Trametes Versicolor Mushroom Growing Kit Instructions
Trametes versicolor is a delight to watch grow in your garden or allotment, making colourful brackets!
Each species of mushroom is a different growing experience. Even if you have grown mushrooms before, please read the instructions for your kit carefully before proceeding. If you run into any problems please see our FAQ.
Step 1: Mycelium Check
Inside of this box, mycelium has has been happily breaking down organic substrates and converting it into energy. At first the mycelium is often wispy and hard to see, but as it gets ready to produce mushrooms it becomes more dense and white in colour.
Open the box and remove the bag of mushroom mycelium. DO NOT OPEN THE BAG but instead inspect the block through the bag to determine what stage the mycelium is at.
What colour is it?
Brown or brown & white =
needs more time in a warm location
White =
ready to move on to stage 2
If your mycelium needs more time to develop, return it to the box and place it in a warm location - over 15°C and NO MORE THAN 25°C. Check it once a week until it is almost completely covered with dense white mycelium.
If you are not ready to move on to step 2 but your block is, you can store it in the fridge for up to a month.
Step 2: Finding an Ideal Location
Trametes mushrooms grow best outdoors, out of direct sunlight and shielded from the wind. You will also need to source a freshly cut oak or beech log to host your mushrooms.
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Find a spot in your garden or allotment that's shady and shielded.
Step 3: Preparing your log
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For the best results, your oak or beech log should have been recently cut. Slightly older logs will also work, but using logs that have already been greatly degraded by other fungi can reduce yields.
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Throughly soak you login fresh water.
Step 4: Planting your Mycelium
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Your block contains live Trametes versicolor Mycelium growing on hardwood sawdust. You want to encourage this mycelium to grow into your log and colonise it.
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Dig a shallow trough the size of your log. This will be your 'planting' area.
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Be sure to throughly water this are before proceeding.
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Unroll the bag that contains your mycelium block.
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Without opening the bag, throughly break up the block until it resembles sawdust or chunks of sawdust and white mycelium.
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Wash or sanatise your hands thoroughly.
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open the bag, and spread the contents into your tough.
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Place your log on top, and make sure that any exposed sawdust/mycelium is covered by dirt
Step 5: Maintenance
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Thoroughly water your log during dry spells.
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Your mushrooms will likely grow in spring, summer or fall months depending on the time of planting. Depending on when you plant, your mushrooms will be ready to harvest in 2-9 months.
Step 6: Harvest
To harvest, cut away the fruit bodies with a sharp knife. leave some of the fruit body intact to increase the likelihood of a second flush. Turkey Tail is not a palatable mushroom, so you'll want to use it to make a tea or tincture!
Step 8: Initiating The Next Flush
Your log should contiunue to produce Turkey Tail mushrooms over several seasons. If you want to increase your harvest, place a new log next to your innoculated log after each flush!
We hope you've enjoyed growing your mushrooms!
We're passionate about sharing the diversity of the fungi kingdom & making more of its edible & medicinal delights easy to grow. Want to try another strain or learn how to cultivate mushrooms? See our full range of mushroom growing kits and cultivation workshops!