Bag Sizes and Volume of Substrates

Inoculating Your Bags

Fruiting Your Substrate

Troubleshoot Your Grow 

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: I do not plan on using my Myco Bags or grain spawn right away. How long are they good for?

A: It is best to use your kits or grain bags within 30 days of receiving them.

 

We have performed quality control tests on our bags time and time again and provided they have not been opened and exposed to outside air, they can keep at room temperature for six months or longer.

 

However, grain will break down and release moisture over time and we do not recommend using bags that old. 

If you do not plan on using your bags right away it is a good idea to not remove the shrink wrap and to store them in a dark cool place like a refrigerator.

There is no need to freeze them.

Q: How are Your bags of grain able to last that long?

A: This is all made possible because of sterilization.

The grain is stored in sealed bags with almost all oxygen removed.

This will kept them in almost a suspended like state (think of food stored in a food saver bag).

The key is the oxygen. Molds and bacterias that break down the grain and cause contaminates need air to live. Without it they will not grow.

When you remove the bags of grain from their packaging, unroll them and expose the filter patch, the bag will begin to let in outside air and breath through this filter.

This is what allows a desired culture to grow once introduced to the substrate.

Q: How is your grain processed?

A: Each batch of grain is soaked for a period of time, rinsed and then brought to a boil in order to achieve the proper moisture content.

The grain is then drained rinsed again and packaged in spawn bags where it is sterilized at 20 PSI for one hour.

The sterilizers are let too cool for at least 3 hours before opening. This gives the substrate a total time of 4.5 to 5 hours where the substrate is kept above the 165 degrees Fahrenheit mark.

This is the temperature in which the FDA says food must reach in order to kill bacteria.

 

Q: Can I fruit or grow the mushrooms right in the myco bags? Or do I need to use casing?

A: You can fruit mushrooms right out of the bags, but it really depends what kind you are growing as some mushrooms will fruit easier than others.

In our experience we have found that you will get a larger yield if you transfer the grain spawn to a bulk substrate like straw or compost.

To learn more check out building a fruiting chamber or fruiting in the bag.

 

Q: Do you combine shipping cost?

A: Yes, all of shipping is calculated by weight of the items.

During checkout the customer is given several shipping options based on that weight.

We alway try to ship out as efficient and inexpensive as possible.

In cases where the buyer has overpaid and we were able to find a cheaper method for shipping we have refunded excess shipping cost back to them.

 

Q: Do you offer local pickup?

 

A: We do not have a retail store.

However, we do allow for local pickup at our warehouse 

We ask that you make an appointment prior to picking up an order to make sure we have your item in stock and because we do not keep the same hours every day.

We would hate to see you come all the way out here just for us to be closed.

We are located in Milford, Ohio.

 

Q: I want to fruit in a terrarium/tub. What size tote do I need?

 

A: We have found that most people use anywhere from a 20-50 quart tote.

However, this will depend on the measurements of the tote.

Are you are breaking the kit up or leaving it as one solid cake?

If breaking it up, you need to decide how thick you want your substrate layer to be. 2-3 inches is pretty standard.

If you measure the length, width and height of the tote you will find out how many cubic inches it is.

Then measure the length and width and depth you want your substrate layer to be.

Our 5 LB kits measure 7.5'' high x 6'' wide x 4'' deep which is 180 cubic inches, or 3.17 quarts. More information about volume 

From this you can determine what size tote you will need.

 

Q: How many ccs does it take to inoculate a kit / bag?

 

A: There is no exact answer to this question.

We generally tell people that 2-4 ccs of solution should be sufficient enough to inoculate two-pounds of grain (which is the same amount in our kits).

This amount can vary depending on how potent your syringes are and whether you are using spores or a liquid culture.

Even though our kit are five pounds, you only need to inject enough solution to inoculate the grain portion of the kit.

The colonized grain will in turn later spread throughout the compost.

It is important to know that you must not to add too much liquid as this can over saturate the kit and will cause slow or no growth. 

 

Q: Can I use spores to colonize compost?

 

A: Our compost works best when inoculated with colonized grain spawn.

If you just inject the bag of compost directly with spores you will more than likely not see any growth.

Spores need some kind of nutritive substance like grain to take ahold of and establish mycelium growth first.

Start by injecting your spores or liquid culture into a sterilized grain medium (we have this for sale in our store).

Then once the grain is colonized you can transfer it to the compost, the compost will colonized

The mushrooms will grow right out of the bag or you can transfer the colonized mass to some kind of fruiting chamber, tote or terrarium.

 

Q: How many quarts are in a ten-pound bag of compost?

 

A: In an uncompressed or loose form, our ten-pound bag of compost is equal to about 9 quarts.

Our compost is shipped in compressed blocks to ensure they arrive safely after shipping.

When you are ready to use the compost you will want to open the bag to uncompress and mix it up.

This will help aeration and promote mycelium growth after inoculation.  

6x five pound bags of compost is equal to one cubic foot. 

 

Q: My bag is colinizing very slow or growth has stalled all together. What should I do?

 

A: 

Some common factors that will cause a bag to stall or slow growth are temperature, oxygen level, light and humidity. Controlling all of these at the right time will ensure healthy mycelium growth and cause the substrate to fruit.

 

You will need to incubate your substrate bag at the correct temperature. This will depend on what species you are growing. 75-85 is a general rule of thumb but most common mushroom species exact incubation and fruiting temperatures can be found with a simple google search. I have seen people use things like heating lamps and heating pads that are found in pet stores for reptile terrariums. These will work to raise the temperatures but should not be in direct contact with the bags. Mushrooms do not need direct sunlight and mycelium will start to die around 105-110 degrees.

 

If the bag is stalling due to lack of oxygen it may be necessary to vent or “burp” the bag. Most bags now come with air filters but this may not be enough to get fresh oxygen circulated throughout the bag. Make sure the bags are unfolded and the filter is not blocked, facing outward and able to breathe. You can also mix or agitate the substrate. This should be done with caution because over mixing can damage mycelium growth. Another solution is to open the bag and burp it. This will let out the carbon dioxide and allow fresh air to get into the bag. This should also be done with caution because you run the risk of contaminating your substrate. This should preferably be done in front of a flow hood in a very clean environment and the bags resealed after venting.

 

Another factor is excessive light. For the most part mushrooms do not need any light during the incubation stage. In the natural world mycelium grows underground and does not need light to flourish. Direct sunlight will damage mycelium. In some cases only a few could of indirect lighting is needed when you are in the fruiting stage but not the incubation stage.