Mushroom grow-kit help
Mushroom Grow Kit Stages: What Happens Next
Your kit starts as a block covered in mushroom growth. Then tiny mushrooms appear, expand and become ready to pick. Here’s what each stage means.
01
1. The opened block: keep it damp and wait
After you open your Nature Lion kit, cut the X and gently scrape the exposed surface, the next job is daily misting. Little may seem to happen at first. Don’t keep scraping to try to speed it up.
02
When will mushrooms appear?
Count from the day you open and start caring for your Nature Lion kit. These are times to the first tiny mushrooms, not to a finished harvest. Your room conditions can change the pace.
- Oyster mushrooms: usually sprout in 1–3 weeks.
- Chestnut mushrooms: average 4–5 weeks; allow 4–6 weeks for sprouting.
- Lion’s Mane: watch for small white growth at the opening. Keep up the tent routine; ask us if you are unsure about its progress.
03
2. Pins: the first baby mushrooms
Tiny bumps and little caps gather at the opening. Growers call these pins. Leave them in place and stop scraping. Lion’s Mane begins as small white growth rather than a bunch of oyster-shaped caps.
04
3. Growing mushrooms: check every day
Oyster and chestnut caps expand. Lion’s Mane develops hanging teeth. Continue gentle moisture care, avoiding a soaking spray onto the mushrooms. For Lion’s Mane, keep the tent moist and give it its daily air break.
05
4. Harvest: watch the shape, not the size
Don’t wait for your kit to look exactly like a product photo. Follow the cap or tooth cues for your species, then pick with clean hands and tools.
06
After picking: prepare for another crop
Trim any growing material from the harvested mushrooms, refrigerate them and cook them thoroughly before eating. Remove loose mushroom pieces from the kit opening.
The following routine is for Nature Lion boxed oyster, chestnut and Lion’s Mane kits. Another maker’s kit or a shiitake block may need a different routine.
Let the block rest for about one week
Give your kit about a week between harvesting and soaking. Keep it away from direct sun and drying heat.
Soak for eight hours
Keep the cardboard box out of the water. Use a clean container and clean water, allowing water to reach the block. After eight hours, let excess water drain away.
Check the block’s weight
The hydrated block should weigh about 3–3.5 lb (1.4–1.6 kg). Weigh the drained block, without the cardboard box or soaking container.
If water has not soaked in, help it reach inside
The mycelium covering can keep water from entering. Gently scratch the surface with a clean fork, or poke a few holes around the block, then soak again. Drain and check the weight again. Do this between crops, not when mushrooms are developing.
Resume care and watch for another harvest
Return to the original misting routine. For Lion’s Mane, use the slit humidity tent, mist inside 2–3 times daily and give growing mushrooms their daily 1–2 hour air break. Pick the next crop using the same cap or tooth signs as the first. Timing and yield can vary.
07
More help with your grow
For more background, read the related guides below. Follow the Nature Lion instructions above for your boxed kit.
Keep a photo diary with Dr. MycoTek
Want to remember how your mushrooms grew?
A few photos on your phone are a good start. If you’d like to keep dates and photos together, you can use Dr. MycoTek. It’s optional—everything you need to follow this guide is on this page.
Continue exploring
Set up your kit
Open the box, cut the X and give your kit its first mist.
See the growing stages
Know what you are waiting for and what comes next.
My kit isn’t growing
Check the timing, moisture and location before changing anything.
Know when to harvest
Learn what to look for and how to pick your mushrooms.
Nature Lion opening and care instructions apply to our boxed kits. For another maker’s kit, follow the instructions supplied with that product. Growth photos show individual examples; timing and results vary.