Mushrooms are widely loved a staple when it comes to home cooking and for the benefit of health. Growing Lion's Mane mushrooms at home can also be an easy, affordable, and highly accessible opportunity for many people.
Lion’s Mane mushrooms are unusual in their appearance and perhaps not seen much by the average person. So, whether you’re growing them to be more self-sustainable as a household or you’re looking to professionally bulk grow mushrooms, let’s talk about everything there is to know about the Lion’s Mane mushrooms and how to grow them in your home.
Key Takeaways:
- Lion's Mane mushrooms are extremely easy to grow at home, both indoors and outdoors, in grow boxes, bags, tubs and logs.
- They have been shown to offer cognitive and mental health benefits, aiding memory and concentration, as well as anti-inflammatory properties.
- Lion's Mane mushrooms are fantastic for cooking, and go especially well in soups, stir fries, steaks and tacos.
What are Lion’s Mane mushrooms?
Lion’s Mane is an edible and medicinal mushroom that’s recognised for its shaggy, cascading spines. That’s why it’s got its name - because one would liken it to a lion’s mane. It’s a mushroom that’s native to North America, Asia, and Europe, and grows on hardwood trees that are dead or already dying.
The mushroom is used for brain health, memory, focus and having the ability to reduce anxiety for some. Common names that it’s often referred to as are the pom-pom mushroom or the bearded tooth fungus.
Why grow Lion’s Mane mushrooms?
So why choose Lion’s Mane mushrooms as your choice of homegrown mushrooms? Growing Lion’s Mane is a popular one because of its cognitive health benefits.
It also has quite a unique flavour profile that reminds those who eat it of seafood. Here are a few key reasons as to why many choose to grow Lion’s Mane mushrooms in their homes.
Cognitive and mental health
Some research has been done on the benefits that Lion’s Mane has on cognitive and mental health. The compounds found within the mushroom, hericenones and erinacines, may be able to stimulate nerve growth. This may help to aid memory, concentration and potentially have the ability to alleviate depression and anxiety.
Medicinal and nutritional value
The mushroom is rich in antioxidants and also has anti-inflammatory properties, making it a brain-boosting mushroom that many people would see as something to incorporate into their diet.
Unique culinary experience
As a culinary experience, it offers something different to the average button and closed cup mushrooms you see in your local supermarket. Lion’s Mane has a firm texture, which is often compared to crab or lobster.
As a result, it makes for a desirable and gourmet meal substitute when introducing it into your cooking.
Easy cultivation
When it comes to growing mushrooms, they’re straightforward to grow, especially when using growing kits that produce these kinds of mushrooms in a few weeks. Thankfully, we can provide you with the growing kits you need to grow Lion’s Mane in your home.
Indoor and urban farming
Lion’s Mane mushrooms grow well indoors and require little space. The high humidity requirement of these mushrooms makes them perfect for those looking to cultivate mushrooms in their home.
What are the benefits of growing Lion’s Mane mushrooms at home?
What makes the Lion’s Mane mushrooms beneficial for growing at home? Well, there are many advantages, some of which have already been mentioned above.
Well, for one, it’s easy access to one of life’s superfoods. Home-grown mushrooms are often a lot fresher than any store-bought options, which often have a shorter shelf life as a result. That means you get more use out of the home-grown options.
With our growing kits, it allows for easy growth and harvest within weeks, making it an ideal choice for beginners to mushroom growing at home. As they grow well indoors, you’re able to cultivate them all year round, which means delicious mushrooms whenever you feel like it.
Growing your own mushrooms is a lot more economical than purchasing them. They’re also a harder mushroom to find in-store at your local supermarket.
These mushrooms also contain compounds like beta-glucan, which is a compound that supports the immune system function, as well as promotes healthy gut bacteria.
How to use Lion’s Mane mushrooms
The use of Lion’s Mane mushrooms is very versatile. As mentioned, they have a mild, seafood-like flavour and a tender texture that are perfect for the vegetarian’s version of steak. Here are a few uses for Lion’s Mane mushrooms.
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Lion’s Mane Steaks
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Crabless Cakes
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Pulled Mushroom Tacos
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Stir-fries and soups
It’s recommended when cooking with mushrooms to dry-sear them first because they hold a lot of water. Avoid washing them and instead clean with a brush or a damp cloth, again due to them absorbing water easily.
Be sure to pair your delicious mushrooms with garlic, soy sauce, herbs, butter and white wine if you need some inspiration.
How easy are Lion’s Mane mushrooms to grow?
Lion’s Mane mushrooms are considered pretty easy to grow, making them one of the best choices for beginners to take advantage of. Of course, they require some attention to humidity and airflow, but they’re fast growers.
For beginners, starting with a ready-to-grow box or kit is the simplest method. All you have to do is cut a split in the packaging of our MGS Lion's Mane Mushroom Grow Kits, place it in non-direct sunlight and spray with water two to three times a day.
For your Lion’s Mane to thrive, you’ll need to have very high humidity levels, and fresh air exchange is crucial. If the levels of CO2 are too high, then this can cause the mushroom to grow into a coral-like shape instead of the dense ball shape it needs to be.
Indoor methods for growing Lion’s Mane mushrooms
Let’s dive into some of the indoor methods for growing Lion’s Mane mushrooms successfully in your own home.
Ready-to-grow kits
These are the easiest methods for beginners. Pre-inoculated and fully colonised, you simply need to cut a slit in the bag and mist regularly.
All-in-one grow bags
These contain both the grain spawn and substrate in one bag. You simply inject the bag with the Lion’s Mane liquid culture and wait 4-6 weeks before harvesting the mushrooms.
Monotub
An ultimate grow solution for experienced growers who want large yields. A kit that helps you grow multiple flushes of mushrooms and can be refilled and reused over and over again.
Fruiting block
The fruiting block comes with two options: just the fruiting block or complete with supplies. Enables you to grow large amounts of mushrooms without any hassle.
Grain spawn bag
For the advanced growers, it involves inoculating sterilised hardwood sawdust with grain sawn in a bag. Ideal for creating lots of mushrooms in a short amount of time.
Required environment/growing conditions
Typically, you’ll want a temperature of around 21–25°C during the incubation period and 16–21°C for furiting. Humidity levels need to remain high throughout the process, and in terms of light, you’ll want around 8-12 hours of indirect natural light a day.
Potential yield for each indoor growing method and troubleshooting tips
So what are the potential yields for each indoor growing method? Let’s go through numbers as well as some useful troubleshooting tips
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Ready-to-grow kits
Ready-to-grow kits will provide around 225g-680g and have a total life cycle of 2-3 harvests under ideal conditions.
If you notice any yellow or browning of the mushrooms, then that can be due to low humidity and direct air drafts. You can fix this by increasing misting or using a humidity dome to improve the levels. Where no pins appear after 2 weeks, you may find the block is too dry and therefore needs to be submerged in cold water overnight to shock and rehydrate the substrate.
For small and shrivelled spines, ensure humidity is at a higher level, as this indicates low ambient moisture.
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All-in-one grow bags
Potential yields for this method are slightly lower than those of professional kits. You’ll like get somewhere between 0.4 and 0.8lbs. You may want to transfer the colonised AIO block into a monotube to get a higher yield.
If you’re spotting green or black mould, you should sanitise the injection port and needle using 70% Isopropyl alcohol. A sour smell can be caused by over-hydrating the substrate. If this happens, you’ll want to discard it as it has become contaminated.
Ensure a stable temperature of 21–25°C during incubation to avoid stalled colonisation.
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Monotube
With the Monotube, you have a potentially high yield. Although you may get a larger harvest, you will also find that, due to restricted airflow, it can often lead to smaller or malformed individual mushrooms.
Be aware of coral-like or stringy growth, as that’s common with this method. Increase fresh air exchange by adding more ventilation holes. If they have a pinkish tint to them, it’s a signal of needing more oxygen or a slightly cooler temperature.
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Fruiting block
Fruiting blocks provide high efficiency. In fact, a standard 5lb block can yield 1-2 lbs of fresh mushrooms over 2-3 flushes.
Again, similar to the ready-to-grow kits, look out for any yellowing or browning. A mushy or soggy texture that forms will need more mist in the air or chamber walls to avoid bacterial rot. Stalled growth could mean problems with temperature fluctuations, so aim for an optimal temperature for fruiting between 16–21°C.
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Grain spawn bag
Grain spawn bag has a potential yield of low to negligible, so it’s not generally recommended when requiring a full harvest.
Look out for premature fruiting as it often fruits early in the bag. This might be a sign to move it over to a wood-based bulk substrate.
Any contamination of green or black mould should result in you chucking it away to prevent spores from spreading.
Outdoor methods for growing Lion’s Mane mushrooms
Whilst we don’t sell any outdoor growing supplies, there are several outdoor methods you could explore when growing Lion’s Mane mushrooms at home.
Log cultivation
This is the most common one for outdoor methods. You inoculate fresh hardwoods with mushroom plugs or sawdust spawn. The best wood for use on this occasion would be maple, birch, oak or beech.
You drill holes in a diamond pattern, tap in the mushroom plugs and seal holes with food-grade wax to keep moisture in. The timeline is that it takes six to twelve months for the first harvest, but it can continue to produce mushrooms for 3-5 years. The potential yield with these is around 0.5 to 1.5 lbs per log.
A few troubleshooting tips for log cultivation are to look out for contamination, which looks like orange crusts. If the bark falls off, the log will dry out and die, so handle the logs carefully and keep them in deep shade.
Stump inoculation
If you have freshly cut hardwood stumps in your garden, these can be a mushroom producer. Again, similar to logs, you drill holes around the outer ring and the top face of the stump. Cover with wax and keep it shaded.
When it comes to potential yield, it’s highly variable based on stump size, but it can produce some of the largest individual clusters, weighing in at 2+ lbs for a single mushroom. It also usually fruits every year in the Autumn.
Be wary of wildlife theft by squirrels. A wire mesh cage or chicken wire over the stump can help protect it.
Totem Method
The final method involves cutting thick logs into rounds and layering sawdust spawn between them, then bagging or stacking them.
There are higher initial yields with this method than using single logs due to the large volume of spawn that’s used. You’ll likely expect between 2 and 4 lbs in the first year. These can also produce over 5 years' worth of mushrooms.
Totems can fall over or shift, so you’ll want to secure the stack with a long stake to avoid breaking that mycelial bond between the layers. Termites and ants can be a problem when it comes to hollowing out the stack, so place the totem on a base of gravel or bricks.
When and how to harvest Lion’s Mane mushrooms
If you’ve been successful in the growth period of your mushrooms, then typically these mushrooms will be ready to harvest in twelve to fourteen days after fruiting begins.
This is typically when they are white, firm and have spines that are ¼-½ inch long. It should feel soft like a sponge. Harvest your mushrooms by gently twisting and pulling the entirety of the cluster from the base.
If the colour of the mushrooms begins to turn yellow or brown, it might be slightly overmature, but regardless, it is still edible.
They will mature fast, so check daily and harvest them before it drops spores to avoid a bitter taste. This looks like white powder on the spines or bag.
After harvesting, it’s also worth removing any remaining mushroom bits from the substrate to encourage new growth. You can store the mushrooms in a breathable container for up to a week. You can get multiple flushes from a single kit, usually waiting about 8-9 days for the next one.
And that’s everything you need to know about growing Lion’s Mane mushrooms at home. Check out all our available kits and explore the beautiful array of mushrooms you can grow at home, with our help.