Pressure Cookers & Sterilization for Mushroom Cultivation (Plus a Low-Tech Alternative)

As you take a deep dive into the exciting world of DIY mushroom cultivation, you’ll probably want to invest early on in a pressure cooker or autoclave for sterilizing all your growth medium. There are a lot of options out there, so we made this video to help you make an informed decision, learn how they work, and consider some great alternatives to sterilization. A pressure cooker will allow you to make your own grain spawn, agar plates, liquid culture, and bulk substrates, saving you money and helping you deepen your connection with your mushrooms. In this detailed how-to video, we’ll discuss sterilization methods and why they’re important. Then we’ll compare the pros and cons of a variety of different pressure cookers to help you choose which one is right for you, including Instant Pot, Presto canners, All American brand sterilizers, and affordable commercial autoclaves. We’ll also talk about pressure cooker safety and offer some tips for working with mushroom grow bags. In part 2, we’ll go over standard operating procedures, explaining how to safely use a pressure cooker for a variety of different mushroom cultivation applications. This section includes specific information for using Instant Pot and All American pressure canners. At the end, we’ll also show you a useful method for making grain spawn and other mushroom substrates without a pressure cooker, using a form of fractional pasteurization called tyndallization. Not only is this a good budget option for the hobby grower, this technique can also help you scale up by using a bulk pasteurizer. We’ll wrap up with some ideas for how to build one and why this is a great project for off-grid mushroom cultivators. ____________________________ Made with love by Fungaia, a heart-centered, donation-based mushroom company: https://www.fungaia.life/ For the best, most reliable and super affordable mushroom genetics and liquid culture, visit our favorite culture library: True Blue Genetics Discount code: FUNGAIA ____________________________ Recommended Pressure Cookers, Autoclaves & Parts: Instant Pot Duo https://amzn.to/3W2sUSl (Now there's an 8-quart model too) Vintage 21qt Presto/National Pressure Canner https://ebay.us/yBsuA8 (Replacement gasket: https://amzn.to/3zGgtnB) All American 941 41.5-Quart Pressure Canner https://ebay.us/Q25MUr Overpressure plug: https://amzn.to/3LlTTTQ Spring-loaded Petcock: https://amzn.to/4f1y9dq 150L Electric Vertical Steam Sterilizer https://ebay.us/evnqyo (Get the 220V!) Bulk Pasteurizer Parts Hot water valve: https://amzn.to/3Y0naeu Turkey fryer: https://ebay.us/Wz37dz Just the burner: https://amzn.to/3XYFVPp ____________________________ Standard Cook Times (15 psi / 1 bar): Liquid culture / agar media: 35-45 minutes Grain spawn (jars): 90 minutes Grain spawn (bags): 1 hour 45 minutes Sawdust blocks: 2 - 2.5 hours Cook times for Instant Pot: LC / agar: 1 hour Grain jars: 2 hours Sawdust / grain bags: 3+ hours Cook Times for Tyndallization: Round 1: 1 hour @ 165F Cool 24 - 48 hours Round 2: 2 hours @ 190F Cool 24 hours Round 3: 2+ hours @ 190F ____________________________ Other Useful Supplies True Blue Genetics: the best liquid culture out there https://truebluegenetics.org/?coupon=... This is the last genetics provider you will ever need! Gourmet and Medicinal Mushroom Cultures from Fungaia https://www.fungaia.life/shop/species/ The Fungaia Cube Kit https://www.fungaia.life/shop/kits/?q... An organic, all-in-one grow kit for dung-lover mushrooms Pre-Sterilized Grain Bags https://www.fungaia.life/shop/fertile... Pasteurized, Manure-Based Mushroom Substrate https://www.fungaia.life/shop/fertile... Monotubs and monotub filters: Microppose https://microppose.com/r?id=h776jn Discount code FUNGAIA ____________________________ More Videos from Fungaia Mycology Lab 101: Sterile Culture Technique    • Mycology Lab 101: Agar Work, Cloning, Spor...   How to Grow Mushrooms the Easy Way:    • How to Grow Mushrooms from Scratch the Eas...   How to Make Grain Spawn:    • How to Make Grain Spawn: A Deep Dive into ...   How to make your own liquid culture    • How to Make Liquid Culture the Easy Way: A...   How to Make Agar Media and Pour Petri Dishes:    • How to Make Agar Media and Pour Petri Dish...   ____________________________ Created by Paul Lynn. All rights reserved. Made with free stock footage from Pexels. Music by Paul Lynn. © 2024 Alembic Enterprises LLC Walla Walla, Washington 0:00 Intro 1:14 Background Info 3:14 Sterilization Methods 7:00 Steam Sterilization Explained 8:32 Vacuum Issue 9:23 Using Pre-Sterilized Substrates 9:58 Choosing a Pressure Cooker: Pros and Cons 16:07 Heat Source 16:55 Low-Tech Alternative 17:40 Grow Bags & Safety Tips 18:57 PART 2: How to Use a Pressure Cooker, Step-by-Step 31:00 Instant Pot 34:26 All American Pressure Canner 37:27 PART 3: Sterilizing WITHOUT a Pressure Cooker 39:28 Science of Tyndallization 40:39 Tyndallization Procedure: Times & Temps 42:38 Bulk Pasteurizer 46:32 Outro