http://kombuchahome.com
  • Home
  • START HERE
  • Fermentation Guides
    • Kombucha
      • How to Make Kombucha
      • Brewing Kombucha on a Budget
      • How to Second Ferment Your Kombucha
      • How to Bottle Kombucha
      • Flavoring Kombucha: The Guide
      • Kombucha Ingredient Guide
      • Types of Sugar for Kombucha
      • Kombucha Ingredient Ratios
      • Creating a Kombucha Continuous Brewing System
      • How to Grow a SCOBY from Scratch
      • Click HERE for More Guides…
    • Kefir
      • How to Make Kefir: The Ultimate Guide
      • How to Second Ferment Kefir: The Ultimate Guide
      • How to Make Dairy Free Kefir: The Ultimate Guide
      • The Ultimate Guide to the Best Milk for Kefir Making
      • Best Equipment for Making Kefir
      • Best Containers for Making Milk Kefir
      • Why You Should Make Kefir
    • Cultured Veggies
  • Equipment Guides
    • Kombucha Equipment
      • Best Kombucha Equipment
      • Best Containers for Brewing Kombucha
      • Bare Essential Kombucha Equipment Needed
      • Non-Essential Kombucha Equipment
      • Specialized Kombucha Equipment
    • Kefir Equipment
      • Best Equipment for Making Kefir
      • Best Containers for Making Milk Kefir
  • Recipes
  • VIDEOS
  • FORUM
  • Home
  • START HERE
  • Fermentation Guides
    • Kombucha
      • How to Make Kombucha
      • Brewing Kombucha on a Budget
      • How to Second Ferment Your Kombucha
      • How to Bottle Kombucha
      • Flavoring Kombucha: The Guide
      • Kombucha Ingredient Guide
      • Types of Sugar for Kombucha
      • Kombucha Ingredient Ratios
      • Creating a Kombucha Continuous Brewing System
      • How to Grow a SCOBY from Scratch
      • Click HERE for More Guides…
    • Kefir
      • How to Make Kefir: The Ultimate Guide
      • How to Second Ferment Kefir: The Ultimate Guide
      • How to Make Dairy Free Kefir: The Ultimate Guide
      • The Ultimate Guide to the Best Milk for Kefir Making
      • Best Equipment for Making Kefir
      • Best Containers for Making Milk Kefir
      • Why You Should Make Kefir
    • Cultured Veggies
  • Equipment Guides
    • Kombucha Equipment
      • Best Kombucha Equipment
      • Best Containers for Brewing Kombucha
      • Bare Essential Kombucha Equipment Needed
      • Non-Essential Kombucha Equipment
      • Specialized Kombucha Equipment
    • Kefir Equipment
      • Best Equipment for Making Kefir
      • Best Containers for Making Milk Kefir
  • Recipes
  • VIDEOS
  • FORUM
  • Home
  • Kombucha
  • How To Remove the Baby SCOBY From The Mother

How To Remove the Baby SCOBY From The Mother

Posted on Apr 13th, 2015
by admin
Categories:
  • Kombucha
  • Kombucha Questions
  • SCOBY Care
how to remove a baby scoby from mother scoby
  • shares

A healthy SCOBY mother is a very fertile creature. Every time you use a SCOBY mother to make a container of kombucha tea, a new baby SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast) will be born. If you brew two batches of kombucha tea every month, that means you’ll end up with two dozen new SCOBYs by the end of the year. What’s more, since every baby SCOBY grows up to be a mother, each of those SCOBYs will be producing a new baby, and each of those babies will grow up to be a mother … if you’re not careful, you could find your kitchen overrun with SCOBYs!

The process isn’t really that out of control, though. By keeping track of the signs of a healthy SCOBY  you’ll know when it’s time to get rid of a SCOBY that is past its prime, which will cut down on the numbers. You can also put SCOBYs in storage  to slow down their growth rate. You can use your extra SCOBYs to make a nutritious compost for your garden. And of course you can give away your extra SCOBYs to your friends and relatives, so that they can start making home-brewed kombucha themselves.

When to Separate the SCOBY

when to remove baby kombucha from mother kombucha

Healthy, active SCOBYs are ready to be separated when the new “baby” layers at the top have reached a total thickness of about 1/8 to 1/4 inch. The “mother” SCOBY will continue to create new babies as you use it to make more kombucha. Make sure there’s at least a half inch left on the mother SCOBY, so that you don’t weaken it unnecessarily.

Use Clean Hands to Separate the SCOBY

wash your hands

Remove all jewelry from your hands, scrub under your fingernails, and wash your hands well before you handle the SCOBY. Make sure there’s no soap scum on your hands, and be sure to avoid using any kind of anti-bacterial soap or hand wash. The SCOBY is made up of bacteria, after all, and you want to keep them alive and healthy. However, you need to clean your hands thoroughly so that you don’t accidentally introduce any contaminants, especially onto the younger more fragile baby SCOBY.

Carefully Separate the SCOBY Layers

seperating kombucha layers

You should be able to peel off the top layers of the SCOBY that are the collection of baby SCOBYs, and in general they’ll come off in one piece. Don’t worry if they tear a little bit, or if they stretch and get a few holes. The colony will repair itself quickly.

If the layers aren’t separating easily, you can use a clean sharp stainless steel knife to carefully cut between the layers where they’re stuck together. Again, be sure that there is no soap residue on the knife that might harm the colony. If you’re not sure whether your knife is free of soap, try rinsing it in distilled white vinegar.

Put the Baby SCOBY Into Nutrient Liquid

Baby SCOBY Into Nutrient Liquid

The SCOBY needs to be protected from contamination and provided with a source of nutrition. You can do this by using the baby SCOBY to start another batch of kombucha tea, or by putting the baby SCOBY in a SCOBY hotel and adding some fresh sweetened tea to the container.

(Visited 12,392 times, 1 visits today)
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • SHARES
  • how to divide scoby
  • how to peel baby scoby from mother
  • how to separate mother scoby from baby
  • how to share scoby

admin

One Comment Hide Comments

Veronica Mitchell says:
July 23, 2018 at 4:12 pm

So do you reuse the baby scoby and the mother scoby for the next batch or just the mother and put the baby in a hotel? I don’t want to mess up the balance — or can you use both scobies? My kombucha is very bubbly and second fermented with grape juice, so I guess I’m doing it right. Lot’s of times, I use both scobies until they seem too thick.

Reply

Add Your Comment Cancel reply

About Me

About Me

Hi, I'm Ben and I Love making Kombucha, drinking it, experimenting with it and teaching other people how to make it. This is my site about all things Fermented Foods (Kombucha, Kefir, and Cultured Veggies) and health related. Come browse around and learn how to start culturing your own foods!

Fermented Guides

Fermented Vegetables

Fermented Vegetables

Kefir

Kefir

Kombucha

Kombucha

Popular Posts

  • The Ultimate Guide to Figuring Out if Your Kombucha…
  • How To Divide A SCOBY (Remove Baby from Mother)
  • How to Create a Kombucha SCOBY Hotel (to Store Extra SCOBYs)
  • What To Do If Your Kombucha Has Mold
  • How To Make Second Ferment Kombucha (And Why You…

Our YouTube

Oops, something went wrong.
Ask a Question
View Questions

Latest Questions

  • Is this mold? asked by , 9 months ago
  • Added sugar without taking scoby out asked by , 11 months ago
  • Can Kombucha promote Gastritis? asked by , 11 months ago
  • Second fermenting kefir cheese? asked by , 11 months ago
  • Almond milk kefir asked by , 11 months ago

Recent Comments

  • Eugene on How to Brew Kombucha with Fruit instead of Sugar
  • How To Cut A SCOBY In Half | Kombucha Home on Continuous Brew vs. Single Brew System: Pros And Cons

Top Social Posts

The Ultimate Guide to Figuring Out if Your Kombucha SCOBY Has Mold (or NOT)

6
91 comments

Top 15 Best Kombucha Flavors: Recipes Guaranteed To Blow Your Tastebuds

5
16 comments
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • FORUM
  • Privacy Policy

KombuchaHome.com | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | © 2015


KombuchaHome.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com