How do you identify spore forming bacteria in culture media?

Question

How can you tell if something is spore forming or non spore forming ?

Answer 1

take the material you are culturing, and streak for isolation. repeat if necessary to get distinct colonies. let the plate "age" for 4-5 days (you may want to rig up a way to keep the humidity up so the plate doesn't dry up). perform a gram stain and observe for spore formation. then the colonies can be subcultured and you can play around with it as much as you want to.