If you want to go right to the step-by-step visual instructions, you may want to start by setting up your mush-O-sphere.

• Put the mycelium block in your fridge if you can't set it up right away.

The mush-O-sphere is mostly assembled and ready to go out of the box, but you will need to spend a few minutes setting the rest of the frame. You’ll also want to cut the mycelium block where you want the mushrooms to grow out of.

Mushrooms are actually closer to us than plants are, they breathe oxygen just like us! The sooner you can get that mycelium cozy and breathing fresh air the better it’ll do.

Basically, you will want to give the mycelium block in a nice humid environment while allowing enough fresh air... though the process is far from rocket science :) Most varieties will do just fine in wide a range of conditions.

I usually spray the first thing in the morning, and again right before bed. Sometimes if I’m around or if they look dry at all I’ll mist more often.

It’s somewhat important to make sure the block is nice and hydrated, especially when the mushrooms first begin to form ( called “pinning” because the baby mushrooms sometimes look like little pinheads). Try to keep mist/condensation/water droplets on the block as well as the inside of the tent if you can.

you don’t need to be super careful or lengthy, here’s the technique I use …

Unless the kit is in a naturally humid environment, You will probably want to have the humidity tent on the frame at least during the beginning of the growth cycle. Once the baby mush ( primordia ) starts popping up, you may wish to partially open it, or even remove the tent entirely to give them more fresh air.

How much you want to open the tent may depend on the variety you are growing. For Blue Oysters it’s advisable to give them a lot of fresh air. If you are growing Lion’s Mane you may wish to keep the tent on and mostly closed for most of the growing cycle. Pink Oysters are pretty adaptable to either.

Mycelium doesn’t Photosynthesize light as plants do, so they should do fine with the kind of typical lighting in your home.

... Light is helpful to signal the mycelium to start making mushrooms and know which direction to grow. Most varieties will thrive in indirect sunlight or just indoor lighting. You’ll want to keep them out of direct sunlight - mostly for the fact that they could get too hot and dehydrate. This being said, some varieties, like the Golden Oyster, for example, prefer brighter light to help it achieve a bright yellow mushroom. In this case, some bright 6500k bulbs could be during daylight hours.

Most of the varieties that I offer are happy in the same temperatures that you are happy in 😊 -> around 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Different varieties prefer different temperatures, though most have a pretty wide range of what they will accept.

It's a good idea to keep a lookout for anything that looks or smells non-mushroomy funky…. however, the mycelium has already colonized the substrate before it got to you, so the chances are greatly increased that the mycelium will be able to fight off any competing fungi.

... that being said, a common green mold (Trichoderma) would be probably the most likely to pop up if one does - You may have seen Trich appear as green spots on say, a loaf of bread that’s beyond the expiration date. If you see Trich growing directly on the mycelium, It’s probably time to compost the block. If you have a yard or access to a garden, you can crumble the used block into it + keep it hydrated, and often grow more mushrooms!

To clarify the food or "Substrate" that the mushrooms are growing on has been sterilized and inspected while the mycelium grows and runs over the entire block ( called colonization ). Once the substrate is "colonized" the mycelium can focus on doing other things like fruiting ( growing mushrooms) instead of competing with other fungi and organisms that have the same tastes… however, usually after several fruiting cycles, the mycelium will eventually succumb to other competing organisms.

The frame is constructed from Western Red Cedar which is naturally anti-fungal - no reports of the cedar frame growing mold yet, though will adjust if I do.

That can depend on what variety as well as the conditions. A typical growth cycle is about a week from the time you make cut's in the mycelium block.

A Pink Oyster at 75 F or hotter may be fully grown in 5 days, a Lion's Mane grown in the upper 60's may take a month until you decide to harvest it.

Generally, you'll see the mushrooms grow exponentially and then suddenly slow down, this is when they are close to the end of their fruiting cycle. To harvest, you can grab ahold at the base of the cluster and give it a twist - typically they will pop right off of the mycelium block.

With Pink and Italian Oysters - you'll notice that the growth slows, they start to lose their color, and the mushroom cap may curl up a little bit.

Lion’s mane will usually start to grow a series of teeth/spines ( you could let them grow into a long "Mane" but I usually find that it's good to harvest when the longest is about 1/2 inch)... also the shrooms may come in at a natural shade of yellow, but will most likely turn a deeper yellow at the end of the fruiting cycle.

If left long enough, most varieties will eventually start to drop spores - which will appear as a fine dust. Ideally, you would want to harvest before they sporulate, though sometimes it’s necessary to wait.

There are a ton of resources for cooking gourmet mushrooms around, a few of my personal favorites are avantgardevegan and WoonHeng.

They taste amazing when prepared freshly harvested off the mycelium block! 👩‍🌾 …for short-term storage, you can put them in a paper bag in the fridge. Pink Oysters last around 3 days, Lions Mane and most other Oyster Varieties last around a week or so.

…Alternatively, you can dry/dehydrate them for long-term storage. I use a dehydrator, but you can easily cut them up and dry out in the oven ( baked at 130ºF for 2 hours - with the oven cracked open / flipped over (or set to broil ) 1-hour in ), or put them on a tray and dry them naturally in the sun. Store in an airtight jar. They then can be used in their dried form, crushed over many dishes to add a great umami flavor 😋. A quick soak in hot water can re-hydrate them back to life to cook with.

Yes, It’s often possible to grow another flush ( or even multiple flushes ) with one block. There are many techniques to achieve this…

Some people have good results by simply continuing to mist regularly after each harvest, easy-peasy.

Another successful method involves dunking/submerging the mycelium block in a large pot for an hour or two ( you’ll need to put something heavy to keep the block submerged since it’s very buoyant), then put it in your fridge for a few days, then pop it back in the frame.

Wrapping a clean and wet washcloth over the mycelium block for a few days until a new set of pins emerge has worked for me as well.

… basically, you’ll want to give the mycelium a bit of a rest after each fruiting, as well as replenishing the moisture content. Varieties like Oysters should be able to fruit through the existing cuts you made, with Lion’s Mane you may need to make some new cuts to help new primordia form. You may also wish to tape over previous cuts to keep the mycelium from drying out.

Totally! send a pic to mikewurn@gmail.com and I'll add you to the "reports from the mush-O-sphere".

Definitely :)

Email me at mikewurn@gmail.com

feedback or questions you may have are welcome and appreciated, I can add any questions to this list to help others.

Have Fun + Good Luck!!! ⚡🍄⚡🍄⚡🍄⚡🍄⚡🍄⚡🍄⚡🍄⚡🍄⚡🍄