How to Fruit Our Mushroom Grow Kits/Fruiting Blocks at Home: A Simple Guide

Growing fresh, gourmet mushrooms at home has never been easier! Our mushroom grow kits/Fruiting Blocks are designed to take the guesswork out of the process, allowing you to enjoy a bountiful harvest with minimal effort. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the simple steps to fruit your mushroom grow kit and get the best results.

What’s Inside Your Mushroom Grow Kit?

Each of our mushroom grow kits contains a pre-colonized block of mycelium, the underground network that produces mushrooms. These kits are ready to fruit, meaning you don’t have to worry about inoculating or waiting weeks for colonization.

We offer a variety of mushroom grow kits, including:
🍄 Oyster Mushrooms – Fast-growing and great for beginners
🦁 Lion’s Mane – A unique, brain-boosting mushroom with seafood like texture
🍄 Shiitake Mushrooms – Rich, umami-packed mushrooms perfect for cooking

No matter which kit you have, the fruiting process is similar!

Step-by-Step Guide to Fruiting Your Mushroom Kit

Step 1: Unbox and Prepare Your Kit

Unbox your kits promptly upon delivery.
If you don't want to fruit the kit/block right away you can store it in your fridge until the expiration date marked on the kits label.
The fruiting block comes sealed in a specialized mushroom cultivation bag and must be cut to allow oxygen and air flow to trigger the mycelium into its fruiting stage. Use a clean, sharp knife or scissors to make a 5 × 7 cm (approximately 2 × 3 inch) X shaped cut on the front face of the bag, roughly centered over the densest area of white mycelium. This opening allows fresh air exchange and provides the perfect spot for your mushrooms to emerge. Avoid cutting too high or too low — the middle section usually provides the best balance of humidity and airflow. After cutting, lightly mist the opening and maintain a humid environment to encourage healthy pin formation. See this illustration for what it should look like!

Exceptions: For Piopinno and Black Pearl King Oyster varieties skip the X and cut the whole top of the bag off! For Shiitake, completely remove the block from the bag.

Step 2: Choose the Best Spot

Place your kit in a room with natural light, but avoid direct sunlight.
Keep it in a space with good airflow but no strong drafts.
Kitchens, bathrooms, or areas with moderate humidity work well.
If you happen to have a grow tent, go a head and place the block(s) in there! The tent certainly helps to maintain proper humidity for the mushrooms but is by no means a necessity.

Step 3: Maintain Proper Humidity

Mushrooms need a humid environment to thrive - Use a spray bottle to mist your kit 2-3 times per day to ensure they don't dry out.
If your home is very dry, you can create a DIY humidity tent by loosely draping a clear plastic bag (with holes) over the kit.

Step 4: Watch for Growth!

Within 5-10 days (depending on variety), tiny mushroom “pins” (baby mushrooms) will start forming.
Keep misting, ensuring the surface of the block stays slightly damp but not soaked.
As they grow, the mushrooms will expand quickly—sometimes doubling in size overnight!

Step 5: Harvesting Your Mushrooms

Most mushrooms are ready to harvest 7-14 days after pinning.
Pick them when the caps start to flatten out but before they release spores. ( You can pin point this by checking under the caps - if the gills are still light in color, they have not sporulated yet - the sweet spot is when the cap has flattened but the gills are still light.) Don't fret if you miss this stage - mushrooms that are picked slightly over ripe (have sporulated) are still delicious and great to eat.
To harvest, gently twist and pull the mushrooms from the base or cut them with scissors.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

✅ No Mushrooms Appearing?

Ensure your kit is in a humid, well-ventilated space. Mushrooms release co2 as they grow, just like humans, and need that co2 to disperse, and fresh oxygen to be available to them so they can grow at their best.
Increase misting and try moving it to a slightly cooler or warmer spot depending on the specific temperatures the variety prefers - check out the info graph on the product page of said variety for all the info.

✅ Mushrooms Drying Out?

Increase misting and use a humidity tent to maintain moisture.

✅ Fuzzy or Leggy Mushrooms?

This usually means they need more fresh air! To much C02 can cause mushroom to stretch out in search of oxygen - Move the kit to an area with better airflow.
Fuzziness can mean mold - This can happen if humidity is too high and the air around the bag is stagnant - Try misting less and or choosing a spot with air flow.

✅ Unusual Odors?

A fresh, earthy smell is normal. A sour or rotten smell could indicate contamination—if this happens, discard the kit.

Enjoy Your Fresh, Homegrown Mushrooms!

After your first harvest, don’t toss your kit just yet! Many of our grow kits produce multiple flushes of mushrooms. Simply continue misting and wait for a second or third harvest.

Ready to start growing? Browse our collection of mushroom grow kits/fruiting blocks and bring the magic of home mycology to your kitchen! 🍄✨