FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I have been wanting to start tc for a while now, and I want to buy a kit that has everything I need. I found this link http://www.planttc.com/products.html?pa ... egory_id=7


Does it seem ok? I really don't know much about tc, and I will research more.

Feel free to post your own websites or experiences with tc, since I am trying to learn as much as possible.

In order to start TC if you do not know about it, the best place is in Carol's shop.
http://www.kitchenculturekit.com/index.htm
I say this for several reasons. Carol sells the components for the medium by separate so you really control the amounts you want to use, and she also has the tutorials, and any question you would like to make to her.
Yo would need to get the things as scapels and so, but that is easier to find.
Pre-mixed mediums as those may work for normal plants, but CPs are not the ordinary ones as to requirements in mediums.

No offence to both sellers, but there is a online shop in the EU that sells TC kits for ~35 bucks, and has all the hormones and auxins as well.

I've been reading around, what is this autoclave thing? I guess it sterilizes the jars, but it costs like $300. Is there a alternative? Sorry if I sound nooby, its just that I have no idea about anything related to tc ( I am 12)

Yes, there is an alternative that costs 220$, but well, it is the most secure and efficient way to sterilize the jars,some may try to use a huge pressure cooker, but it is almost the same in price.
I share with you here one of the books we use at college about the tissue culture, anything you would need to know about hormones, mediums and maybe equipment, but other than the autoclave there is no more big "strange" things to get.
This is the book:
http://issuu.com/home/stacks/cbe6615773 ... eeb68f7c4e



Basic materials for medium are:
Autoclave
Basal salts with micronutrients and vitamins
Hormones
Sugar
Agar or other gel
PPM *recomended
Ph meter (and vinegar and NaOH or bicarbonate)
Beaker or measure cup
Balance (at least 0,1g)
Microwave
jars with lids

Then to work the TC:
Scapel
tweezers
Alcohol 95-80 and 70%
Clorox
Peroxide
Alcohol burner
Glove box
cling wrapping

That sucks. Then there is no way I am going to be able to do tc. My parents are never gonna let me buy a autclave that costs $300... I am so sad

Told you it is 220$ not 300, 80$, at least here mean you have enough to live a whole month. Save some money and buy one. At your age I bought things for myself as lawnmowers that cost that amount with only 1.4$ daily savings.

If only things were so easy... I will definitely save up for one, but it will take me a while. Plus, I don't think my parents would like it, but whatever. I will try to start tc as soon as I can

Do you have to have this autoclave for any TC's to work ? Is there any other way to sterilize?

My step mom makes a ton of rice, so she has a huge pressure cooker, but i do not think i can use that, i am thinking of using a microwave though.

Using the word Sterilize is a strict term, it is difficult to obtain sterility, that is why only an autoclave or pressure cooker may do it.
Microwave may kill many bacteria, but resistance spores remain inside viable very easily.
Pressure cookers may work, but they may not have a combined use as the food will get contaminated with medium.

I know im super late to the thread, but part of me gets quite upset when people suggest Carol as a source of hormones/auxins/cytokinins, and as this part of forums arent frequently used, many may still get information from here so it needs to be clarified.

that site's "A la cart "used to be $10 per 10ml @ 1mg/ml, but is now 5$ for that aliquot.

Websites online sell powder form of these, which by the way, are more stable and degrade slower than when bought in solution, for 8-10$ per 10 grams of hormone.

Using this as a reference, and scale it up for the price.... those 10 grams, can be used to make 10,000 ml of the hormone at 1mg/ml. And if you put the price of 5$ per 10mls, a powder that would cost anybody $10, can yield carols kitchen tc at home website, $5000.00 for a new customer, or $3000 if all the purchasers are kit owners.

The price is a little bit better but not by much, if you buy it as a powder from carol(100mls worth), where the price is around 20-30$ per 100mg, which would make 10gram of powder have a value of $2000-3000.

Granted, the only downside to powder, is having to weigh out such a small amount. It may be difficult for those who dont have an accurate scale, to which id say that at this point, you might as well make a bulk batch of 100mls, as most scales can get to 100mg fairly accurately, and even if you don't plan on using it right away, or fear it degrading, at the price powder is at, it should be a very welcomed loss, vs the alternative to buying it as solution.

Dont get me wrong though. Carol's website is very good at most other supplies, plastics, and such , like lids and containers, even PPM(if you dont want to risk using your own homebrew PPM) is a very good purchase from there.

Tissue culture is fun, but doesnt have to be expensive. Aside from the initial investment for containers, the only costs that should be seen later on in the hobby are re-purchasing these powders, if necessary, and media.

The point is precisely that, many people do not find accurate balances and normally even work on teaspoon measures and those ways, I do not because my studies as a scientist made me not beleive in those ways so I have my balances, so hormones are the most accesible way by getting them from Carol the first times.
I explain why, many times plants just need BAP at some time, then plain MS works for them. Carol sells medium plus hormones in a kit, and the hormone lasts even more than the plain medium.
Medium makes about 50 babyfood jard or even 100 test tubes per liter, and that is a really huge amount for anyone starting, so batches much smaller normally are made, in my case I range even to 125ml in some times, and not only by medium sizes, the autoclaves you normally have are small, and you do not have a flowhood to securely pour medium from a bottle to the jars.
PPM, Carol is my source for it, and every kit sends you a little bottle also.
Powder: you need scales, corrosive acids or bases available or pure ethanol in some cases to dissolve the powders, you need to know the correct way to prepare them, you need to have the correct measuring instrument to measure the final volume. Why not simply use the hormone previously purchased, it may even be ever lasting if you do not have lots of TC. when you grow you get more equipment and are more prepared, but now you even have the little jars carol sends to pour your made hormone solution in them.