to rehydrate. I hope this will help anyone in the same position. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Electro Gypsy Posted February 27, 2014 (edited) I'm glad it worked out for you RJ. :smile: had they not germinated still, and you really.. really wanted those spores to germinate, you can try adding some powdered activated charcoal to the suspension media. spores last longer than most think in a solution, but typically what happens is the solution becomes polluted with bi products as the spores begin to degrade. the charcoal will absorb most if not all of this. allowing for germination. provided some of the spore cell walls are still intact. I have used this method when resurrecting spores that are 3-4 years old or more. I think the oldest were around 6-8 years old. *oh, this also applies to spore prints, but the longevity is determined more by how they are stored. Edited February 27, 2014 by Electro Gypsy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
