What to avoid when growing Lion's Mane Mushrooms?

We all want to grow Lion's Mane that are bright white with fantastic cascading teeth / spines, it is what we think of when we picture Lion's Mane. When grown with the right conditions this is what will occur, but it is important to avoid certain pitfalls to ensure your Lions Mane Mushrooms are growing as they should.

The biggest issue / risk factor when growing Lion's Mane is humidity, too much humidity / direct water on the mushroom itself it will turn brown, but not enough ambient humidity and it will also brown off, so it is a fine balance!

The good news is, whilst the exterior of the mushroom may brown in places, the inside will still be perfect to consume and the bright white we know to expect.

So how do I provide the right humidity for my Lions Mane Mushrooms to grow?

The key is to provide ambient humidity, without spraying the mushrooms themselves, whilst also protecting the mushrooms as they are growing. The mushrooms are delicate when forming, sensitive to the environment around them, dry air and draughts hitting the mushrooms will dry out the fruit bodies casing a degree of browning, it is also a sign of maturity, maturity is when the mushrooms are ready to pick, whilst it may be tempting to leave the mushrooms on in the hope they get bigger, more often than not you will just be allowing the mushroom to over mature and go further brown.

Here is an example of a Lion's Mane Mushroom Growing Kit that has been left to over mature, in the hope that it would grow larger. In fact all that has occurred is that the spines are cascading downwards as they dry off. The bright white spines are being replaced with flat darkened spines as the mushrooms begin to spore. Sporation is another big indicator that the mushrooms are mature and ready to pick, you will notice a white "dust" below the kit and by the mushroom fruit bodies them selves, so it is important to pick these at the right time.

In order to provide the correct humidity we recommend using a humidity bag as seen in our Lions Mane Mushroom Growing Instructions. This provides protection from the elements, we instruct to place paper towel within the humidity bag, keeping it damp by twice daily spraying ensures that there is ambient humidity, providing the perfect environment for the mushrooms.

However it is important to remember that Lions Mane need FAE (fresh air exchange) so when placing the kit within the bag, ensure you do not seal the bag shut in anyway, or use it as a tent, as this will results in coral like growth which is starved of air.

Perfect set up, protection from the elements, damp paper towel providing humidity and the kit has access to fresh air.

Incorrect setup, the mushrooms are growing, however they are growing coral like as they are being staved of air.

Still edible, but not the desired result. The simple tweak of putting the bag the right way would be all this needs to produce the "teeth"

We hope this guide will help you avoid some of the common issues with Lions Mane Mushroom Growing Kits, whilst our kits are very simple to use, it is important to set out what to avoid to ensure a successful mushroom growing experience