Everything you need to start exploring the wonders of edible mushroom cultivation in a virtually foolproof kit! This kit includes a Garden Giant mushroom culture syringe (Stropharia rugoso-annulata) and is also supplied with a large, straw-based Mushroom Bag specially formulated for fruiting the Garden Giant mushroom.

Also known as the King Stropharia, this massive mushroom is an ideal companion for planting with and around vegetables in the home garden.

This species is very adaptable and will colonize composts, rich soils, leaves, straw and wood debris. Expect the mushroom mycelium to spread throughout a well-maintained garden and volunteer mushrooms far from the original planting site.

The mushrooms fruit mostly in the heat of summer if watered along with vegetable plants which will also provide shade and humidity. Mushrooms shaded from direct sun exposure have a rich burgundy coloration while sun exposed specimens are light tan to nearly white.

Each Garden Giant Mushroom Kit includes a pre-sterilized substrate Bag and enough culture material to get the bag started (3cc culture syringe). A filter patch is attached to the Bag to allow for gas exchange during colonization and fruiting.

Each bag contains approximately 4 pounds of sterilized substrate and measures 18'' high * 8'' wide * 5'' deep.

To use, unfold the bag allowing the extra material to stand straight.

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. Note: The disc is covered by a small plastic shield. Do not attempt to remove the plastic covering the disc, you will inject through it. Sterilize a small section of the outside of the the plastic shield directly over the foam disc with an alcohol soaked wipe. With the same alcohol soaked wipe, sterilize the needle on your culture syringe.

Inoculate the substrate with culture syringe(included) solution by inserting the needle through the plastic shield and foam disc at the previously sterilized spot. Squirt 3cc of culture solution directly into the substrate material.

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

Place the kit's bag(s) in a dark location and incubate at 70-80F. It is recommend to store the 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.

It is recommended to bury the fully colonized kit intact in early spring amongst large vegetable plants that will provide shade during summer, such as potatoes or squash. Remove the colonized substrate block from the plastic bag prior to burial in the garden. An alternative method would be to break up the substrate block and mix into a finished compost pile or piles of fresh woodchips.

Although this variety of mushroom can be fruited indoors under controlled environmental conditions it is slow to fruit and requires microorganisms in the soil to stimulate mushroom formation. Indoor fruiting of this species is considered advanced and often poor yielding.

The King Stropharia's massive size, attractive appearance, and ease of outdoor cultivation mark it as desirable for home cultivators. Very young mushrooms that do not have darkened gills from spore production are considered most desirable for eating.