A sterile scalpel: cut rather than pull
Pull a mushroom loose by hand and you nearly always leave part of the stem base behind in the substrate. That leftover dies off and turns into exactly the kind of food source green mould is waiting for. A scalpel lets you cut the mushroom just above the substrate and keeps the surface clean for the next flush.
This scalpel comes out of the pack as a single unit: a plastic handle with a steel blade already fitted, sterile packed and intended for single use. Nothing needs assembling, so there is no loose blade to click onto a holder and less chance of pricking yourself or touching the cutting edge. The handle is flat and light, which lets you hold it like a pen and work in small movements. The tip is fine enough for detailed jobs such as lifting a small piece of tissue for a clone.
What growers use it for
Beyond harvesting between flushes, the scalpel earns its keep during agar work: cutting a block of mycelium and transferring it to a fresh plate. It also helps when cleaning up a kit between flushes, for instance to cut away a spot that has gone off. Work with clean hands or gloves, wipe the blade with an alcohol prep before you start, and keep your fingers away from the edge.
Handling the blade safely
The blade is razor sharp and stays that way after use. Cut away from yourself, put the scalpel straight into a sealed container or back into its packaging instead of leaving it loose on the table, and keep it out of reach of children. Reusing it defeats the purpose: the blade is sterile as long as the pack was closed, and not a minute longer.
At Avalon Magic Plants the same category also holds alcohol preps, sterile gloves, a mouth mask, a sterile syringe with needle and a filter bag. Everything is shipped discreetly packaged.
