Manual: Mushroom Grow Kit (White & Chestnut)

This grow kit contains a fresh substrate for white or chestnut mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus). On arrival the substrate is still young and first has to colonise further before you can start growing.

After arrival: first wait

1. Leave the bag closed
   Do not open the grow bag yet. During transport the air was drawn out of the bag. After arrival, air comes back into the bag by itself.
2. Put the bag in a quiet place
   Temperature: 20-23 °C
   Dark or half dark
   No direct sunlight
   Not in the fridge
3. Waiting time
   Leave the bag standing for another 7-10 days. During this period the mycelium colonises the substrate further.

The bag is ready for the next step as soon as the substrate is completely white on the inside.

Step 1: applying the casing layer

When the substrate is completely white:

1. Carefully open the grow bag at the top
2. Spread the enclosed casing soil evenly over the substrate
3. Thickness of the casing soil: about 2-3 cm
4. Press the casing soil down lightly (do not push it down)

Step 2: moistening

• Make the casing soil slightly moist
• Use a plant sprayer
• The soil should feel moist, not wet

Step 3: waiting for the mushrooms

1. Put the bag in a place with:
   • Temperature: 17-20 °C
   • Normal daylight or room light
   • No direct sunlight
2. Keep the casing soil moist:
   • Spray lightly 1-2 times a day
   • No pools of water

After 2-3 weeks the first small mushrooms appear.

Harvesting

• Harvest while the cap is still nicely closed
• Carefully twist the mushrooms off (do not cut)
• Lightly fill the hole with some casing soil

After the first harvest, one or two more flushes often follow.

Tips

• Patience is important with these mushrooms
• Too wet can cause mould
• Too dry gives no or little yield
• Chestnut mushrooms grow slightly slower than white ones

Growing portobellos

This grow kit can also produce portobellos. Portobellos are not a separate species, but fully grown chestnut mushrooms.

If you want to harvest portobellos, you simply let the mushrooms keep growing for longer.

• Leave the mushrooms standing after they appear
• The cap will open further and become bigger
• Harvest when the cap is fully open and still feels firm

Portobellos need more space than ordinary mushrooms. Make sure that they do not press against the top of the bag. If necessary, you can open the bag a bit further at the top.

Keep the casing soil slightly moist, but do not spray directly on the caps.

Portobellos grow slightly slower and give fewer mushrooms, but bigger and heavier ones.