The image on the front of your Spray and Grow Kit box or the sticker on your Advanced Kit shows the mushrooms at their ideal stage of growth for harvesting. The general rule is that mushrooms should be harvested before their caps flatten or become concave. In the case of Lion's Mane, before they become yellowed and mushy. Unlike plants, mushrooms grow incredibly fast, sometimes doubling in size each day. Make sure to keep a close eye on your kit so you don't miss the opportune time to harvest!
We like to harvest oyster mushrooms right before their caps begin to flatten out, while the edge is still a little curved under. At this point, the mushrooms have almost grown to their full size and will store better than mushrooms harvested later. You can definitely pick and eat mushrooms after the cap has flattened out, but they won’t keep as long and are more brittle.
Lion’s Mane doesn’t have caps and gills, but rather teeth. When they’re young, they form as dense round balls, sometimes growing more mounds and lumps in maturity. The length of their teeth or spines can be used as a good indicator of when to harvest. We like to pick them when teeth are ¼-½” long before any yellowing.
To harvest, reach your hand around the base of the mushroom cluster and twist. This motion should be enough to pop your mushrooms off the block. You can also use a knife if you want, too! Remove any extra loose debris on the block before starting to spritz again for a second flush. Your first flush could produce anywhere between ½-2 lbs. of mushrooms!
If mushrooms become dried out, moldy, or look unappetizing in any way chances are they weren't harvested early enough. You can send us a photo to see what might have happened. Stringy mushrooms with long stems and little caps probably are in a high CO2 environment. Give them some air or even try a fan!