Step 1: Incubation and Fruiting
Time is of the essence- Open up your grow kit and wait!
All you have to do with the Reishi grow kit it take it out of the box, place it somewhere between 65 – 75 deg F avoiding direct sunlight A kitchen counter is usually suitable. Stand it up-right and watch it grow!
Thats right- zero maintenance, it will grow entirely within its sealed bag
Just make sure the white filter patch is unobstructed so that it can breathe. It also helps to gently and slowly pull apart opposite sides of the plastic bag to suck air in through the filter and inflate the bag, giving your Reishi room to grow. Be sure not to accidentally open the bag!
Now just watch the mycelium grow throughout the bag over the next 2 weeks. Keep watch for signs of contamination like green or black mold.
During this time it will be normal to observe some yellow / orange liquids (aka metabolites). They are just the byproducts of digestion. However, excessive amounts could mean some type of contamination.
If your substrate bag is contaminated at this point we will be happy to replace it for you.
After about 2 week of munching on its food, your Reishi mycelium will start forming white blobs on the top of the block. These are baby Reishis!
They will grow slowly over the next 6 – 8 weeks.
Fun fact: Reishi grows towards light! You can rotate your bag around a light and make a live Reishi sculpture as it grows!
Step 2: Harvest and Consumption
Enjoy the fruits of your labor!
Its been a total of 8-12 weeks since you opened up your kit and your Reishi is running out of room to grow!
Option 1: Harvest time!
When fresh, Reishi is spongy and tough to cut! we recommend using a serrated bread knife and slicing across the base of the Reishi.
Reishi typically is a low yielder, your grow kit will likely produce 1/2- 1 lbs of fresh Reishi.
Option 2: Open up your bag and try to let it keep going, but unless you can provide it with high levels of humidity, it will likely dry out.
DO NOT EAT THEM RAW!
They do not taste as good, are too tough to chew, not as nutritious and most importantly can make you sick! So be sure to process them thoroughly!
The easiest way to process Reishi is by simply making a tea!
The longer you steep it, the more potent it is, we usually steep it for an hour or so.
Fresh Reishi is best stored in a paper bag in the refrigerator but we recommend dehydrating it for longer term storage.
If you’re feeling brave and want to extract both the water and oil soluble compounds found in Reishi, go for the Double Extraction Method detailed in the video below to make your own tinctures.
Step 3: 2nd Harvests and Spent Mushroom Substrate
But wait.... Theres more!
Technically, your grow-kit has more life left in it but for most people it will be too difficult to maintain the humidity consistently high enough for it to grow without drying out.
Feel free to try and let us know if it worked out for you!
When you’re all done, the usefulness of your mushroom substrate block isnt over yet!
Remove the bag, break up the block and add it to your garden.
“Spent Mushroom Substrate” is known as an EXCELLENT compost and soil amendment. It can really help your garden grow!
You can also bury the block whole and your garden might even sprout some extra mushrooms!
Need help? Contact Us!
Just be sure to send us photos!
Instagram Direct Message is the fastest way to get a hold of us!
Our Grow Kit Guarantee
Unfortunately grow kits have a notoriously high failure rate.
Sometimes its our fault..... alot of times its your fault and sometimes the fungus just didn't like you, its nothing personal (they have also made us cry many times)
Either way please be patient and before you leave us a bad review take advantage of our grow kit replacement guarantee!
The Fine Print:
If this is the case, we will gladly replace your grow kit free of charge.
IF the intructions are strictly followed we guarantee you will harvest at least 1 lb of mushrooms over the course of your grow kit's life.
If you don't, we will gladly replace your first grow kit .
We may refuse to replace your grow kit if:
-The grow kit was left in the box for more than 30 days before opening.
-The bag was sliced open too early or too late.
-The grow kit was not misted at least 3 times a day EVERYDAY.
-The grow kit was placed in an inappropriate environment.
-The grow kit's skill level was rated Advanced.
-Any other instructions were not followed
But! If you messed up and you ask nicely, we might give you a large discount on a replacement kit.
Desert Moon Farms
Las Vegas Grown Gourmet Mushrooms!
Copyright © Desert Moon Farms. 2020
702 575 5738
702 540 7741
