Each type of mushroom will have its optimum fruiting temperature (details of which can be found on the listing pages). Usually, room temperature is fine as long as it is above 18c. Leave the box out of direct sunlight in a clean location with some fresh air exchange. Mushroom growing takes patience. They can often grow slow but steady.
COLONISATION INSTRUCTIONS:
The kit will contain a syringe with a mycelium liquid culture, a sterile needle, an alcohol wipe, and a bag of the fruiting substrate. Find a clean and tidy area to perform the colonisation steps that has minimal airflow which will limit the number of airborne bacteria present.
- Attached the sterile needle to the syringe by turning it clockwise.
- Insert 1/3rd of the needle length into the injection port, and then inject all liquid culture into the bag. Be careful the needle does not pierce any other part of the bag.
- Leave the bag somewhere warm (20-25c) until the entire bag has colonised with white mycelium. This usually takes 2-4 weeks.
- Look out for signs of mold which will often be green, this is an indication of contamination. Please contact us.
FRUITING INSTRUCTIONS:
- Remove the fruiting bag from the box (keep the box!)
- Cut or slice holes along the lines marked on the bags with a sharp knife or scissors. Be careful to try and not cut into the fruiting substrate itself.
- Place the fruiting bag back into the box. You can either fold in or remove the folding flaps on the box.
- Cover the box with the bag provided.
- Mist inside the box 2-4 times a day using the misting spray bottle provided. It is better to boil and cool the water used first to kill bacteria. Do not spray any mushrooms directly as this can introduce bacteria, just mist the air around the box.
- Mushrooms need oxygen just like us. Remove the bag a few times a day to allow fresh air into the box.
- Within 2-3 weeks, mushrooms will appear. Strains like turkey tail can take many months to fully grow. Be patient.
- Harvest the mushrooms as soon as you start to see them begin to shrivel up/curl.
- For a second flush of mushrooms, soak the fruiting bag in water overnight, drain, cut new holes in the fruiting substrate bag and repeat from the start. Please note second flushes will never yield as much as the first. Third flushes are rare and not usually worth the effort.
We have tried to make these as environmentally friendly as possible. The plastic bag is compostable and the misting bottle is made from glass. Sadly the misting device is made from plastic but can be used many times.
