Making a spore print

Spore prints are being used for 2 reasons; to do microscopic research to determine the mushroom strain and to use the spores to grow mushrooms. The image on the left illustrates what to do when you want to make a spore print. We’re now going to explain to you how to do it:

1. Find the mushrooms you want the spore print from. Spore prints often make the difference when it comes to identification so you’ll need to do this often when hunting for wild mushrooms.
2. Cut of the stem as close to the cap as possible. Don’t throw the stem away, you can still use it to reproduce the fungus and mushrooms. You can do this by using agar. Click here to see how to do it.
3. Place to caps upside down on a piece of paper or aluminum foil. Use paper if you’re using the print for microscopy and use aluminum foil for reproduction of the fungus.
4. Wait for 24 hours. You’ll now see a very clear spore print. You’re done!