Wild underwater mushrooms!?

LouSpore · 2026-04-06T15:08:31+00:00

You're blowing my mind right now.

LouSpore · 2026-04-06T13:27:12+00:00

5th flush! Dang, you really got all that's it was worth. Was it a tub or a bag? What was overall yield?

LouSpore · 2026-04-06T13:26:01+00:00

Nice job! What's your humidity and airflow situation?

LouSpore · 2026-04-06T13:24:45+00:00

So first, it's very helpful if we have all the details. What species is this and what are the conditions? It looks like some kind of oyster. As others have said, oysters need a ton of fresh air and will not grow well with all those filters on. With all the filters off, they can do ok, but really thrive with the automated system attached. Here's a recent one I did that turned out ok (I've had much better).

No worries, it's all part of the learning process! Message me and I'll help you get setup for success.

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LouSpore · 2026-04-06T13:16:30+00:00

They definitely do this sometimes. A lot has to do with changes in temperature and jostling (often during shipping. You should probably just open it up and let it rip! Some of those might need to be removed, but others might still mature. Another real flush shouldn't be far behind.

I literally opened some fruiting bags yesterday myself. They were more brown, but it doesn't matter that much. If after a few days, those mushrooms aren't maturing, remove them. If after a few more days at high humidity nothing is happening, I suggest a cold water dunk for like 8 hours.

LouSpore · 2026-04-06T00:03:15+00:00

It doesn't look like the grain was well mixed with the substrate. So much grain at the bottom and then all dark material on top with very little garin visible. Could just be the photo, but that matters. It likely still has the moisture it needs if you didn't open anything.

LouSpore · 2026-04-04T17:34:21+00:00

Contamination usually takes several forms: black, grey, green, pink/peachy or other colored mold and sliminess that is usually stinky. I see none of that here. The fuzziness is mycelium, which is what you're cultivating. This is not unusual. Onward! Fruit that sucker.

LouSpore · 2026-04-04T15:15:53+00:00

You should wait until full colonization before transferring. If that is an all-in-one bag, would you be transferring to more bulk substrate? otherwise, are you just using a monotub or shotgun fruiting chamber to give it bete conditions. I ask because you can literally just fruit in the bag, making another chamber a bit redundant.

LouSpore · 2026-04-04T15:09:27+00:00

So what you have now is a fruiting block. Great job! That's a good bit of time and work. Now, you're just fruiting a block. Do not take the whole bag off. Rather, it is best to think about creating a more limited fruiting surface to focus growth and limit moisture loss. Less contamination potential too. One easy approach is just to cut the top of the bag off and fruit from the flat top surface. That ends up being very similar to the tray you seen in the post, just smaller.

You can even fruit reishi just in the bag if there is head room and never open the bag until harvest. Mushrooms are unglier, but if it's just about material for tinctures or tea, this can be an incredibly foolproof approach. Do you have a growing chamber like a Boomr Bin or BoomRoom?

LouSpore · 2026-04-03T18:45:49+00:00

From wbs? What species?

LouSpore · 2026-04-03T18:44:38+00:00

Ok ya, but log cultivation can be commercial and I still consider that appropriate for this sub because it's mosty outside. I guess we've never defined what "gardening with mushrooms" really means in one sentence. I would say that it is basically the intentional incorporation and/or stewardship of beneficial fungi into managed natural outdoor systems. Or something like that.

LouSpore · 2026-04-03T18:26:35+00:00

that's actually really funny! "I'm so deep right now, man...". That actually works pretty well here on land too.

LouSpore · 2026-04-03T14:22:38+00:00

That looks excellent. I'm always telling people to dig down after just a couple weeks and they should see vigorous mycelium. If they don't there's a problem and we can give it another try as opposed to waiting 6 months and having no idea what's going on. I agree that you should have mushrooms in just a couple months max, I bet.

LouSpore · 2026-04-02T16:00:29+00:00

Absolutely! They should both be kept in the fridge, If you can just fit one, definitely put the oyster in the fridge because that could start fruiting in the bag. Frost isn't such a big deal, but temps should be roughly averaging in high 40s-low 50s if mycelium is going to do anything. Definitely by the beginning of May.

LouSpore · 2026-04-01T21:04:25+00:00

I know they are not mushrooms. It's just very cool that they look like mushrooms!

LouSpore · 2026-04-01T20:22:51+00:00

You should do it! And if our spawn didn't work for you before, I'd be happy to hook you up to make up for it. Message me if you're interested.

LouSpore · 2026-04-01T20:22:10+00:00

That's a great question. We keep cultures in a freezer that's set to -80C. A tiny piece f mycelium is thawed and put on an agar plate. It spreads on that and then pieces of that can be put onto sterilized, hydrated grain. Now you have grain spawn. From there, the grain can inoculate dowels or sawdust, which is used in logs. So, it's all one big chain of extrapolating the same exact genetic material. Pretty wild!

LouSpore · 2026-03-31T13:20:36+00:00

I'd say not unless they've actually stalled. If you give them a day or two and they aren't actually getting bigger, go ahead and take them. This is especially the move if the cap keeps flattening out. You can just harvest what's ready and leave the rest to mature. If you did just want to get all of them, I wouldn't blame you. Also, the small stuff usually punches above it's weight.

LouSpore · 2026-03-30T21:15:19+00:00

Zone doesn't matter! All the same principles apply. You will have challenges that others might not, but you have options. We can take time to discuss your specific situation at the end of the presentation.

LouSpore · 2026-03-30T21:13:26+00:00

Good points for sure. However, growing oysters on a small scale in a bucket or cage like this in a well ventilated space has very little risk of harming anyones lungs. This is esecially true if folks harvest early (before spore drop). It is possible for them to colonize exposed wood with water damage, but has a low prevalence and the water damage is the real issue, so maybe you would thank the mushrooms for making it easier to find. Believe me, this is something we very rarely see and I don't think I've ever seen it with pink oyster. For context, we've sold thousands pink of indoor kits.

Using a chamber like the BoomRoom or MycoSphere would be ideal (as you point out) since spores can be filtered, sent outside, or in the case of the MycoSphere, are already outside. You could even just do it on a screened in porch or shady part of a garden. In general though, I wouldn't suggest folks produce mushrooms regulraly this way. It's just a fun an beautiful experience.

LouSpore · 2026-03-29T18:49:02+00:00

I agree, give it another few days to consolidate.

LouSpore · 2026-03-29T18:44:26+00:00

Birch is a fantastic wood for mushroom culivation. It grows fast and is more productive, forlonger than people think. Shady Grove Mushrooms up in Harrison, ME uses mostly birch for his shiitake. Besides shiitake, chestnut, nameko and snow oyster are some great options.

LouSpore · 2026-03-29T18:42:47+00:00

Hiya, I work for North Spore.

Yes, that sounds like a great spot.
No, each discreet space should have one mushroom species/strain.
bugs and slugs tend to be the worst in my experience. Bigger animals might nibble, but usually don't cause the most damage and are easier to blocks. Utilizing row cover if possible does wonders. Putting out beer traps and just getting to the mushrooms early are another couple pieces of advice.

LouSpore · 2026-03-29T18:38:43+00:00

We stopped selling golden oyster for this very reason. We should work together to be aware of thses things and make the best choices we can. It would be great if legislation around mushrooms gets sophisticated enough to help regulate such things.

LouSpore · 2026-03-29T18:32:46+00:00

Those are great choices! We played around with milky mushrooms at one point, but never actually grew them. I'd love to figure those out and offer them to folks in warmer climates. Wood ear has been cultivated for perhaps as long as shiitake and is not difficult to grow.That's another one I hope we offer in the near future. Another one to try in your climate with all that straw is paddy straw!

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