Liquid culture syringes in Australia

Liquid culture or spore syringe

A liquid culture is living mycelium in a sterile sugar broth; a spore syringe is spores in sterile water. The two look alike in the syringe but are different products, and the spore syringe vs liquid culture guide sets out how. For Psilocybe lines, vendors on Culture Cave sell both for microscopy and taxonomy study.

Isolated, 10 ml and 10 cc

"Isolated" means the vendor started the culture from a single selected sector of mycelium rather than from mixed spores, and a number after a name, such as 608 or 186, is usually the vendor's own isolate label. 10 ml and 10 cc are the same volume. The liquid culture guide explains what to look for in the syringe.

Why buy liquid culture inside Australia

Australia's biosecurity rules cover fungal and other biological material arriving from overseas. Parcels can be inspected, held or destroyed at the border, and live cultures in particular may need an import permit; the Department of Agriculture's BICON database sets out the conditions. A domestic parcel avoids that step and spends less time in hot vans and depots. In summer, order early in the week so a parcel is not sitting in a depot over the weekend, and put the syringe in the fridge (not the freezer) when it arrives; ordering in the Australian summer has more.

Gourmet liquid cultures

Aus Myco Kingdom lists gourmet liquid cultures as coming soon. Home growers of gourmet species such as oyster and lion's mane usually start from a liquid culture on sterilised grain; mycology supplies in Australia lists the grain and substrate.

The law

Psilocybin and psilocin are controlled substances in Australia. Spores contain neither, but the law on Psilocybe spores differs between states and territories, and some restrict their sale or possession. Vendors on Culture Cave sell Psilocybe and Panaeolus spores and cultures for microscopy and taxonomy use only, so check the law in your own state or territory before you order. Nothing on this page is legal advice.