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/fruiting (~85–95% RH); turkey tail does well with steady moisture but avoid heavy condensation that pools on surfaces.
Light: Indirect ambient light is fine — turkey tail does not require intense light; a normal daylight cycle helps normal morphology.
Air: Provide gentle fresh-air exchange to avoid CO₂ buildup; too little FAE can cause odd growth forms, while too much sudden draft may dry primordia.
Storage: Unopened kits keep a few weeks in a cool, dark place; yields may drop if kept long.
Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor)
Turkey Tail is a common, widely distributed bracket fungus noted for its concentric coloured zones and thin, leathery shelves. It grows naturally on dead hardwoods (stumps, logs, branches) and adapts well to both log culture and sawdust-block cultivation. Commercial bag culture often uses low- to no-supplement hardwood sawdust because this species prefers simpler substrates and too much supplementation can invite competitors.
Medicinally, turkey tail is famous for bioactive polysaccharides (PSK, PSP and other beta-glucans) that have been researched for immune-modulating effects and as adjuncts in cancer therapy; modern reviews and clinical studies support immune activity and a range of potential health benefits (always advise customers to consult healthcare professionals).
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.
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: Turkey tail colonises reliably on hardwood sawdust but spawn-run can vary by temperature and spawn rate — if your block is not fully white at week 3, give it more time until colonisation is 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 increasing humidity, providing indirect light, and giving gentle fresh air exchange — some growers also apply a mild cooling or soak to simulate natural triggers.
Follow these steps:
1. Cut / Expose: Make slits or staggered horizontal cuts where you want shelves to form. For logs, soaking or outdoor placement can encourage pinning.
2. Humidity & Mist: Keep humidity high (85–95%); mist gently and avoid heavy pooling of water on caps.
3. Harvest: Fruit bodies appear as thin concentric shelves; harvest when they reach desired size by cutting at the base. Multiple flushes from the same block/log are common.
Common Mistakes to avoid
Too much supplementation: Turkey tail prefers low-supplement hardwood sawdust — heavy supplementation invites contamination and reduces reliability.
Humidity swings: Sudden dry periods or heavy surface condensation cause poor formation — keep RH steady.
SpringerLink
Forcing fruiting early: Initiating fruiting before full colonisation increases contamination risk and gives weak shelves. Wait for solid mycelial coverage.
GroCycle
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.
