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How to grow mushrooms at home
Updated
The easiest way to grow mushrooms at home is to start with an oyster or lion's mane kit or a colonized block, keep it at 85 to 95% humidity with regular fresh air, give it indirect light, and keep the room cool. Most kits start forming mushrooms one to two weeks after you open them. When that works, a fruiting chamber makes every grow repeatable.
What do mushrooms need to grow?
Every culinary mushroom needs the same five things. Get these right and most grows succeed.
- Food. Mycelium, the root network of the fungus, eats a substrate such as hardwood sawdust, straw, or grain. A kit or block already has this done for you.
- Humidity. Young mushrooms are mostly water and dry out fast. Most species fruit best between 85 and 95% humidity.
- Fresh air. Mycelium breathes out carbon dioxide. If it builds up, mushrooms grow long thin stems and small caps, or do not form at all.
- Light. Mushrooms do not use light for food, but light tells them which way is up and when to fruit. Indirect daylight or about 12 hours of room light a day is enough. Enoki and button mushrooms are the exceptions and fruit in the dark.
- The right temperature. Most species colonize warm and fruit cooler. Blue Oyster fruits at 14 °C (57 °F) in its profile, while Pink Oyster wants 24 °C (75 °F).
What are the stages of growing mushrooms?
- Colonization. Mycelium spreads through the substrate in warm, dark, still conditions. Lion's Mane colonizes for 16 days at 22 °C (72 °F) in its profile.
- Pinning. Cooler air, higher humidity, more fresh air, and light tell the block to start tiny mushrooms called pins. This takes a few days to a week for most species.
- Fruiting. Pins grow into full mushrooms. Humidity stays high and fresh air goes up as the mushrooms get bigger.
- Harvest and rest. Pick before the caps flatten and drop spores, then let the block rest and fruit again. Most blocks give two or three flushes.
Every species page on this site has a stage by stage table with temperature, humidity, fresh air, light, and days.
Which mushroom should a beginner grow first?
Start with oyster mushrooms or lion's mane. They colonize fast, forgive small mistakes, and show you quickly if something is wrong. In this library Pearl Oyster runs about 29 days from the start of colonization to the end of the first harvest window, and Lion's Mane about 33 days. Read the easiest mushrooms to grow at home for a full list.
| Mushroom | Fruiting temperature | Fruiting humidity | Days, start to first harvest window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pearl Oyster | 16 °C (61 °F) | 88% | 29 |
| Blue Oyster | 14 °C (57 °F) | 87% | 25 |
| Lion's Mane | 17 °C (63 °F) | 90% | 33 |
| Pink Oyster | 24 °C (75 °F) | 86% | 20 |
What is the best way to grow mushrooms at home?
There are three common setups. Pick the one that matches how much time you want to spend.
- A grow kit. A colonized block in a bag or box. You cut it open, mist it, and wait. Cheapest and simplest, but results depend on the room you leave it in.
- A tub or monotub. A plastic tub with holes for air, filled with colonized bulk substrate. Bigger harvests, more hands on work, and you need clean technique.
- A fruiting chamber. A box that holds humidity, fresh air, light, and sometimes temperature for you. A Shrooly chamber running OpenShrooly follows a grow profile stage by stage.
The full comparison is in grow kit vs monotub vs smart chamber.
How do you grow mushrooms from a kit, step by step?
- Check the block. It should be white with mycelium all the way through. A few yellow drops are normal. Green, black, or pink patches are mold.
- Open it where the kit says. Usually a cut or an X in the bag on one side. Mushrooms grow out of the opening.
- Find a spot. Out of direct sun, away from heaters and fans that dry the air, and in a room near the fruiting temperature for your species.
- Keep it humid. Mist the air around the opening two or three times a day, or put the block in a humidity tent or chamber. Mist the walls, not the pins.
- Give it air. Fan the tent a few times a day or leave holes for air. Stuffy air gives long stems and small caps.
- Harvest on time. Twist or cut the cluster off at the base when the caps are mostly open but the edges still curl down a little.
- Rest and repeat. Let the block sit for a week or two, then soak or mist it and start again.
How much humidity and fresh air do mushrooms need?
Most culinary mushrooms fruit between 85 and 95% humidity. Fresh air matters just as much: oysters need a lot, lion's mane and shiitake need less. The profiles set a different humidity and fan rate for each stage. Too little humidity shows as dry, cracked caps and pins that stall. Too little fresh air shows as long stems and small caps. More on both in humidity and fresh air for mushrooms.
What usually goes wrong?
- No pins after colonization: usually not enough fresh air, light, or a temperature drop.
- Long, thin stems: too much carbon dioxide or too little light.
- Dry, cracked caps: humidity too low or air blowing straight on the caps.
- Green, black, or slimy patches: mold or bacteria.
Where can you buy mushroom kits and spawn?
Buy from a supplier that sells clean, labeled cultures and stands behind them. North Spore sells kits, spawn, and supplies. PNW Spore is another source of culinary liquid cultures.
FAQ
How long does it take to grow mushrooms at home?
From a ready kit, most oysters and lion's mane give a first harvest in two to three weeks. From the start of colonization, the profiles here run from about 20 days for pink oyster to about 74 days for shiitake.
Can you grow mushrooms indoors?
Yes. Indoors is the easiest place to control humidity, temperature, and light. A kitchen counter, a shelf, or a closet with some light all work as long as the mushrooms get fresh air.
Do mushrooms need light to grow?
They do not need light for food, but most species need some light to start pins and grow normal caps. About 12 hours a day of indirect daylight or room light is enough for most culinary mushrooms.
How many times can a mushroom block fruit?
Most blocks give two or three flushes. Each flush is usually smaller than the one before. When a block stops fruiting or turns soft and smelly, compost it.
Is it safe to grow mushrooms at home?
Growing culinary mushrooms is safe for most people. Oysters release a lot of spores once the caps flatten, so harvest before that and keep large grows out of bedrooms if you have allergies. Only eat mushrooms you grew from a known culture.