FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I just failed on my first TC attempt and i noticed when i cleaned out the jars that the agar mix was far to thick i used 7grams per 1litre

Anyone got input ? going to use 6 gram next time per 1litre

Im using 5 grams per litter, but it semms kind of soft.

i might go 5.5grams then ?

I guess. Whta tipe of agar are you using, food or micropropagation grade?

I have the A111

It just says Plant Agar but this was from the website


80g of agar suitable for preparation of plant tissue culture medium and general microbiology Prepare at 5.5g per litre for a solid gel. Gel strength > 1100 g/cm2

Well mine is 1200 g/cm2 (i think that is what it says in the Packet). From what website did you get it? How much did it cost?

I got 100g from arround 20 dollars.

80g for 14 quid not cheap

I live in the UK and i use this place
http://www.micro-science.co.uk/plant-agar-80g.html

Wow thats expensive, you payed the same that I did for 20g less.

I checked and mine is 900 g/cm2, can someone please explain this ecuation, what does it means? And if the number is higher is better or worst?

If it has a higher number should I use more or less?

Anyone?

When I actually get something to work in micropropagation, I will speak about this more definitively. But until then, something like this came up awhile back where I was working with some strong stuff. I think my stuff's gel strength is between 900-1000 g/cm^2. I had to throttle it way down. I'm messing around in the 3 to 4 g/L range right now FWIW. The media is jiggly like jello but doesn't completely fall apart. That sounds like what people generally expect around here.

NelsonR wrote:I checked and mine is 900 g/cm2, can someone please explain this ecuation, what does it means? And if the number is higher is better or worst?

If it has a higher number should I use more or less?

Gel strength is measured by making a 1.5% agar gel (15g/l) and placing increasing weights on the gel until it ruptures. Higher numbers mean higher gel strength. So you can use slightly less if your Agar has a higher gel strength rating. Most Agars need about 4.5-5g/l minimum for adequate gel for TC, but every batch of Agar manufactured is different, so adjustments may need to be made when you buy a new batch.

Brad

Wow, thanks brad.