OYSTER MUSHROOM GROW KIT INSTRUCTIONS

Our mushroom grow kits come fully colonised with mushroom mycelium and ready to grow. They must be opened within a week of receiving or before the open-by date. For best results, open immediately.  

GROWING MUSHROOMS:

1. Place the kit indoors in an area with good ventilation and indirect sunlight. Remove the front cardboard panel. Cut an “X” into the plastic bag underneath using a clean, sharp knife. 3-4cm is ideal. 

2. Use a spray bottle or a small water mister to spray the area where you cut a “X’ by gently lifting the plastic flaps of the "X" and spray the area underneath. When spraying give 3 to 4 sprays at a time. Aim to do this twice a day. The idea is to keep the area where the mushrooms will grow moist so if it starts to look dry, feel free to water.

3. Once you see little mushroom pins appearing, you can mist them more often – they love water! As they grow you will even be able to watch how the mushrooms absorb water right in front of your own eyes.

4. Harvest the mushrooms when their cap edges become thin and wavy by firmly gripping the cluster at its base, twisting and pulling it off. It will pop off. You can also cut it off at the base with a knife.

For the best tasting, quality mushrooms, you can look out for the following signs to tell you that your mushrooms are ready to harvest:

• They are no longer doubling in size daily.
• The edges of the caps are still curled down but are becoming wavy and thin.

When the caps start curling up the mushroom quality starts declining but do not be discouraged as they will still be fine to harvest and eat. 

Mature mushrooms will release mushroom spores. By harvesting the mushrooms when they are thinning and their caps are becoming wavy, you will avoid mushroom spores being released. If the mushrooms release spores onto the surface underneath, they can be wiped away with a damp cloth.

If you have any doubts as to when to harvest, feel free to message us anytime.

COOK AND ENJOY!

GROWING A SECOND CROP:

1. Lift the plastic under the “X” and scrape away any remaining mushrooms stems left behind after harvesting using a clean knife or fork.

2. Mist the area with water twice a day or more. You want to keep the area moist but not soaking wet.

3. The grow kit will need 14 days to “rest and repair” as the mycelium in the bag is stimulated to grow more mushrooms. After this rest period, you should see mushrooms pins appearing again but sometimes the mushrooms can take up to 2 to 3 weeks to reappear, especially during the cooler months so keep misting even if you don’t see anything happen. The second crop also may have slightly fewer mushrooms so don’t be discouraged by slightly less growth - it is natural as the nutrients in the bag are being used by previous crops.

COMPOST YOUR SPENT KIT:

When the grow kit no longer grows mushrooms, empty the contents of your bag into the garden compost. You can also break up the contents of the grow kit and mix it into a shady spot in your garden and you may see oyster mushrooms grow right out of the ground.