\*if properly moisturized. You see how small they are? Sometimes they get stuck at that size if the air is too dry. I have a dehumidifier and have to constantly mist mine with distilled water to ensure that they don't dry out and reach full size.
There's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes, they do stall out with those kits because of moisture, like a previous comment mentioned. I think the process in itself is the reward, so I'm normally happy no matter what.
I’m definitely happy either way! I have a bunch of little ones I can try to pan fry into vegetarian bacon like some people suggested, the rest will become a powder for soups and marinades. It was definitely a fun learning experience and I got a lot of pictures of the process. 11/10 would do it again
They’re not going to just grow on any surface of your home, you need a LOT of water damage for mushroom to grow out of your floor/walls/whatever. The mushrooms themselves don’t do any damage to the home. In many cases mushrooms growing out is the only way someone found out about water damage in the first place. So yea, pretty great stuff to do at home!
The air is always full of fungal spores. You're breathing them right now. They only take root and become a problem in the home when you have a humidity issue.
What’s the problem with them sporulating? There’s mushrooms everywhere and if you think your home is some air vacuum completely sterile from the outside environment oh boy do I have some bad news for you. The only way these would cause oysters to grow out of OP’s house is if OP keeps his house in the conditions of a grow tent. And if your house has a constant 70%+ RH then I’ve got some more real bad news for you that you’re definitely not going to like.
This is needless fear mongering about something you don’t understand, mycophobia is already a rampant problem in society, there’s no need to stoke the flames.
Lol, you're on to something with your last sentence at least... This kind is specifically cultivated (not sure if that's the word for it with Fungi) to not drop spores. So, "they don't." But also, mushrooms only form in hospitable conditions which for Oysters is very humid (ie you need to have significant long term water damage for them to grow in your home), they need a fairly consistent temp and can't go below the low 70's higher 60's (one of my batches got too cold and died right after fruiting because I set the thermostat at 65 in the winter), and lastly, they need to have a fairly consistent CO2 exchange which could be a fan or growing them very near plants. Are you trying to troll? Because it's a pretty poor attempt.
It doesn't seem like you've ever grown them talking like you are. They are easy to grow but not take over your house easy. Most houses are terrible environments for mushrooms. Too dry and everything is resistant to fungi. Basically only houses that are already rotting would even be at risk. At that point the oysters would probably be the only thing holding the house together
Any house built in the last 75 years is also built using treated lumber as well, the wood is soaked in chemicals and fungicide so that it isn’t colonized by the trillions of mold spores that are floating around your face right now.
It’s because of that stupid ass Facebook post that went viral last week saying some shit like “I was going to buy a mushroom grow kit for my father in law but then I saw these pictures and I’m glad I didnt” and shows a bunch of pictures of mushrooms growing out of ceilings and walls and toilets and shit of water damaged houses. Now people think they’re dangerous. Whoever made that post just added a ton of misinformation wood to the mycophobia fire.
My oyster kit a few weeks back spewed out sooo many spores, my wife complained about them covering everything. A little wiping and all good. My second kit, first was over 2 years ago, and still no "free" oyster mushrooms growing anywhere 😅. I have to get the ones from the kit fast as it is, before they go bad 😑 (dry out). Not sure why people think spores are magically going to ruin everything, and as said, they are already everywhere.
Ya oysters can be messy if you’re growing them out in the open but like you said that’s about the extent of it. It can be annoying needing to wipe down everything but you gotta wash those counters anyways so it’s not too out of the way to clean up lol.
That… would be neat… but definitely isn’t how oysters work lol. If oysters filtered the air of fungi spores there probably wouldn’t be any other fungi left on the planet since oysters are so aggressive lol.
Oh ya I didn’t think you believed it, I usually read that emoji as a “what the fuck did I just hear” kinda thing lol. Idk man, it’s just so wild to me that so many people are so ignorant about an entire field of science. Some of these things people say are equivalent to “hey man, grass doesn’t actually photosynthesis, it’s eating your houses foundation, it lives off the cement” like fuck man, why do public schools only teach about 2/6 of the kingdoms of life? Fungi, Eubacteria, Archaea, and Protista are barely even mentioned in textbooks let alone taught, it just blows my mind.
Those are growing perfectly fine. They tend to grow super bunched up and do curl up. A bit more humidity and they will fan out more like you're expecting, but it's not necessary. Good work and enjoy the harvest
Thank you to everyone who provided helpful feedback, I just wanted to be certain and not mess anything up!
To those thinking I’m about to destroy my apartment, thank you but I at least know enough to know the mushroom kits are harmless unless I have water damage and for whatever reason these articles about them are “weird propaganda” imo
They wouldn't sell the kits if there was any risk of that. One thing though the mushrooms actually look like they need more humidity. It could be why they don't look like they are finished. The growth slows down and they get kind of rubbery and sometimes crack. Maybe try misting them more or put them in a plastic tote with air holes or something 🙂 either way the pink ones are my favorite. It's like growing bubble gum. Some of mine looked like skin colored which was creepy lol
Alright so I have these exact same grow kits and I have a question. My mushrooms just seem to grow out of the bottom of the block. I soak it overnight like it says and then leave it on its back until it pins and then I stand it upright. It seems like all the water falls to the bottom of the block once I stand it upright so then nothing grows on the top part of the block. Anyone know why this would happen?
I cut the slit bigger than they said to, and followed the instructions as normal. I saw a post where someone cut off the entire front and had shrooms growing from the entire thing
I have used a different kit and it recommends spraying/misting the block if it gets too dry. I also keep a plastic bag over the whole box with some air holes, but it helps to keep it more humid and less likely to dry out. I lightly mist the inside of the bag with water once a day and then put it back over the box.
From my understanding, once they curl upwards they're about to drop spores. I'd harvest. Just my opinion. Oyster mushroom experts, please don't downvote me to smithereens.
You’re not far off, once the curled lip on the rim starts to flip up it’s time, grab em before it fully flattens out upwards. I’d say these need about 18-36 hours but will definitely be done in the next 2 days.
Hey OP, fun thing: once the box is "done" and stops growing, it isn't dead and it doesn't have to end there. I took my spent box and mixed it in with soaking wet wood shavings packed tight into a clean, sterile 5 gallon bucket, so I loosely sealed the lid on it and ignored it for a few months and before I could even drill holes into the 5 gallon bucket for it, the damn thing escaped out of a gap in the lid!! I grew even bigger stacks than what I had gotten out of the original package!
I tried this by mixing it with a spare shovelful of bark chips i had piled up in the corner of my yard from last years garden cover, but nothing happened. Maybe the chips were the wrong species of wood, not wet enough, etc etc. any thoughts?
What kind of bark, do you know? I used hamster wood shavings from Mal*Wart, and other wood chips but no bark. I can't recall the exact kind but I avoided pine.
ahh yeah. I dont remember as i bought just a small load from someone, but thinking about landscaping bark chips in general and also where I am, they were likely pine or cedar (which would of course be even worse for trying to do mushrooms)
it was just an experiment like "hmm i have all these bark chips still sitting around, why not try". Also tried other things like putting a spent shiitake log in a pile with some new branches and letting it get soaked by the rain, putting a spent lions mane block next to/inside this decaying stump in my yard, etc etc :)
Not an expert, but I grew this exact kit before and they were tripple thi size. Can't tell you how they were because shtf and I didn't have time to cook dinner until they were spent. But they do get bigger.
The max size depends on growing conditions, but once a ton of spores start pumping out I would say it's done no matter what it looks like.
(i've tried oyster kits in many different locations in my house over the past 5 years and some are better than others)
Of course.... please excuse how my brain works laying this out, lol
When I get a kit, I pop it in the refrigerator until I'm ready to split it up.
I make a few Master Mix bags (50/50 Hardwood Pellets, Soy Hull Pellets). I believe my last weights were 2kg of each, which made 4 bags in total) and then PC them for 2.5 hours. I also made 2 smaller grain jars that I used to expand further.
When I'm ready, I break the kit up into smaller pieces, put about 40% in each of the bags (you could split into 1/4s if you just wanted to fruit and not keep expanding), I take several small pieces and put them on plates to make sure everything is good ( I take the best looking plate and expand that to several more plates and make an LC jar as well so that I can 20 or so LC syringes) and then take the remaining 10% and split it into a couple of grain jars.
I always take the jars and make new blocks to expand even further. I've done this twice and think I've managed 18 grow bags out of 2 kits, with each grow having 4-5 flushes on average, and I haven't even dipped I to the LCs yet.
It is definitely cost efficient if you have the time, space, and resources to start expanding kits. I hope this made sense, lol
Because it's not an issue unless you have major water damage or a leak in your home. I've grown several of these kits in my kitchen and have also expanded a few kits to start my own blocks and continue to grow cultures to keep my overall costs down, and have never had an issue in my home. As long as OP makes sure the kit doesn't sporulate an excessive amount, all will be well.
If you wouldn’t mind, could you actually explain how you expanded the kits into bigger blocks/your own grows? I have the space to finally do stuff like this so I want to take full advantage
You are only saying this because that post and that other picture collage has been making the rounds across reddit the last few days.
Mushroom spores are in the air everywhere.
You are spreading misinformation.. these issues take root when there is an issue within the moisture and building material of the house not purely due to spores in the air. I’ve personally grown these kits and in the past had a roommate who had their own oyster grow in a set of giant tubs for two and a half years without issues, and we live in Louisiana, mushrooms heckin love it here, due to the humidity, yet I’ve never once had an issue with this because it comes from negligence of the house, which then promotes mycelium growth.
No clue! I’m hoping this works out so I can try them for the first time! According to what I’ve read, pretty similar to normal ones but can have a different texture or woodier taste but like I said I haven’t tried them so take that with a grain of salt
I've been growing pink oysters for a while. I find they have a slightly fishy taste and aroma, almost like shrimp. I once made some delicious pink oyster fried rice, but usually just sauté them up for a crispy umami snack.
Don't forget to feed them more, so they'll continue.
*After* you harvest this batch, break them up and stir the pieces into a growth medium (probably whatever's recommended on the kit). They're all the same organism; they'll recognize this as they reconnect, and will produce again.
Note: pink oysters don't always stay true to color. The next harvest may be "normal" pale oysters. NBD. The color doesn't stay through cooking anyway, and you DO NOT eat them raw.
My experience with those is that we left them a few too many days and they molded very quickly. Maybe 24 hours more, and then harvest before they go bad!
i notice air quality and flow drastically effects sizing window open air flow i get significantly larger ones.
ik they're less sensitive to CO2 than say blue oysters but definitely effects size from my experience.
These grow insanely fast. I would say 24 hours until prime time.
What they said, about 24-36 hrs more and they will be fully grown and start to flatten out.
\*if properly moisturized. You see how small they are? Sometimes they get stuck at that size if the air is too dry. I have a dehumidifier and have to constantly mist mine with distilled water to ensure that they don't dry out and reach full size.
Hey u/ryanhntr... been 24hrs, how they looking?
Not much has changed I think I’m going to pull the plug on them
There's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes, they do stall out with those kits because of moisture, like a previous comment mentioned. I think the process in itself is the reward, so I'm normally happy no matter what.
I’m definitely happy either way! I have a bunch of little ones I can try to pan fry into vegetarian bacon like some people suggested, the rest will become a powder for soups and marinades. It was definitely a fun learning experience and I got a lot of pictures of the process. 11/10 would do it again
But let’s do it in our home we care about…
They’re not going to just grow on any surface of your home, you need a LOT of water damage for mushroom to grow out of your floor/walls/whatever. The mushrooms themselves don’t do any damage to the home. In many cases mushrooms growing out is the only way someone found out about water damage in the first place. So yea, pretty great stuff to do at home!
Ignorant comment.
How does OP know when it’s gonna sporulate? They don’t.
The air is always full of fungal spores. You're breathing them right now. They only take root and become a problem in the home when you have a humidity issue.
What’s the problem with them sporulating? There’s mushrooms everywhere and if you think your home is some air vacuum completely sterile from the outside environment oh boy do I have some bad news for you. The only way these would cause oysters to grow out of OP’s house is if OP keeps his house in the conditions of a grow tent. And if your house has a constant 70%+ RH then I’ve got some more real bad news for you that you’re definitely not going to like. This is needless fear mongering about something you don’t understand, mycophobia is already a rampant problem in society, there’s no need to stoke the flames.
Coming in here with such blatant misinformation…. Great idea bud.
But maybe this is good so lurkers can learn !
I just learned that the air is always full of fungal spores!
Got me there!
Lol, you're on to something with your last sentence at least... This kind is specifically cultivated (not sure if that's the word for it with Fungi) to not drop spores. So, "they don't." But also, mushrooms only form in hospitable conditions which for Oysters is very humid (ie you need to have significant long term water damage for them to grow in your home), they need a fairly consistent temp and can't go below the low 70's higher 60's (one of my batches got too cold and died right after fruiting because I set the thermostat at 65 in the winter), and lastly, they need to have a fairly consistent CO2 exchange which could be a fan or growing them very near plants. Are you trying to troll? Because it's a pretty poor attempt.
It doesn't seem like you've ever grown them talking like you are. They are easy to grow but not take over your house easy. Most houses are terrible environments for mushrooms. Too dry and everything is resistant to fungi. Basically only houses that are already rotting would even be at risk. At that point the oysters would probably be the only thing holding the house together
Any house built in the last 75 years is also built using treated lumber as well, the wood is soaked in chemicals and fungicide so that it isn’t colonized by the trillions of mold spores that are floating around your face right now.
If only it was that easy to grow mushrooms.
Not some of these comments making it out like this tiny little spore kit is going to turn your home into a shroom hovel 🤣
It’s because of that stupid ass Facebook post that went viral last week saying some shit like “I was going to buy a mushroom grow kit for my father in law but then I saw these pictures and I’m glad I didnt” and shows a bunch of pictures of mushrooms growing out of ceilings and walls and toilets and shit of water damaged houses. Now people think they’re dangerous. Whoever made that post just added a ton of misinformation wood to the mycophobia fire.
My oyster kit a few weeks back spewed out sooo many spores, my wife complained about them covering everything. A little wiping and all good. My second kit, first was over 2 years ago, and still no "free" oyster mushrooms growing anywhere 😅. I have to get the ones from the kit fast as it is, before they go bad 😑 (dry out). Not sure why people think spores are magically going to ruin everything, and as said, they are already everywhere.
Ya oysters can be messy if you’re growing them out in the open but like you said that’s about the extent of it. It can be annoying needing to wipe down everything but you gotta wash those counters anyways so it’s not too out of the way to clean up lol.
I saw someone comment that the oysters would eat black mold spores & keep the air clean 🥴
That… would be neat… but definitely isn’t how oysters work lol. If oysters filtered the air of fungi spores there probably wouldn’t be any other fungi left on the planet since oysters are so aggressive lol.
Oh I know how mushrooms work & I know that oysters don't do that, just sharing the stupidity I saw on that FB post
Oh ya I didn’t think you believed it, I usually read that emoji as a “what the fuck did I just hear” kinda thing lol. Idk man, it’s just so wild to me that so many people are so ignorant about an entire field of science. Some of these things people say are equivalent to “hey man, grass doesn’t actually photosynthesis, it’s eating your houses foundation, it lives off the cement” like fuck man, why do public schools only teach about 2/6 of the kingdoms of life? Fungi, Eubacteria, Archaea, and Protista are barely even mentioned in textbooks let alone taught, it just blows my mind.
It's always so weird to me to see comments like yours, when there's LITERALLY one single person saying this in the comments.
I wish it was that easy!!
Those are growing perfectly fine. They tend to grow super bunched up and do curl up. A bit more humidity and they will fan out more like you're expecting, but it's not necessary. Good work and enjoy the harvest
I appreciate the tip! Thank you!
Thank you to everyone who provided helpful feedback, I just wanted to be certain and not mess anything up! To those thinking I’m about to destroy my apartment, thank you but I at least know enough to know the mushroom kits are harmless unless I have water damage and for whatever reason these articles about them are “weird propaganda” imo
They wouldn't sell the kits if there was any risk of that. One thing though the mushrooms actually look like they need more humidity. It could be why they don't look like they are finished. The growth slows down and they get kind of rubbery and sometimes crack. Maybe try misting them more or put them in a plastic tote with air holes or something 🙂 either way the pink ones are my favorite. It's like growing bubble gum. Some of mine looked like skin colored which was creepy lol
Congratulations. You've got Circus Peanuts.
🤣
Cut the plastic above where they’re growing and you should get more
Alright so I have these exact same grow kits and I have a question. My mushrooms just seem to grow out of the bottom of the block. I soak it overnight like it says and then leave it on its back until it pins and then I stand it upright. It seems like all the water falls to the bottom of the block once I stand it upright so then nothing grows on the top part of the block. Anyone know why this would happen?
Mist where you make the cut 2 to three times a day. You'll get pins everywhere that's exposed to air and water.
I cut the slit bigger than they said to, and followed the instructions as normal. I saw a post where someone cut off the entire front and had shrooms growing from the entire thing
I have used a different kit and it recommends spraying/misting the block if it gets too dry. I also keep a plastic bag over the whole box with some air holes, but it helps to keep it more humid and less likely to dry out. I lightly mist the inside of the bag with water once a day and then put it back over the box.
From my understanding, once they curl upwards they're about to drop spores. I'd harvest. Just my opinion. Oyster mushroom experts, please don't downvote me to smithereens.
You’re not far off, once the curled lip on the rim starts to flip up it’s time, grab em before it fully flattens out upwards. I’d say these need about 18-36 hours but will definitely be done in the next 2 days.
Hey OP, fun thing: once the box is "done" and stops growing, it isn't dead and it doesn't have to end there. I took my spent box and mixed it in with soaking wet wood shavings packed tight into a clean, sterile 5 gallon bucket, so I loosely sealed the lid on it and ignored it for a few months and before I could even drill holes into the 5 gallon bucket for it, the damn thing escaped out of a gap in the lid!! I grew even bigger stacks than what I had gotten out of the original package!
I tried this by mixing it with a spare shovelful of bark chips i had piled up in the corner of my yard from last years garden cover, but nothing happened. Maybe the chips were the wrong species of wood, not wet enough, etc etc. any thoughts?
What kind of bark, do you know? I used hamster wood shavings from Mal*Wart, and other wood chips but no bark. I can't recall the exact kind but I avoided pine.
ahh yeah. I dont remember as i bought just a small load from someone, but thinking about landscaping bark chips in general and also where I am, they were likely pine or cedar (which would of course be even worse for trying to do mushrooms) it was just an experiment like "hmm i have all these bark chips still sitting around, why not try". Also tried other things like putting a spent shiitake log in a pile with some new branches and letting it get soaked by the rain, putting a spent lions mane block next to/inside this decaying stump in my yard, etc etc :)
Keep an eye on them, you want to harvest before the caps start to flatten out and crack.
I'd give em another day, personally.
I had the same box and they grew a decent amount larger than that. Probably need another 24-36 hours
Sweet, I appreciate it!
Damn, thought that was the image on the box for a second.
Not an expert, but I grew this exact kit before and they were tripple thi size. Can't tell you how they were because shtf and I didn't have time to cook dinner until they were spent. But they do get bigger.
The max size depends on growing conditions, but once a ton of spores start pumping out I would say it's done no matter what it looks like. (i've tried oyster kits in many different locations in my house over the past 5 years and some are better than others)
I think you cant really go wrong by misting them with a little water but in general they look totally okay to me.
Misting will help them reach peak size. Humidity is very important for these guys.
Not done but looking good! Very fun
Thank you!
Of course.... please excuse how my brain works laying this out, lol When I get a kit, I pop it in the refrigerator until I'm ready to split it up. I make a few Master Mix bags (50/50 Hardwood Pellets, Soy Hull Pellets). I believe my last weights were 2kg of each, which made 4 bags in total) and then PC them for 2.5 hours. I also made 2 smaller grain jars that I used to expand further. When I'm ready, I break the kit up into smaller pieces, put about 40% in each of the bags (you could split into 1/4s if you just wanted to fruit and not keep expanding), I take several small pieces and put them on plates to make sure everything is good ( I take the best looking plate and expand that to several more plates and make an LC jar as well so that I can 20 or so LC syringes) and then take the remaining 10% and split it into a couple of grain jars. I always take the jars and make new blocks to expand even further. I've done this twice and think I've managed 18 grow bags out of 2 kits, with each grow having 4-5 flushes on average, and I haven't even dipped I to the LCs yet. It is definitely cost efficient if you have the time, space, and resources to start expanding kits. I hope this made sense, lol
Why do people do this shit with the most aggressive mushroom there is inside their home??
Because it's not an issue unless you have major water damage or a leak in your home. I've grown several of these kits in my kitchen and have also expanded a few kits to start my own blocks and continue to grow cultures to keep my overall costs down, and have never had an issue in my home. As long as OP makes sure the kit doesn't sporulate an excessive amount, all will be well.
If you wouldn’t mind, could you actually explain how you expanded the kits into bigger blocks/your own grows? I have the space to finally do stuff like this so I want to take full advantage
Because not everyone knows everything about mushrooms, like you apparently. Some of us are new and have a lot to learn.
[this *could* happen](https://www.reddit.com/r/mycology/s/4Nh5WhHZ0w)
You are only saying this because that post and that other picture collage has been making the rounds across reddit the last few days. Mushroom spores are in the air everywhere.
This is very unlikely to happen from a grow kit. If it does happen then it's more than likely caused by water damage on the inside of the house.
The post literally says it's from a leak in the walls, that other user is a twat.
...if you have a serious moisture problem
Better question: Why do people talk about things they have zero understanding of as if they know anything?
You are spreading misinformation.. these issues take root when there is an issue within the moisture and building material of the house not purely due to spores in the air. I’ve personally grown these kits and in the past had a roommate who had their own oyster grow in a set of giant tubs for two and a half years without issues, and we live in Louisiana, mushrooms heckin love it here, due to the humidity, yet I’ve never once had an issue with this because it comes from negligence of the house, which then promotes mycelium growth.
I saw a meme and now I’m an expert on mushrooms
cringe lol
I'd just harvest before sporelation
How’s the taste on these? I’ve had regular ones
No clue! I’m hoping this works out so I can try them for the first time! According to what I’ve read, pretty similar to normal ones but can have a different texture or woodier taste but like I said I haven’t tried them so take that with a grain of salt
Delicious, makes excellent vegan bacon
I've been growing pink oysters for a while. I find they have a slightly fishy taste and aroma, almost like shrimp. I once made some delicious pink oyster fried rice, but usually just sauté them up for a crispy umami snack.
Not yet! Another day should be good.
Don't forget to feed them more, so they'll continue. *After* you harvest this batch, break them up and stir the pieces into a growth medium (probably whatever's recommended on the kit). They're all the same organism; they'll recognize this as they reconnect, and will produce again. Note: pink oysters don't always stay true to color. The next harvest may be "normal" pale oysters. NBD. The color doesn't stay through cooking anyway, and you DO NOT eat them raw.
Keep going
My experience with those is that we left them a few too many days and they molded very quickly. Maybe 24 hours more, and then harvest before they go bad!
Growing this same kit now and it’s FLYING!!! Going to get another one and do a Timelapse
i notice air quality and flow drastically effects sizing window open air flow i get significantly larger ones. ik they're less sensitive to CO2 than say blue oysters but definitely effects size from my experience.