Why and When You Should Shake Your Mushroom Spawn Bags (2024)

FAQs

Why and When You Should Shake Your Mushroom Spawn Bags? ›

The Right Times To Shake Things Up

There is no need to “incubate” grain at warm temperatures in the dark, since the mycelium will grow happily in normal room temperature conditions. You should shake the jar at least once during colonization. I like to do this when the jar is about 25% colonized.

You'll notice the white mycelium growing outward from the point of injection. When the mycelium has grown three to four inches, without opening the bag, carefully break up the colonized substrate and mix it into the uncolonized substrate. This will dramatically speed up the colonization process.

Break up the spawn bag when the mycelium has fully colonized the substrate, typically after 2-4 weeks of inoculation. Ensure sterility throughout the process to prevent contamination and promote healthy mycelium growth.

Breaking and shaking the grain jar at this point would actually slow down the colonization process as the mycelium would have to re-form its connections. The best time to break and shake your grain jars is when you see about 30% colonization.

Light: While mycelium doesn't require light to grow, a small amount can help stimulate growth. 5. Nutrition: Using a nutrient-rich substrate can also enhance growth. Remember, it's important to maintain sterile conditions to prevent contamination.

You can tell when mycelium is fully colonized when the entire substrate (such as a jar or a bag) is covered with a dense, white, and fuzzy network of mycelial threads. There should be no visible uncolonized areas or contaminants, and the mycelium should appear healthy and vigorous.

Growing mycelium should be kept in an ideal temperature range. For example, P. cubensis colonizes most rapidly between 75-80°F (24-27°C). Temperatures higher than this range may kill the mycelium and encourage growth of contaminants, and temperatures lower than this range may slow down colonization.

Alternating between the spawn and substrate allows for faster colonization than putting all the spawn on top. In supplemented sawdust this typically means shaking the substrate after inoculation to distribute the spawn evenly.

When To Open. A grow kit generally requires two to three weeks from its production date to colonize fully. Once the mushrooms fruit, tiny mushroom pins begin forming. Opening the bag then not only offers you substantial airflow but also gives the mushrooms room to grow.

Can you over colonize mycelium? ›

If your mycelium has over colonized this could be for a few reasons, the most common being the lid has been left on for longer than required.

You can shake up your mushroom spawn bag when the mycelium has colonized about 40–50 percent of the spawn grain. As mentioned previously, this gives access to non-colonized patches of mycelium. You'll be surprised by how much this simple 30-second action can help your yield.

Keep your spawn bags in a warm, dark spot (75-77 degrees optimally) and try to leave it alone! Spawn bags colonize from the inside out so you will most likely won't see any mycelium growth for 7-14 days.

When we say "fully colonized", it doesn't necessarily mean that every single inch of the grow bag is full of mycelium. It's fine to fruit the bag when it's 80-90% covered in white. It's common for the bottom of the bag colonize last.

Colonization occurs after inoculation. This is when the mycelium will start to take over the grain that was inoculated with spores. This period usually lasts between 3 to 6 weeks depending on strain and environmental conditions.

Spend time getting to know what your mycelium is supposed to look like so you can better identify unhealthy or contaminated patches. While mycelium is typically white and filamentous, contamination generally takes the form of green, blue, gray, or black patches or discolorations in your substrate.