Mushrooms need fresh air to breathe so the loose attachment of the humidity tent is an intentional part of the design.
The formation of Mushroom pins can take up to 10 weeks to begin growing. Mushroom mycelium is a living organism and therefore can be slightly unpredictable. The approximate timelines we provide can sometimes be defied by the mycelium. Keep misting twice a day and the mushrooms will make an appearance when they’re ready.
The yellow liquid which can be present in the mycelium blocks is metabolites produced by the mycelium and are of no cause for concern.
This is common due to using .02mm micron filters on our grow bags, this isn’t an issue and the kit is ready to go from the day you buy it.
More specifically, Lion’s Mane mycelium is very faint and from our experience produces larger mushrooms when fruited before the bag is fully colonized.
We guarantee a first flush of mushrooms in our kits. In the rare instance you see contamination before your first harvest, please reach out to us at info@foragersgalley.com so we can help diagnose your kit. If there is contamination present which will inhibit growth or affect your mushrooms we will happily replace the kit for you.
After the first flush, the mycelium becomes more susceptible to contamination and if it does take over, your kit should be composted.
These are often symptoms of direct sunlight exposure.
This is totally normal. Sounds like you’ve got a very vigorous kit! If they’re easily accessible you can break them off and compost them, so you can start fresh.
You don’t need to empty the bottle each time you spray, but it is important to get the area where you cut open the bag nice and damp! Try 15-20 sprays each time. It can take a little trial and error to get the frequency and amount just right. If the surface of the block seems very dry the next time you spray it, you should give it a bit more water or water a bit more often.
We guarantee at least one fruiting of mushrooms off your kit, but depending on the species you choose to grow it is likely you will get a second, third, fourth, or even fifth fruiting with care and patience. Growing mushrooms is an art, and it takes skill to be good at it. Be patient, follow the instructions carefully, and try to maintain a humid environment for your kit and you should succeed.
In terms of yield, you can usually expect your first flush to be somewhere in the range of 1/2 of a pound to 2lbs. This varies significantly species to species, environment to environment. It depends greatly on how much care you put into maintaining your kit! Each subsequent fruiting will likely be smaller as the fungi use up nutrients in the substrate.
We are currently working on producing a short video explaining the setup, growing and harvesting process of the grow kits. Expect to see these published within the next few weeks.
The caps on the Phoenix Oyster variety often do prematurely curl up and they are still in great shape if this has happened sooner than expected. The mushrooms should still feel nice and firm and are ready to harvest at this time.