FAQS
Your Questions Answered!
Myterra Labs is always here to help.
FAQS
Your Questions Answered!
Myterra Labs is always here to help.
Your Questions Answered!
General
Pasteurization and sterilization are both forms af heat treatment used to reduce/eliminate contaminants and micro-organisms within the substrate. Pasteurization is a lower-temperature heat treatment used to selectively reduce the number of micro-organisms in the substrate. Many contaminants are heat-sensitive and are killed during pasteurization, leaving heat-resistant organisms in the substrate. Bacterial populations left behind in the substrate after pasteurization can offer some resistance to future contamination, but only for a short period of time. This means that pasteurized substrate will need to be inoculated with mushroom spawn within a week after pasteurization occurs and cannot be stored for long periods of time. Not all contaminants are killed during this process (eg. bacterial endospores and black pin mould), and can result in contamination of the substrate, despite the substrate being pasteurized. Sterilization is a high temperature and pressure heat treatment used to eliminate all living organisms within the substrate, including contaminants like bacterial endospores which can survive pasteurization temperatures. Sterilization is generally acheived at 121 *degrees* C and 15 PSI (pounds of pressure per square inch) and requires the use of specialized, high pressure equipment. Sterilization ensure that your mushroom mycelium will not have to compete with other organisms within the substrate while colonization occurs, resulting in unhindered growth.
A contaminant is any organism (such as bacteria, yeast, viruses and fungi) that inhibits or prevents mycelial growth and fruit-body formation of the mushroom that you are trying to cultivate. Most contaminants are not visible to the human eye and some contaminants can be harmful to human health. Contaminated substrate can result in the partial/complete loss of your mushroom crop, which is why Myterra always recommends the use of strerile techniques when cultivating mushrooms.
Mushrooms grow on grains when the mycelium is establishing itself, and these grains are transferred to a fruiting substrate in order to get mushrooms and multiple harvests. Different mushrooms grow on different fruiting substrates, but they are all able to grow on the same grain. Please see our Mushroom Substrate Compatibility Guide for a better understanding of what your specific species will grow on – click here.
You can grow mushrooms almost anywhere! If you would like to grow mushrooms indoors, we suggest using the Myterra Labs Easy Mushroom Grow Kit or the Monotub Mushroom Grow Kit. If you would like to grow mushrooms in your garden bed, we suggest growing Wine Cap Mushrooms. Grow Kits can be grown outdoors in indirect sunlight if the temperature is optimal for the type of mushroom you’d like to grow.
Substrate is the material needed to grow mushroom mycelia and acts as a souce of nutrition, energy, structural support and water necessary for the mycelia to produce fruits/mushrooms. Mushrooms needing substrate to grow can be compared to plants needing soil to grow. Please ensure that you are using the correct type of substrate for the species of mushroom that you want to grow.
Sterile substrates are processed in a commercial-grade autoclave using high pressure. Sterility is verified using biological indicators and temperature sensors.
Yes! Myterra Labs stands behind its products 100%. Our mission is to help you successfully grow mushrooms, and we are here to help guide you on your mushroom cultivation journey. If you are ever dissatisfied with our products for any reason just let us know. We are always here to help!
Our substrates, grain and grow kits are sterilized at 15PSI in an industrial autoclave, which is then opened into a HEPA-filtered clean room where the bags are sealed and packaged. We take every precaution to maintain the sterility of our products.
Sterile substrates should be kept at room temperature and out of direct sunlight. Do not open the white outer packaging until you are ready to use the substrate – this will ensure the freshness.
If kept at room temperature and out of direct sunlight, sterile substrates can be stored for 12 months before use, thanks to our extended shelf life formula. Do not open the white bag until use, once the white bag is opened, you will only be able to store the sterile substrates for 1 month.
Sterile substrates do not require refrigeration, we recommend storing at room temperature. If kept at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, and in the sealed white packaging, all sterile substrates can be stored for 12 months before use.
Yes! Our coco coir blend, M-minus, is the perfect option for functional mushroom growing and is designed for monotubs. Myterra Labs has also developed a growing tek for king oyster mushrooms, called Myterra Tek, which shows you how to grow these delicious gourmet mushrooms in a monotub using Woodlovers and M-minus.
Absolutely! However, these mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) are considered an advanced mushroom to grow and require a lot more skill and mushroom-growing expertise than other gourmet mushrooms. These mushrooms are also grown on manure because they require micro-organisms in the substrate in order to fruit. If you are new to mushroom growing, we highly recommend starting with an easier variety which can be grown quite simply using Myterra Labs Easy Grow Kit.
Yes, you should make sure any mushrooms you eat are thoroughly cooked. Mushrooms contain a compound called chitin which is difficult to digest. Chitin also occurs in arthropod shells giving them strength and flexibility. It readily breaks down with heat, so cooking mushrooms makes them easier on our bodies.
Hold the cluster near the base and spin them. If you’d rather use a knife and cut them, that’s fine too! Clean off any loose bits from the kit before continuing to spray and cut off any bits of sawdust from the block on your mushrooms before cooking and eating them.
Easy Mushroom Grow Kit
With your Easy Mushroom Grow Kit, you can grow the wood-loving mushroom of your choice. It’s an ideal substrate for any mushroom species that prefers a hardwood based media. This includes oyster mushrooms, lion’s mane, shiitake, and more!
No, this kit is much more than your usual spray and grow kit. With the Easy Mushroom Grow Kit, you can unleash your inner mycologist. You get to experience mushroom culture inoculation and you are able to watch the mycelium grow every day. We guide you through the process via online tutorials and written instructions to make sure you have the best chance of success. Our staff are here to guide you through the process if you have any questions.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to estimate the overall yield because there are so many types of mushrooms that can grow on these kits, but you can usually expect between 0.75-2lb of mushrooms from most gourmet species.
Each type of mushroom will grow at a different speed. You could expect a harvest anywhere from 4 weeks to 3 months depending on the species. It is best to look at the growing times associated with each liquid culture.
The Easy Mushroom Grow Kit includes an all-in-one substrate bag for woodloving mushrooms, a misting bottle, humidity bag, fruiting patch, injection port, and instructions.
Our Easy Mushroom Grow Kits can be stored in the white bag for 12 months prior to use. This provides you with more control over when and where you grow.
The Easy Mushroom Grow Kit is designed for growing mushrooms at home without the need for a special fruiting chamber. You can grow in your home, office, outdoors or wherever you would like as long as temperatures are not below 45 F or above 95 F.
There is no need for extra gear or complex setups. Everything that you need to grow mushrooms is in this kit, except the liquid culture of your choice.
You can grow mushrooms on any shelf which has 7x7x10″ of space and is out of direct sunlight.
Yes! This kit is designed for beginners all the way to advanced growers. You will find a mushroom dictionary included in the kit to help get you started with the mushroom terminology. There are printed instructions in the kit as well as detailed online tutorials.
Growing instructions are included in your kit, but we have also gone one step further and created online tutorials with videos and pictures to help you succeed. Simply scan the QR code on your box or find instructions under the LEARN tab on our website.
Chances are, that’s not mold – it’s mycelium! After you add your culture into the kit, mushroom mycelium will start growing through it. The block may appear covered with a soft, white, mold-like substance. That’s the mushroom mycelium, and it’s totally normal and healthy for your mushroom block. The mycelium of some species is more prominent than others. For example, lion’s mane mycelium tends to be finer and more difficult to see while oysters can develop into a very thick and leathery mat. If you are still unsure about what’s growing on your kit, reach out to us with a photo and we will help you identify what’s going on. If your kit has black, green, or orange patches it’s possible your kit was damaged in transit and has mold. Reach out to us with a photo and we’ll make it right.
This is called “mycelial exudate” or “metabolites”. It’s a byproduct of the mycelium’s metabolic process and is natural and harmless. Fungi digest outside of their body, so the release enzymes into their environment to help break down materials so they can more easily absorb them. Those amber beads are sort of like digestive juices!
Usually, mushroom stop growing when there isn’t enough humidity around the substrate block. Don’t panic! Your mushroom kit still has all the food needed to produce mushrooms. Simply pick off the dried-up mushrooms, spray the area directly with water once every day for 3 days, and mist the inside of your humidity bag more frequently.
Follow the online instructions for the specific type of mushroom that you are growing. The usual rule-of-thumb for harvesting mushrooms is to harvest the mushrooms before the edges of the cap fully uncurl and the cap starts to invert. This will prevent a multitude of spores from being released into your home. If you harvest the mushrooms slightly past their prime, they will still be edible, but they may not be at their best. If the mushrooms are dried out, harvest immediately as this is an indication that you waited too long.
Each type of mushroom is different, but you can typically get 2-3 harvests from one grow kit.
Any home where there are houseplants, compost bins, unrefrigerated fruit, etc. there will likely be a small number of gnats or fruit flies hiding. They can even live in the water pipes in your kitchen and bathroom sinks! The moment mushroom kits enter the space, hidden gnats will seek them out. This is especially true in warmer months. If you see gnats or fruit flies around your mushroom kits, try to identify the source within your home and treat it immediately. You can also create a natural repellent that can be sprayed on the outside of the kits. It’s a mixture of dish soap, water, baking soda, and vinegar, poured into a spray bottle. To make: Add a few drops of dish soap, a tablespoon of vinegar, and a tablespoon of baking soda per cup of water. A few sprays of this mixture is an effective gnat repellent and should be reapplied if gnats reappear. Note: Do not spray directly on mushrooms! If the issue persists, you can also place sticky gnat traps around your kit.
Much less than you’d expect! You will be injecting a liquid culture into the kit, waiting for about 2 weeks for the mycelium to grow into the grains, shaking the bag, then waiting another 2-3 weeks before cuting the bag to initiate fruiting. The final step would be to harvest your home grown mushrooms!
Once you’ve harvested your mushrooms, you’ll be able to get a second harvest or “flush” of mushrooms. Mushrooms can continue to grow as long as they have all of the requirements for growth such as: water and nutrition. The Myterra Labs Easy Mushroom Grow Kit has more than enough of both to sustain your mushrooms for a second round of mushrooms to form. Here’s what you need to do:
Tape over the hole that you cut in the kit. You want to avoid leaving any air gaps between the bag and the tape. If there is a gap between the tape and the bag, the mushrooms will find it and your next harvest will be a lot smaller and you will have a tiny mushroom form in the gap.
On the opposite side of the bag, cut another X into the bag.
Mist the inside of the humidity bag and place it over the kit.
It’s as simple as that. Wait for 1-2 weeks to see fully mature mushrooms before harvesting.
Have a look through our online grow kit instructions. Each set of instructions will let you know the optimal conditions for growing each mushroom and the level of skill required. If you are new to growing mushrooms, the white and blue oyster mushroom kits are highly recommended because they can handle a wide variety of growing conditions.
When your mushroom mycelium has colonized the grains, this means that each grain will act as a carrier for mycelium. When you shake the grains into the wood-based substrate, some of the mycelium will break off from the grains and continue growing into the wood and the rest of the mycelium will continue growing away from the grains and into the wood. By thoroughly mixing the grains, you increase the number of points where mycelium will grow into the wood; thus the wood will be colonized in a shorter period of time. If you did not shake the grains and you just left the mycelium to grow upwards from the grains, it would take a lot longer to colonize all of the wood and get to a point where you can grow some actual mushrooms. Your kit would also dry out during this time and your harvest would be much smaller.
Once you start growing mushrooms in your kit, you will not be able to stop them from growing, but you will be able to slow them down as long as they haven’t started fruiting yet. If you need to go on vacation or pause your mushroom growing project for a week, you can put your kit into the refrigerator as long as the bag has not been pierced or cut open. The only mushroom that cannot be put into the fridge is the Pink Oyster Mushroom because it is a tropical mushroom and cannot handle the cooler temperatures.
Mushrooms will only continue to live as long as they have food, water and air. This means that at some point your mushroom kit will stop producing mushrooms. You are always welcome to attempt a revival of your kit by: (1) soaking the kit in water overnight and attempting another flush of mushrooms over the next 2 weeks, (2) Adding freshly used coffee grounds into your bag and sealing the bag afterwards, then attempting another flush of mushrooms after the coffee grounds have been colonized, (3) burying the kit in your garden and adding some hardwood mulch to the area – make sure to keep the area moist.
The Easy Mushroom Grow Kit is designed for growing mushrooms indoors and outdoors. You can grow mushrooms in whichever space is more ideal for you. You can grow anywhere from your kitchen to the patio or even under a shady tree in your yard.
Monotub Mushroom Grow Kit
A monotub is a container used for growing mushrooms – otherwise known as a fruiting chamber. It typically consists of a large plastic bin with ventilation holes, making it an ideal environment for mushroom cultivation.
A monotub creates a controlled environment for mushroom growth. It’s partially filled with substrate and inoculated grain spawn. The holes provide fresh air exchange, and the lid helps maintain humidity.
Our monotub grow kit includes a monotub, 10 lb of manure-less fruiting substrate, 5lb of organic grain spawn, bin liners, adhesive filters, and micropore tape. All you willl need is your favorite mushroom culture to start growing mushrooms
Absolutely! The bin liners provide an easy clean up. Once all of the substrate is removed, clean the bin using soap and water. Before using the monotub again, rinse the bin with a 10% beach solution or spray Lysol into the bin and wait 10 minutes before wiping it out, then spray with 70% isopropyl alcohol.
The timeline varies depending on the mushrooms that you are growing. This timeline can even differ from strain to strain. In general, you should expect the grains to colonize in 2-3 weeks. After substrate and grain inoculation it should take another 3-5 weeks to get your first harvest.
No, the monotub kit is designed for simplicity. All you need is the kit, a spore syringe or liquid culture, and a clean environment. However it is recommended that you inoculate your substrate and grain in a still air box or in front of a HEPA filter to reduce the risk of contamination.
Monotubs work best for manure-loving mushrooms and king oysters, however we always encourage experimentation. Just be sure to use the correct substrates to improve your yields.
Myterra Labs substrates provide the perfect amount of hydration for your mushrooms which allows for a set-and-forget style of growing. However if your substrate looks dry after the first flush of mushrooms, you are welcome to mist the substrate. Avoid misting pins and mushrooms as this can result in contamination and lower yields.
Maintain a temperature that is suitable to the mushrooms that you are growing. In general, most mushrooms will grow in your home at temperatures between 65-75F.
While our kits come with a pre-sterilized substrate, experienced growers can experiment with additional ingredients. However, beginners are advised to stick to the provided substrate.
Mushroom Liquid Cultures
While spore syringes contain only spores, liquid cultures have actively growing mycelium. Spores have a large amount of genetic variiability, which means that you cannot guarantee that the mushrooms you are growing will grow/look/behave similarly to the parents. Liquid cultures are clones of their parents which means that they are genetic copies of a tried and trusted strain of mushroom, making them faster and more reliable for inoculating substrate.
Our nutrient blend is a proprietary secret. In its essence, our liquid cultures are a sterile blend of nutrients perfectly balanced for optimal growth of the mushroom culture that is growing within it. We have worked hard to perfect this blend to ensure the best growth possible and give you the highest chance of success.
We recommend using 5-10ml of Myterra Labs liquid culture per 5lb injection port bag. You can use less liquid culture per bag, but you will have slower growth and the grains might dry out quite substantially before the bag is fully colonized.
All of our cultures are fully traceable, down to the recipe used to create the nutrient blend. Before sending out any cultures, we grow out the culture all the way to harvest to ensure that it meets our quality standards and the cultures are tested on agar to ensure that they are clean.
Most liquid cultures can be stored in the fridge for several months if you do not plan to use them right away. The only exception to this rule are pink oyster mushrooms, which cannot be stored in the fridge because they are not able to handle such cold conditions.
Liquid cultures can be made for any mushroom. Myterra Labs has selected the strongest strains with proven results.
It’s easy. Simply follow the instructions by clicking on this link: here.
Contamination may present as unusual colors (other than white), strange odors, or visible growth that doesn’t resemble mushroom mycelium. If in doubt, it’s best to discard the culture.
Yes, you can use a liquid culture to inoculate multiple batches of substrate. However, it’s crucial to maintain sterile conditions to avoid contamination.
Liquid cultures are the easiest way for beginners to inoculate grains. You do not require a sterile environment or additional equipment. Just make sure you have clean hands and use the alcohol swab provided to clean the injection port immediately before injecting in your culture. Liquid cultures contain a clone of a tried and tested strain of mushrooms so you can be guaranteed of successful mushroom growth and large yields.
While it’s possible, it requires a sterile environment, high pressure equipment, a HEPA flow hood and proper technique. Many growers prefer purchasing pre-made liquid cultures for convenience and reliability.
Organic Rye
Each spawn bag contains pure, hydrated and sterilized organic, non-GMO rye berries. We source only the best grains for mushroom production.
Yes! You will find an adhesive, self-healing injection port in every box. We understand that every mushroom grower has a unique style of inoculation so we have provided you with more control over the process. Wipe the bag with alcohol, stick the injection port in your desired location, wipe the injection port with alcohol and inject.
Even mycelium needs to breathe. Each grain bag has a 0.2 minron filter patch which allows the mycelium to breathe while keeping unwanted contaminants from getting inside the bag. The filter patch also reduces moisture loss while your mycelium grows.
We recommend using 5-10ml of myterra Labs liquid culture per 5lb injection port bag. We do not recommend using spore syringes because spore syringes have a high risk of contamination, which increases your chances of contamination and reduces your chances of success. If you do have a spore syringe, we recommend that you shake the syringe and place a few drops of the liquid onto agar for incubation over a week. This will give you the chance to isolate healthy mycelium on the agar plate, which can then be transferred onto a new agar plate to create an agar culture.
There are three ways to inoculate your grain bags: inject with liquid culture; add an agar culture plate into the bag; add some grain spawn into the bag. Click here to learn how to inoculate your grain bag with liquid cultures.
You can make as many as 6-10 fruiting blocks from one bag of organic rye once it has been colonized by mycelium. The more fruiting blocks you make from one bag of grain, the longer you will have to wait until the fruiting block is colonized and ready to produce mushrooms. Make sure to shake the grain through the Woodlovers substrate completely to ensure fast and even colonization.
Grains are extremely nutritious and can be thought of as baby food for mushroom mycelium. Unfortunately, mushrooms don’t fruit well off of just grain. Though some mushrooms may eventually grow off grain, the yields will be miniscule. You will need to add your grain spawn to a fruiting substrate like M-minus or Woodlovers in order to have a successful harvest of mushroom. You can think of the fruiting substrate as adult food for mushrooms – it is less nutritious, but it contains just the right nutrients and water needed to produce large, healthy mushrooms
It depends on what your mushroom species prefers. We recommend M-minus and Woodlovers for most mushrooms, however some mushrooms like button mushrooms and wine caps will require compost and straw. Please see our Mushroom Substrate Compatibility Guide for a better understanding of what your specific species will grow on – click here.
All mushrooms will grow well on rye and is the most popular grain for mushroom cultivation
If you have already inoculated the bag and there was no contamination in the bag when you received it, then the most likely source of contamination was the culture or it was accidentally introduced when you inoculated the bag. Contact us at info@myterralabs.com and we will do our best to help you prevent this from happening during your next inoculation – we’re here to help. If your grain bag looks like it is already growing something inside before you have inoculated it with any culture or syringe, please contact us at info@myterralabs.com with a picture and we will replace the bag.
If kept at room temperature and out of direct sunlight, sterile grain can be stored for 12 months before use thanks to our extended shelf life formula. Do not open the white bag until use, once the white bag is opened, you will only be able to store the sterile grain for 1 month.
Our grain is produced in genuine Unicorn Bags with a 0.2 micron filter. Unicorn bags are a trusted mushroom growing bag supplier, based in the USA with the highest standard of guarantee.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to estimate the overall yield of any project. This is because there are many types of mushrooms that can grow on organic rye berries, many ways to use grain spawn, many types of fruiting substrates, and every growing environment is unique.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to estimate the overall yield of any project. This is because there are many types of mushrooms that can grow on organic rye berries, many ways to use grain spawn, many types of fruiting substrates, and every growing environment is unique.
Mushroom spawn will naturally develop a white (or yellow for Chicken of the Woods) mold-like layer called mycelium. This branching network of threads is the primary body of fungi, or vegetative structure. A good analogy is to imagine mycelium like an apple tree, and a mushroom like an apple growing from it. Seeing mycelium growing throughout your bag is normal and indicates healthy mushroom spawn. Healthy spawn bags with have different amounts of mushroom culture visible depending on the species. For example, lion’s mane has a wispy and faint mycelium and looks uncolonized. However, if your spawn looks green or black, the culture may be contaminated and should be discarded. You can reach out to us for confirmation.
M-Minus
The M-minus is a manure-free, sterile fruiting substrate which features a proprietary blend of coco coir, vermiculite, and several quality substrate supplements (although we keep the exact blend a secret!)
Manure-based substrates are created from animal faeces, which adds an extra health risk to mushroom consumers who use manure-based substrates to grow their mushrooms. Manure-based substrates are often pasteurized, leaving some microorganisms in the substrate. Manure is also created through a composting process, which can result in inconsistent nutrients from one bag to the next as the animals that provide the manure have different nutrients in their faeces. Inconsistent nutrients can result in less consistent mushroom growth. MyTerra Labs has designed a manure-less blend which provides consistent mushroom growth and yields with an extended shelf life so that you have more control over your mushroom growth. Our manure-less bend is also sterilized to ensure a contaminant-free substrate to give you more peace of mind.
The M-minus blend can be used to fruit dung-loving mushrooms without the manure. The M-minus blend also acts as a great casing layer for oyster mushrooms – find out how to grow king oysters using the Myterra Tek here.
We recommended 1-2.5 lb of colonized grain spawn for each 5 lb M-minus bag. Higher inoculation rates may improve your success and reduce colonization time. Be sure to mix your grain spawn thoroughly into your substrate. We always recommend clean hands and latex gloves to reduce the introduction of contaminants.
You can use your M-minus bag to create a fruiting block in the filter bag, or you can use m-minus as a fruiting substrate or casing layer in a monotub.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to estimate the overall yield of any project. This is because there are different types of mushrooms that can grow on M-minus, many ways to use M-minus, different grain spawn inoculation ratios, and every growing environment is unique.
Our substrates are produced in genuine Unicorn Bags with a 0.5 micron filter. Unicorn bags are a trusted mushroom growing bag supplier, based in the USA with the highest standard of guarantee.
Woodlovers
Woodlovers contains a combination of micro-to-macro particle sizes of premium hardwood chips and sawdust. Additional nitrogen supplementation helps to speed up growth and maximize yield.
With your Woodlovers bag, you can grow the wood-loving mushroom of your choice. It’s an ideal substrate for any mushroom species that prefers a hardwood based media. This includes oyster mushrooms, lion’s mane, nameko, and more!
We recommended 1 lb of colonized grain spawn for each 5 lb Woodlovers bag. Higher inoculation rates may improve your success. Be sure to mix your grain spawn thoroughly into your substrate. We always recommend performing inoculations in a still air box or in front of a flow hood using clean hands and latex gloves to reduce the introduction of contaminants.
Woodlovers is used to make mushroom fruiting blocks or grow bags. These will be the bags that ultimately produce mushrooms for harvesting. Click here for full instructions on how to make a grow bag.
You can use your Woodlovers blend in a filter bag, monotub or outdoor bed.
Yes, but not all woodloving mushrooms grow well in a monotub. We highly recommend growing king oysters in a monotub using our Myterra Tek for the best chances of success.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to estimate the overall yield of any project. This is because there are different types of mushrooms that can grow onWoodlovers, many ways to use Woodlovers, different grain spawn inoculation ratios, and every growing environment is unique.
Our substrates are produced in genuine Unicorn Bags with a 0.5 micron filter. Unicorn bags are a trusted mushroom growing bag supplier, based in the USA with the highest standard of guarantee.
