Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi I have a question is it possible to home culture bacteria without a petri dish or to home make a petri dish since I can't get one ( they are really expensive at local stores here), and I need to know how I can home culture bacteria especially aquatic bacteria I really need this information. Thank You.

What species of aquatic bacteria are you studying or plan on culturing?

Bacteria are very hardy and can grow in a variety of environments. Growing it on petri dishes
allows for ideal growth, observations, etc.

Here is a link that may help:

http://www.freesciencefairproject.com/b ... onies.html

I would ask your teacher to see if there are resources he or she can provide you with. Your high
school may be able to help you out.

take care!

Hi,

Phonghuynh has give you some good advice. The sciencebuddies website also has some information on making agar

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... Agar.shtml

Sometimes it is possible to contact the suppliers and ask for a donation of empty Petri dishes. I would recommend trying this if your school cannot help you with the supplies. Depending on the specific bacteria you want to grow, you could make a homemade medium using agar, beef broth, and sugar from the grocery store. Agar is commonly sold at Asian grocery stores.

What are you planning to do for your project?

Donna Hardy