Back to: Seeding

Once all your sorus tissue is isolated, cleaned, and dried, you’ll want to package and store it overnight until the spore release the following morning. 

At GreenWave, we wrap the tissue in dry paper towels. Too wet of paper towels can encourage an early spore release into the paper towels.

Lay out the paper towels, and place all of your sori pieces on top. Do not overlay any of the pieces, because this can promote anoxia (lack of oxygen) and degrade the tissue more quickly. Once you fill up the paper towel with a single layer, you can stack another layer of paper towels on top of the sorus and start the process again on the next layer. Next, roll the stack into a loose “burrito,” and place these sori “packages” in unsealed zip lock bags. This process is great for spore seeding, but you should follow the process outlined in the gametophyte course when using sorus to start gametophyte cultures. Label the bag with any relevant information, such as the processing date or collection location. The sori should then be stored in the fridge for 16-24 hours. The time spent in a cool, dark, and slightly desiccated environment will stress the sori just the right amount to encourage a spore release the next morning when you rehydrate the material in seawater. The below video shows a small example of packaging and how we label our ziploc bags.

Industry Tip

Most guidance recommends storing the material like this for 24 hours or less, but there are instances of a successful spore release after being in the fridge for several days. While this shouldn’t be your standard practice, it is always worth trying for a spore release, even when your schedule gets off kilter.