Fixing my starter's OG

I made my first starter this morning and ended up with a OG of 1.050 (after pitching yeast). Should I attempt to get that down to 1.040? I started with about 675mL of water and added 1/2cup of DME.

According to the Dilution Tool in BeerSmith I would need to add 146mL of water to lower the OG to 1.040. Is that advisable at this point?

1.040 is a recommended SG for a starter, but 1.050 isn't a terribly high SG, basically with a lower starter SG you are trying to avoid shocking the yeast with too high a gravity. There is also some data on reproduction rates and cell sizes etc... However, I wouldn't be too concerned about a 1.050 SG for a yeast starter, it isn't going to be detrimental. Leave it be this time and either cut back on your DME amount for 675ml, or use 1/2 cup (~6 oz)/1000ml for a 1.040 SG.

I'm surprised Palmer's book recommends such a high ratio mixture.

"Boil a pint (470mL) of water and stir in 1/2 cup (120ml) of dry malt extract. This would produce a starter of about 1.040 OG".

470mL with 1/2 cup would have results in an even higher OG than I got with 675mL right?

I have used half a cup of dme to a pint of water and also 1/3 a cup to a pint and both work. It may kick off faster with a lower gravity, a lot depends on the yeast type too.

cheers

~r~