You just got your Spray and Grow Kit, but something isn’t quite right. To make sure you successfully fruit some mushrooms, we’ll help you troubleshoot through hiccups along the way.
First, inspect your kit upon arrival and keep the packaging. Each kit is packaged with a batch-specific sticker, located somewhere on the substrate bag. We track quality control with these numbers, so it’s helpful to know if you need to be in touch with a member of our team. If you notice any strange colors (green, black) or foul smells before opening your bag, please get in touch with some photos. We’ll be able to determine if something happened in transit and get you a new kit. A healthy kit should have white or off-white mycelium weaving through its brown substrate and have a pleasant earthy smell.
If the mushroom block is broken upon arrival, there’s hope yet! We often see this as a result of jostling around in transport. While it’s still in the bag, we recommend gently pressing the block back together and allowing it some extra time to bounce back before cutting it open to start the fruiting process. It may take about a week to re-establish itself. If your bag is already open, gently smoosh it together as best you can and make sure to keep the block moist. We recommend using a humidity tent. Take a trash bag or other large loose bag and cut lots of ½” holes throughout - mushrooms need fresh air to form correctly! Drape the bag over your block and mist the inside of the bag every day. When you start to see baby mushrooms form (pinning), you can remove the bag and keep misting the block.
If your mushroom block looks “dead” or like nothing is happening, there are a few possible causes. Lion’s Mane mycelium is notoriously fine and often appears very light or unnoticeable- especially compared to Oyster kits. If you have a Lion’s Mane kit and the block holds together, the mycelium may be difficult to see. For other kits, it's possible the block was broken up in transit and needs some time to grow back together. Give it a few days, making sure to keep it misted, and see if the mycelium becomes more noticeable. We guarantee all of our kits will fruit within two weeks, or we’ll send you a replacement.
What if my block has gnats? Humans aren’t the only organisms that love mushrooms! It’s possible the bag broke in transit, and these opportunistic creatures decided to make a home. Get in touch with some photos, and we’ll replace it for you. It still may be possible to fruit it outside - you can try these tricks while waiting on a new kit to arrive.
If your mushroom block seems dry and hasn't produced any mushrooms yet, try using a humidity tent. Take a trash bag or other large loose bag and cut lots of ½” holes throughout - mushrooms need fresh air to form correctly! Drape the bag over your block and mist the inside of the bag every day. When you start to see baby mushrooms form (pinning), you can remove the bag and keep misting the block.
If your block still seems dry using the humidity tent or if your block has produced once or twice and dried out in between, you can give it a boost by soaking it in some water. Take your bag out of the box and let it soak, cut side down, in a bowl of water for an hour for oysters. Let a lion's mane kit soak for 10-15 minutes and keep an eye on it, the mycelium of these mushrooms tends to be more delicate so soaking for too long can result in your block disintegrating. Pat the block dry before putting it back in the box. Mist as you would 2-3 times per day, a little extra if you live in an arid or dry climate.