Description
Lead time (mentioned in the listing above “add to cart” button) means time it takes to prepare this order. Product in stock does not mean its ready to send out, it means it can be prepared in the lead time mentioned.
About this Kit
Complete Kit: Everything you need is included—just add water and follow the simple instructions.
This kit uses a special Master’s Mix—a blend of sawdust, soy pellets, and water. It’s inoculated with about 300 grams of organic rye or millet grain spawn to give your mushrooms the best start.
We keep things simple and affordable by sending you a fresh, made-to-order bag, just like real mushroom farms use. No fancy boxes, no sitting in cold storage for weeks. This helps keep your cost down by $10; we pass that saving directly to you. We call these kits ‘almost ready to fruit’.
Humidity: Maintain high humidity during pinning and fruiting — aim for ~85–95% RH to develop firm caps and healthy pins.
Light: Indirect ambient light (12 hours light / 12 hours dark) helps normal cap formation — avoid direct sun.
Air: Provide gentle fresh-air exchange once primordia form to avoid CO₂ build-up which causes long stems and weak caps.
Storage: Unopened kits keep a few weeks in a cool, dark place; yield may drop the longer they sit.
Ivory Shimeji (Hypsizygus tessulatus) — Notes & Why it’s Special
Ivory Shimeji (white beech/hon-shimeji) is prized for its firm, slightly crunchy stems and a pleasant nutty/umami flavour that mellows when cooked. It naturally grows on hardwoods and is commonly cultivated on hardwood sawdust supplemented for commercial production; many growers prefer sawdust blocks or jars for predictable, fast yields compared with seasonal log culture.
Shimeji adds texture and umami to stir-fries, soups and hot pots. Like other shimeji, it’s better cooked (raw can be bitter) and is a source of B vitamins, potassium and dietary fibre.
Step-by-step Instructions & Post-Harvest Care
IMPORTANT- Check the fruiting temperature when you buy a kit and ensure you can provide it with the temperature it needs (12–18°C for this template; some guides report a practical window up to ~20–25°C).
Step 1 – Let It Grow (3 Weeks)
*Take the bag out of its packaging and remove the tape holding the folded bag.
*Stand it upright so the white filter patch is unrestricted on the top, this is where the mycelium in the bag breathes from. Do not cut the bag for fruiting yet.
Please keep it away from direct sunlight, windows, fans, AC, or a wardrobe.
Let it sit like this for 3 whole weeks from the inoculation date on the label.
💡 Tip for First-Timers:
Shimeji colonisation usually runs slower than fast oysters — spawn-run commonly takes 2–6 weeks depending on substrate and spawn rate. If your block is not fully white at week 3, wait until colonisation is clearly advanced before triggering fruiting.
Need to Wait?
If you’re not ready to start fruiting after the 3 weeks, you can store the bag in the fridge for up to a month. Do not store it in the fridge until the bag is fully colonised.
Step 2 – Time to Fruit
After colonisation is mature, trigger fruiting by lowering temperature into the 12–18°C range while keeping humidity high.
Follow these steps:
1. Cut / Expose: Make the recommended opening (per kit instructions) or expose the fruiting face of the block. Gently push out excess air and tuck loose plastic underneath.
2. Humidity & Mist: Place the kit in a humid area (85–95% RH). Mist the exposed surface 2–3 times daily or use a humidifier/fruiting chamber to maintain steady moisture; avoid heavy pooling.
3. Harvest: Pins typically form and mature into harvestable clusters within ~5–10 days after induction (timing varies). Harvest clusters by cutting at the base when caps open but before they flatten. Multiple flushes are possible with rest and hydration between flushes.
Common Mistakes to avoid
Forcing fruiting too early: Triggering fruiting before colonisation is advanced increases contamination risk and reduces yields.
Wrong substrate or poor supplementation: Shimeji prefers hardwood sawdust or well-formulated supplemented mixes — poor substrate reduces yields and slows colonisation.
Humidity & FAE balance: Low humidity causes aborted pins; too little fresh-air exchange creates long stems and small caps. Keep humidity high but provide gentle airflow once pins form.
What to do if pins form inside the bag:
Don’t worry. Just ignore the internal pins. Gently fold the top of the bag to push out excess air, cut a small “X” in the side of the bag (where you want the mushrooms to grow), and begin misting that spot daily. Mushrooms will start fruiting from that cut. The internal pins will eventually be aborted naturally, as they don’t have space to grow.
Checkout out our fine Misting Spray Bottle to produce tiny droplets and keep humidity high. The size of droplets formed can easily be evaporated , this constant evaporation signals mycelium to pin.
Want to Learn More?
This kit introduces you to Stage 3: Fruiting, the final step in mushroom growing.
To explore all three stages (including how mushrooms grow from spores to harvest), check out our
Educational Mushroom Growing Kit.
Checkout all the Mushroom Growing kits Available in Our Spray and grow 3 Kg range.
Could not fruit the bag, or was it contaminated? Send us a photo or call us, and we will help you resolve the issue.
