[DIYbio] Re: Has anybody done a scoby project similar to The Thought Emporium

If your goal is to grow bacterial cellulose, then you want a flat, shallow container .. the cellulose production is basically driven by the available carbon substrate (sugar) and the amount of available oxygen. A flat tray maximizes oxygen availability, so the cellulose forms rapidly.

Temperature rule of thumb "if it's comfortable for you, then it's comfortable for the culture"

The culture should not be exposed to strong sunlight. However, ambient, indoor light or outdoor shade seems to be fine. The biggest culture I ver did was done in a kiddie pool that was housed in a tent.

Commercial iced tea (pre-mixed or powdered drink mix) works well as a culture medium. However, the powdered stuff often has dye that will give the cellulose some pretty "interesting" (gross) colors.

If you are using sucrose as the sugar, then the ideal seems to be about 1 cup per gallon of water.

When you harvest, you can kill the funky smell by soaking the sheet in a solution of baking soda. If you want to bleach it, you can boil it in a weak solution of sodium carbonate (washing soda).

If you want it to stay pliable forever, you can use cyclopentasiloxane or dimethicone (these are silicone oils that can be found in hair care stuff that makes hair soft and shiny)

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