Mushroom Bag

This is a completely self contained environment for the incubation and fruiting of grain loving mushrooms. The bags measure 4" wide, 3" deep, and 18" tall.

Each Bag includes a pre-sterilized mixture of substrate material specially designed for grain loving edible and medicinal mushrooms. A filter patch is attached to the bag to allow for gas exchange during colonization and fruiting. Now shipping with self-healing injector site.

The spore syringe is NOT included with the bag and must be purchased separately.

We suggest our Golden Oyster, Pink Oyster and Shiitake syringes, available here.

Shiitake Mushrooms, Lentinula edodes, fruiting from Bag

To use, simply unfold the bag, allowing the extra bag material to stand straight up as pictured above.

Locate the small foam disk sealed and attached in a plastic housing near the base of the bag. This disc is the self-healing injector site.

The disc will be covered by a small plastic shield. Do not attempt to remove the plastic covering the disc, you will inject through it.

DO NOT insert the needle through the white filter patch found near the top of the bag.

Sterilize a small section of the outside of the bag directly over the foam disc, on the plastic shield, with an alcohol soaked wipe. With the same alcohol soaked wipe, sterilize the needle on your culture or spore syringe.

Inoculate the substrate, the material inside the bag, with spore syringe solution by inserting the needle through the plastic shield and foam disc at the previously sterilized spot.

Fully insert the needle at a sharp angle. Squirt 1cc of spore or culture solution directly into the substrate material. Remove the needle and reinsert through the injector site at the opposite angle. Again inject 1cc of spore solution directly into the substrate material. Inoculating twice, at opposing angles, towards the sides of the bag is recommended for faster colonization and even inoculant distribution.

Mushroom Bag colonized with Golden Oyster Mushroom mycelium

Place the Mushroom Bag in a dark location and incubate at species specific temperatures. Many grain-loving mushroom varieties incubate best at temperatures in the mid-80's.

It is recommend to store the Mushroom Bag fully extended, as developing Mycelia will give off gases that will slowly expand the interior of the bag. This ballooning effect is crucial for proper air exchange and culture development.

During drier summer months it is advisable to store the Bag in a humid location. Excessively dry environments may draw moisture from the Bag.

Because germination and colonization will begin in the interior of the substrate material it may between 14-20 days for you to notice the spreading of colonizing mycelium towards the outside of the bag. Typical colonization time is 21-30 days for most species and strains.

Golden Oyster Mushroom, Pleurotus citrinopileatus, fruiting from the Mushroom Bag

When colonization is 90% or 100% complete, move bag to a location with indirect light (indoor light or filtered sunlight is best). Allow the bags to receive 12 hours of indirect light per day (direct fluorescent lighting works as well).

Some specimens, such as the Golden Oyster (Pl. citrinopileatus), perform better if the colonized Bag is punctured several times on the side at substrate level.

Only puncture the Bag after 100% colonization is achieved (when the entire bag is white with healthy mycelium). This allows the Oyster mushrooms pins to form in a more suitable non-air restrictive environment.

Placing a makeshift humidity tent over the Bag, or placing the Bag into a humidity chamber while the Oysters are fruiting is highly recommended.

For best results, the Bag may also be cut above the substrate level and the remaining bottom portion (with substrate in tact) placed in a humidity chamber.

Tested and proven, this all you need to begin your journey in the art and science of mushroom cultivation.