The mushroom growing handbook
From spawn to harvest, one stage at a time
Which mushroom suits your room, what to grow it on, how long each stage takes, and what to change when a kit sits still, dries out or turns green.
What temperature and humidity does your mushroom need?
Open the full conditions chart →Growing conditions
Blue or pearl oysterPleurotus ostreatus
Spawn run temperature
60 to 77 F
while the block colonizes
Fruiting temperature
55 to 75 F
sources agree on 55 to 70 F
Humidity
95 to 100% while pins form
85 to 95% while mushrooms grow
Fresh air
High
CO2 under 1,000 ppm
Light
10 to 12 h indirect
Timeline
Colonize: 10 to 21 days (pearl 18 to 21)
Pins after opening: about 7 days; kits 6 to 21 days
Pins to harvest: 5 to 10 days
Sources for this row: North Spore, Field & Forest. Ranges are compiled from supplier guides, not measured by this site. When the label of your spawn or kit gives a range, the label wins.
Something went wrong?
Find what you see on the kit or block, read the likely cause, and change one thing at a time.
- Mushroom grow kit is not growing or has stalledWhy a mushroom grow kit is not growing: a symptom table for oyster, lion's mane and shiitake kits with causes and fixes, plus the daily routine in 5 lines.
- Green, blue or black mold on a mushroom blockGreen, blue, black or orange mold on an oyster, shiitake or lion's mane kit: how to tell it from healthy mycelium, and why the block is discarded.
The grow, stage by stage
Substrate, spawn, spawn run, fruiting, harvest. A kit starts you at fruiting; growing from spawn starts at the beginning.
- ·Choose a speciesMatch the mushroom to the temperature of the room you have, then to the method.4 notes · 0 gear guides
- ·Kit or ready blockA colonized block skips the first three stages. Check the ship date and start it soon.0 notes · 6 gear guides
- 1Prepare the substrateStraw is pasteurized, supplemented sawdust is sterilized. Aim for about 60 percent moisture.3 notes · 3 gear guides
- 2Add the spawnMix colonized spawn into cooled substrate with clean hands, then close the bag or bucket.3 notes · 1 gear guide
- 3The spawn runWhite mycelium grows through the substrate. Keep it at room temperature and leave it shut.2 notes · 0 gear guides
- 4Fruit the blockCooler air, high humidity, fresh air and daylight turn a white block into mushrooms.3 notes · 3 gear guides
- 5Harvest and afterPick the whole cluster at the right moment, rest the block, and fruit it again.3 notes · 0 gear guides
- ·Logs and outdoor bedsShiitake on hardwood logs and wine cap in wood chips: slow to start, productive for years.4 notes · 3 gear guides
Charts to pin by the grow shelf
Reference tables by species, with sources on every row and a clean print version.
- Mushroom substrate calculator for sawdust blocks and strawDry weights, water and spawn for masters mix, sawdust with bran or straw, by species.Tool
- What wood do mushrooms grow on? Tree chart for lion's mane, shiitake and oysterTree-by-species chart for mushroom logs: lion's mane on beech and maple, shiitake on oak, oysters on poplar and willow, plus cherry, walnut and conifers.Printable
- Oyster mushroom growth time: a timeline from spawn to harvestOyster mushroom timeline by variety: 10 to 21 days to colonize, pins about a week after opening, 5 to 10 days to harvest, 2 to 3 weeks of rest.Printable
- Oyster mushroom growing conditions: blue, pink, yellow, phoenix, ItalianOyster mushroom growing conditions by variety: fruiting from 55 to 75 F for blue to 68 to 86 F for pink, humidity 85 to 95%, each range with its source.Printable
- Lion's mane growing and fruiting conditions, with numbersLion's mane growing conditions by stage: 68 to 75 F to colonize, 55 to 70 F and 80 to 95% humidity to fruit, plus a table of symptoms and fixes.Printable
- Best substrate for each mushroom species, in one chartSubstrate chart for oyster, shiitake, lion's mane, king oyster and chestnut mushrooms: the best material for 8 species and the heat treatment each needs.Printable
Gear, one item at a time
Narrow guides to one kind of kit, spawn or equipment, compared by what the listings state.
- Back to the Roots mushroom grow kits compared: oyster, pink and mini
- Best sterile mushroom substrate bags: masters mix, hardwood and CVG
- Best monotub kits and bulk fruiting tubs for home mushroom growing
- Best shiitake plug spawn and what you need to inoculate a log
- Best shiitake log kits: pre-inoculated logs and sawdust blocks
- Best pressure cookers for sterilizing sawdust blocks at home
- Best pink oyster mushroom grow kits for warm rooms
- Best oyster mushroom grow kits for blue, pearl and golden oysters
- Best ready-to-use grain spawn for oyster mushrooms
- Best outdoor mushroom growing kits and spawn for garden beds
- Best mushroom growing tents and small fruiting chambers
- Best mushroom growing kits for kids and classrooms
- Best mushroom growing kits for beginners, by species
- Best filter patch grow bags for oyster, shiitake and lion's mane blocks
- Best lion's mane mushroom grow kits to fruit at home
- Best humidifiers and humidity controllers for a mushroom tent