Prepare quart jars

Prepare Mason Jars

The first step for the PF Tek method is to prepare your jars for inoculation with a liquid syringe later.

Drill and Mason Jar

Drill a Center Hole

To begin, grab your drill and a 1/8-inch drill bit to drill a hole in the center of the jar's lid. The hole should be large enough to be stuffed with poly-fil, which you will do soon.

Drilling Hole in Lid

Clean Shards and Debris

After drilling the hole, you will likely see that sharp edges have formed on the underside of the lid where the hole is. Carefully scrape these off to avoid cutting yourself in the future. You can also use a hammer to flatten the sharp edges. Also, clean out any debris in the jar and quickly wipe it down with 70% alcohol.

Flatten Shards with Hammer

Stuff Lid With Poly-fil

After cleaning up the debris, grab a handful of polyfill and twist it to pull it through the lid's hole. It should fit snugly enough that you can't easily pull it out.

Handful of Poly-fil

Pulling Poly-fil through lid

Use scissors to cut off any excess poly-fil if it is over one inch on either end.

Cutting Off Excess Poly-fil

Jar with Lid Stuffed with Poly-fil

Repeat this process for all of the jars.

Take Out the Agar Culture

If your agar culture is inside a fridge, take it out and set it somewhere to warm to room temperature before using it later.

Sitting Agar Culture at Room Temperature