Yeast Starter for WLP320

Hey homebrewers-

Got some questions; need some advice. Here are the details:

I did my first starter on Monday night for an Am. Hefe I'll be brewing on Friday - a 1L:100g of DME mix. I aerated the hell out of it and pitched the WLP320. As of yesterday afternoon I had really good kreuzen - so I know the colony's multiplying - and gave it a little swirl to keep up the activity. I checked on the starter this morning (36hrs. into it) and still had a good kreuzen - gave it another swirl to bring some additional O2 into the mix.

Here are my questions:
1. How long before it completes? I've read 18-36hrs. but it appears that it's still going strong and I do not want to inhibit reproduction
2. Should I or shouldn't I decant? Really confused on this one since I'm using WLP320 which is a low flocculating yeast. I don't want to throw away any yeast
3. Should I just cold crash it after 48hrs and leave it in the fridge for 24 hours to assist in settling the yeast out and then bring it out before I brew?

I've searched and read through a lot of threads but can't seem to find the answers I need (I do want to build a stir plate now!). I guess I'd have less concerns if the yeast type was a high flocculator

Any help would be awesome!

Thanks
axr

If you're brewing Friday and you've had it going for 36 hrs, stick it in the fridge ASAP. You don't want a starter to ferment out much. With a starter, you're mainly getting the yeast into an active and healthy reproduction state, which is before the bulk of fermentation begins. If I'm not using my starter within 24 hours of starting it, it goes in the fridge. Since you'll be storing it in the fridge until Friday, you'll be able to decant most of the liquid right before pitching it, just be sure to leave some of it behind so you can swirl up the yeast.

Gremlyn, thanks for the advise. Would I put the starter in the fridge eventhough there is still a nice kreuzen?

Yep! Most starters don't even get to the krausening stage.

OP, what kind of DME did you use?

I will be doing a Watermelon wheat this week and making my first starter.
After all my reading, I think I will aim to let the starter go for about 24 hrs and would I dump the whole starter into the wort?