Welcome to your Lion's Mane mushroom instructions - we're super excited to get you going.
You can get growing within three days of receipt, however, if you're not wanting to grow immediately you can put your kit in your fridge for up to one month, your mushroom may begin to grow even when chilled so get started asap.
Equipment needed: A water mister.
You should expect your mushroom within 4 weeks of opening and spraying.
Ideal growing temperature parameters are 17-22 degrees. Lower temperatures can mean slower growth and higher temps can lead to the substrate and mushrooms drying out - to avoid this you can increase your watering routine during the day and growing period.
How to get it started:
1. Make a long straight slice in the side of your plastic grow bag with a clean pair of scissors. Do not damage the surface of your substrate. Choose a location to let your mushroom kit grow that is away from any draft or direct sunlight.
2. You need to spray a mist of water across the opening of your grow kit 1-2 times a day, more often in hot weather. Try not to over water your kit. You want to keep the surface of the substrate damp and humid but not wet - spraying the front of your kit at this stage is all you need to do.
If it's very warm and the water is evaporating quickly, you can lay a clean but damp tea towel over your mushroom kit, this will help keep the humidity up as your mushrooms begin to grow.
3. Once your mushroom appears, do not spray water directly onto the mushroom as this can cause discolouration. Instead spray a fine mist over the top of your kit from a height to maintain humidity.
Your kit will need to be grown in natural light but away from direct sunlight, drafts, or cool breezes.
Occasionally your new mushroom will appear a blush pink colour - this is a sign of new growth and perfectly normal.
If your mushrooms begin to turn yellow or brown this could be a sign it’s in a draft or has gotten too wet. If they begin to dry out it’s likely to be over mature and can be harvested.
When to harvest: When Lion’s Mane mushrooms have finished growing when they stop increasing in size and the spines/teeth have grown longer and thicker. Yellow colour is also a sign of maturity. Pick your mushroom when the spines reach about 1cm in length or the texture of the mushroom feels spongey when squeezed gently.
Overly mature mushrooms will drop spores, which show as a white powdery dust. Mushroom shelf life, and flavour is best if you pick before this happens.
To harvest, simply grab the mushroom, twist, and pull it off your kit. Store your harvested mushroom in the fridge for up to 5 days, ideally in a brown paper bag.
To get more mushrooms from your kit: You could try for a second flush, once harvested, rest your kit in a dark cupboard for a week. Once rested bring your kit out and submerge in water over night, place back in a light spot away from any draughts and continue to spray three times a day until your second flush appears and is ready to harvest.
When you have finished growing: Remove your substrate from the plastic bag - you can recycle the plastic at any large supermarket facility.
Your fruiting block should be left to dry out then disposed of into your household waste. We do not recommend composting or putting substrates into your garden, compost or food waste.
You can read more about this HERE.
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Congratulations and we hope you enjoy your grow. If you have any questions or curiosities please do emails us at enquiries@caleybrothers.co.uk and we'll get back to you with 48 hours.
Otherwise, do feel free to take a look at other mushrooms you might enjoy growing and eating, we have a variety of options - all delicious and all just as easy to grow.
Where to next?
→ Get our book - Project Mushroom
→Join us online at one of our workshops this autumn
→ Follow us on Substack for new posts twice a month
Happy growing x
Ⓒ Caley Brothers 2026
