How to Grow Lion’s Mane Mushroom at home
How to grow Lion’s Mane at home
Substrate: hardwood sawdust (supplemented), hardwood and softwood fuel pellets
Colonization/Fruiting Temperatures: 21-25 °C/15-21°C
Growing Difficulty: Easy
Growing Lion's Mane mushrooms (Hericium erinaceus) can be a rewarding experience, as these unique fungi are not only delicious but also offer potential health benefits. Here's a basic guide to growing Lion's Mane mushrooms at home:
Obtain Liquid Culture: Start by obtaining Lion's Mane mushroom liquid culture. You can purchase ready-made liquid cultured from our mushroom shop. Lion's Mane mushroom liquid culture is typically grown on a substrate such as grain or sawdust.
Prepare Substrate: Lion's Mane mushrooms can be grown on various substrates, but they tend to prefer hardwood sawdust supplemented with nutrients or rye grain. You can also use beechwood chips, straw, coffee grounds, or other agricultural waste. Sterilise or pasteurise the substrate to kill any competing organisms.
Inoculation: Once your substrate is prepared and cooled, mix it with the Lion's Mane liquid culture. Ensure even distribution of the liquid culture throughout the substrate. Pack the mixture into your chosen growing container, such as bags or jars.
Incubation: Place the inoculated substrate in a clean, humid environment with stable temperatures around 21-25°C (70-75°F). During this incubation period, the mycelium will colonise the substrate.
Fruiting Conditions: After the substrate is fully colonised, initiate fruiting conditions. Lion's Mane mushrooms prefer cooler temperatures for fruiting, ideally around 15-21°C (59-70°F). Provide fresh air exchange and maintain high humidity levels, ideally above 90%.
Fruiting Chamber: Transfer the colonized substrate to a fruiting chamber. This could be a greenhouse, grow tent, or even a modified storage container. Create an environment with indirect light and proper ventilation.
Harvesting: Lion's Mane mushrooms typically begin to form fruiting bodies within a few weeks under proper conditions. Harvest the mushrooms when they reach maturity by gently twisting or cutting them from the substrate. Lion's Mane mushrooms are best harvested when the "teeth" or spines are still small and tightly packed.
Subsequent Flushes: After harvesting, continue to provide optimal conditions for fruiting to encourage subsequent flushes of mushrooms. Lion's Mane mushrooms are capable of producing multiple flushes over several weeks to months.
Maintenance: Throughout the growing process, monitor the substrate for contamination or drying out. Adjust environmental conditions as needed to ensure the health and productivity of your Lion's Mane mushroom crop.
By following these steps and providing the necessary care and attention, you can successfully grow Lion's Mane mushrooms at home or on a larger scale. Experiment with different substrates and growing conditions to optimize your yields and enjoy a bountiful harvest of this delicious and nutritious fungi.
