So I’ve purchased your fruiting block, how do I start growing it?

Essentially you’ll be putting your fruiting block into fruiting conditions. You need to give it fresh oxygen exchange and keep it in a higher humidity microclimate (but not wet!). Couple of ways to do this is to cut off the top of the kit to allow the carbon dioxide to escape and air to be introduced ( By cutting just the top off the bag it will assist in creating its own micro climate inside the bag, once pins have formed on top of the bag and grown a couple inches you can roll down the bag to increase fresh air and lessen carbon dioxide storing inside the bag ) or you can cut an X or / across the face of the bag so there is a small area that’s now introduced to the conditions to force the bag to pin the mushrooms in that location( If your trying this method you will want to push the air out of the bag so the bag itself doesn’t become its own microclimate and pins form inside the bag. You will also want to cover the block with a Tupperware/Ziploc bag/anything that will assist in creating that microclimate around the bag). You’ll want to mist the outside of the bag (and or the inside of the Ziploc/Tupperware that’s overtop of the kit) down 1-2 times a day to help keep that moist climate. Once the mushrooms have started to pin, keep up the misting but ensure not to spray the mushrooms directly or it may stress them and cause them to abort (Stop growing).

Do I need special chambers or setups like you have to be successful?

Absolutely not! There are so many ways to fruit your block, you can go as simple as just cutting the sealed top off the bag letting it do its own thing. To a common cheap way that I recommend to all new attempts is a giant freezer ziplocs with a few air holes poked through it and set over the bag to make its own micro greenhouse and then putting an X or / on the face of the fruiting block. Then of course all the way up to a electronically controlled CO2, Fresh Air and Humidity chamber! Plus everything in between!

What’s a good temperature and humidity to keep the kits at?

With most genetics that we offer the ideal ranges are 15C-23C with 75-85% humidity.

When is the best time to harvest my oysters?

The best time to harvest any oyster species is just before the caps of the mushrooms begin to flatten out and curve upward. Ideally when they are just curved downward before the flattening out. This is when the oyster will have the longest shelf life and the best texture to them as well as this is before they begin to spore.

Do the mushrooms require grow lighting like a plant?

Mushrooms do require a little light but not for photosynthesis requirements like a plant, but it gives the mushrooms a direction to grow. As long as there is some light ( Ambient light through a window etc), that will be plenty enough to grow your fruiting block!

I want to try this but I am worried that It wont work or ill kill it.

Mushrooms are extremely hardy! As long as the kit doesn’t completely dry out or its swimming in water, the likely hood of it growing something is very high. (You should have seen the ugly mushrooms I grew when I first started!)

When can I expect my first mushrooms?

Every mushroom will be a little bit different. Once you start them into their fruiting conditions, some can take a week before pinning formations may start to show and some may take a few weeks. With most oysters once the pinning has begin it doesn’t take very long till your getting ready to harvest ( Usually 5-10 days ). Where lions mane can take awhile to grow ( upwards of 2-3 weeks ) before its ready to harvest under more ideal conditions.

How many mushrooms or fruiting cycles can I expect?

The usual amount of fruiting cycles to expect out of your kit is 2-3 flushes, of course the first or second being the largest. The reason I say second is sometimes larger than the first round is when your first learning. Sometimes it doesn’t go as planned and ends up being small or something happens and it doesn’t quite fruit properly. So when the second flush comes, you have a better understanding of what worked or what didn’t. I’ve had some customers report up to 5 flushes!

I got my first flush, what do I need to do for it to produce again?

This can be a loaded question. Depending on the climate you’ve been giving the kit, sometimes it may just require the block to rest for a few days to a couple weeks and it will just naturally grow again. If you have gone with the X or / on the face of the the block, best to tape the opening closed and repeat on the opposite side of the block. If the block is quite dry and almost feels like dry bread, you can submerge the kit in water for 1-2 hours to rehydrate the block and then place it back into your fruiting conditions( you may need to have it weighted down as dried mycelium more commonly than not is hydrophobic and will need to be submerged for it to absorb the water).

What do I do when it stops producing and I’m ready to get rid of it?

Mushroom compost! This fruiting block is packed full of mycelium and broken down hardwood. Crumble or break that fruiting block and mix it into your garden. Your plants will thank you! Or you can even just “plant” the fruiting block in your garden and there’s a chance you may get a few more mushrooms growing right out of your garden!

Why does my oysters have these huge long stems with very tiny caps?

Oxygen deprivation! Essentially the oyster mushrooms are suffocating and they are searching for oxygen as carbon dioxide levels are too high so they stretch to look for the fresh oxygen. ( Oyster mushrooms love fresh air exchange, the more air and higher humidity you can provide the better )

My lions mane is yellowing and drying up, why is this?

This could be a couple different reasons. The common issues are the mushroom may be already at its adult stage and its starting to mature and die off or there is too much air flow happening and its beginning to dry out. ( Lions mane can tolerate higher carbon dioxide levels and less fresh air exchange )

I have this green mold/powder stuff on my kit, what is it? Is it bad?

This green mold is called Trichoderma. This is the same mold that you may see growing on your onions that you’ve left too long in the cupboard or pantry and the green mold growing on your bread in your kitchen! This is the most common contamination we have when it comes to mushroom growing in my experience. The problem with it is when it comes to mushroom growing is its a vigorous competing fungi. If you end up getting it, move the kit outdoors and it very likely will still fruit but its not ideal to have around your house as it spreads easily. The fruiting mushroom from the kit is still absolutely ok to eat as long as the mold isn’t on the mushroom itself. BUT Trichoderma is a highly beneficial fungi in your garden! Some benefits include the promotion of their growth, improvement to root structure and condition, enhancement of seed germination and viability, as well as increased photosynthesis efficiency, flowering, and yield quality! So mix that block into your garden for a free boost of nutrients!

Can I buy two different kits and expand them into a 5g pail or similar setup and have both grow?

Technically yes, but its advised against as the mycelium from both mushrooms will compete for nutrients and colonized substrate space so you’ll end up with a limited flush possibly of both instead of the larger potential that just a single type of mushroom could perform.

Can I just buy a live culture syringe and expand it so I don’t have to keep buying more?

Absolutely! Once your more familiar with the sterile work of mushroom growing, you can absolutely create your own live culture broth and inject the “master or mother” syringe into it and grow more suspended mycelium! Its usually always a good idea to test on agar after its grown in to ensure its a clean culture before proceeding or a lot of wasted time and materials could be used up!

Why are you sharing how easy it can be to make more culture or mushroom spawn and loosing out on the sales?

Because it spreads the knowledge! I love helping others in this hobby and enjoying their excitement of doing the whole process themselves from start all the way through. There is just a special feeling when you culture it yourself and grow your mushrooms from all your time, love and labor.

Have you thought about starting grow classes, Id love to come spend a couple hours and learn hands on?

ABSOLUTELY! Its slowly in the works. We currently are in process of getting quotes and engineering plans to have a 20x40ft barn build that will give us access to have a sheltered space to setup some tables and safe area to setup a “classroom”. It will be like a mushroom growers 101, the basics of home growing and how to expand yourself in reusable containers like 1,3,5gallon buckets or as small as yogurt containers!