Can i use mushies to make more mushies?

Title pretty much sums it up. I got my hands on some choice bensis last weekend, and would like to know if it's possible to capture some spores and bring em up in a terrarium??? Anybody try this? I've had 1 semi successful attempt at propagating mycelium, but that's about as far as I got.

Thanks!

Yes it is possible to collect spores from dried fruits, but there will be other spores and/or bacteria in the sample. You would need to isolate that all out on agar plates. Unless you've done that kind of work before you are probably better off just buying a syringe.

Sonar is correct. I manged to collect some shaggy spores - not easy, and after 6 isolations, got a pure product. I had to "race" the mycelium, that is, place some spores on a dish, and cover the spores with another wafer of agar. This constrains the mycelium from growing up and keeps weed mycelium from forming spores which would ruin the plate. when one sees what looks like a pure thread of mycelium, it can be sliced out and laid on another dish. Keep doing this until you get something pure and then let it grow out normaly.

However, I have heard that it is possible to actually bring mushrooms back from the dead. It is said that powdered dry mushrooms when sprinkled on agar can come back to life. I've never seen it, Ive never done it and it may just be bullshit - or it may be that they need to be flash dried but it is worth a try.

Thanks for the replies. Yeah, I suppose a syringe would be a helluva lot easier than trying to isolate good spores in agar. Although I think I'll probably skip the syringe and go for some mimosa root bark next project.

Not only would the syringe be easier it's cheaper, especially when you factor in the time required to isolate the mycelium.

and spores are legal in most of the states

It is possible, but if you have to ask the question, I realy don't think you have the gear/experience to pull it off successfuly.
No offence intended....

ANC said:

It is possible, but if you have to ask the question, I realy don't think you have the gear/experience to pull it off successfuly.
No offence intended....

Click to expand...

You might be right. I've been successful in getting mycelium to take on rye grain in mason jars, but never got to the next phase of actually turning that into mushrooms. I was more thinking along the lines if I shook out a bunch of spores out in the yard... Lazy, I know.

I've only once seen that kinda work... After wiping the kitchen counter of spores with a kitchen towel, I put the towel outside next to the braai, (a bbq in which we burn wood to bbq over the coals after), Some time after I noticed the kithen towel sprouted a nice fat cube...