How to Grow
Our grow kits arrive live and ready to fruit!
Simply place a kit on a clean shelf and cut an “X” about two inches across on the bag. Move one of the flaps you just made aside; don’t fold it, as it will keep the mycelium from drying out too fast, then scratch a little at the mycelium underneath. Gently mist with clean water using a clean spray bottle. Now fan it with a little air; an electric fan isn’t necessary, you can use a bit of paper or cardboard to just give it a few seconds of breeze. If you don’t have a spray bottle, you can sprinkle a few drops where you scratched the mycelium. Now let the flap close up a little.
Mist it between three and five times a day; this will vary depending on how humid the room your grow kit is in. Basically, if it looks dry on the inside of the “x”, give it a spritz, then a little fan of air.
Within a few days of doing this, your kit will grow little pins. Keep misting them and they will grow into a cluster of mushrooms over a few more days. Times vary by the sort of mushroom you are growing.
Each variety of mushroom is unique and grows a little bit differently. They do best at the right temperature and humidity . Below you can download the pdf fact and tip sheet for your mushroom kit.
Why does this work?
This process might feel just like watering a plant, but that’s not what’s going on. The mycelium block already has moisture bound inside it. You are simulating the mushroom breaking through to fresh air and being rained on. This is how mycelium knows how to produce mushrooms: it can detect the chemicals of oxygen and water evaporating.
The misting also helps keep it from drying out too much, so the fruits are nice to eat.
That was fun! Let’s do it again!
Once your block has produced one “flush” of mushrooms, you can encourage another round! Wait about a week, then soak the block overnight in water, let it dry off, and repeat the process above; you are very likely to get another flush. Our blocks generally flush between 2-4 times, depending on species, and the second flush is often bigger than the first.
Remember to empty excess water from the bag after soaking. The cleaner the water, the better.
After about two flushes of mushrooms, the immune system of the mycelium may begin to weaken (producing mushrooms is tiring work!) and there is an increased chance of contamination. If you notice GREEN or BLACK spots on your block, that is mold, probably from spores found normally in the air. It’s best to throw the block away at this point. Alternatively, you can put it in your garden if you have plants; it’s excellent fertilizer. If the spots are very small, you can try cutting open the bag and spraying the affected area with hydrogen peroxide, but if the spots return, throw away the bag.