"most of the time the take out has been compromised."
Having had take-out this evening, and knowing a bit of your background, sleep will not come easily . . .
"most of the time the take out has been compromised."
Agar powder is also frequently used in Asian cooking, and is available at Asian markets (if you're lucky enough to live close to an Asian market). While corn starch may work, it seems like there may be some issues in dealing with it (like the fact that it bubbles up and makes a mess, like you said).
It may certainly be worth experimenting with cornstarch as a medium if agar isn't easily available, but I got a packet of culinary agar power for for like $2 at a nearby Asian market.
I think that if I dye it, it may be somewhat easier to spot contamination.
So for PGRs I should probably buy the real deal. I guess those are chemicals I can't skimp on. What do fungicides do to the media/sample?
I've been doing some research on cheap alternatives to synthetic PGRs. I could probably buy some young green coconuts from a local market. Coconut water is the liquid endosperm, rich in cytokinins, auxins, and other growth hormones. It also contains many carbohydrates that won't hurt the plants either. I found this paper that showed 10% - 20% coconut water resulted in greatly increased shoot formation in spinach. The problem with using coconut water is that there is not a specified volume to use, as it is extremely variable. Also, because I am not picking these coconuts off a tree for myself, the endosperm may have already solidified into the meat, or coconut milk. I'm going to look ridiculous walking around the market shaking coconuts...
The study: www.academia.edu/1093292/Spinach_tissue_culture_improved_with_coconut_water
Edit: Another study showing the exact compounds found in coconut water: www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/14/12/5144/pdf
I had no idea how I was going to measure out a volume, because there is no knowing what is actually in it. Plus, I checked three markets and there are no coconuts. Packaged coconut water has been pasteurized, so I doubt any of the cytokinins or auxins are still functioning.
What do you mean by "it can have greater auxin activity (through hydrolysis) if the media is autoclaved?" I didn't really understand that.
Myo-inositol, as in the Inositol I'm using for the original recipe you gave me? When I read about Inositol, there were few specific claims, but it appeared that it helped in nutrient uptake. Thank you for the explanation, that makes more sense. The chemicals hidden away in plants are astounding.