Below, I include an affiliate link to the Excalibur 9-Try Dehydrator. Purchasing through this link helps support Badwater and this type of content!

The mushroom dehydrating process is a constant but low stakes discussion for mushroom cultivators because there have been no good conclusions for the subject. For psilocybin mushroom growers, there are a couple groups of thought.

I include an affiliate link to North Spore’s Grain Spawn bags. Purchasing through this link helps support Badwater and this type of content!

Mushroom growing tips: use grain spawn for speed, liquid cultures for growth, agar for quality.

Grain spawn offers quick results but requires careful sterile technique and has higher contamination risks through opening the lid.

Liquid cultures enable more secure transfers through a needle can and accelerate mycelial growth, though contamination can be harder to detect

Agar plates provide the best quality control and isolation capabilities but require more time, expertise, and sterile environments

Starting with quality grain spawn can reduce cultivation time from 6-8 weeks to about 3 weeks. If you're quite new to growing mushrooms, I'd recommend a grain spawn manufacturer like North Spore to start off your grow, and move backwards with DIY techniques to save a lot of money afterward.

Buy the North Spore BoomRoom II Martha Tent with this link to help support Badwater’s commitment to cultivating high quality Lion’s Mane extract and writing about our journey as a small-scale functional mushroom cultivator.

After using North Spore’s BoomRoom II over the last couple months, I have some thoughts on the design. To spoil it now, I really love this tent, and it’s much, much better than the first version of the tent they sold the last few years. I had two of them and they were just fine, but the capacity upgrade with the BoomRoom II allowed me to replace two tents for just this one.

My Take on Grain Bags vs. Grain Jars

This episode is unscripted, and a little rough! But here’s a general outline of what I speak about, and you can find the transcription for the podcast episode.

Shop North Spore's custom wide mouth lids with this link to support Badwater!

The beauty of gardening lies in the inevitability of… death. The changing seasons make me appreciate what I accomplished in this brief 3- to 6-month span, before the cold weather sets in again and I bury what’s left of my veggies, flowers, and plants in the ground to prepare for next spring.

I introduce the Law of Contamination, and the idea that all cultivators are racing against time to grow mushrooms.

Grain spawn has limitations due to contamination and mycelium senescence.

The first part of Batch #7 is almost complete! We’ve got eight substrate bags that’ll be ready in the next few days.

A quick summary:

This is our seventh batch of Lion's Mane mushrooms since moving to Reno! With eight bags currently fruiting, eight colonizing, and eight more being prepared today, I'm pushing to complete 24 substrate bags by the end of December before our vacation.

The North Spore grain spawn resulted in a rapid 10-day colonization. However, I overlooked a crucial step in bag break-up, which caused premature fruiting in the bags. Additionally, I shared some insights on proper air management in substrate bags and provided anecdotal evidence supporting the theory of sideways growth for optimal Lion’s Mane development.

Be sure to check out North Spore if you’re looking for beginner-friendly mushroom cultures and supplies!

And use the code BADWATER at Liquid Fungi for 10% off your next purchase.