I am falling short of LB agar plates and I have a plate with less LB agar poured. I meant, the plate is not fully filled with the agar (it was the last plate I poured the medium into). Some part of plate is empty. Does this cause any contamination problems or moisture retention? Is it okay if I use this to streak a 5 cm line?
1 Answer
It won't be a problem other than that the surface would be uneven. Seal the plate with parafilm when not using to avoid moisture from accumulating inside. When you pour plates then swirl the plate gently so that the molten agar distributes evenly throughout the plate. The agar will be thin though, and you would have to streak gently so as not to cut the agar; you can add 0.5 % of normal agar-agar to make it a little dense.
Or else use smaller plates (2 inch) if you have them in your lab.