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NOTE: Liquid culture works better than spores. Always use liquid culture instead of spores, if possible. We recommend myyco.com. Use the code MAGICBAG for 5% off your order.
We require photos in order to process replacements as we’ve found customers may accidentally throw bags away that were perfectly fine. So, if you’re having any issues with your grow, or think you might have contamination, please send us detailed photos.
This will expedite the support process and allow us to troubleshoot your grow or send a new bag if needed. But, before doing that, please utilize our Grow Guide to try to self-troubleshoot your grow. We’re always adding resources there to help our customers troubleshoot common issues. 🙂
The sooner you inject your liquid culture into your spawn bag (known as “inoculating”), the better, but if you’re not going to inject your bag within a few days of receiving it, store it in your fridge to maintain sterilization (up to 2 weeks). When you’re ready to inoculate it, leave it out for 6 hours in order for the contents to return to room temperature before you inject it. Avoid excessively handling the spawn bag to avoid contamination.
Sterilization is key! Clean your work area with a household disinfectant. Contaminants float in the air—turn off all fans and central air systems. Wash your hands and wear the provided latex gloves. For extra sterility, we recommend showering and wearing clean clothes and a face mask during inoculation. Take one of the included alcohol wipes and wipe down the outside of your spawn bag, the grey injection port (where you’ll inject your needle), and your gloved hands. The highest risk for contamination is when the needle of your syringe is exposed to air. So, wait to unsheathe the needle until it is securely fastened to the syringe body. Once unsheathed, don’t breath directly on it. Quickly wipe the needle tip with a fresh alcohol wipe and then swiftly inject it into the bag.
Inject 3 to 5 cc (mL) of your liquid culture into the black self-healing grey injection port located towards the bottom of the bag. DO NOT inject into the white filter patch at the top of the bag. After you’ve injected, swiftly place the small circular sticker, included with your order, over the hole that was made from the needle in order to fully seal it off. Avoid touching the sticky side of the sticker as much as possible. If you’re injecting multiple bags, you’ll want to “flame sterilize” the syringe needle between bags. Heat the needle with a lighter or torch until it’s red hot. Wait until it cools before injecting into the next bag. Once finished, place the spawn bag in a warm, dark environment and let it do it’s magic! (between 70°F to 77°F). Wipe down the storage area with a disinfectant (ideally hydrogen peroxide or 70% Iso alcohol) before placing the bag there. A closet or drawer works well.
Leave your bag in peace for a few weeks and don’t stress. There is no need to handle it or inspect it. Patience is key.
Once you see white patches (that’s the mycelium growing) covering about 30% of the grain, mix up the bag (with cleaned or gloved hands) to break up the areas of growth and ensure it spreads throughout the bag. The bag should be thoroughly mixed, but don’t mix it too vigorously, as this can risk creating a tear in the seams of the bag.
Wait another two weeks, or until all of the grain inside the bag is completely covered with white mycelium. Break up the grain one more time and wait just a few days. This ensures all parts of the grain are evenly colonized with mycelium (don’t worry, you will not damage the mycelium).
Once all of your grain is fully white and evenly colonized, your grain spawn is ready to use. At this point, you have two common options: a small or large monotub.
The most common sizes for monotubs are 55 – 60 quart tubs or 16 quart “shoebox” or “dubtub” tubs..
If you choose a large 60 quart tub, you will need two fully colonized 3-pound bags of grain, paired with two 5-pound bags of substrate. This will create a spawn and substrate depth of about 3 – 4 inches in the bottom of the tub, which is ideal for a monotub of this size.
If you choose a 16 quart mini monotub (shoebox/dubtub), you will only need to pair one 3-pound bag of colonized grain with one 5-pound bag of substrate. This will create a combined depth of about 2.5 – 3 inches, which is ideal for a smaller tub.
Prepare a clean workspace. Make sure you have showered and are wearing clean clothes. We recommend wearing a mask. Clean your workspace with isopropyl alcohol, put on some gloves, and heavily spray your monotub with either 70% isopropyl alcohol, 3% hydrogen peroxide, or both.
Cleanliness here helps avoid losing your monotub to contamination later on.
Place all of your substrate (we recommend our 5 lb bulk substrate) (this should link to our substrate product) into your monotub.
Then, with your grain spawn bag still closed, break up your fully colonized grain spawn into individual pieces. The goal is to separate the grains as much as possible so they can be evenly distributed throughout the substrate.
Add the broken-up grain spawn to the substrate in the monotub and mix thoroughly. Make sure the grain is evenly distributed from top to bottom and corner to corner of the tub. Take your time, good mixing leads to even colonization and better results.
Once mixed, level the surface so it is flat and even. Gently press down to compact the mixture slightly, but do not apply excessive pressure.
Close the lid on your tub, making sure there are no gaps. If your tub has holes for fresh air exchange, tape over these holes with non-porous tape to cut off airflow during the colonization phase.
Leave your tub in a warm, dark location and try not to open it for at least 10 – 14 days. Make sure your temperature is between 72 – 77°F for best results. Cooler than 70°F will slow growth significantly, while warmer than 80°F increases the risk of contamination.
The tub will fully colonize over the next 10 – 14 days. When you notice the tub is 95 – 99% white with mycelium, you can introduce fruiting conditions.
Move your monotub into a room with light. This can be indirect natural light from a nearby window or normal room lighting. Maintain a temperature range of 72 – 77°F.
If your monotub has fresh air exchange holes, remove the non-porous tape and replace it with micropore filters, polyfill, or micropore tape to allow airflow.
Open the lid and fan fresh air into the tub using a book or a handheld fan for about 60 seconds, then replace the lid. Fan the tub two times per day.
Monitor the surface of the substrate closely. You want to see fine beads of condensation covering the mycelium surface. If you live in a dry climate or notice the surface drying out, gently mist the tub with clean water in a spray bottle. Avoid over-misting. There should be no pooling water on the surface, just lots of tiny condensation beads of water spread evenly over the mycelium surface. In many cases, the tub will maintain proper moisture on its own and require little to no misting.
After initiating fruiting conditions, it can take a minimum of two weeks for mushrooms to begin forming. Be patient and avoid over-handling the tub. Continue providing fresh air daily and maintaining surface moisture as needed.
Keep the temperature between 72 – 77°F throughout the day and the night to get the best results.
With stable conditions and patience, your mushrooms will begin to grow. Pick them from the base of the stem when they look like they’re ready–right before the base of the caps break from the stems. Depending on the strain, you should get several flushes. Keep picking them over the next few weeks.
Magic Bag urges customers to follow all their local laws regarding the cultivation of edible and medicinal mushrooms. Certain mushroom strains offer unique experiences. These experiences should be used as tools for healing and growth, and treated with the utmost respect and preparation. Integration therapists and guides should be utilized.
