John Miller
Cloning psilocybe mushrooms is a simple process that can be done at home without the need for expensive equipment. It involves taking a small piece of mycelium from a mushroom and growing it on an agar petri dish. This process allows you to create an identical copy of a mushroom with desirable traits such as yield, speed of growth, colour, substrate suitability, and disease resistance. When selecting a mushroom to clone, it is important to choose one that is healthy, fully developed, and exhibits the traits you wish to replicate. The cloning process begins by cleaning the surface of the mushroom with alcohol to sterilize it and then using a sterile scalpel to carefully remove a small piece of tissue. This tissue is then placed onto a sterile media to grow, and over time, it will develop into a new colony that is genetically identical to the parent mushroom.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition of cloning | Copying mushrooms from the wild and cultivating them |
| Reason for cloning | To copy fruits with interesting genetic variations, color, shape, etc. |
| Mushroom types | Saprotrophic, parasitic, and mycorrhizal |
| Best mushrooms to clone | Saprophytic mushrooms that grow on dead and decaying organic material in the wild |
| Easiest mushrooms to clone | Hardy, fast-growing, less fussy mushrooms like oyster mushrooms, shiitake, and lion’s mane |
| Easiest mushrooms to work with when cloning | Thick and fleshy mushrooms like shiitake, king oysters, and cremini mushrooms |
| Best growth stage for cloning | Button stage |
| Cloning process | Scraping tissue from a mushroom under sterile conditions and placing it onto sterile media to grow |
| Cloning tools | Still air box, laminar flow hood, scalpel, lighter, alcohol, gloves, mask, hairnet, etc. |
| Sterilizing agents | Isopropyl alcohol, bleach solution, or another sanitizing agent |
| Cloning methods | Using agar, using spores |
| Advantages of using agar | Provides nutrients required for the mycelium to grow in a sterile environment, reduces chances of contamination, allows for long-term storage |
| Disadvantages of using spores | Spores are unpredictable, merging single-cell hyphae creates thousands of new strains |
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What You'll Learn
Choosing the right mushrooms to clone
Freshness
It is ideal to choose fresh mushrooms for cloning. Fresh mushrooms have a higher chance of successful cloning compared to dried mushrooms. If you must use dried mushrooms, rehydrate them in sterilized water before proceeding. However, keep in mind that the drying process often damages the tissue, making it more challenging to clone.
Health and Development
Select mushrooms that are healthy and fully developed. Avoid any mushrooms showing signs of contamination or disease, as these issues may persist in the cloned mycelium. A healthy mushroom will have a higher likelihood of passing on desirable traits to future generations.
Desirable Traits
Choose mushrooms that exhibit the traits you wish to cultivate and replicate. These traits may include rapid growth, large fruiting bodies, high potency, desirable colour, shape, or yield. By selecting mushrooms with desirable characteristics, you increase the chances of producing future generations with these same traits.
Size
While larger fruit bodies are desirable for their size, keep in mind that smaller fruits tend to have more active product per gram. Additionally, small, rapidly growing fruits are often recommended for cloning, as they are in an active stage of cell division and will take off quickly on agar.
Source
You can clone wild mushrooms, store-bought mushrooms, or mushrooms you have cultivated yourself. Wild mushrooms offer unique strains found in nature, contributing to genetic diversity. Store-bought or cultivated mushrooms may provide more predictable results.
Sterile Environment
Ensure that the mushrooms you choose are as contaminant-free as possible. Before cloning, clean the mushrooms by wiping them down with an alcohol-soaked cloth to reduce the potential for contamination. A sterile environment is crucial for successful cloning, as contamination can affect the growth of the mycelium.
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Preparing your workspace and tools
Firstly, sanitise your work area thoroughly. Use sterilising agents such as isopropyl alcohol, bleach solutions, or other sanitising solutions to wipe down all surfaces and tools, including your gloves and scalpel. This step is vital to minimise the risk of contamination, which can affect the success of your cloning process.
Next, gather all the required tools and supplies. You will need a laminar flow hood or a still air box (SAB) to work under, which helps maintain a sterile environment. Other essential tools include a scalpel or a sharp X-Acto knife for tissue removal and transfer, disposable gloves to maintain sterility, and parafilm or masking tape for sealing agar plates.
Before beginning the cloning process, ensure that your workspace is well-organised and all the supplies are within reach. Put on your disposable gloves and have your tools ready. It is also recommended to clean the exterior of the mushroom with a sterilising agent, as mentioned earlier, to reduce the risk of contamination.
Additionally, prepare your agar plates, which are petri dishes containing a sterile nutrient-rich agar solution. Agar is derived from algae and provides the ideal environment for mycelium growth. You can purchase ready-made agar plates or opt for a more challenging approach by making your own agar growing medium using powdered agar.
By following these instructions, you will have a sterile and well-prepared workspace, which is essential for successful psilocybe mushroom cloning.
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Cleaning and cutting the mushrooms
When it comes to cleaning mushrooms, it is important to do so right before you intend to use them as any moisture can create an opportunity for mould. While rinsing mushrooms under water is often considered a "big no-no", as they will absorb liquid and become difficult to cook, it is still possible to wash them this way. To do so, fill a large bowl with cold water and have a clean, lint-free towel nearby. Place a few mushrooms in the water at a time and swirl them around to loosen any dirt—this should take about 10 seconds. Then, remove the mushrooms and pat them dry with the towel, laying them out (caps up) to finish air-drying. Once they are washed, examine the mushrooms to ensure there is no visible dirt remaining. If there is, use a damp paper towel to wipe them off.
Another way to clean mushrooms is to brush off any dirt with a soft brush or cloth. This method is recommended for wild foraged mushrooms as it prevents moisture retention. After brushing, lay the mushrooms out in a single layer to air dry or use a food dehydrator for faster drying.
When it comes to cutting mushrooms, it is recommended to use a mushroom brush, an extra-soft toothbrush, or a baby brush to gently and effectively remove any remaining dirt. A baby brush can be used for larger surfaces, while a toothbrush can be used to carefully clean the gills or any smaller cavities. A damp cloth can also be used to ensure the mushrooms are extra clean.
Quartered mushrooms are great for roasting in the oven, while finely chopped mushrooms are better for stuffings, meatballs, or duxelles.
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Growing the clones on agar
To grow your clones on agar, start by selecting a young, fresh, and healthy mushroom with desirable traits, such as rapid growth or large fruiting bodies. Clean the outside of the mushroom with a sterilizing agent like isopropyl alcohol or a bleach solution to remove any contaminants. Then, using a sterile scalpel or razor blade, carefully remove a small piece of tissue from the mushroom stem or cap. The tissue sample should be no larger than a grain of rice.
Once you have your tissue sample, place it onto the sterile agar plate. Seal the plate with parafilm or masking tape to minimize contamination. Within a week or two, you should observe mycelium growth on the agar. To ensure a clean culture, it is recommended to transfer the mycelium to multiple plates, repeating the process several times. Eventually, you will obtain a clean mycelium culture that can be used for further cultivation or long-term storage.
It is important to note that cloning from dried mushrooms is possible but more challenging. When selecting a mushroom to clone, avoid older specimens as the cells stop dividing, and there is a higher risk of introducing spores to your agar plate.
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Maintaining the clones
To maintain the clones, periodically introduce fresh genetic material from new specimens or spore prints. This helps to prevent genetic drift and senescence, which can lead to a weakening of the strain or loss of desirable traits over time. While cloning cannot be sustained indefinitely, introducing new genetic material can prolong the vitality of the mushroom cultures.
When working with Psilocybe mushrooms, it is crucial to prioritize sterilization and minimize contamination. Before each cloning procedure, clean and sanitize your workspace, including any equipment such as the laminar flow hood or still air box. Put on disposable gloves and clean the exterior of the mushroom with a sterilizing agent such as isopropyl alcohol or a bleach solution.
After obtaining a small piece of tissue from the mushroom, transfer it to a sterile medium, such as an agar plate, to initiate growth. Agar plates provide a sterile and nutrient-rich environment for the mycelium to grow and reduce the chances of contamination. Over time, the mycelium will form a new colony that is genetically identical to the parent mushroom, referred to as a clone.
To further maintain the clones, select the healthiest and fastest-growing mycelium and transfer it to multiple plates. After several transfers, you should obtain clean mycelium that can be used for various purposes, such as creating grain spawn or liquid culture, or stored for future use. By following these steps, you can successfully maintain the clones of Psilocybe mushrooms and preserve their unique genetic characteristics.
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