>... I circumvent this by using agar at very low
> concentrations (0.7% Sigma agar, which is close to the point of no
> polymerization: you'll have to try this out with your lot of agar)...
Which one of Sigma's agars do you use?
Did you try this also with petri-dish cultures? I'm asking because I find
petri dishes much more convenient and fast to handle however I did not
dare to sow seeds into dishes because dessication is much quicker
normally than in glass vials closed with foil and Parafilm.
Andreas