The Lion’s Mane mushroom kit you have received is made up of hardwood sawdust, organic wheat bran and a small quantity of agricultural gypsum. It is chemical and additive free. The sawdust kit is now probably mostly white from the mycelium which has grown through the substrate. This mycelium is your mushroom organism and with the proper care and stimuli it will produce the “fruits” or mushrooms. The kit includes a plastic bag to serve as a ‘tent’ or ‘humidity dome’ (if it is not perforated you can cut holes in the bag) and bamboo skewers which will be used to set the kit up for production. Set-up instructions below.

When you receive the kit leave it in the original bag, undisturbed, at room temperature (15 – 20C) for 24 hours to recover from shipping. Lion’s Mane prefers a cool, humid environment: The temperature, humidity, and oxygen exchange requirements vary throughout the development process – first is the development of primordia and then development of fruitbodies (mushroom heads) see the growing parameters below. Timelines can vary and slight adjustments in conditions can make a difference. When you see small bumps on the surface of the kit this indicates the kit is beginning to form primordia. Lion’s Mane demands attention to detail – temperature and humidity as well as O2 exchange requirements. Attention to temperature and humidity and air exchange is recommended. Handle carefully. Locate the kit appropriately as described below.

1. Prepare the kit to fruit: cut off the top corners of the bag and roll it down to squeeze out the air; fold several times and wrap tightly over the block so that the gas exchange filter patch is covered; tape it tightly to the block with clear tape. This should be a tight fit.
2. With a sharp knife make a 2 to 3” cut in the bag near the top and another small opening in the bag 1/3 of the way up from the bottom. You will see primordia forming on the surface of the kit where it has access to oxygen – where you cut it/punctured it. It is important to note that at this point after squeezing out all air and taping the bag tightly over the kit you want to cut/puncture the bag in one or two spots so that a fruitbody head will form at these sites. The aim is to favour mushroom development only at these sites to get larger heads and to inhibit other primordia from forming into mushrooms. This will encourage development of several large mushrooms rather than many smaller heads.
3. Place the kit in a high humidity enclosure / tent-like structure. To make a ‘tent-like structure’ insert 2 or 3 wooden skewers around the top perimeter of the kit at 45% angels in an arrangement that holds the perforated bag in a tent-like position over the block so that the bag does not touch the kit but forms a ‘tent’ or ‘dome’ over the kit.
4. Place the kit into the tent at 50-60F or 10 – 15.6C with 95-100% humidity (cool and humid with ambient daylight but not direct sunlight) and allow 3-5 days or perhaps longer for the primordia to develop. Primordia are the small bumps/eruptions that you will see on the surface of the kit that will develop into mushroom fruitbodies. Notice that this is a cool temperature so locate the kit & tent appropriately; you can move to a slightly warmer spot when the fruitbody/mushroom begins to form and emerge from the bag. Locate it where you will check it frequently to mist and to ‘billow’ the dome to allow air exchange. To keep the humidity high mist inside the ‘tent’ with water a couple of times per day.
5. Place the kit on a tray or pie plate large enough to protect the surface of the table or floor because water will condense on the inside of the bag and drip down. The kit needs to “breathe” and the perforations in the bag will allow an exchange of gases; you should billow the tent a few times a day at least; you might even open the tent periodically to allow oxygen in and carbon dioxide out. The mushrooms require some light but not direct sunlight. Enough light to read by is adequate such as on a kitchen counter. You can even place the entire kit + dome set-up in a bathroom shower stall or bathtub where you can control humidity, temperature and oxygen exchange. Locate it where you will check it frequently to mist and to ‘billow’ the dome to allow air exchange.
6. To maintain humidity mist inside the ‘tent’ enclosure use either a spray bottle (set to fine mist) or a small humidifier. Allow 3-5 days for primordia formation. Perhaps longer if the conditions are not perfectly ideal. Observe frequently.
7. Following the primordia formation (3-5 days) the Lion’s Mane fruitbody/mushroom will begin forming and emerge from the kit at where it is cut. At this stage the temperature should be warmer 18 to 24C or 65-75F and relative humidity should be approximately 85% (90 to 95%).
8. Lion’s Mane typically grows into a roundish head with elongated spines and has a hanging habit of growing so try to arrange the kit on the edge of a rack on the tray inside the tent; this allows the relatively large, mushroom head to hang off the edge (‘perch’) inside the enclosure. In any case arrange the kit so that there is room for the mushroom head to freely develop. Once the fruitbody begins to form it grows quickly – 4 to 5 days.
9. During fruitbody development do not mist directly on the fruitbody – mist inside the ‘tent’; you can also soak a clean sponge with water and leave that inside the tent to maintain humidity. Use a humidifier if available.
10. Air exchange is important – 5 to 8 air exchanges per hour is ideal; you can augment oxygen exchange by billowing the perforated tent bag several times per day. Check the kit frequently and harvest mushrooms when fruitbody is formed and firm and spines have elongated but before the top becomes soft or discoloured. Lower the humidity a few hours prior to harvesting to avoid wet mushrooms and you can allow the mushroom to dry out a bit by removing the kit from the tent prior to harvesting. Harvest when the mushroom is still firm.
11. Cut clumps off carefully. Wrap in wax or parchment paper and cook promptly – best to cook immediately. Store in paper bag or cardboard box refrigerated – drier mushrooms will keep longer. Slice transverse to the spines and saute carefully in clarified butter (ghee) or olive oil until golden brown. Garnish with sea salt or crystal salt; also try a touch of soy and or tamari. Garlic, onions, and almonds complement Lion’s Mane.
12. After the first ‘flush’ the kit may spontaneously fruit again from the same puncture site or you can puncture again closer to the bottom where the kit retains more moisture and wait a few days for fruitbodies to start; you can adjust temperature and humidity to stimulate fruiting. Keep in mind that timelines can vary and slight adjustments in conditions can make a difference.
13. To initiate successive “flushes” you can repeat this procedure: allow the kit to rest for a few days and then re-puncture if necessary; and humidity relatively high. You can repeat the above procedure several times or until all the nutrients have been used up and no more mushrooms form. At this point the kit will shrink and begin to dry out and harden and you will see that it is depleted. When the kit is depleted and no more mushrooms emerge you can break it up and use as top dressing. It makes an excellent soil conditioner.