Starter Maintenance and Calculations
I've developed a starter that finally produces the desired tanginess for my taste and which also has enough active culture to make a SD Loaf rise. Not wanting to lose this starter has made me take a more active interest in starter maintenance.
My Mother Starter is kept in the refrigerator at a 50% Hydration and fed every two weeks and allowed to activate and double before being returned back to the refrigerator for a slumber. From this starter I made a Daughter, about 100g, and maintained at a 100% Hydration Level, dicarding 50g daily and feedingĀ with 25g H2O and 25g A-P Flour, which is kept on my counter-top for an easy build to make a quick loaf.
Things were going well untill it got Hot. After almost killing off my Daughter I decided to experiment with different Hydration Levels to adjust for the increased temperatures in my kitchen during this hot weather and also make for a happier environment for my culture.
I've tried both a 75% Hydration Level and a 67% Hydration Level. Either of these work well with increased temperatures. Also, since most of my recipes call for starters at 100% Hydration, I've developed this chart to help adjust Hydration Levels back to the desired 100% Hydration Level.
Hope this helps answers that question of How to adjust Starters. I may have or can build a spreadsheet that can be used for a variety of different hydration level conversions if there are enough requests.
EDIT: If you go away for a few days, put your Daughter Starter in the refrigerator after feeding.