Mushroom Genetics

Shiitake brings deep, savory umami and a meaty texture, which is why it's a kitchen staple around the world. It takes longer than oysters, including a browning phase before fruiting, but rewards patience with restaurant-quality harvests. L. edodesSpecies ~5 lbColonized grain 55–70°FFruiting temp IntermediateSkill level 12–13Master's Mix bags Why grow Shiitake from our spawn Restaurant quality Rich umami and a firm, meaty bite. Built for blocks Best on supplemented hardwood sawdust or Master's...

Turkey Tail grows thin, leathery fans banded in brown, tan, gray, blue and orange. Foraged specimens are easy to confuse with look-alikes such as Stereum ostrea and Trichaptum biforme. Starting from an isolated culture takes that guesswork out. T. versicolorSpecies 10–14 daysTo cover a plate 60–75°FFruiting temp BeginnerSkill level 6–8Plates from one Why start with our Turkey Tail plate Easy for a functional One of the most forgiving functional species to grow, and one of the most resistant to...

Turkey Tail is a multicolored, fan-shaped polypore and one of the most widely studied functional mushrooms. It colonizes grain and bulk substrate fast, and as a natural wood decomposer it does well on blocks and logs. T. versicolorSpecies ~5 lbColonized grain 55–75°FFruiting temp BeginnerSkill level 12–13Master's Mix bags Why grow Turkey Tail from our spawn Fast colonizer Aggressive mycelium that's easy to get going. Wood lover Runs on Master's Mix, supplemented hardwood sawdust or hardwood...

Culture Blend is the formula behind every jar of liquid culture we've produced at Myco Labs for the last 15 years, pre-blended as a dry mix. Extra light malt extract, dextrose, soy peptone and our nutritional supplement and mineral blend come measured and mixed in one resealable pouch. Weigh it, dissolve it in hot water, pressure cook, and you have sterile broth ready for spores, liquid culture or an agar wedge. One 250 g pouch makes more than 3 US gallons. Our lab's liquid culture recipe,...

Our Blue Oyster is a first-generation Pleurotus ostreatus isolate kept in the Myco Labs lab for one reason: it runs hard. It colonizes grain fast enough to outpace most low-level contamination, fruits in dense clusters of blue-gray caps that fade toward pewter, and handles more substrates than almost any gourmet species we culture. P. ostreatusSpecies G1Isolated genetics 10–14 daysColonization 60–70°FFruiting temp BeginnerDifficulty Why grow our Blue Oyster culture Outruns contamination An...

Our Lion's Mane is a first-generation isolate selected in the Myco Labs lab for an aggressive run on grain and large, full fruits with long, dense spines. Hericium erinaceus is a tooth fungus: instead of a cap and gills it forms a white globe of cascading spines, and it's one of the few gourmet species that's both quick to colonize and forgiving to fruit. H. erinaceusSpecies G1Isolated genetics ~10 daysColonization 50–75°FFruiting temp BeginnerDifficulty Why grow our Lion's Mane culture Fast...

Our Pink Oyster is a first-generation Pleurotus djamor isolate and the fastest culture in the Myco Labs library. It's a subtropical oyster that throws dense, fan-shaped clusters in saturated salmon pink and can go from spawned substrate to harvest in under two weeks when it's warm. P. djamorSpecies G1Isolated genetics 10–12 daysColonization 72–85°FFruiting temp BeginnerDifficulty Why grow our Pink Oyster culture Built for heat It fruits from 72 to 85°F, right where most gourmet species stall....

Our Shiitake is a first-generation Lentinula edodes isolate of the Shiitake 75 (Aloha) strain, chosen because it forgives mistakes. It colonizes rye berries well, fruits across an unusually wide temperature range and is the Shiitake we recommend for a first wood-substrate grow. L. edodesSpecies G1Isolated genetics ~18 daysColonization 62–85°FFruiting temp BeginnerDifficulty Why grow our Shiitake culture Forgiving strain Shiitake 75 keeps performing in conditions that stall fussier strains,...

A first-generation Amanita muscaria (fly agaric) culture from the Myco Labs lab, for growers working with mycorrhizal species. Fly agaric is the red-capped, white-spotted toadstool of northern forests, and it doesn't behave like a gourmet mushroom: it grows mycelium on grain and agar, but it only fruits in partnership with the living roots of a host tree such as birch or pine. That makes this a long-term outdoor project, not a monotub grow. Read the expectations below before you buy. A....

Our Antler Reishi is a first-generation Ganoderma multipileum isolate that grows as branching, coral-like columns instead of a flat cap. It's aggressive, forgiving and fruits in a sealed bag with no chamber at all, which makes it the easiest Reishi we carry and the one we suggest first. G. multipileumSpecies G1Isolated genetics ~18 daysColonization 64–77°FFruiting temp BeginnerDifficulty Why grow our Antler Reishi culture Hands-off grow Spawn it to a sealed grow bag and leave it. No fruiting...

Our Chestnut is a first-generation Pholiota adiposa isolate chosen for reliability. It colonizes rye readily, accepts a range of bulk substrates and keeps producing flush after flush from the same block, which makes it one of the best yield-per-pound cultures we sell. P. adiposaSpecies G1Isolated genetics ~18 daysColonization 50–70°FFruiting temp BeginnerDifficulty Why grow our Chestnut culture Flush after flush Where many species give one good round, Chestnut keeps coming back from the same...

Our Cordyceps Militaris is the HIGHMILE22A strain, a first-generation isolate selected for fast colonization and heavy pinning on rice. It's the bright orange, club-shaped Cordyceps and the only member of the genus that's practical to grow at home: no insects, no bulk substrate, just rice in jars and a light. C. militarisSpecies HIGHMILE22AStrain ~16 daysColonization 50–70°FFruiting temp IntermediateDifficulty Why grow our Cordyceps Militaris culture A shelf-sized grow Quart jars of rice under...

Our Golden Oyster is a first-generation Pleurotus citrinopileatus isolate, known as tamogitake in Japan. It forms tight bouquets of brilliant yellow, fan-shaped caps and is the quickest colonizer in the Myco Labs library, going from injection to harvest in about a month. P. citrinopileatusSpecies G1Isolated genetics ~11 daysColonization 71–78°FFruiting temp BeginnerDifficulty Why grow our Golden Oyster culture Fastest on grain About eleven days to colonize, the quickest turnaround we have....

Our Pioppino is a first-generation Cyclocybe aegerita isolate, the black poplar mushroom of Italian kitchens. Clusters of brown, silky caps on firm, crisp stems carry a peppery, earthy, faintly floral flavor that holds its own in pasta and hearty sautés. C. aegeritaSpecies G1Isolated genetics 16–20 daysColonization 55–75°FFruiting temp BeginnerDifficulty Why grow our Pioppino culture Flavor first Sweet, peppery and earthy with a floral aroma as it cooks. It brings its own character instead of...

Our Portobello is a first-generation Agaricus bisporus isolate, the same species sold as white button, cremini and portobello depending on when you pick it. It's a compost-loving secondary decomposer that needs a casing layer to pin, which makes it a project for growers ready to move past wood and straw species. A. bisporusSpecies G1Isolated genetics 16–20 daysColonization 55–65°FFruiting temp AdvancedDifficulty Why grow our Portobello culture One culture, three products Pick it as a white...

Our Red Reishi is a first-generation Ganoderma lucidum isolate, the glossy, deep-red bracket fungus with no gills underneath. It's slow and deliberate, and it's the one species where you choose the final shape: flat lacquered conks or branching antlers, depending on how much air you give it. G. lucidumSpecies G1Isolated genetics 18–21 daysColonization 65–75°FFruiting temp IntermediateDifficulty Why grow our Red Reishi culture You pick the form Keep the bag sealed and it grows antlers. Vent it...

Ophiocordyceps sinenes is a unique species of mushroom, Cordyceps parasitizes insects It forms a small 1"-2" inch mushroom-like fruiting structure with a bright yellow and white head, or cap. Benefits of Cordyceps Sinensis Mushrooms Although the Food and Drug Administration has yet to endorse cordyceps in supplement form, you may want to know more about the potential health benefits of this unusual mushroom. The potential benefits of Cordyceps include: Cordyceps may increase athletic...

Our King Blue Oyster is a first-generation hybrid of Blue Oyster and King Oyster. It keeps the blue-gray caps and fast clustering of one parent and the thick, meaty flesh of the other, and it keeps after harvest far longer than any other oyster in the Myco Labs library. Pleurotus hybridSpecies G1Isolated genetics 12–16 daysColonization 60–70°FFruiting temp BeginnerDifficulty Why grow our King Blue Oyster culture Up to 10-day shelf life Most oysters wilt in a day or two. King Blue holds up to...

Our Maitake is an isolated indoor strain of Grifola frondosa, the hen of the woods. It grows as a rosette of overlapping gray-brown fronds instead of a single cap, and it's one of the most sought-after gourmet mushrooms and one of the harder ones to fruit indoors. G. frondosaSpecies G1Isolated genetics ~18 daysColonization 67–76°FFruiting temp AdvancedDifficulty Why grow our Maitake culture A grower's challenge Slow to colonize and particular about substrate. Getting a full rosette indoors is...

Our Pearl Oyster is a first-generation Pleurotus ostreatus isolate: soft gray-tan caps in overlapping shelves, a tender bite and the mild, savory flavor most people mean when they say oyster mushroom. If you're growing to eat, this is the oyster we'd hand you. P. ostreatusSpecies G1Isolated genetics 12–14 daysColonization 60–70°FFruiting temp BeginnerDifficulty Why grow our Pearl Oyster culture Best eating oyster More tender than Blue Oyster and milder than King Trumpet. It's the restaurant...

Our Turkey Tail is a first-generation Trametes versicolor isolate: the banded, fan-shaped polypore you've walked past on a fallen log. It's tough, leathery and one of the most cold-tolerant species in cultivation, fruiting on outdoor logs down to around 42°F. T. versicolorSpecies G1Isolated genetics ~16 daysColonization 55–65°FFruiting temp BeginnerDifficulty Why grow our Turkey Tail culture Low-maintenance outdoors Inoculate hardwood logs or a sawdust block, set it in the shade and let the...

Our Wine Cap is a first-generation Stropharia rugosoannulata isolate, the King Stropharia or garden giant. Colonize grain indoors, mix it into a shaded bed of hardwood chips or straw, and it fruits outdoors with almost no upkeep, often for several seasons. S. rugosoannulataSpecies G1Isolated genetics ~16 daysColonization 60–75°FFruiting temp BeginnerDifficulty Why grow our Wine Cap culture Mushrooms in the yard No monotub, humidifier or air exchange to manage. A damp, shaded bed and the...

Our Bioluminescent Panellus is a first-generation Panellus stipticus isolate, one of the few fungi on Earth that genuinely glows. The mycelium gives off a soft green light in full darkness, the old "foxfire" of glowing logs. It's a display and classroom culture, not a food crop: bitter and non-edible, though not poisonous. P. stipticusSpecies G1Isolated genetics Green glowIn full darkness 65–75°FTemp range Non-edibleDisplay culture Why grow our Bioluminescent Panellus culture It actually glows...

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. Pleurotus hybridSpecies G1Isolated genetics FastColonization 60–70°FFruiting temp BeginnerDifficulty Why grow our Black Pearl King culture The flavor oyster Noticeably more savory and umami than Pearl or Blue,...