MAKING MUSHROOM SPORE PRINTS HOW TO

This powder is exactly what we need to create a spore print. When a mushroom releases its spores, they form a fine powder on the surface of the mushroom. Spores are typically dispersed to new environments through the air by wind currents as well as through animals and other living organisms. Spores come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors depending on the species of mushroom. When a mushroom reaches maturity it releases spores from its gills which are located underneath the cap of the mushroom. In order to truly examine them, you must look at the spores through a microscope. Have you ever noticed dark-colored staining below and around a mature mushroom fruiting body? These are mushroom spores. The human eye can only see the colors of spores, and only when they are clumped together by the thousands. They are the propagative element of a mushroom and they enable the fungus to reproduce and disperse itself. Mushroom spores are the reproductive microscopic cells of fungi.

MAKING MUSHROOM SPORE PRINTS HOW TO

In this guide, you will learn how to make long-lasting contamination-free mushroom spore prints. Making your own spore print is a relatively simple process, although it does require patience and a bit of experience. Spore prints have other functions as well such as identifying different mushroom species and making decorative art. Thanks for your support.Spore prints are essential to the mushroom growing process, their most important function is mushroom propagation, which is accomplished by introducing spores to a growing medium. I want you to experience my website without being bombarded with ads. I use this commission to fund my website to keep it ad free. When you use the links above, your cost is the same, but I receive a very small commission from your purchase. Tag me on Instagram or on Facebook a note: I participate in Affiliates Programs. You’l be able to see all the rows of little spheres (spores from the mushroom.) It’s so cool. You can find it in my Amazon Favorites under “Biology”. You will definitely need a TOP light source. Just place the paper right on the platform. Move to a different paper and this time wait longer if it didn’t take the first time.īONUS STEP: Look at your print under the microscope. Know that like all prints, unless the mushroom is layer back in the exact position, it will spore over the original resulting in a loss of clarity. If you see a rim of white on the paper, you can lift the mushroom and see. Leave for a few hours 2 -3 and check back. The print is too heavy and the clarity is lost. Most of the instructions that I’ve seen say to leave overnight. You’ll see in some of your prints this lovely drift is made because the cap is too far away from the paper. We want the spores to fall straight down and not be influenced by air flows. Place a cup, bowl, or something to cover the cap to eliminate air drafts. You can see in my stories, that one was brown. We just usually start with black as most of our ‘shrooms print white spores. Many books will tell you the color of the spore print. You can identify your mushroom and choose the paper accordingly. The contrast is what makes them stand out. Mushrooms can lay spore prints in black, which, and shades of brown. Place your mushroom cap face down on a piece of paper. The moisture warps the paper and our print. Not always easy, as you will see, but that’s our goal. We want to keep the moisture at a minimal. Dab any moisture off of the stem where it was cut with toilet paper or paper towel. Be very careful when cutting that the gills and mushroom gills and cap aren’t damaged. We want them to lay as flat as possible on the paper. I find that the clearest prints are left by the flatter, fully open but not over extended (still domed) caps where the stem can be cut closely and the mushroom touches the paper all the way around.

All kinds of mushrooms will leave prints and it’s fun to experiment. I thought I’d share how to make mushroom spore prints with some tips we’ve discovered along the way. We find them in natural areas around our house after a few days of rain. (Marine biologist over here.) These are perfect for nature study, and a great excuse to get outside.

To give myself credit, there aren’t any mushrooms in the ocean. I do not know how I made it all the way through my college biology classes without knowing that spore prints are used in mushroom identification, but there you are. I wish I knew which ‘shrooms were edible and which were not, but alas… Goals!

Making mushroom spore prints