Pro Tip: How to reduce condensation on petri dishes - why does condensation form on plates?

Quick tip for reducing condensation on petri dishes!
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MUSHLOVE

[@ElPresidenteKhan]

Loving these lab technique and process videos. You’re cutting the learning curve out here for us. Thanks Gary!

[@dnacreations96]

I truly just want to say this: Thank you for your existence!!!! Truly. Thank you for sharing your powerful knowledge and wisdom with us 💗

[@waynestockwell4010]

Thank you! That small heater really helps getting rid of condensation

[@MartynasShnaresys]

For a few plates you can use a cup or pot with a hot water. Flat bottom metal ones are the best. Just put it on the plate keep for a few seconds, then repeat until condensation is gone. For a glass plates though wait until half of the condensation is gone, rest on it will dissipate eventually, as glass absorbs more energy and stays warmer for longer.

[@carlfranz]

Are you doing this in a SAB? Would it work to move the freshly poured plates to something like an ice chest, heated with a pad, or wrapped in a heating pad?

[@benink5690]

I would work for this guy harder than I've ever worked. I want to protect him while he takes over the world.

[@PlasmaOne]

Maybe open up a chicken restaurant too

[@christianlander321]

Going to try that on my next run of plates that's a great idea. Stacking the plates while pouring just doesn't seem to keep all the moisture off the top. Thanks for the tip. Merry Christmas

[@vincentwu2848]

Thanks for sharing! Out of curiosity, have you encountered any issues with pointing a space heater towards your laminar flow filter? Would it maybe be better to point the heater towards the air supply of your filter?

[@FLORIDAMANIAM-he2lz]

You can easily put a heat source on the air intake just like the heater in the house.

[@frapahay562]

Been looking for a way to reduce condensation, thanks!

[@pamelawillis9714]

Thanks, Gary. Do you have suggestions for storing colonized Petri dishes in the fridge? I haven’t figured out how to do this without a lot of condensation forming. Are there ways to avoid this? Simply inverting them doesn’t solve the condensation issue. How do professional labs address this?

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

I store them inverted - yes it’s the best way because it keeps the mycelium out of any condensation- I also use slants which are better for storage. If you are worried about the condensation you can store at room temp but the shelf life will be much less

[@neogeo8267]

would love to see heater arrangement - thanks Gary!

[@Mycomania69]

Now that’s a flow hood!!!

[@nk-yy3ki]

Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge with us Gary..mush appreciated. 🙏
A couple of questions....
How can my dishes remain free from contam if they are not taped up and I'm not working in a "tent" ? and
When you blow the warm air over isn't that likely to blow airborne contam around the dishes as well?
Mycology is no fun when ones success rate to fruiting is about 1 in 5 😡 so any advice that might increase these odds would be a great help. Cheers.

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

I will do a video for this subject 👍

[@nk-yy3ki]

@@FreshfromtheFarmFungi thank you in advance for that and thanks so much Gary for the prompt reply.🙏

[@myotheraccount5947]

Have you done a video on the features if different kind of petri dishes and what you look for, specifically for mycology?

[@shashipatel6885]

This is cool for how to reduce condensation after the petri dishes have been steri taped. But how would we best reduce it when they're freshly poured and still under the flow hood?

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

pour them as cool as possible and let them dry out for a day or 2 in front of the hood

[@Joe-g1s5r]

Thank you, and yes, I will subscribe

[@MissBlackMetal]

*Hey Gary, do you incubate your agar dishes rightside-up (agar DOWN) or upside-down (agar UP)?*
I know generally agar dishes are supposed to be incubated upside-down (agar UP) to avoid condensation dripping on bacterial colonies and blending them. However, I've also seen that some people recommend for FUNGI dishes, the plates be stored rightside-up (agar DOWN) -- the reason is to prevent molds from sporulating onto the lid, and those spores being released into the lab air upon opening the dish. Considering the prevalence of Trichoderma, I was wondering whether it's best to incubate plates agar up or agar down.
Ideally, if we can completely control for condensation, then agar DOWN would of course be the best practice. Perhaps I just answered my own question. Thanks for the video! 🤘🏻

[@combatjm89]

Right on time!

[@baldknobfarmstead5167]

What if when you put the plates in the incubator is when the condensation happens?

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

probably the differential between the air inside the dish and the air in the incubator is too much - it should stabilize after a few hours you can mitigate it by heating up the plates a little first or warming the room or cooling the incubator

[@ericsankey5756]

thanks dude!

[@legalizationnow420]

10/10 Super helpful. Sharing with my friends

[@toddwmac]

Thanks Gary, always very helpful. I have serious condensation on plates that are inoculated and wrapped in grafting tape. Is it ok to keep then inverted and wrapped until I harvest samples or should I re-wrap in parafilm and evacuate the moisture? Thanks!

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

yes it should be fine in the mean time

[@janetjacks3406]

So the petri dishes are not sealed with parafilm tape? I am guessing the condensation must be able to escape then but if you got a flow hood not a problem, for us with a SAB a tricky issue.

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

It can still be done when parafilmed. Parafilm is parafin wax and allows for some gas exchange. Temperature is the most important factor still

[@stephenmccain993]

Pro tip thank you

[@bounceurabdelaziz4973]

Thank you very much Gary.Dieu te protège.

[@Allyourbase1990]

I switched to condiment cups because it’s way cheaper , but I keep getting little puddles of condensation, and it’s affecting mycelium growth . It’s super annoying

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

tradeoffs

[@RakkaSan7219]

Some Links to your Mycelium and such appear to be down or nonexisting

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

thanks for the heads up - it’s fixed!

[@jasonbricknergaitedhorsema1100]

I use a cookie cooling rack that sets up like 4 inches off the table. Do you think it's better then to set all the dishs directly on the table?

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

I think both work - that is a good alternative (allow for agar to warm up with air flow underneath)

[@karloskardenas2414]

Thank you 🙏🏻

[@deej7783]

How could one incubate at home? Lol like conditions and light no light??

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

I would just use a cooler without anything in it - it will help stabilize temp swings at least and hold closer to room temp

[@puckingery915]

thanks, condensation is the bane of my existence lately. I'll give these tips a try. Thanks for all your videos, its a little funny how you look at the screen and not the camera. Dont stop if its workin for ya though, your information is whats important

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

cool thanks! My skill is in laboratory procedures, my passion is sharing, my weakness is filmography and video production but it will eventually get better thanks for the feedback 👍

[@puckingery915]

@@FreshfromtheFarmFungi I love your show, keep it going, I know your fan base is growing. I need to learn these lab procedures, to implement into my practice.

[@nosequiters]

Just turn them upside down LOL

[@BeardedHillbilly]

It's definitely a pro tip. Doesn't help the poor man any, lol.

[@FreshfromtheFarmFungi]

it’s all about the temperatures! Just try to keep things as close as possible to the temperature of the agar

[@TheSaltPrincess]

**Clap**
God bless your heart