Definitions and Instructions

This guide offers step-by-step instructions for cultivating our beginner-friendly strains. Scroll down for detailed monotub cultivation steps, further down for all-in-one bag instructions, and even more below for essential terms and definitions.

For intermediate or advanced strains, some steps may vary.

How To Videos?

  • How to Inoculate Grain Jars

  • How to Inoculate All-in-One Grow Bag

  • How to mix Grain Spawn with Substate in Monotub

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Step by Step Monotub Culivation

  • Prepare your workspace:

    • Sanitize Everything: Wash hands and forearms with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

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    • Turn Off Air Circulation: Shut off A/C, heat, or whole-house fans at least 30-60 minutes before inoculation to reduce airborne contaminants. If you're using a still air box or flow hood you can disregard

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    • Choose the Right Workspace: Work on a non-porous surface (like a bathroom counter) after thoroughly cleaning it with isopropyl alcohol.

  • Inoculation

    • Prepare Syringe: Attach a sterile needle to the end of the syringe

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    • Sanitize Injection Port: Wipe the jar or bag’s injection port with an alcohol wipe.

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    • Inject Liquid Culture: Shake syringe and inject into the center of the injection port and slowly remove, cap needle, put syringe cap back on. Use 1-2cc for micro jar, 2-3cc for quart jar, 3-4 cc for 2.5lb grain bag.

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    • Distribute inoculant: Gently tilt and rotate the jar without shaking to distribute liquid to prevent pooling.

  • Colonization and --Break & Shake

    Colonization Storage: Store in complete darkness, at consistent temperature between 74-78 degrees

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    Monitor Growth: Mycelium should spread through the grain (7-14 days).

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    • Break & Shake (50% Colonization): This will redistritbute the mycelium and will increase speed of full colonization

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    Strike the bottom firmly but carefully against a padded surface multiple times until the grain is broken up.

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    Rotate and shake the jar back and forth several times to evenly distribute mycelium throughout the grain.

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    Continue until all clumps are broken apart and mycelium is evenly mixed.

  • 🔹 Spawn to Bulk (Monotub Preparation Starts Here)

    1. Break Up Colonized Grain: Perform Break & Shake before opening.
    2. Prepare the Monotub: Wipe the inside and outside with isopropyl alcohol. Install colonization plugs in 1-inch holes.
    3. Mix with Substrate: Add ⅔ of the substrate to the monotub, evenly distribute grain, and press lightly.
    4. Apply Top Layer: Cover with the remaining ⅓ substrate—no exposed grain.
    5. Cover & Mist: Lightly mist with distilled or RO water, install red plugs, and latch the lid.

  • 🔹 Fruiting (After 7-14 Days of Colonization)

    • Replace Plugs: Swap colonization plugs for filter plugs when mycelium reaches the surface.
    • Maintain Fruiting Conditions:
      If condensation has disappeared, mist the walls/lid lightly.

    If condensation is still visible, skip misting for now.
    Fan:2-3 times per day for fresh air exchange.
    Temp: 70-75°F

    Humidity: 80-90%

    Lighting: 12-16 hours of indirect sunlight or dim fluorescent.

  • Harvest & Subsequent Flushes

    • Harvest: Twist and pull mushrooms at the base before caps fully open.
    • Additional Flushes:
      Soak substrate for 15-20 hours, drain, and return to fruiting conditions.

    New mushrooms should appear within a week.

🔹 Preparation

  • Sanitize Everything: Wash hands and forearms with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
  • Turn Off Air Circulation: Shut off A/C, heat, or whole-house fans at least 30-60 minutes before inoculation to reduce airborne contaminants.
  • Choose the Right Workspace: Work on a non-porous surface (like a bathroom counter) after thoroughly cleaning it with isopropyl alcohol.

🔹 Gather Supplies

✔ Grain Jars or Grain Bag
✔ Liquid Culture Syringe
✔ Sterile Needle
✔ Alcohol Wipes
✔ Gloves (Optional)

🔹 Inoculation (Skip if Using Pre-Inoculated or Colonized Grain)

  1. Prepare Syringe: Attach a sterile needle.
  2. Sanitize Injection Port: Wipe the jar or bag’s injection port with an alcohol wipe.
  3. Inject Liquid Culture: Shake syringe and inject:
  4. Move the Jar to Prevent Pooling: Gently tilt and rotate the jar without shaking to distribute liquid without pooling.
  5. Colonization Storage: Store in a dark, warm (75-78°F) area with airflow. Avoid direct sunlight.

🔹 Colonization (Skip if Using Fully Colonized Grain)

  • Monitor Growth: Mycelium should spread through the grain (7-14 days).
  • Break & Shake (At 40-50% Colonization):

🔹 Spawn to Bulk (Monotub Preparation Starts Here)

  1. Break Up Colonized Grain: Perform Break & Shake before opening.
  2. Prepare the Monotub: Wipe the inside and outside with isopropyl alcohol. Install colonization plugs in 1-inch holes.
  3. Mix with Substrate: Add ⅔ of the substrate to the monotub, evenly distribute grain, and press lightly.
  4. Apply Top Layer: Cover with the remaining ⅓ substrate—no exposed grain.
  5. Cover & Mist: Lightly mist with distilled or RO water, install red plugs, and latch the lid.

🔹 Fruiting (After 7-14 Days of Colonization)

  • Replace Plugs: Swap colonization plugs for filter plugs when mycelium reaches the surface.
  • Maintain Fruiting Conditions:

🔹 Harvest & Subsequent Flushes

  • Harvest: Twist and pull mushrooms at the base before caps fully open.
  • Additional Flushes:

 

Tips:

Maintain cleanliness throughout the process to prevent contamination.

Use distilled or RO water for misting to avoid introducing minerals that can harm the mushrooms.

Patience is key! Mushroom growth takes time, so be patient and observe the process.

All-in-One Bag Mushroom Cultivation

  • Prepare your workspace:

    • Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
    • Clean your workspace with rubbing alcohol to prevent contamination.
    • Gather your supplies: grow bag, liquid culture syringe (if not pre-inoculated), alcohol wipes, gloves (optional), scissors, paper clip, and a spray bottle for misting.

  • Inoculate the bag (if necessary):

    • If the bag is not pre-inoculated, remove the needle from the packaging, remove the syringe cap, and put the needle onto the syringe.
    • Wipe the injection port with your alcohol wipe and Inject approximately 4 cc of liquid culture or spores into the bag
    • Seal the injection port with a piece of tape.

  • Colonization

    • Place the bag in a dark, warm (75-78°F) location with good air circulation.
    • Monitor the bag daily for signs of colonization. You'll see white mycelium growth spreading through the grain or substrate.
    • This process can take 1-4 weeks, depending on the mushroom species, growing conditions, and if you used spores or liquid culture (spores add 2 weeks of wait time on average).

  • Break and shake

    • When the mycelium has colonized approximately 80-90% of the grain, perform a break and shake to speed things up
    • Gently break up the mycelium through the bag, the mycelium will be hard and some force required to break it up.
    • Thoroughly mix the contents as best as possible, evenly distributing the grain throughout the substrate.
    • Put the bag back into your colonization area and wait until mycelium takes over the entire mixture, typically within 7 days.

  • Fruiting

    • Once the bag is fully colonized (white mycelium covering all visible grain/substrate), it's time to initiate fruiting.
    • Carefully cut off the top of the bag 1-2 inches from the seal,  avoiding any direct contact with the filter patch.
    • Fold down the top of the bag to hold in the humidity and clip it in place with a paper clip, or similar, this helps maintain humidity.
    • Place the bag in a well-lit area with indirect sunlight or fluorescent lighting.
    • Mist the inside of the bag and the exposed mycelium regularly to maintain high humidity (80-90%).
    • Fan the bag 2-3 times a day to provide fresh air exchange.

  • Harvest

    • Within 2 weeks, you should see tiny mushroom pins forming.
    • Harvest the mushrooms when the caps are fully formed but before they begin to release spores.
    • Twist and pull the mushrooms gently to remove them from the substrate.
    • You can get multiple flushes (harvests) from a single grow bag by continuing to mist and fan until the mycelium stops producing new mushrooms.

Additional tips:

Maintain cleanliness throughout the process to prevent contamination.Use distilled or filtered water for misting to avoid introducing minerals that can harm the mushrooms.Patience is key! Mushroom growth takes time, so don't get discouraged if you don't see immediate results.If you notice any signs of contamination (green, blue, or black mold), discard the bag immediately to prevent it from spreading.Consult the specific instructions provided with your grow bag for any additional tips or troubleshooting advice.

Liquid Culture -  refers to a suspension of fungal mycelium in a nutrient-rich liquid solution. This is past the germination stage, the mycelium is fully alive and growing.

 Spore Syringe - sterilized syringe containing a suspension of mushroom spores in sterile water. The spores have not yet germinated.

Spore Print – The mushroom cap is placed on foil to drop its spores. Spores can be used to create a spore syringe or applied directly to agar to germinate. 

 Cake– When the mycelium has fully colonized the grain and substrate mixture, it becomes a solid mass referred to as a cake.

 Sterilized – We pressure sterilize with our autoclave, and all microbial life is destroyed stopping any contamination. 

 Fully Colonized – Mycelium is alive, grain substrate has become completely overtaken by the desired fungal mycelium.

Inoculate – Introducing spores or culture to nutrients for mycelium growth. Injecting spores or liquid Culture to grain, agar, or nutrient solution are examples of Inoculating.

Pre-inoculated – We do the hard work for you by injecting approximately 3-4 ccs, depending on the product, the day before or day of shipment. This saves you the time and hassle of inoculating yourself, and you should see some growth when your order arrives (depending on shipping times)

Spawn to Bulk – Combining grain spawn with bulk substrate, typically in a monotub  

Fresh Air Exchange – FAE allows fresh air to the mycelium. This typically refers to either cutting open your All-in-One bag or switching to filter plugs with a monotube.

Fanning – Using the lid, or similar object, to fan your mycelium cake to complete a full air exchange. This should be done 2-3 times per day for 30-second intervals. 

 Misting – Misting the walls of your All-in-One bag OR walls and lid of your monotub. This ensures proper humidity in the microclimate and should you only use distilled or RO water.