Kosmic's Psilocybe Azurescens Spawn Box Instructions

Kosmic's Psilocybe Azurescens Spawn Box contains a spawn container with about 70 grams of woodchips colonized by mycelium. It is ready to start your substrate for an outdoor mushroom patch. Until then, keep it in the fridge.

You will need:
-    A 10 liter bag of small beech woodchips. roughly half a centimeter in size, available at pet stores and garden stores.
-    A plain brown cardboard box, max depth 15cm (30 x 30 x 15cm is ideal)
-    A 1L plastic container
-    A liter of soil (optional)
-    Grass seeds (optional)
      
STEP 1
Take a 1L plastic container (with lid) and fill the majority of it with woodchips. You need to leave some room for the mycelium to be added later. Now fill the container with boiling water.
          
STEP 2
Leave chips (submerged) overnight or until cool. This process sterilized the woodchips. Then drain the water.
          
STEP 3
Now wash your hands. Open the spawn box and gently break up the mycelium with a clean fork or something similar.

STEP 4
Add the contents of the spawn box to the moist woodchips. Once you have poured it all in use a clean fork or something similar to mix the mycelium and woodchips evenly.
      
STEP 5
Once mixed, cover it with a layer of wet cardboard. Plain brown cardboard is best, no glossy stuff. Loosely place the lid on the container so that the mycelium is protected from dust, but can still breath. Without air, the mycelium will not grow.
      
STEP 6
Leave the container in a clean, dust-free area at room temperature for about one month to allow the woodchips to become fully inoculated. You will know when it is fully inoculated as the contents will have turned white. Your substrate is now ready to be used outdoors.
      
STEP 7
Pour the rest of your woodchips into a large bucket or similar container and submerge them in boiling  water. You can also use a large pan and put it on the stove.
      
STEP 8
Allow the woodchips to sit in the water overnight. Once done, drain the water.
    
STEP 9
Wash your hands. Fill your cardboard box with both your woodchips colonized by mycelium and your moist woodchips.
          
STEP 10
Take a clean fork or something similar and mix everything evenly.
      
STEP 11
Bury the (open) box in a shady spot under a shrub or deciduous tree (beech tree anyone?). If you want to really give your patch the best chance possible, add a 1cm top layer of moist soil and sprinkle some grass seeds.

Maintenance:
The best way to maintain it is to ensure that the patch is always moist and to add a fresh layer of woodchips every year. To do so, stick your finger about 3cm in every now and again. If it feels dry, add water to the patch. When the frosts begin to settle, add a layer of woodchips to the top of the patch. The mycelium will be protected under the ground, but the chips offer additional protection and nutrients for next year’s harvest.

Most patches can be left alone for most of the year and if you have chosen a good location they should never dry out. Bad weather may ruin or lessen a year’s harvest, but the mycelium will be safe for the next harvest. The only time the patch will need regular attention is during harvest.

Do not use chemical fertilizers or pest repellents near your patch. They could contaminate the harvest. Most certainly do not use fungicides anywhere near the patch.

Harvesting:
The mushrooms usually show themselves around November, carrying on until the first frost. You should be able to get 2-3 full flushes a year, depending on conditions. This can be extended by placing a small greenhouse like structure over your patch. The ideal time to pick a mushroom is just before the veil breaks, but this can be hard to time outdoors, so a good practice is to pick any mushroom that looks mature. To do so, gently grasp the mushroom (or an entire mushroom cluster) between thumb and forefingers at the base of the stem. Gently twist to release. Once harvesting has begun, check back daily for mushrooms ready to harvest.

Spreading:
Once a patch has been established you can dig out a section to start a new patch somewhere else. You can simply bury the section in a suitable place in your garden. You can also treat the section as colonized woodchips and proceed to step 9. This will have more reliable results.

WARNING: With time, you may see other types of mushrooms appearing, through contamination. Be careful and ensure you know what you are picking!

AGE VERIFICATION
You must be 18 years or older to enter this page.
Date of Birth