Instructions for Mushroom Pods

Don't open the pod until it is fully colonized with mycelium! It's sterilized and opening it or removing the filter will result in mold contamination!

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Getting Started with Mushrooms Pods

What you'll need:

Mushroom pod
Liquid Culture Syringe or Spore Syringe
Alcohol pad (we include them with our kits and refills) or isopropyl alcohol (70% is best)

Steps:

First wash your hands really well with soap and water.
Remove the alcohol pad from the package and wipe down the injection port on the pod.
Hold the syringe so the syringe cap is right next to the injection port. We want them close so we can reduce the amount of time that the contents of the syringe are exposed to open air.
Use the alcohol pad to unscrew the syringe cap then quickly put the end of the syringe onto the injection port and push it down. Set down the syringe cap and place both hands on the syringe. While pressing down on the syringe, screw the syringe onto the injection port. Hold the injection port and make sure the syringe is tightened securely.
Now press the syringe plunger to inject the liquid into the pod.
Once you’ve finished injecting the liquid hold the injection port with one hand and unscrew the syringe with the other.
Give the pod a quick hard shake.
Remove the top filter patch and the plastic seal around the lid.
Store the pod at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. Mushrooms don't need darkness, we just don't want them super hot or cold.

Save the empty syringe because you’ll use it to clean the injection port when you reuse the pod.

How to Store the Pod once Injected

You can store the pod with the sleeve on or off. It's mostly helpful if the environment is particularly cold. One side of the sleeve is larger to help fit the size of the pod better.

Once you inject the pod the mushroom mycelium begins to spread throughout. It’s currently decomposing the food we gave it. The mushroom mycelium is colonizing the substrate. In the next step it will form the fruiting bodies.

Colonization = The process in which mushroom mycelium eats the substrate or grain. You’ll see a white network spread throughout the contents of the pod.

The main thing to consider during colonization is temperature. Different mushrooms prefer different temperatures but most are going to do well between 65-77 F or 18-25 C. The colder it is the slower the speed of colonization will be. If it gets too hot it will encourage contamination and possibly kill the mycelium.

Room temperature in the US is normally within these limits. If your growing conditions are outside these or the particular mushroom needs colder temperatures then you’ll need to be more creative which is more difficult but also fun and teaches you more.

The other thing to consider is airflow. I’d avoid placing it in front of a fan or air vent because it will dry out quicker and be colder than the ambient temperature. However if the rest of the environment is too hot then placing it near air conditioning is worth it as a tradeoff.

The final thing is light. At this and all stages I’d really just avoid having it in direct sunlight. That’s it.

There is a belief that sunlight is a pinning trigger to cause mushrooms to form on the side of a container but I believe that it’s more related to the micro climate. (when the substrate against the walls shrinks it creates a microclimate that certain mushrooms like to pin)

It’s a myth that mushrooms need to grow in the dark or in a basement. While not 100% required, light is actually beneficial to mushroom growth. Think of them as plants in this regard except with ambient light instead of direct sunlight. UV light can be harmful and cause the mushroom to heat up and dry out quicker.

When to Fruit the Mushroom Pod

After we inject the pod with liquid mycelium or spores you’ll see a network of white roots branching out. We call those roots mycelium. They are eating or decomposing the food we put into it. We call that process where the network of mycelium is branching through the pod, colonization.

When the pod finishes colonizing and is completely white then it’s ready to initiate fruiting conditions by removing the lid and putting on the fruiting capsule. Your pod may start fruiting on the surface before the bottom of the pod is finished colonizing. In this case I would go ahead and put the fruiting capsule on.

How to Fruit the Pod

Full colonization = the pod is completely white with mycelium

Pins = baby mushrooms

Some mushrooms will start pinning before fully colonized like this one in the video and some take longer. It depends upon a few factors but it shouldn't normally be this pronounced.

The hygrometer is used for keeping humidity in the perfect zone. So if the humidity drops below 90% then you need to spray to bring the humidity up. Since this is relative humidity, it caps at 99%. Keep the humidity between 90-99%. You can adjust the humidity by removing the top filter and spraying water into the pod and adjusting the air ring. You can also spray the top filter with water to top it up.

Oyster Mushrooms - Wait for pins, then place the air ring on. Keep the air ring closed. Keep the humidity dome off for oysters. They require a lot of air. Spray several times a day.

Lion's Mane - Once the pod is fully colonized remove the lid and place the fruiting capsule on. Close the air rings and remove the top filter. Spray once or twice a day. I find it's best when placed on its side for lion's mane to give them extra air.

Chestnut - When the pod is fully colonized place the fruiting capsule on. Keep the air ring at 1/4 open and the top filter on until pins form. Once the pod starts pinning, Open the air ring to 1/3-1/2 half open.

Pioppino - Once fully colonized, put the capsule on, put the air ring at 1/4 until you see pins, Remove the top filter. When the mushrooms grow past the air ring then open it all the way.

Reishi - Soon as the pod is fully colonized, put the fruiting capsule on, air ring halfway open and filter on. Don't spray these. When they grow close to the top filter remove the fruiting capsule and let dry.

Fruiting Manure Loving Mushrooms

Note: You may need to deviate from these recommendations slightly based on your environment. I would focus on keeping the humidity above 90% (except for oysters, for those be sure to spray a lot because they will dry out quickly in the open air)

When to Harvest

The time to harvest for oyster mushrooms, chestnut, pioppino and other mushrooms that have a cap (unlike lion's mane and reishi) is when the cap begins to flatten out and even curl upwards in spots.

When this happens the mushrooms are just a day away from dropping spores and it's the optimal time to harvest. When they drop spores they also begin to quickly lose their color. This is fine if it happens it's just an indicator that you should definitely harvest them.

For lion's mane mushrooms the time to harvest is when the tines (pointy mane) are around 1/4" in length. Lion's mane will actually do well in the pod for a long time. If it begins turning slightly yellow then it's definitely time to harvest.

Reishi are done when they reach the top filter since they would probably grow beyond that if they aren't stopped.

How to Harvest

Pluck the mushroom with your hands at the base where it connects to the substrate.

If you're harvesting reishi for decorative purposes then instead of pulling the mushroom with your hands, remove the fruiting capsule and let it dry out for a few days. If you're harvesting reishi to consume then just cut the mushroom at the base with scissors as close to the substrate as possible.

Multiple Flushes

Some mushrooms will flush multiple times and some won't. Reishi and lion's mane both typically provide just one.

Most mushrooms will flush multiple times provided they have enough nutrients and water. To get more flushes with Mushroom pods, after harvesting, Spray the surface of the substrate with a bunch of water, then pour off the excess. Adjust the air ring to be just 1/3 open and put the top filter in. Then spray once a day or every other day until the pod starts pinning again.

How to Clean the Pod

To reuse the pod first wash the container with soap and water. This isn’t 100% necessary since the pod will be sterilized shortly but it removes any remaining debris and makes it clearer to see through.

To clean the port, first fill a syringe with water then screw it on to the port and push the water through. That should remove any residue from the last injection. Unscrew the syringe and fill it with air then screw it back on to the injection port and push air through to clear out the remaining water.

Make sure the injection port is tight. I use pliers to hold the nut in place while finger tightening the port. Finger tightening without pliers is probably fine as well.

Now you’re ready to refill the pod.

Filters: You can replace the filters on the lid if they need to be. I’d replace them every other time or if they get gnarly with mycelium. We include extra with each pod in the liquid culture bag and will have them in our shop if you need them. If you plan to reuse the filters on the lid, don’t get them saturated with water when cleaning the lid. They are hydrophobic but it probably reduces their efficiency. If the underside of the lid is dirty you can just wipe the debris off with a wet paper towel.

How to Refill the Pod

To refill the pod you'll need at least an 8 qt pressure cooker or canner. Here's how it's done.

Pressure cook the refill with water just a little bit to force the water into the substrate/grain.
Fill the pod with the substrate
Make a hole in the center and pour grain from the envelope into it
Pressure cook the pod to sterilize it (3 hours)

If you have a 6 qt pressure cooker and the pod is too tall. Remove the luer and replace it with a self healing injection port. Then you'll just need to attach a needle to the syringe to inject.

Wood Refill

Remove the envelope from the refill bag and set it aside
Pour the remaining contents of the plastic bag into the pressure cooker
Pour 630ml of water into the pressure cooker
Set the pressure cooker to run for 1 minute (turn off the option to continue heating after)
Let the pressure cooker cool for at least 6 hours after finishing. Contents should be room temperature.
Scoop the contents of the pressure cooker into the pod
Fill it up to just under the top of the pod, then tap it on a surface a couple times to pack it in
Make a hole through the center of the pod using the back of a spoon or a marker
Pour grain from the envelope into the hole about 2/3 of the way to the top. (you won't need all the grain from the envelope, we included extra, 1 tablespoon is good)
Pour 1 tablespoon of water into the hole on top of the grain
Screw the lid onto the pod and give the pod a good shake
Clean the pressure cooker and place the pod onto the rack with enough water for 3 hours (500 ml or to the bottom of the pod)
Pressure cook the pod for 3 hours.
Let it cool to room temperature then give it a quick shake
Ready to go!

Manure Refill

Remove the envelope from the refill bag and set it aside
Pour the remaining contents of the plastic bag into the pressure cooker
Pour 680ml of water into the pressure cooker
Set the pressure cooker to run for 1 minute (turn off the option to continue heating after)
Let the pressure cooker cool for at least 6 hours after finishing. Contents should be room temperature.
Scoop the contents of the pressure cooker into the pod
Fill it up to just under the top of the pod, then tap it on a surface a couple times to pack it in
Make a hole through the center of the pod using the back of a spoon or a marker
Pour grain from the envelope into the hole about 2/3 of the way to the top
Pour 1 tablespoon of water into the hole on top of the grain
Spray the surface of the pod with water
Screw the lid onto the pod and give the pod a good shake
Clean the pressure cooker and place the pod onto the rack with enough water for 3 hours (500 ml or to the bottom of the pod)
Pressure cook the pod for 3 hours.
Let it cool to room temperature then give it a quick shake
Ready to go!

How to Rehydrate your Pod if it dries out before you use it

If you don't use your pod within 2-3 weeks it will begin to dry out because air exchange is happening through the filter patch. You can rehydrate the pod by adding water and sterilizing in a pressure cooker.

The best way to know how much water to add is by weight. Using a kitchen scale, this is how much the pods should weigh when fully hydrated.

Wood Pod - 825g

Manure Pod - 650g

If your pod weighs 50g or more less than that then I would rehydrate and sterilize with a pressure cooker like shown in the video. If your pod is too tall for your pressure cooker (with the trivet in) then follow the video below as well.

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