Store them at room temp prior to inoculation. Be sure your bags are room temp when inoculating! If they have gotten cold during shipping or storage, let them warm up before you inoculate. Once inoculated they should be stored between 70 and 80 degrees F for colonization. The higher 70's will result in faster growth. Always store above 65 degrees or growth will slow dramatically. For fruiting ideal temps are the lower 70's.

Ideal temp range. Colonization 75-80 degrees F Fruiting 70-75 degrees F

Lighting is not an extremely important thing to worry about. Colonization in the dark is OK, as well as indirect sunlight . When it comes time to fruit your bag or block, indirect sunlight or a CFL lamp is best. Avoid direct sunlight or high intensity grow lamps. Mushrooms do not photosynthesize, but they are reactive to light and it is beneficial in the fruiting stage.

This is spores. After the veil breaks, there is a short window of time before the mushroom will drop spores. Some strains have heavier spore drops than others! low sporulating strains can be let go longer in increase yield. Spores are harmless to consume. If it is aesthetically unpleasant to you, you can wipe the caps off with a wet paper towel prior to drying the mushrooms.

Make sure your bag has a consistent dewy look. Dryer climates might need bags to be sprayed every two days. The important thing is to observe the condensation on the bag, keep it dewy but make sure to not over spray to where there is pooling in the bag. A few sprays will do.

The white fuzz on the bottom of the mushrooms is commonly referred to as "fuzzy feet". This is from high co2 concentrations in the growing environment. If you catch it early enough you can cut the slits in the bag bigger or add holes to your fruiting chamber. By increasing the frequent air exchange (FAE) you will prevent or reduce the amount of fuzz on the stems. This fuzz is completely fine for consumption but does reduce the yield of your crop.

I have started adding activated charcoal to my LC syringes. Activated charcoal is anti-bacterial in nature, extends the shelf life of the syringe, and helps stabilize the mycelium inside the syringe. Be sure to shake your syringes before use!

Usually 6-10 weeks. This is typically dependent on strain choice and temperatures.

There is a veil or white skirt under the cap of the mushroom as it matures. When this breaks away from the cap, it is the ideal time to pick them.

No, you can wait to harvest the smaller ones at a later time when they are ready. If they are in a cluster with the bigger one, it may be hard to pick without the small ones coming with it.

I highly recommend using a food dehydrator with temperature control. These can be purchased online or at most department stores. Set the temperature to 130 degrees F and dry for 12-24 hours or until they are "cracker dry". If you live in a dry climate you can just lay the mushrooms out on a piece of cardboard for several days until they dry completely. Regardless of how you dry them, store the final product in a cool dark place with desiccant or silica packs in the container.

Yes you can! Cats and dogs are a possible vector for contamination. Our all in one bags are very contamination resistant because the colonization stage is done inside of the sealed and sterile bag. Once colonized, the colonized block has an "immune system" and is typically resistant to contaminates. I recommend storing your bags or fruiting chambers as high as possible. 90% of contaminates are within one foot of the floor. ALWAYS BE SURE TO KEEP YOUR SUPPLIES OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN AND PETS!! If you have cats that can get to your bag, you can place it in a clear tote as protection.

This is a tough question to answer. I can only speak from personal experience and am not giving medical advice. I have tried every strain on my site. My favorite for micro dosing is Stargazer. I find that it is very consistent in dosing by weight. I take .25 to .5 of a gram Monday through Friday. Stargazer seems to be the best for me in that it provides energy and focus, as well as keeping my depression at bay. Please speak to a doctor or health professional before consuming any amount of mushrooms. DO NOT REPLACE YOUR CURRENT MEDICATION WITH MUSHROOMS.

I recommend Jedi MF, Stargazer, Hillbilly, and Golden Teacher for beginners. They are very forgiving, fast growing and good yielding strains.

All contaminated grains or substrates should be removed immediately from the grow space or laboratory! The most eco-friendly way to dispose of contaminated or spent substrates is to compost them! Simply dump them into a compost pile and mix in. Be sure to thoroughly clean/sanitize and or sterilize your grow room and cultivation vessels (jars/totes/bins) that have had contamination in them before using again.