How To Grow Magic Mushrooms In UK (2023 Guide)

Magic mushroom eating has risen in popularity in recent years, owing partly to several scientific studies exposing the numerous health advantages connected with psilocybin ingestion. Potential advantages include antidepressant effects, greater attention and energy, less reliance on medication, and improved cognition.

Growing your own magic mushrooms is by far the safest and most cost-effective way to obtain them. Growing mushrooms is enjoyable, gratifying, and reasonably simple. We’ll walk you through the processes required to produce your own magic mushrooms at home with the aid of this guide.

Legality of possessing magic mushrooms in the UK   

In the United Kingdom (How To Grow Magic Mushrooms In UK, any fungus containing psilocin or psilocybin is illegal. As a result, under the Misuse of Drugs Act of 1971, it is illegal to produce, possess, or sell magic mushrooms. In the United Kingdom, magic mushrooms are classified as Class A narcotics, which means the most severe penalty for possession is up to seven years in prison and an infinite fine. A punishment this severe, however, is exceedingly unusual.

In fact, if found with a little amount for personal use, say up to 5 grams, you’d probably get away with a warning. But if you’re found cultivating them, it’s a different situation. Technically, the maximum term for supplying any Class A narcotic, including magic mushrooms, is life in prison. Longer penalties, on the other hand, are reserved for large traffickers and are rarely, if ever, employed in instances involving simply mushrooms.

What you need to Grow Magic Mushrooms at Home 

To begin, you will need the following equipment to produce psilocybin mushrooms at home. Many of the equipment listed below may be included if you purchase a grow kit online. Alternatively, most of the things on the list are available on Amazon. Inoculation jars can be ordered online or made from inexpensive mason jars from Wilkos.

For Phase 1 of the process you will need…

• 10 Sterilised inoculation jars or mason jars with a substrate (or one jar per each cc in your syringe)  

• Latex gloves  

• Paper towels 

• Face Mask 

• Rubbing Alcohol  

• Mushroom spore syringe 

• Hypodermic needles 

• A lighter 

• Disinfectant spray (e.g., Dettol) 

For Phase 2 of the process, you will need… 

• A spray bottle 

• Fruiting chamber – this can be a clear plastic tub with a lid  

• An area that receives indirect sunlight  

• Temperature and humidity gauge  

• Something to drill holes into your grow box to allow for air 

• Vermiculite  

• Hydrogen peroxide (3%)  

The Process 

We’ve broken the procedure into two stages. In Phase 1, you’ll make what’s known as a birthday cake. When mycelium has completely colonized your jar surrounding the substrate, it is ready for phase 2. Phase 2 involves taking the birthday cake from the jar and transferring it to a container where mushrooms will sprout. This may appear difficult at first, but it will become evident after multiple read-throughs.

Phase 1 

1. Sterilise

Sterilisation is undoubtedly the most crucial stage in mushroom cultivation. To begin, choose a private area in your home (for example, your bathroom). Gather all of the goods required for step 1 and put on your face mask. Close the door and enter the room. Disinfect the area using your disinfectant spray. Finally, put on your gloves and wipe your jars with rubbing alcohol using paper towels, taking special care with the jar’s top.

2. Inoculate  

Heat the metal component of your hypodermic needle with a lighter until it glows red; this will disinfect it. Then, shake the syringe to properly spread the spores. Inject one cc into the jar with the needle inserted into the port. Repeat the procedure for each jar, making sure to sanitize your hypodermic needle each time.

3. Leave for at least 15 days 

Place the jars in a cardboard box, shut the lid, and store in a dark, warm location. It requires a temperature of around 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit.

During the first week, avoid checking on your mushrooms since they require darkness to grow. After a week, the jars should have a white fuzzy stuff in them. This is mycelium, the vegetative portion of the fungus similar to plant roots.

Allow the mycelium to develop until the jars are completely colonized with white fluffy mycelium. After you’ve reached this point, wait another week before moving on to Phase 2.

Phase 2

During this stage, we remove the birthday cakes from their jars to allow them to grow mushrooms.

1. Birth and soak the birthday cakes  

Your jars should be completely colonized by mycelium by this point and ready to be placed in a fruiting chamber (a transparent plastic tub). However, because they have been in an airtight container, they will require some water. Soak them for 12-24 hours using the procedure outlined below. 

• Get your sterilised plastic container with lid and some filtered water ready.

• Put on some gloves. 

• Remove the lids of your jars. 

• Bang a jar against your hand, this should release the cake. Try to touch the cake as little as possible.  

• Place the cake in the plastic container and follow the above process for the rest of your cakes.

• Fill your container with filtered water and seal the lid.  

• Place the cakes in the fridge and leave for 12-24 hours. 

Now your cakes are hydrated the next step is to prepare your chamber. 

2. Prepare the chamber 

To begin, disinfect the plastic container with bleach and hot water, making care to completely rinse. Fill your spray bottle with one part hydrogen peroxide to ten parts boiling water.

Soak your vermiculite in another mix of 10 to 1 boiling water and hydrogen peroxide to sterilize it. Then, cover the bottom of the growth chamber with a layer. The purpose of the vermiculite is to maintain humidity with regular sprays.

lay the mason jar lids on the vermiculite bed, then lay a cake on each lid. Spray each cake lightly with the h2O/h2O2 mixture, taking care not to create a puddle. Allow lots of space between each cake so that mushrooms can emerge without crowding.

Small mushroom shoots called as pins may appear on your cakes; this is a good thing because it is the first stage of sprouting. If you notice any unpleasant odors emanating from your mushrooms, your mycelium may contain hazardous bacteria.

3. Step Three 

Place your growth chamber in a well-ventilated room with indirect sunlight and close the lid. You may now let your mushrooms to sprout now that everything is in place.

Maintenance 

Over the following four weeks, you’ll need to spritz your mushrooms twice a day, in the morning and at night. This, however, is humidity dependant. If you keep your mushrooms in a low-humidity environment, you’ll need to spray them more often.

Harvesting & Storage 

Once your mushrooms have grown, just snap them off at the base and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep for 3 to 15 days. Refrigerate them like you would ordinary mushrooms. To keep them fresher for longer, dry them thoroughly and store them in an airtight container. A food dehydrator is ideal for this. Make care to keep them in a cold, dry place.

Magic Mushroom Grow kits

If all of this sounds like too much labor, consider purchasing a magic mushroom grow kit, which is far easier than starting from scratch.

Although purchasing inoculated psilocybin mushroom grow kits is prohibited in the UK, purchasing grow kits and psilocybin mushroom spores for research purposes is lawful.

To cultivate psilocybin mushrooms, mix them with a (uninoculated) mushroom grow kit. There are several websites in the UK that sell both spores and grow kits, however we recommend the following.

Final Notes On How To Grow Magic Mushrooms In UK

There are other methods for growing mushrooms, however the approach described above has shown to be the most effective. After you’ve grown your first batch, you may explore and fine-tune your process as needed. Always be cautious with doses; if in doubt, start with a smaller dose.

Mushroom Coffee

If you’re looking to benefit from legal mushrooms, check out this Super Nootropic Mushroom Coffee from Mushies.

It delivers a natural boost to the brain and body by combining Lion’s Mane (excellent for the brain and gut), cordyceps (energy), and chaga mushrooms (immunity). More information may be found here.