Food for fungi: How to make potato dextrose agar at home

One commonly used media for growing fungi in the labs is potato dextrose agar or PDA. It is a very easy media to do.

You will need:

1. One washed unpeeled potato (100 g)
2. Water (500 mL)
3. Agar (few pieces, or one tablespoon)
4. Kitchen cloth
5. One tablespoons of sugar
6. Pot
7. Bowl

Boil the potato in water, for approximately 30 minutes (a). You will need to collected that water in the bowl, but firstly strain it using a cheesecloth (b). Next, add sugar and agar to the strained water (c) and stir until dissolved (d). Pour the mixture into as many recipients as you want and cover them with the lid. Once cold it will solidify and will be ready to use. 

How to make PDA step by step.

Results

This is how your homemade Petri dishes will look like!

TIP!

Clean the recipient with some disinfectant before using it. 

This recipe is based on the one detailed in wiki here.