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Prepare Liquid Culture Premix in 6 Easy Steps – Quick Tutorial

Prepare Liquid Culture Premix in 6 Easy Steps – Quick Tutorial

Supplies Needed:

  • Liquid Culture Premix
  • Scale & Scoop
  • Mason Jar with LC-Modified Lid
  • Magnetic Stir Rod & Mixer
  • Presto Pressure Canner

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Prepare Your Jar:

  • Add 700 mL of water to your mason jar.
  • Place the magnetic stir rod inside the jar. You can use something clean and solid, this will helpo break up mycelium while it grows. We do recommend that you use a magnetic stir rod. This will aid tremendously in breaking upo mycelium for faster growth. 

2. Measure the Premix:

    • Weigh 30 grams of Liquid Culture Premix using your scale.
    • Add the premix to the water in your mason jar.

    3. Seal and Protect:

    • Secure the lid on the mason jar.
    • Cover the lid with aluminum foil to protect it during pressure cooking.

    4. Sterilize:

    • Place the mason jar in a Presto Pressure Canner.
    • Pressure cook for 30 minutes at 15 psi. 30 Minutes at 15PSI is sufficient to sterlize your Liquid Culture.

    5. Cool Down:

    • Allow the jar to cool for at least 1 hour after pressure cooking. This will allow the heat to disperse enough to be able to handle the jar.
    • Use the magnetic stir plate to thoroughly mix the liquid culture jar while it continues to cool to room temperature.

    6. Ready to Use:

    • Let the liquid culture cool to room temperature. Once cooled, it’s ready for use! Get started by expanding one of our Liquid Cultures!

    Grab some Liqid Culture Premix today!

    Explore more tutorials and guides at the Learning Hub.

    What Is Liquid Culture?

    Liquid culture (LC) is a sterile, nutrient‑rich solution; usually water fortified with carbohydrates, amino acids, and trace minerals. Designed to support the rapid growth of fungal mycelium in suspension. Unlike a solid agar plate, LC remains fluid, allowing the mycelium to float freely and expand three‑dimensionally. When shaken or stirred, countless tiny mycelial threads break apart and multiply, creating a dense “cloud” that can be drawn into a syringe and used to inoculate grain, sawdust, or agar with exceptional speed and uniformity.

    Why Cultivators Rely on It

    1. Speed
      An LC syringe can colonize grain jars in a fraction of the time needed for multispore inoculation. Faster colonization means fewer chances for contaminants to gain a foothold and shorter turnaround from spore to harvest.

    2. Consistency
      Because the culture originates from a single, already‑isolated mycelial line, every jar, block, or log receives the same genetics. This produces predictable morphology, yield, and maturation times, critical for commercial growers who need reliable schedules.

    3. Scalability
      A single 10 cc syringe can be expanded into liters of new LC or injected into dozens of spawn jars. That economy of scale keeps input costs low and allows farms to ramp up production quickly.

    4. Diagnostic Clarity
      Off‑colors, or unpleasant odors are immediate red flags. These visual cues make it easy to detect contamination early, saving lab space and substrate that would otherwise be wasted. All LC should be tested ona. agar plate before inoculated into grains as a best practice. 

    Inside the Broth

    Classic liquid culture recipes call for light malt extract, dextrose, or honey as carbohydrate sources, coupled with yeast extract or peptone for nitrogen and micronutrients. BasMycology’s Liquid Culture Premix builds on this foundation with a proprietary blend of balanced sugars, bioavailable amino acids, and pH buffers that encourage aggressive yet stable mycelial growth across all fungi; gourmet, medicinal, and yes “those mushrooms“ alike. This tailored formula reduces caramelization during sterilization, holds a consistent pH in storage, and minimizes sediment, resulting in clearer broth and cleaner draws into your syringes.

    The Bottom Line

    Liquid culture is the backbone of modern mushroom cultivation because it delivers speed, uniformity, and scalability that spore‑based methods can’t match. Pairing proven technique with an optimized medium; like the BasMycology LC Premix, gives growers a powerful edge from the very first injection.

    Prepare Liquid Culture Premix in 6 Easy Steps – Jar full of liquid culture, a fluid that mushroom mycelium colonizes