Inside Our Process

A step-by-step look into how mushroom cultivation is done

1. Sourcing Quality Materials


Healthy mushrooms come from clean, reliable inputs. Contaminants introduced early compound at every later stage, so quality control begins before any steps are performed.

What we source:

  • Mushroom cultures from trusted cultivation partners
  • Whole oats as our primary grain
  • Hardwood substrate (pellets, chips, or sawdust depending on species)
  • Culture media inputs such as light malt extract and agar agar

Why these materials:

  • Mushroom cultures are widely available online, but not all are maintained to the same standards. We prioritize consistency and genetic stability.
  • Mushrooms require an energy source to grow; grains provide easily accessible carbohydrates. We use whole oats because they remain structurally intact after long sterilization cycles, reducing burst grains and bacterial risk.
  • Most of our cultivated species are wood-loving fungi, so hardwood substrates best replicate their natural environment.
  • Agar agar is standard use in petri dishes.

All of the above are considered consumable materials: Inputs that are used once and replaced each cycle.

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*Quality whole oats sourced from a trusted supplier.
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An example of healthy mycelium growth on a petri dish wraped in micropore tape.

2. Culture Testing on Agar

Before a culture ever touches grain or substrate, it must be verified as clean. Agar allows us to visually confirm mycelial health and detect contamination early, when it’s easiest to correct.

How it’s done:

  • Agar is prepared using agar agar and light malt extract
  • Petri dishes are sterilized at 15psi for 20 minutes
  • Dishes are inoculated in front of a laminar flow hood, which provides sterile air
  • Petri dishes are sealed with parafilm and labeled

What we look for:
Over 2–3 weeks, dishes are observed for:

  • Strong, even mycelial growth
  • Absence of mold, bacteria, or discoloration
  • Consistent growth patterns

Only clean, stable cultures move forward.

Some examples of contaminated cultures on petri dishes.

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Black mold competing with Pink Oyster Mycelium
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Bacterial growth on a petri dish
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White mold contacting reishi mycelium.

3. Expanding into Liquid Culture


Liquid culture allows mycelium to be distributed quickly and evenly, dramatically speeding up grain colonization compared to direct agar transfers.

How liquid culture is prepared:

  • Light malt extract and water are mixed
  • The solution is sterilized at 15 PSI for 15–30 minutes
  • Prepared in mason jars with modified lids featuring:
    • A self-healing injection port for sterile transfers
    • A syringe filter for gas exchange

Inoculation process:

  • Jars and corresponding agar plates are placed in sterile airflow
  • An inoculation loop is flame-sterilized and cooled in sterile air
  • Mycelium is gently transferred from agar into the liquid culture
  • Jars are sealed tightly and wrapped with parafilm

Once established, liquid cultures can be:

  • Expanded into additional jars
  • Stored for continued use
  • Transferred by sterile syringe into grain
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4. Grain Preparation

Grain spawn is the foundation of mushroom production. Proper hydration and sterilization ensure fast colonization and minimize contamination risk.

How grain is prepared:

  1. Whole oats are soaked overnight to hydrate the grain fully
  2. Grains are strained and allowed to surface-dry so excess moisture is removed
  3. Grains are loaded into jars or autoclavable grow bags
  4. Sterilized at 15 PSI for 3 hours

This extended sterilization ensures the grain is free of competing organisms.

5. Inoculating Grain Spawn

Introducing clean liquid culture to sterile grain allows mycelium to spread rapidly and evenly.

How inoculation works:

  • Liquid culture is drawn into a sterile syringe
  • If using mason jars:
    • Culture is injected through the self-healing injection port
  • If using grow bags:
    • The syringe pierces the bag and the hole is sealed immediately

Colonization timeline:

  • Grain typically fully colonizes in 1–3 weeks, depending on:
    • Mushroom species
    • Ambient temperature
    • Culture vigor
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Mushroom mycelium colonizing a bag of sterilized oats.
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A fruiting block before it’s packaged. This is what’s inside your home cultivation system.

6. Preparing Fruiting Blocks

Substrate moisture and cleanliness directly impact mushroom yield and health.

Substrate preparation:

  • Hardwood substrate is hydrated to field capacity
    • Field capacity is the amount of water the substrate holds on its own after gravity has drained all the excess water.
  • Substrate is sterilized at 15 PSI for 3 hours
  • Once sterilized, the substrate is inoculated with grain spawn at a ratio of 20% grain to 80% substrate; this may vary across cultivators or even mushroom variety.
  • The inoculation process is done in front of sterile air flow to ensure no contamination is introduced at this late stage.
  • At this point, the block contains everything the mushroom needs to complete its life cycle, similar to how fungi behave in natural environments.
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