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Our Black Pearl King is a first-generation isolate of a Pleurotus hybrid developed in Western Europe. It throws large, dark-capped fruits with a deeper umami flavor than standard oysters, and it runs on almost any cellulose substrate, so it stays easy to grow despite the premium result.
Noticeably more savory and umami than Pearl or Blue, with dark caps that stand out on a plate or a market table.
Straw, sawdust, wood chips, newspaper and cardboard all work. Use premium substrate for yield or recycled material for near-zero cost.
It fruits at 60–70°F alongside Blue, Pearl and King Blue, making it a fall and winter oyster.
Let the syringe reach room temperature, then shake it gently to break up and spread the mycelium through the broth.
Flame the needle until it glows, let it cool a few seconds, and wipe the injection port with the included alcohol pad.
Use 2–3cc per quart jar or 3–5cc per 3–5 lb grain bag. One 10cc syringe inoculates about 2–4 containers.
Keep it at 70–75°F in the dark. Shake once at about 30% colonization to speed things up.
For the biggest fruits: use supplemented hardwood sawdust. Cardboard and newspaper work for low-cost runs, but a richer substrate is what produces the large, dense caps this hybrid is known for.
From our lab to your grainRun it into jars with wide-mouth cultivation lids or your own lids with self-healing injection ports. Spare 16G needles and sterile Luer Lock syringes are sold separately.
Use 2–3cc per quart grain jar and 3–5cc per 3–5 lb spawn bag. One 10cc Black Pearl King syringe inoculates roughly two to four containers. Using more doesn't speed colonization much; it just uses up the syringe.
It colonizes quickly at 70–75°F, on par with the other cool-weather oysters. Shaking the jar or bag once at about 30% colonization helps even out the run.
Almost anything cellulose-based: straw, hardwood sawdust, wood chips, newspaper and cardboard. Supplemented hardwood sawdust gives the largest and densest fruits.
Black Pearl King gives darker caps, larger fruits and a deeper, more umami flavor. Pearl Oyster is more tender and milder. Growing conditions are essentially the same, so it comes down to the result you want on the plate.
Refrigerate it at 35–45°F in the bag it shipped in and never freeze it; freezing ruptures the cells and kills the culture. Bring it to room temperature and shake gently before you inject.
Liquid culture is living mycelium from an isolated culture, so it skips germination, colonizes days faster and gives genetically consistent fruits. Spores have to germinate and pair up first, which is slower and more variable from grow to grow.
Liquid culture is living mycelium, so every syringe leaves our lab in a foil-lined insulated mailer. The insulation buffers it against summer heat in a delivery truck and against sub-freezing winter temperatures, so it arrives viable either way.
When it arrives: refrigerate the syringe at 35–45°F until you're ready to inoculate. Never freeze it. Bring it to room temperature and shake gently before use.
This strain is notorious for taking forever to fruit, and this one is no exception. Took about 60 days for my first flush. I love this mushroom but patience is key! Good strain and will buy again
Price: $12.50