How To Grow Lion's Mane at Home

🍄 How to Prepare Malt Extract Agar (MEA) for Mushroom Cultivation

✅ What You’ll Need:

Ingredients (Standard 1 Liter Batch – Makes ~35–40 Petri dishes):

• Malt Extract: 20 grams
• Agar-Agar Powder: 15 grams
• Distilled Water: 1000 mL
• (Optional: Peptone 1–2g or yeast extract for additional nutrients)

🥣 Step 1: Mixing the Ingredients

1. Measure out 20g of malt extract and 15g of agar powder.
2. Add both to a clean 1-liter Erlenmeyer flask or heat-safe container.
3. Pour in 1 liter of distilled water.
4. Stir well until all solids are dissolved. Use a magnetic stirrer or manual stirring. The solution may be cloudy.

🔍 Tip: If you're using powdered malt extract, mix slowly to avoid clumping.

🔥 Step 2: Sterilization

1. Cover the flask with aluminum foil or a loose cap — not airtight.
2. Place it in a pressure cooker or autoclave.
3. Sterilize at 15 PSI (121°C / 250°F) for 20–30 minutes.

⚠️ Do not exceed 30 minutes to avoid caramelizing the sugars in the malt, which may inhibit fungal growth.

❄️ Step 3: Cooling

1. Allow the sterilized MEA to cool to around 50–55°C (122–131°F). It should still be liquid but not too hot to kill spores if pouring into inoculated media.
2. If using a thermometer, monitor closely. This is the ideal pouring temperature.

🧊 Do not wait too long — it will start to solidify around 40°C (104°F).

🧪 Step 4: Pouring Plates

1. Sanitize your work area thoroughly or use a laminar flow hood/still air box.
2. Pour ~20 mL of agar into each sterile Petri dish.
3. Slightly crack the lids and let them sit for 15–30 minutes until solid.
4. Once solidified, close the lids and allow the plates to fully dry for 24 hours before sealing.
5. Optional: Store plates upside down to prevent condensation from dripping onto the surface.

🧼 Label your plates with date and medium type.

📦 Storage Instructions

• Store sealed plates in ziplock bags or parafilm-wrapped stacks
• Keep refrigerated at 2–8°C (35–46°F)
• Plates are viable for up to 4–6 weeks if properly stored

🌱 Optional Additions & Notes

• Antibiotics (e.g., gentamicin) can be added after cooling (below 50°C) to prevent bacterial contamination
• Activated charcoal (0.5g/L) can be added to promote some fungal species
• Color indicators can be added for pH sensitivity, though not usually necessary for mushroom work

🍄 How to Prepare Liquid Culture (LC) Jars for Mushroom Mycelium

Liquid culture is a sterile sugar-water solution used to grow mycelium for easy inoculation of grain, agar, or other substrates. It enables fast, clean, and efficient propagation of fungal cultures.

✅ What You’ll Need

Ingredients (Standard 500 mL Batch):

• Light Malt Extract (LME): 10 grams
  (Alternative: Karo Light Corn Syrup – 4% concentration or 20mL per 500mL water)
• Distilled Water: 500 mL

🥣 Step 1: Prepare the Liquid Culture Mix

1. Add 10 grams of light malt extract (LME) to 500 mL of distilled water in your jar.
2. • If using Karo syrup, add 20 mL per 500 mL water.
2. Mix thoroughly to dissolve all sugars. Use a stir rod or magnetic stirrer for even mixing.
3. Add a magnetic stir bar to the jar if you plan to use a stir plate later (optional but recommended).

🔍 Tip: Use clear jars to visually monitor mycelium growth and contamination.

🧴 Step 2: Jar Setup & Lid Prep

1. Use a lid fitted with:
2. • Self-healing injection port (SHIP) for inoculation
   • Micropore filter or synthetic filter disc for gas exchange
2. Tighten the lid lightly to allow some venting during sterilization.
3. Cover the top of the jar with aluminum foil to prevent condensation or water from the pressure cooker entering the lid.

🔥 Step 3: Sterilization

1. Place your LC jar into a pressure cooker or autoclave.
2. Sterilize at 15 PSI (121°C / 250°F) for 20–25 minutes.
3. • Longer sterilization can caramelize sugars and darken the solution.

⚠️ Always keep jars upright and avoid overfilling the pressure cooker with water. Use a rack or trivet inside.

❄️ Step 4: Cooling

1. Let the jar cool fully to room temperature before use (may take several hours).
2. Do not inoculate while warm — it will kill your spores or culture.

💉 Step 5: Inoculation (In Sterile Conditions)

1. Use a still air box or laminar flow hood.
2. Sterilize a syringe needle with flame or alcohol.
3. Inject 1–2 mL of spore solution or agar wedge into the LC through the SHIP.
4. Optionally swirl gently or place on a magnetic stir plate for 30 mins daily.

🧬 Step 6: Incubation & Growth

• Incubate at 21–25°C (70–77°F).
• Shake or stir once daily to prevent clumping and increase oxygenation.
• Mycelium should begin showing in 3–7 days, fully colonized in 10–21 days depending on strain and environment.

🧪 Monitoring & Use

• Look for cloudy, web-like mycelium suspended in the liquid.
• Discard if you see:
• • Sediment or grainy debris
  • Smell of rot or sourness
  • Color other than white (green, black, pink = contamination)

Once colonized, the LC can be used to:

• Inoculate grain spawn
• Transfer to agar
• Create additional liquid culture jars

📦 Storage Instructions

• Store at room temperature if in use
• For long-term: refrigerate for up to 2–3 months
• Always flame sterilize the needle before every use

🍄 Fruiting Guide

For 10 lb Supplemented Hardwood Substrate Blocks

Growth Phases, Environmental Control & Harvesting

Lion’s Mane mushrooms fruit in a continuous progression rather than distinct biological phases. Instead of browning or cold shocking like shiitake, successful cultivation relies on watching surface colonization, managing airflow and humidity, and harvesting at the right texture and stage.

🌱 PHASE 1: Full Colonization & Fruiting Readiness

Duration: ~2–3 weeks after inoculation
Environment: 70–75°F (21–24°C), dark or low light

What’s happening:

• Mycelium spreads visibly and rapidly across and through the block
• The surface becomes thick, bright white, and fluffy
• Block feels dense and solid, with no raw substrate visible

✅ Before initiating fruiting:

• The entire surface should be colonized and bright white
• No visible contamination or discoloration
• Block emits a mild mushroom scent and appears firm

⏳ No need to wait for browning or crust formation — Lion’s Mane is ready as soon as colonization is complete.

💨 PHASE 2: Fruiting Initiation (No Cold Shock Needed)

Timing: Once colonization is complete
Trigger Method: Environmental shift

Procedure:

• Cut X-shaped slits or small openings in the grow bag where primordia can emerge
• Alternatively, remove the bag entirely in a high-humidity chamber
• Begin fruiting conditions:
• • Temperature: 60–70°F (15–21°C)
  • Humidity: 85–95% RH
  • Light: 12 hours/day, indirect or 6500K daylight bulb
  • Fresh Air Exchange (FAE): High — Lion’s Mane is very sensitive to CO₂ buildup

💡 Tip: Use a fan or cracked chamber lid for passive airflow — avoid stagnant environments.

🍄 PHASE 3: Pin Formation & Fruiting Development

Duration: ~4–10 days from fruiting trigger

What to expect:

• Small white tufts or bulbs begin emerging from the cuts/openings
• Rapid transformation into branched, “icicle-like” clusters
• Mushrooms grow dense and meaty, nearly doubling in size every 24–48 hours

✅ Maintain ideal surface moisture — light misting is okay, but avoid drenching fruit bodies
✅ FAE is crucial: insufficient airflow can cause coral-like, stubby, or fuzzy growth

✂️ PHASE 4: Harvesting

Best time to harvest:

• Spines (teeth) are elongated but still short and firm (typically ¼" to ½" long)
• Texture is dense and springy, not soft or spongy
• Color remains bright white to off-white — avoid yellowing or browning

Harvesting technique:

• Twist and pull gently at the base
• OR cut cleanly with a sterile blade close to the block
• Avoid tearing the block or damaging nearby growth sites

⛔ Overripe Lion’s Mane becomes bitter, watery, and prone to bacterial rot. Spines elongating past ¾" is often a sign to harvest immediately.

🔁 PHASE 5: Resting & Subsequent Flushes

After harvesting:

• Remove any base remnants or spent tissue
• Allow the block to rest for 5–7 days in fresh air (bag closed or loosely covered)
• Then reinitiate fruiting conditions as before
• If needed, light misting or bag hydration can help with second flushes

📦 Healthy Lion’s Mane blocks produce 2–3 flushes, often with similar or slightly reduced yields

🧪 Common Issues & Solutions