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Liquid Cultures
King Oyster Liquid Culture
Live King Oyster mycelium suspended in a sterile nutrient broth, ready to inject into grain or agar. A faster, cleaner start than spores, from known genetics.
★★★★★ 5.0 · 1 reviewsSealed syringe with sterile needle. Store cold, use clean.
Active growth, not spores, so colonisation starts sooner :: Pleurotus eryngii :: True-to-type King Oyster, a rewarding gourmet species :: Lab and kitchen ready :: Inject straight into sterilised grain, agar or supplemented sawdust
The short version
This is a syringe of living Pleurotus eryngii (King Oyster) mycelium suspended in a sterile, dilute sugar broth. You inject a small amount into sterilised grain, agar or supplemented hardwood to start a colony.
Because it is already living mycelium rather than spores, it wakes up and spreads faster than a spore syringe, and every grow comes from the same known culture.
What it is
A living culture, not spores
Liquid culture is live mushroom mycelium suspended in a sterilised, lightly sweetened broth, usually a 1 to 4 percent sugar solution. The sugar feeds the mycelium so it stays active in the syringe. Lower sugar suits long storage, a little more suits fast growth.
The difference from a spore syringe matters. Spores have to germinate and pair before anything grows, which is slower and less predictable. Liquid culture is already established mycelium of one known strain, so it colonises sooner and stays true to type. A healthy culture looks clear, with clean white wisps or blobs of mycelium drifting in it.
King Oyster (Pleurotus eryngii, also called King Trumpet or Trumpet Royale) is a popular, rewarding gourmet species. It is a little more demanding than standard oyster mushrooms, mainly because it needs cooler fruiting and sterilised substrate, but it is well documented and produces thick, meaty stems with a savoury flavour.
How to use it
Inoculating grain or substrate
Work clean. A still air box or flow hood, freshly gloved hands and a surface wiped with 70 percent alcohol all reduce the chance of contamination. Liquid culture has no natural defence against mould, so technique is everything.
Prepare
Shake the syringe gently to spread the mycelium evenly through the broth. Fit the sterile needle and wipe it with alcohol.
Inject
Pierce the injection port, or an alcohol-wiped spot on your sterilised grain jar or bag. As a rough guide, use 1 to 2 ml per quart grain jar, around 3 to 5 ml per all-in-one bag, or about 10 ml for a 2.3 kg grain bag. Never inject through the filter patch.
Seal and incubate
Cover the injection point with fresh micropore tape. Keep the container in the dark at around 24C while the mycelium spreads. Once growth shows, shaking grain helps it colonise more evenly.
Fruit
King Oyster fruits cooler than it colonises, around 15 to 18C on supplemented hardwood sawdust. A drop to this temperature, along with high humidity near 85 to 90 percent, helps trigger pins. Hold back on fresh air until pins set, then increase it as the fruits develop. Because the substrate carries added nutrition such as wheat bran, it must be sterilised, not just pasteurised.
Mushrooms inherit their growing habits from the substrate and conditions, not just the culture. Get colonisation temperature, the cooler fruiting shift, humidity and air right, and King Oyster rewards the care.
Storage
Keep it cold, never frozen
Store the syringe in the fridge, ideally between 2 and 8C. Do not freeze it, as freezing kills the mycelium. Kept cold, a liquid culture stays viable for roughly 3 to 6 months, and often longer, though sooner is better.
After the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for a day or two before use so the mycelium becomes active again. Discard any syringe that turns cloudy, smells sour or shows colour other than clean white growth.
| Species | Pleurotus eryngii (King Oyster) |
|---|---|
| Form | Live mycelium in sterile nutrient broth |
| Use on | Sterilised grain, agar, supplemented hardwood |
| Colonisation | Around 24C, in the dark |
| Fruiting | Around 15 to 18C, high humidity |
| Storage | Fridge 2 to 8C, do not freeze |
What it is not
Read before buying
This is a culture for legal gourmet cultivation and microscopy. It is not a ready-to-eat product and not a grow kit. You supply the sterile grain or substrate, the clean working space and the fruiting conditions.
Only eat mushrooms you have grown and identified with certainty, and always cook King Oyster thoroughly. If you are new to sterile work, expect a few contaminated jars while you learn. That is normal.
Common questions
Frequently asked
About 1 to 2 ml per quart grain jar, 3 to 5 ml per all-in-one bag, or roughly 10 ml for a 2.3 kg bag. A useful rule is 1 to 2 ml per pound of grain.
Yes. It is already living mycelium of one known strain, so it colonises sooner and grows true to type.
Yes. You can use a small amount to inoculate your own sterile liquid culture jar and expand it, as long as you keep your work sterile.
No. Freezing kills the mycelium. Keep it in the fridge between 2 and 8C and never let it freeze.
Supplemented hardwood sawdust, for example sawdust with wheat bran, sterilised rather than pasteurised because of the added nutrition.
Once fully colonised, drop the temperature to around 15 to 18C and keep humidity near 85 to 90 percent. Hold back fresh air until pins form, then increase air as the fruits grow.
Yes. Use a still air box or flow hood, gloves and 70 percent alcohol. Liquid culture has no defence against mould.
That points to contamination. A healthy culture is clear with clean white mycelium. Discard anything sour-smelling or off-colour.
What customers say
Reviews
Unfortunately these could not be delivered due to an issue with the supply. However, the team made me aware of this in good time and did everything they could to make up for it. This included a refund and they say they will deliver free of charge when it is available.
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Questions and answers
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Supplied for microscopy and legal gourmet mushroom cultivation in the UK. Grow and identify with certainty, and cook before eating.
We work hard to keep this information accurate and to cite reputable sources, but the occasional mistake can still slip through. Always check the product label and a current reference before relying on any figure for something important.