Mushroom Grow Kit Care

Thank you for ordering one of our mushroom grow kits!

If you are new to the practice, have no fear. While mushrooms require different needs than house plants, growing them requires about as much daily attention as plants, once a good set up and rhythm is developed.

The most important aspects of the process is setting up and maintaining a well-functioning mushroom fruiting environment. These are spaces that provide the full spectrum light, high humidity, and regular air circulation that mushrooms require to fruit well. We have designed three simple to intermediate mushroom fruiting environments to help you get the process started:

Tented Two-Tier PVC Frame – A simple, inexpensive setup that allows for two full-size grow kits to be fruited at one time.
The MYCOLOGOS Mini Martha – A small semi-automated tabletop system that can fruit 2–10 kits at a time.
The MYCOLOGOS Mother Martha – A larger and more rigorous indoor grow hut that allows for 2–36 kits to be fruited at a time.

After you've looked over the above designed and built your fruiting space, you will need to open your grow kit following the instructions below, and then place it (and the whole fruiting environment) in an area with the required temperature for that mushroom.

**If you are not ready to fruit your kit, you can place any kit except the Milk Mushroom and Royal Sun Mushroom in a refrigerator until you are ready.**

Chestnut Mushroom (Pholiota adiposa)

Fruiting Temperature
55–65ºF

Bag Opening
Make a 5–7-inch long, 0.25-inch deep cut along one of the long sides of the bag, thereby cutting slightly into the block itself. Squeeze out the excess air in the bag and lay it on its side, tucking the top flap of the bag underneath the block.

Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus)

Fruiting Temperature
65–75ºF

Bag Opening
Cut two 3–4-inch slits along one or both of the long sides of the bag. One slit will produce one large mushroom, while two slits will produce two smaller mushrooms. Take care to not cut into the mycelium very much.

Milky Mushroom (Calocybe indica)

Fruiting Temperature
85–95ºF

Bag Opening
Cut the top of the bag off, leaving approximately 1–2 inches of plastic above the top of the mycelium block. The casing material that is provided with the kit then needs to be hydrated, pasteurized, and cooled as described in its instructions, and then added as a 0.5–1” layer on top of the mycelium block.

Nameko (Pholiota nameko)

Fruiting Temperature
50-65ºF

Bag Opening
Allow the kit to mature for 30–50 days by placing it in a clean, 65–70ºF environment where it will not be moved or otherwise physically disturbed. Over the proceeding weeks, the block will develop a rich marmalade-like coating that it needs to best support mushroom development.

Once the kit has “ripened,” make a 5–7-inch long, 0.25-inch deep cut along one of the long sides of the bag, thereby cutting slightly into the block itself. Squeeze out the excess air in the bag and lay it on its side, tucking the top flap of the bag underneath the block.

Pearl Oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus)

Fruiting Temperature
55–65ºF

Bag Opening
Cut one or two 4–7" slits across the bag’s long side, then lay it with the cut(s) facing up, tucking the top of the bag underneath the block.

Phoenix Oyster (Pleurotus pulmonarius)

Fruiting Temperature
65–75ºF

Bag Opening
Cut one or two 4–7" slits across the bag’s side, then lay it with the cut(s) facing up, tucking the top of the bag underneath the block.

Pink Oyster (Pleurotus djamor)

Fruiting Temperature
65–75ºF

Bag Opening
Cut one or two 4–7" slits across the bag’s side, then lay it with the cut(s) facing up, tucking the top of the bag underneath the block.

Pioppino (Agrocybe aegerita)

Fruiting Temperature
55–65ºF

Bag Opening
Option 1: Allow small mushrooms to start to develop on the top of the block by letting the kit sit undisturbed in a cool environment. Once the mushroom’s dark caps are 2–5 mm in diameter, cut off the top of the bag, leaving 1–2 inches of plastic above the block.

Option 2: Make one or two 5–7” long cuts along a long side of the bag. Squeeze out the excess air in the bag and lay it on its side, tucking the top flap of the bag underneath the block.

Queen Oyster (Pleurotus eryngii)

Fruiting Temperature
55–65ºF

Bag Opening
Queen Oysters are best left to begin fruiting inside their grow bag, inside a cool space. In 1–3 weeks, small mushrooms will start to form on the top of the block. Once they appear, cut off the top of the bag, leaving approximately 1–2 inches of plastic above the top of the block.

Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum)

Fruiting Temperature
65–80ºF

Bag Opening
Allow small mushroom to begin to form on the top of the block (they will look like small white bumps), then cut off the top of the bag, leaving to 2–4” of plastic above the block.

Royal Sun Mushroom (Agaricus subrufescens)

Fruiting Temperature
70–75ºF

Bag Opening
Cut the top of the bag off, leaving 2 inches of plastic above the top of the mycelium block. The provided casing material then needs to be hydrated, pasteurized, and cooled as described in its instructions, and then added as a 1–1.5-inch layer on top of the mycelium.

Shiitake (Lentinula edodes)

Fruiting Temperature
55–75ºF

Bag Opening
Remove the block from its bag and fully submerge it in cold (50—60ºF), chlorine-free water for 8–12 hours. The block can optionally be placed in a refrigerator for a day or two prior to soaking to provide a beneficial "cold shock." Experimentally, the block can be firmly tapped once on a tabletop or slapped 3–7 times prior to soaking. Such physical shocks tend to influence the yield from Shiitake blocks.

Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor)

Fruiting Temperature
60–75ºF

Bag Opening
Make 8 to 16 slits or X-shaped cuts in the bag that are 1–2 inches long. The cuts can be equally spaced around the bag or clustered on one side of the bag. When cutting, pull back the plastic from the block, so as to avoid cutting into the mycelium too much. After cutting, roll the top of the bag down and tape it flush with the top of the block.