How to grow magic mushrooms for mycological studies

How many times have you heard someone mention magic mushrooms? Have you ever tried to find some to study, with no luck?  Regardless of your reasoning, here at GB The Green Brand we stock our very own magic mushroom grow kits so that you learn how to grow your magic mushrooms for investigation purposes!

Types of magic mushroom kits

Magic mushrooms are one of the easiest things to grow in the world – they need a few specific parameters and a bit of patience. The kits that we sell come with a perlite and vermiculite substrate which has had mycelium added to it, which is where the shrooms come from. It’s super easy to activate and begin growing your shrooms; keep reading for a full guide on how to do it properly.

Each mushroom strain has a set of different properties as they’re from different parts of the world. Some are much easier to grow than others, some are much more potent and other produce larger yields than others. They also grow in various different shapes which you’ll notice once they open up. The following photo is of two different strains (Panamerican and B+), which were set to propagate on the exact same day. The Panamerican shrooms has hardly produced any mycelium but larger mushrooms much faster, whereas the B+ has created a layer of mycelium over the entire surface and is beginning to fill up with small mushrooms.

If you’ve never grown magic mushrooms before, we recommend going with a strain called Mexican. This particular strain adapts much better to temperature and humidity, so it still has a fighting chance even if you don’t give it the exact right parameters.

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How to Grow Magic Mushrooms | Basic parameters:

Lighting:

One of the most important factors when growing magic mushrooms is the amount of light that they receive and the quality of that light – they should never be given direct light. They can be grown using sunlight or a normal white bulb, but never directly on the substrate. In as far as the amount of light needed… this can be tricky, as mushrooms naturally grow on the ground in large forests, spending lots of time in the dark. If you grow them using sunlight, all you have to do is leave your curtains open and place the mushrooms to one side of the window, making sure that they’re never in direct sunlight. If you’re using a light in your house you’ll need to position it so that the light doesn’t directly shine on the substrate.

Humidity:

Humidity is essential, as it’s what activates the mycelium which is where the shrooms sprout from. In order to provide the right amount of humidity, you’ll need to use a small greenhouse propagator. Hydrate the substrate using bottled, osmosis or distilled water – never use tap water. When you add water, the substrate will begin swelling up, so you’ll need to go slowly to make sure that it’s evenly wet. Once it’s been fully soaked, remove any leftover water – if there’s any water left at the bottom of the container it may cause fungi.

Our mushroom kits come with a bag that you can use as a propagator, or although if you want the best possible results we recommend getting a proper greenhouse propagator, such as Propagator With Heater By Neptune. In order to activate the mycelium you’ll need to keep humidity at a steady 90% for at least two days inside the propagator. This means that you’ll need to add some extra water to the bottom of your propagator – not the container with the substrate. Make sure this water is also osmosis, distilled or bottled. Another way to do this is by keeping the lid on the containers, which concentrates humidity a lot more. After the first two days you’ll need to lower humidity to around 70%, which is easy to do by fiddling with the little windows on the side of your propagator.

Temperature:

Temperature is another incredibly important parameter; mushrooms generally thrive between 21 and 24°C, so if you want to produce as many shrooms as possible we recommend keeping the propagator right in the middle. If it’s cold where you’re planning on growing them, you can always get a heated propagator or a heated blanket for underneath your propagator. If you grow your mushrooms under 21°C they’ll grow much slower and produce less shrooms – once the mycelium is active, it only has a certain amount of time to produce mushrooms.

Hygiene:

Last but not least, hygiene and a clean environment is paramount to growing magic mushrooms. They’re quite sensitive, and they need a clean and sterilized environment – never ever touch them with your hands, make sure to use latex gloves when handling the kit at all time and, if possible, a face-mask. You need to try and avoid altering the atmosphere around them as much as possible – don’t smoke, use deodorant or any other kind of spray product in the room that they’re in or they may become contaminated and not grow properly.

Give your magic mushroom kits the right lighting, humidity, temperature and clean environment and they’ll produce plenty of psychedelic heads. GB The Green Brand has everything you need to grow your very own magic mushrooms, from the kits themselves to products such as heated mats and thermo-hygrometers, as well as full mycological study kits.

How to grow magic mushrooms for mycology studies

Technique 1: Grow Kits

This is the simplest and quickest method since the kits usually include everything needed, namely the colonized substrate, a suitable container for the cultivation, and instructions to facilitate the task.

Materials:

• Latex gloves
• Spray bottle
• Electric blanket (optional)

Steps to follow:

This method carries the least risk, as the mushroom substrate is already inoculated, making contamination less likely, and everything is ready for the development of magic mushrooms.

• First, pour water into the kit until it is completely full. Cover it again and let it soak for 9 to 12 hours in the refrigerator.
• Next, pour water (150 ml) into the grow bag and place the culture inside, then fold the top part. It is also important, as already mentioned, to maintain high humidity (between 85 and 100%).
• Place the bag in a bright location, but never in direct sunlight, and keep it warm (between 23 – 27 °C).
• The mushroom grow bag should be aired 1 to 3 times a day, as oxygen aids the growth of mushrooms.
• The process lasts between 3 and 4 weeks, and once completed, it is necessary to harvest before the caps detach.

A grow kit usually produces about 3 harvests. To prepare the kit for the next harvest, you have to soak it again as explained in step 1. From there, you can repeat the same process.

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Technique 2: PF TEK (Psilocybe Fanaticus)

The PF TEK method is simple and effective, making it suitable for both beginner growers and mycology enthusiasts.

Materials:

• Pressure cooker or sterilizer to sterilize the substrate
• A syringe of spore or mycelium liquid culture
• Fruiting chamber
• Several jars with a sufficiently wide opening
• Sawdust, vermiculite, brown rice flour, or buckwheat flour
• Water
• Measuring cup
• Bowl
• Disinfectant alcohol and cotton
• Absorbent paper
• Hammer and nails
• Adhesive tape
• Aluminum foil
• Saucepan
• Lighter
• Syringe/mycelium
• Latex gloves

Steps to follow:

Preparation:

• The first thing to do after sterilizing the work area is to prepare the jars. For this, make holes in the lid to help aerate the mycelium.
• Next, thoroughly clean the containers and their lids with disinfectant alcohol before filling them with the substrate.
• Finally, prepare the substrate to fill the jars (for 12 jars of 120 ml or 3 of 500 ml) simply mix:

6 cups of vermiculite with 6 cups of sawdust
3 cups of brown rice
3 cups of water

• Fill each jar with the substrate, not too tightly so the mycelium can breathe, and apply a layer of vermiculite on top to prevent contamination.
• Clean the edges with alcohol once more so that the lid seals properly, then cover the holes with adhesive tape to prevent contamination after inoculation.
• Cover the container with aluminum foil.
• Place a screen or suitable support to introduce the jars inside the pot and fill the bottom with 5 cm of water, which will turn into steam and increase the temperature. Once the jars are inside, cover and leave them for 1 hour if using a pot and 45 minutes inside a sterilizer.
• Let cool to room temperature.

Inoculation:

As we have mentioned, it is very important that the workspace is clean and disinfected.

• Dampen the paper with disinfectant alcohol
• Remove the aluminum foil from the containers.
• Shake the spore syringe to mix the biological content.
• Heat the needle with a flame.
• Remove the tape and distribute the liquid in the jar (about 2 ml per 500 m of substrate).
• Cover the hole after the injection and repeat the procedure with all the jars.

Incubation:

• Place the substrate in a warm and dark place (average between 21 and 25 degrees) Inform yourself about the needs of the strain you are going to cultivate.
• Incubate for about 2 weeks. From the 3rd to the 5th day, white spots will appear, which is the mycelium starting to develop.
• If you see any color other than white, your culture is probably contaminated, so do not open it to avoid contaminating the work environment, but remove the jar from the cultivation area.

Rehydration:

• Once the substrate is colonized, it needs to be rehydrated.
• Leave them soaking for 24 h in the refrigerator for better fruiting later, adding water to the jars or unmolding them into a large container.

Fruiting:

Finally, to complete the cultivation and harvest a large number of hallucinogenic mushrooms, place them in a fruiting chamber where the stems will start to grow rapidly.

Technique 3: Bulk Cultivation

This option involves engaging in the process from the beginning so that the results are astonishing.

Materials:

• Some type of germ (a piece of mycelium that will colonize the bulk substrate).
• A large box similar to a fruiting chamber.
• Half a brick of coco coir.
• 5 liters of vermiculite.
• 3.75 liters of cow manure.
• 1.75 – 2 liters of water.
• Hydrated lime.
• 1L spray bottle.

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Steps to follow:

• Bulk cultivation turns out to be relatively easy in nature. Once the substrate is created, the next step simply involves incorporating it into the bulk cultivation medium, maintaining the necessary conditions until colonization is complete, and letting the fruiting phase begin.
• At first, it is advisable to cover the container during the colonization period. Once this phase is completed, you can remove the cover and start spraying the substrate regularly to induce the fruiting phase. After that, all that’s left is to take care of the process and observe.

By respecting the previously mentioned parameters (lighting, humidity, temperature, and hygiene) and the phases of the chosen method, all you have to do is wait for your mushrooms to grow. At GB The Green Brand, you will find everything necessary to provide them with the best conditions.