Inoculating Bags with Sorghum Seeds

You can use these same steps with any form of grain spawn. These directions outline the use of Sorghum Seeds but this could be any form of grain spawn you prefer to use.

Note: The inoculation room must be kept very clean and free of diseases to avoid contamination. Avoid sunshine from entering the area.

1. Prepare materials:

• Alcohol lamp
• Sorghum coated with spawn
• Fire
• Square paper (5’’ x 5’’)
• Rubber bands
• Cotton and alcohol
• Pasteurized substrate bags

2. Clean room with broom or dust vacuum rub the floor with disinfecting solution.
3. Bring substrate bags from pasteurization chamber to inoculation area.
4. Light alcohol lamp.
5. Disinfect hands and pasteurized substrate bags with alcohol.
6. Take bottle of sorghum coated with spawn (all white color).
7. Shake bottle well against car tire (or old tire) to release sorghum seeds and then, bring bottles to inoculation room. Do not open bottle.
8. Flame around the bottleneck. Open bottle very close to flame to take out air from inside.
9. Drop 10–20 sorghum seeds coated with spawn in the mushroom bag. Act very quickly and with very little movement.
10. Then, bring cotton to close bag as quickly as possible. Repeat for all bags.
11. Leave bottle near the flame until all bags have been inoculated. Then, close the bottle.
12. Following inoculation of all bags, place clean square paper to cover the top of the bag and tie with rubber band.
13. Bring bags to incubation room.