Do not store your grow kit longer than 2-3 weeks

We recommend starting your mushroom grow kit right away and begin the growing process. If you decide to grow later, do not store your grow kit longer than 2-3 weeks after the production date.

Store in a cool place

Always store the mushroom grow kit in the refrigerator (2°C to 4°C). The production date is printed on the cardboard box and includes the two digits of the week number.

Avoid contamination

Make sure your fridge is clean and free of bacteria, yeasts and other sources of contamination. To be safe, pack the culture kit in a clean plastic bag and seal it tightly.

Temperature

The optimal temperature for mushroom growth is 24 degrees Celsius. Keep the temperature between 20 and 29 degrees Celsius. A Thermo Heatingmat may be used to prevent the temperature from falling below 20°C. In winter or colder places of the globe, a thermo mat is a need.

Light

The magic mushroom kit requires just light for the mycelium to’realize’ that it has reached the surface. Only then will mushrooms develop. A few hours each day of fluorescent/artificial light or indirect sunshine is sufficient. Direct sunshine destroys mycelium, therefore keep the grow kit out of direct sunlight.

Humidity

The day when the first pins appear will start with misting. Remove the paperclip to access the grow bag. Do not spray directly on the cake; instead, spray each side of the bag once. Thus you mist four times every day. Moreover, misting releases new air into the bag. Immediately after misting, reseal the bag with the paperclip.

Frequent air exchange (FAE)

Keep the grow bag tight until the first pins appear; to stimulate pinning, CO2 levels should be as high as possible. When the bag has been pinned, it may be opened 1-2 times each day to allow in fresh air. Open and shut the bag, expel the air, and let in fresh air.

Flushes

The mushrooms come up in groups. A growth like this is called a flush. You can get more than one flush out of a kit. The first two flushes are the largest. When more flushes come, they will be smaller than the previous one.

Picking and Harvesting

Mushrooms should be harvested when the veil between the cap and stem is tearing or is threatening to tear. If you wait too long, the mushrooms will release their spores. Select the ripe mushrooms and let the rest to continue growing. The other approach is to eliminate all mushrooms and start a fresh flush. Ways to harvest mushrooms:

• Use surgical gloves or disinfect your hands, wrists and arms.
• Remove the mushrooms from the cake by taking hold of the base of the mushroom between thumb and index finger.
• Rotating your hand clockwise slowly, until the mushroom lets go.

Do not pull out the mushrooms. This would risk damaging the mycelium and killing it. When most of the larger mushrooms have been picked, also pick the smaller ones and the pins as well.

Mushrooms that grow from the sides

Mushrooms grow where the light reaches and where there is little penetrating resistance. Because the cake has light shining on the sides, the mushrooms might also grow there. You have a few options:

• Darken the sides of the kit by putting it in the cardboard box.
• Spray the top soil a bit to stimulate more growth on the top
• Do nothing and let them grow

Soaking

After all the mushrooms are harvested, you prepare the kit for the next flush. Disinfected your hands or use gloves; take the grow box out of the grow bag.

• Fill the container with lukewarm water (20°C)
• Take the lid use it to close the container.
• Let it soak for 5 – 20 minutes.
• Remove the lid, and drain the water
• Place the growkit in the growbag and fill the growbag with a cup (200-250ml) of lukewarm water (20°C)

This is called the soaking process. Water will now soak through the cake, preparing it for the next flush. During the soaking you can hang the grow bag with micronfilter upside down to dry.  Many growers prefer to use new and unused grow bags after every flush.

Next Flush

To continue, follow the same steps 2 – 7 as before when you started the process for the first time. Several days later, a new flush will appear. You can get at least 2  flushes out of a grow kit. The first flush often is the biggest.

The End

When no additional mushrooms develop for at least 5-6 weeks after the second flush, or when the grow kit becomes green, red, grey, or yellow, the grow kit may be discarded. This indicates that the grow kit has been infected with another fungus or bacterium. The mushroom grow kit will no longer produce mushrooms, and it should be discarded outdoors in the trash or in the garden.

Spores

When it is too late to harvest mushrooms, they will release their spores. Because to the spores, the cake and mushrooms will become black/purple (some other cubensis strains may turn red/brown). This is not really an issue; nonetheless, it is not particularly attractive. As mushrooms release their spores, the spores begin to decay, and so do the active chemicals. Mushrooms lose a portion of their power.