Mushroom Spore Syringe FAQs | Studying Mushroom Spores Under a Microscope (2024)

A mushroom spore syringe is available for microscopy use and identification purposes; you can legally buy mushroom spores (almost any type) to study under a microscope.

In this blog, we will answer frequently asked questions related to spores. Even though you are a newbie, you are in the right place to learn about mushroom spores.

We’ll talk about the process of growing LEGAL mushrooms from spore syringes grow kit in a separate blog. (Magic mushroom spore syringes such as Psilocybe cubensis spore syringes are illegal to germinate.)

Here, let’s first dive into the microscopic use of any fungal spores.

How your spores are prepared makes a difference in the quality that you will receive.

Now, with a new vendor that we’re currently working with, you are going to get the highest quality spores. The vendor that’s preparing and sending out your mushroom spore syringes has a very proprietary way of making them.

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1. Can You See Mushroom Spores?

You can see spores, but you are not supposed to. The moment people get their mushroom spore syringe, they want to see spores floating in the solution.

Of course, when a particular syringe is old, (let us say six months old) you can see spores clumping and floating around in the water solution.

But when your mushroom spore syringes are made fresh, which is what we make sure of, you do not necessarily want to see the spores.

1.1. How Small Are Mushroom Spores?

The size varies, but fungal spores are typically less than 10 microns [µ] and some can be as small as 2 microns. To give you a clearer picture, a single strand of human hair is approximately 70 microns in diameter. So a single fungal spore is around 1/7 of a human hair.

That answers why you cannot see spores floating in a freshly prepared spore syringe. You’re not receiving just water, but equally dispersed spores in distilled water.

1.2. Viewing Mushroom Spores Under a Microscope

To perfectly see the fungal spores, the ideal is to squirt equally dispersed spores onto the microscope slide.

Let us say you have five microscope slides. In each slide, you put a drop of the mushroom spore syringe content. And in each of the five slides, you should see right around the same amount of spores dispersed equally as you zoom in.

2. How to Break Up Spores Clumped in a Syringe?

Simply shake it up really good to the point where all of these clumps actually break up and dissolve. If 5 minutes of shaking still do not work, you can use the help of a vibrating device, such as a shoulder massage vibrator.

You can place your spore syringe on the device or tie it together with the device. Then, leave it for several minutes to vibrate the clumping spores loose. The constant frequency of the vibrator is effective in loosening up the clumps.

Other Important Details About Mushroom Spores You Need to Know

1. A syringe is one of the easiest, safest, and most sterile ways of storing and shipping fungal spores.
2. Another way to obtain fungal spores is through a spore print. You can get a spore print by allowing spores of a mushroom (fruiting body) to fall onto a surface underneath, usually a foil.
3. The content of mushroom spore syringes is NOT meant for human consumption, only the fruiting body of legal commercial varieties like Lion’s Mane and Oyster mushrooms.
4. Spores do NOT contain illegal substances such as psilocybin and psilocin; that is why it is legal to sell spores in most states. However, in California, Idaho, and Georgia, you cannot buy psilocybin spores; in these States, the sale and possession of psilocybin mushroom spores are prohibited.
5. Germinating psilocybin mushroom spores such as Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms remains illegal. Though decriminalized in some states, at U.S. federal level, psilocybin is still classified as a Schedule 1 drug.
   • Learn about DEA Drug Scheduling
   • Read the Alphabetical listing of Controlled Substances