Grow your own oyster mushroom kits
Please read through the detailed faq on our website mushroom.st and make sure to follow us on instagram! @mushroom_street_farms
01
Your Oyster Mushroom Grow Kit is a sterilized oak sawdust block amended (with agricultural waste or coffee grounds) that has been completely colonized by Oyster mushroom mycelium. From here, getting mushrooms is easy. You will need to remove your grow bag from the outer ziplock bag. Don’t throw away this zip lock bag – it might come in handy. Take a sharp knife and slice two 3 inch slits the shape of a happy face on one of the long sides of the bag. (Somewhere below the Mushroom Street sticker will work!) Be sure to slice the bag with as little damage done to the block as possible (it's fine to score the mycelium just a little). Gently push out as much remaining air in the bag as possible and fold the loose plastic flap underneath the block as tight as possible . You may need to hold the flap down with a piece of tape or you can use one of the stickers that we included in the shipping box. The Oyster mushroom mycelium will sense the oxygen at the cuts and produce mushroom ‘pins’, another word for ‘baby mushrooms’. This should begin to happen within one or two weeks of slicing your bag.
02
Place your sliced bag in the most humid part of your home and outside of direct sunlight. We suggest putting your bag on a kitchen counter somewhat close to a sink. Spray the outside of your block with water on the slice at least once, preferably, twice per day. Your kit came with a small spray bottle. Tap water is fine, filtered water is better, or let the water sit with the cap off overnight so the chlorine contents can evaporate. If your space is very dry you may want to make a humidity tent to place over your bag. To make a humidity tent, take the zip lock bag you removed in the first step and cut several small slits on each side and even nip the corners off, then loosely fit the bag over your block.
IMPORTANT NOTE!
Mushrooms that look stringy or strange are usually growing that way because they need more air! Mushrooms exhale CO2 and inhale Oxygen. They will suffocate if there isn’t adequate airflow!
03
Harvest your mushrooms when they resemble the photo to the below-right. Be sure you harvest before the caps flatten out and begin turning upwards. Mushrooms grow quickly, so when you spot your first mushroom pins (right) keep a close eye on them. The warmer the environment, the faster they will grow. Mushrooms should be ready to harvest 2–5 days after baby pins form.
04
Your first harvest of oyster mushrooms is guaranteed, but you should attempt a second, third, or even fourth fruiting off your block! Harvests usually diminish in size with each consecutive fruiting. For a second flush, cover the first incisions with plastic wrap, fold the flap over them and make new slits on the other side. To go for a third flush, give your block a 3 day break from spraying, then soak your block in cold water for 20 minutes, and then re-start the process of spraying your blocks with water daily!
Planning on eating your kit–grown mushrooms?
Please cook them thoroughly and if it is your first time eating this type of mushroom, it is best to start with a small amount to see how your body responds!
Check our website at mushroom.st for more information and to look for your next kit.