Sarah Brown
Mushroom spore prints are simple to create and yield dramatic results. The spores fall from the gills of the mushroom and land on a piece of paper, creating a sort of x-ray of the gills. To make a spore print, carefully remove the mushroom cap from the stem, ensuring the gills are not disturbed. Place the cap gill-side down on a piece of paper and cover it with a bowl to prevent spores from being disturbed by air currents. Leave it for a few hours or overnight, and then carefully lift the cap to reveal the intricate spore print. The colour and pattern of the spores can help identify the mushroom species. Spore prints can be preserved using hair spray or artist fixative. They can also be used for artistic purposes, such as creating silkscreens for printing on fabric.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Mushroom Type | Gills or pores |
| Mushroom Freshness | Soft and fresh |
| Mushroom Cap | Cut off the stem and place the cap with the gills facing down |
| Paper | White paper for darker-gilled mushrooms, black paper for pale gills, aluminium foil, index card or glass microscope slide |
| Water | Put a drop of water on the top of the cap to help release the spores |
| Bowl | Cover the cap with a paper cup or glass bowl to prevent air currents from carrying away spores |
| Time | Leave for 2-24 hours, depending on humidity and freshness of the mushroom |
| Preservation | Preserve using hair spray or artist spray |
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What You'll Learn
Choose a mushroom with gills or pores
When selecting mushrooms for spore prints, it is important to choose those with fully open caps and exposed gills. Mushrooms with pores, such as boletes, have spores inside the pores underneath the cap. Similarly, for mushrooms with gills, the spores lie on the gill surface. The colour of the spores is a useful indicator for both types of mushrooms.
To make a spore print, carefully remove the mushroom cap from the stem, ensuring you do not damage the gills. Place the cap with the gills facing down onto a piece of paper, foil, or a microscope slide. If you are using the whole mushroom, you can skip this step and place the entire mushroom upside down. If you are using a microscope slide, you may want to scrape off some spores with a needle or scalpel and place them on the slide.
To encourage the release of spores, put a drop of water on the cap. Then, cover the cap with a bowl or cup to prevent air currents from disturbing the spores. Leave the setup for 2 to 24 hours, depending on the humidity and freshness of the mushroom. If you are using a microscope slide, place a drop of water on the spores and cover it with a cover slip.
After the specified time, carefully lift the bowl and mushrooms. If the paper has absorbed a lot of moisture, you may need to wait for it to dry before observing the print. If successful, you should see a spore print pattern resembling the gills on the underside of the cap.
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Cut off the stem
To make mushroom spore prints, you need to cut off the stem (or stipe) of the mushroom, so that the cap can sit flat on a piece of paper. This is important because the spores need to fall directly downwards onto the paper from the mushroom cap.
When cutting off the stem, use a sharp knife and be careful not to squish the gills. The gills are located underneath the cap and are delicate structures that contain billions of spores. By cutting off the stem, you can separate the cap and place it gill-side down.
It is recommended to place the mushroom cap on a piece of aluminium foil, white paper, an index card, or a glass microscope slide. The colour of the paper can be chosen based on the expected colour of the spores. For example, black paper works well for mushrooms with pale gills, while white paper is better for darker-gilled mushrooms. If you plan on growing mushrooms from the spores, it is recommended to use tin foil as it is more sterile and easier for transferring spores.
After cutting off the stem and placing the cap gill-side down, add a drop of water to the top of the cap to encourage the release of spores. Then, cover the cap with a paper cup, glass, or small bowl to prevent air currents from disturbing the process and carrying away the spores. Leave the setup for 2 to 24 hours, depending on the humidity and freshness of the mushroom.
Finally, carefully lift the cap and bowl to reveal your mushroom spore print! The intricate pattern of spores will resemble the gills of the mushroom.
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Place the cap on paper, gill-side down
When making mushroom spore prints, it's important to place the cap on paper, gill-side down. This allows the spores to fall directly onto the paper, creating a detailed print. The process is simple, but the results can be dramatic. Here are some detailed steps to guide you through the process:
Firstly, carefully separate the cap from the stem. This can be done by cutting or gently twisting the cap until it separates from the stem. Try to avoid squishing the gills during this process. For certain mushrooms, like shelf mushrooms or oyster mushrooms, you might not need to separate the cap and can use the whole mushroom for printing.
Once the cap is separated, gently place it gill-side down onto a piece of paper. The type of paper you use can vary. A standard sheet of white paper usually works fine, but you can also use black paper, especially if the mushroom has pale gills. Alternatively, you can use aluminium foil, an index card, or a glass microscope slide. If you plan on growing mushrooms from the spores, tin foil is recommended as it is more sterile and easier for transferring spores.
After placing the cap on the paper, cover it with a bowl or a glass. This prevents air currents from disturbing the spores and carries them away. Leave the setup for 2 to 24 hours, depending on the humidity and freshness of the mushroom. During this time, the spores will fall onto the paper, creating a detailed spore print pattern.
Finally, carefully lift the cap to reveal your mushroom spore print! The print will be fragile, so avoid touching it. If the paper has absorbed moisture, you may need to let it dry before clearly seeing the print. With some mushrooms, you might need to wait longer, even up to three days, to get a good spore print.
Remember to always assume that any mushroom you're handling is poisonous, and take the necessary precautions. Enjoy the process of creating these intricate and beautiful mushroom spore prints!
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Cover the cap with a bowl or glass
To make mushroom spore prints, you'll need some fresh, open mushrooms, paper, and a bowl or glass. Firstly, carefully separate the cap from the stem, ensuring you don't disturb the gills in the cap or get dirt on them. Place the cap gill-side down on a piece of paper, foil, or glass. To prevent air currents from carrying away your spores, cover the cap with a bowl or glass.
The bowl or glass will create an airtight seal, protecting the spores as they fall onto the paper. Depending on the humidity and the freshness of the mushroom, you can leave the setup for 2 to 24 hours. If you're using a whole mushroom, you may need to leave it overnight to allow enough spores to drop.
When you're ready to reveal the print, carefully lift the bowl or glass and the mushroom cap. If the paper has absorbed a lot of moisture, you may need to let it dry before you can fully see the print. The print will resemble the gills on the underside of the cap, and the colour of the spores can help identify the mushroom species.
To store your mushroom spore prints, simply fold over the paper or tinfoil and place it in a ziplock bag. Spore prints can be stored at room temperature and will last for decades.
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Leave for 2-12 hours, then carefully lift the bowl and mushroom
Once you have set up your mushroom spore print, it is time to be patient. Leave the mushroom for 2-12 hours, or even overnight. The amount of time you need to wait depends on the humidity and the freshness of the mushroom. Fresher mushrooms will produce their spores more quickly. While you sleep, the spores will drift down and settle, tracing out the pattern of the gills in a fine, delicate dust.
After this period, carefully lift the bowl and mushroom. You should see a fully formed mushroom spore print. Be careful not to smudge or disturb the spores as you do so. The spore print will be intricate, symmetrical, and impossibly fine. It may resemble a tiny fungal mandala. If the paper has absorbed a lot of moisture from the mushrooms, you may need to wait for it to dry before you can see the print clearly.
If you are happy with your spore print, you can store it by folding over some of the paper or tinfoil and placing it in a ziploc bag. Spore prints can be stored at room temperature and will last for decades. There is no need to refrigerate them, even if you plan to use the spores for cultivation.
If you want to try and grow mushrooms from your spores, you should use tinfoil instead of paper. Tinfoil is more sterile and can be cleaned with alcohol, making it easier to transfer the spores. You can also preserve your spore prints by spraying them lightly with an artist's spray or hairspray.
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