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Have you ever wanted to learn how to grow magic mushrooms from the comfort of your home? Check out this step-by-step guide that will teach you how to do just that!
Growing mushrooms may seem daunting, but it is quite simple. Most people resort to subreddit or Shroomery threads to ask about how to get started, but these threads can get confusing fairly quickly with the myriad of teks (short for techniques) that are available. This guide will recompile information from a variety of sources to provide you a comprehensive guide that teaches you how to grow magic mushrooms at home!
As you search for information on how to grow magic mushrooms, you may encounter the word tek a lot. This is simply a way to describe a certain protocol / technique that is used to grow mushrooms. In this article, we are going to keep things simple and focus on the classic PF Tek.
This is an easy way to start learning how to grow magic mushrooms without the need for a lot of space or equipment. Sure, there are many other teks that people prefer and some may say PF Tek is “outdated,” but it is honestly a classic way of growing. Unless you are wanting to do a bulk grow yielding many ounces, you'll be fine following this.
Diagram detailing the life cycle of a mushroom. Source: WorldKids
First things first, let’s have a quick lesson on how mushrooms grow. Mushrooms grow from spores, which are microscopic reproductive cells. In nature, millions of spores are dispersed and eventually germinate when the right conditions in soil are found. Once a spore germinates, it begins growing thread-like structures called hyphae. Male and female cells from different spores then join and begin forming a complex network of threads called mycelium.
The mycelium threads then begin releasing digestive juices to break down organic material in the soil. Hyphae then absorb the digested material and, with time and resources, begin forming something called a hyphae knot. This is the beginning of a mushroom forming. A hyphae knot is simply hyphae threads compacted into a minuscule knot which continues to grow and compact itself until it reaches the button stage.
The button then begins to push open allowing the stem to grow and enters the pinhead stage, where you start seeing very small baby mushrooms form. As hyphae threads / mycelium continue to compact and move upward, it begins forming a mature fruiting body and eventually forms the mushroom you know and love. A mushroom is simply a bunch of mycelium threads tightly compacted into the mushroom form.
Now that you got your daily dose of biology, let’s get started on learning how to grow magic mushrooms!
We will be making mycelium “cakes” in this article. A cake is a cylinder of nutrients colonized and compressed by a layer of mycelium. Let's get started!
Photo of six mycelium cakes. Source: Urban Spore
Necessary:
Total: $120
Optional:
Photo showing where to puncture holes on your lids. Source: Shroomery.org
Photo of a substrate jar covered with aluminum foil. Source: Fungifun
Photo showing how to heat sterilize syringe until it is red hot. This is an important step of learning how to grow magic mushrooms. Source: Fungifun
Photo of fully colonized substrate jar. Source: Fungifun.
A fruiting chamber with ventilation holes. Source: UrbanSpore
Photo of mycelium cakes inside fruiting chamber. Source: Healing-mushrooms.
Photo showing when to harvest mushrooms. Source: Reddit
The process takes 2-3 months.
There are many factors that affect yield size. These include your fruiting conditions, the type of mushroom you're growing, humidity, ventilation, etc. You can expect anywhere from 2-7 grams of mushrooms per cake per flush. You will see a decrease in yield after your second flush.
Dispose of it. It is not worth saving it, as it may contaminate all your other cakes whenever you bring them together in the fruiting chamber. Mold spores are microscopic and can easily spread through the air, so don't even open the contaminated jar.
This happens when the cakes are getting too much water directly on them, or after a couple of flushes. This won't cause any harm to you or your mushrooms. Try not to directly mist your cakes, but rather spray from 12-24 inches abovce the fruiting chamber so a light mist falls on them, rather than droplets of water.
Two things may be at play here: mushroom spores or mold. If your mushrooms' veils break, you will often notice a layer of black around the surrounding area. This is normal — your mushroom simply reached maturity and was ready to reproduce, as if it were in nature. If the black is not as widespread, but rather focused on one specific part of your cake then it may be mold. Any other type of coloration outside the normal spore dispersal or blue staining should be treated as contamination.
Yes, this is fine. This happens when there is sub-optimal fresh air exchange, but it is no issue. This is safe.
You will be harvesting a lot of mushrooms, so unless you're going to be consuming them all within the week, it is best for you to dry them. Drying your mushrooms takes out all the moisture, so they do not spoil and begin rotting. If you want to keep your mushrooms fresh and edible for a long time, then make sure you dry them until they are cracker dry in a dehydrator. Place silica packets in whatever container you store them in to prevent any moisture from forming.
Right before the veil breaks or right after is the optimal time. Preferably, don't wait longer than a day after the veil breaks.
Whenever you start noticing your cakes getting brittle, not producing mushrooms, or growing mold, then that means they are done. You can dispose of them. If you have a flower box / garden, you could try dispersing the exhausted cake (if it doesn't have mold) into your soil for added nutrients. Sometimes, nature will find a way to and you will be surprised to find a few little mushrooms growing in your garden. Again, this may or may not happen, but it doesn't hurt to try.
For the most part, yes. You can grow from magic mushrooms to functional, edible mushrooms. There are some mushrooms that require different substrates other than brown rice flour. Some grow best in manure, bird feed, grain, etc. Some mushrooms require stricter environmental conditions to be met (such as higher humidity, a certain temperature, certain air flow, etc.) But for beginner mushrooms, this tek will do just fine. Do your research for your specific type of mushroom that you plan on growing to see if they are beginner friendly.
Mushrooms need an optimal temperature around room temperature to grow. If your house is below this, then you may stall or completely inhibit growth. You can work around this by buying a heating pad (like the type used inside reptile terrariums) and using it to warm your fruiting chamber. Make sure you keep your environment humid.
Disclaimer: Psychedelic Spotlight does not condone the use of illegal substances. Growing magic mushrooms is illegal in most jurisdictions. The purpose of this article is for educational and harm reduction purposes only. If you suffer from a medical or mental condition, please consult with your doctor before taking any substance.
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