FAQ

Oyster - You will usually see signs of growth within one week. Once you see the first signs of mushroom ‘pins’ it takes approximately three days for the mushrooms to be fully mature and ready to pick. If there are no signs of growth after 3 weeks try soaking the block in water for 4 hours with something heavy on it to hold it down. Cold tap water is fine.

Shiitake - After removing the block from the fridge and opening it, you will usually see signs of growth after five days. Once you see the first signs of mushroom ‘pins’ it will take another five days for the mushrooms to fully mature. If there are no signs of growth after 3 weeks try putting the block in the fridge for 24 hours again and soaking in cold water for 8 hours (overnight).

Lion’s mane - You will usually see signs of growth within one week. Once you see the first signs of the mushroom starting to poke out of the plastic it is typically 7-10 days until it is ready to pick. Lion’s mane is ready to pick once the mushroom is no longer getting bigger from day to day. With just the right amount of humidity it will develop hanging teeth. You can pick when these teeth are about 1⁄4” long. If the mushroom starts to turn yellow around the edges this is a sign it will not grow much more and is a good sign to pick.

No we do not. Kits can be purchased locally in Halifax through Halifax Seed or Walkers Feed.

For oyster and lion’s mane this is a good spot to make your slit. The mushrooms have a head start and should grow from that spot fairly quickly. For shiitake the block will be covered with bumps. If some of these bumps have started pinning you can just pick these off. You should still get a good first flush.

This does happen sometimes with oyster or lion’s mane. If the mycelium finds its way to the filter and senses enough fresh air it will grow through. You can just pick this growth off, discard it and follow the instructions as normal. If you would like a replacement block just contact us with a picture and we will send you one at no charge.

If there are no signs of growth after 3 weeks try soaking the block in water. If there are still no signs after 3 weeks we will gladly send a replacement kit to you.

You can get between two and four flushes of mushrooms with a few weeks between each flush.

If the mushrooms started to appear and just shriveled up and didn’t mature this is a sign that humidity was too low. You can pick these off and discard them and follow the instructions to proceed with the next flush. Try to increase the humidity when they appear again in a few weeks.

These are mushroom spores. Ideally the mushrooms should be harvested just before this starts happening. If you do notice spores all around the mushrooms it is a good sign to pick right away.

Oyster / Lion’s mane - Two months. Usually 2-3 weeks for the first flush and 3-4 weeks for each additional flush.

Shiitake - Three months. Two weeks for the first flush and 4 weeks for each additional flush.

Shiitake kits must be ‘cold shocked’ before starting. This is done by keeping it refrigerated for a minimum of 24-hours. Oyster and lion’s mane kits do not require a cold shock.

Oyster - Soak for 4-8 hours between each flush or whenever the block feels light and dry.

Shiitake - Soak for 12 hours. Will need to be soaked between each flush as it dries out the most due to being removed completely from the grow bag.

Lion’s mane - The least resilient of the three types when it comes to soaking. Do not exceed 4 hours of soaking. It may not need a soak between the first and second flush.

The kits have an ‘open by’ date on the bottom of the box. This date is 3 months from when we package them. You should start your kit by this date if the kit was stored at room temperature. If your kit was refrigerated it will last another 3 months past this date.