Step by Step Grow Block Guide

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Cut a line across the bag and into the block with a clean sharp blade. Wrap the upper portion of the bag around the block, removing any air. Tape to secure if you wish. 

If there are mushroom pins in the bag already, carefully use a sharp blade to cut the plastic and let them out. Find the strongest clusters. They may not all make it and that's OK. 

Using your spray bottle, mist the entire plastic bag to keep humidity high. Continue to mist 2-5x daily. Do not let the block fully dry right after cutting to ensure pinning and in the first few days of development. 

Continue misting daily when dry or as needed until harvest. Alternately, run a freshly cleaned home humidifier beside your block.

Monitor your developing mushrooms for slow growth, shiny or cracked caps, elongated stems, or other problems. DO NOT restrict oxygen with closed bags or totes. Grow at room temperature.

Some oyster strains are faster to pin and grow. They will pin 2 days to 2 weeks from cutting, and average between 4 and 8 days until harvest.

Oyster mushrooms have the longest shelf life when harvested young. We like to maximize freshness and size by picking  when the very first cap in the cluster unfurls its rolled edge. After this point spores release (can be messy!) and freshness decreases quickly.

Gently wiggle and lift mushroom clusters away from the block. Use a sharp knife or shears to trim and remove any substrate. 

With clean hands or gloves, remove any undeveloped pins, loose mycelium, and remnants of stem from the bag. Seal any cuts with tape and return the bag to its original shape, with the filter patch open to the air. Repeat steps 1-4 for additional harvests until the block ceases fruiting or develops contamination.

Check out tips for using spent blocks in the garden or yard here.

Watch your block for full colonization. Store at room temperature in dim light and wait for the block to turn completely white. Apply the provided rubber band 1/4 way from the top of the block to help prevent side fruiting.

Snip a corner open at the top of the bag to introduce oxygen. Use this opening to watch the top of the block for pin formation.

As pins grow inside the bag, monitor through the opening. Handle with care as baby mushrooms are brittle can damage easily if knocked or dropped. Watch for pins to become large enough to need a little more space.

Carefully make a slit down the side of the bag in 1 or 2 places, allowing the mushrooms more room to grow and expand. Using your clean misting bottle, mist the inside and outside of the plastic grow bag for evporative humidity whenever dry.

Most top fruiting species pop off the block easily. Handle gently to ensure mushrooms don't come off too early.  The mushrooms are ready for harvest once they reach full size but before caps spread out completely.

Using clean hands or gloves, remove undeveloped pins, loose mycelium, and any stem remnants. Seal up all cuts with tape and repeat steps 1-5 until the block stops producing or shows signs of contamination.