Your future mushrooms have had an incredible journey to make their way into your hands.
They started off as a microscopic spore drifting through the air looking for a cozy place to land and grow. After finding a good spot full of food and nutrients the spores start exploring.
Tiny white filaments called mycelium grow from the spore and search for food and other mycelium. Soil, wood, and straw are common substrates. Mycelium keeps growing and colonizing, colonizing and growing, connecting to other mycelium. Once the substrate is completely colonized by the mycelium it waits for conditions to be just right to grow mushrooms and release new spores. This is what the mycelium in your “Grow-at-Home” bag is waiting for.
The happier you make your mushrooms the more they will grow. This bag contains almost everything your mushrooms need to be happy. You just need to add a little bit more.
Mushrooms love 3 things: oxygen, humidity, and temperature.
Unlike plants, mushrooms need oxygen to grow. The fresh air in your home is perfect. Any well-ventilated area would be fine. Oxygen is also an indicator by the mycelium to start growing mushrooms.
Mushrooms grow fast and lose a lot of water in dry environments. Most species thrive when the humidity is around 90%.
Wild mushrooms fruit in the cooler days of Fall when the temperatures are around 70F.
The closer you can create an environment to one that mushrooms love, the better your mushrooms will grow.
Oyster Mushroom Grow-at-Home Instructions
You will need: scissors or sharp knife, spray bottle, and strong tape.
1. Find a good spot for your new mushroom to grow. Not too hot, not too cold, not in direct sunlight.
2. Cut an “X” along the marked lines. Be careful not to cut into the substrate. This will allow the mycelium to sense the oxygen and signal it to start fruiting.
3. Push the air out of the top of bag and tape it down making sure the top of the bag is wrapped flat around the side. Now the mushrooms know exactly where to grow.
4. Give your bag a good misting.
5. Mist 3 to 4 times a day. Keep that humidity up and those mushrooms happy.
6. In a few days you will start seeing pins growing out of the hole. Keep it up.
7. Keep misting and watching those mushrooms grow each day.
8. Watch them ripen. Oyster mushrooms caps curl up to release their spores. You want to harvest them right before this happens when the caps are still slightly curled under. Once you start noticing them flatten, harvest!
9. To harvest, grab the mushrooms at the base and twist/pull/cut them off of the block. Make sure you take all of the mushrooms at that time.
BONUS
Bags could produce the much loved “second flush”. The whole process begins again with a second (but smaller) harvest. Keep misting and watch for new growth for the next week. More flushes may follow.
Lion’s Mane Grow-at-Home Instructions
You will need: scissors or sharp knife, spray bottle, and strong tape.
1. Find a good spot for your new mushroom to grow. Not too hot, not too cold, not in direct sunlight.
2. Cut an “X” along the marked lines. Be careful not to cut into the substrate. This will allow the mycelium to sense the oxygen and signal it to start fruiting.
3. Push the air out of the top of bag and tape it down making sure the top of the bag is wrapped flat around the side. Now the mushrooms know exactly where to grow.
4. Give your bag a good misting.
5. Mist the bag at 3 to 4 times a day. Keep that humidity up and those mushrooms happy.
6. In a few days you will start seeing pins growing out of the hole. Keep it up.
7. Keep misting and watching those mushrooms grow each day.
8. Watch them ripen. Lion’s Mane mushrooms will grow long teeth and begin to yellow around the base to release their spores. You want to harvest them right before this happens. Once they look shaggy go and harvest them.
9. To harvest, grab the mushrooms at the base and twist/pull them off of the block. Make sure you take all of the mushrooms at that time.
BONUS
Bags could produce the much loved “second flush”. The whole process begins again with a second (but smaller) harvest. Keep misting and watch for new growth for the next week. More flushes may follow.
Chestnut Mushroom Grow-at-Home Instructions
You will need: scissors or sharp knife, spray bottle, and strong tape.
1. Find a good spot for your new mushroom to grow. Not too hot, not too cold, not in direct sunlight.
2. Cut a horizontal line along the mark in the middle of one of the broad sides of the bag. Be careful not to cut into the substrate. This will allow the mycelium to sense the oxygen and signal it to start fruiting.
3. Push the air out of the top of bag and tape it down making sure the top of the bag is wrapped flat around the side. Now the mushrooms know exactly where to grow.
4. Give your bag a good misting.
5. Mist the bag at 3 to 4 times a day. Keep that humidity up and those mushrooms happy.
6. In two to three weeks you will start seeing pins growing out of the hole. Keep it up.
7. Keep misting and watching those mushrooms grow each day.
8. Watch them ripen. Chestnut mushrooms will grow cinnamon colored caps that open up to release their spores. You want to harvest them right after they fully open. If you wait an extra day they will drop a cinnamon colored dusting of spores beneath them.
9. To harvest, grab the mushrooms at the base and twist/pull them off of the block. Make sure you take all of the mushrooms at that time.
BONUS
Bags could produce the much loved “second flush”. The whole process begins again with a second (but smaller) harvest. Keep misting and watch for new growth for the next week. More flushes may follow.