Golden Oyster (AKA Yellow Oyster) Mushroom Kit Instructions
Golden Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus citrinopileatus) are add a beautiful splash of colour to your home and are delicious to eat. They produce a large number of small delicate fruits. Golden oysters grow wild on hardwood and are native to subtropical regions of Asia. They're a good choice for the late spring and summer.
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 the organic growing medium 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. Be aware that the mycelium of different species can vary in colour and density.
To check the mycelium, first locate and remove the round cardboard tab on the outside of the box. Check the colour of the growing medium through this 'window'.
Dark brown = needs more time in a warm spot to colonise.
(This only applies to Christmas gift kits, as we adjust production timing to allow more leeway for when gift recipients can start them)
This is an example of a fully colonised golden oyster kit, ready for fruiting. Note that sometimes the mycelium may appear less dense and white.
Do not wait too long start as it will start to fruit inside of the bag!
We send out our kits when they are ready to grow, so please do not wait more than 2 weeks of arrival to start your kit.
Incubating your kit (only applies to kits received at Christmas):
If your window is brown, move your kit to a warm location at 17°C degrees. Check it once a week until 50% of the window looks white.
If your window is filled with 50% white mycelium you can now move on to step 2. If you do not want to move on to step 2 at this time, you can keep your kit in a cool place for up to a week. Do not store Golden Oyster kits in the fridge - they are a tropical species and cannot survive temperatures below 10 degrees celsius.
Step 2: Finding an Ideal Location
Golden oyster mushrooms grow best when they are warm, out of direct sunlight and have plenty of humidity and fresh air. Finding or creating the perfect environment is key to getting the most mushrooms out of your kit.
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Find a humid spot with indirect sunlight to place your box. Near the kitchen sink or in a bathroom is a good choice. If you've purchased a thermometer/hygrometer, a humidity reading over 50% and a temperature between 17°C and 30°C is ideal.
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Do not enclose in a box or cupboard as oysters need access to fresh air.
Step 3: Initiating Fruiting
In nature the mushroom fruiting process is triggered by a range of changes in the environment. Fresh air and ambient light become available as the mycelium breaks through the ground layer or the extremities of a log. Seasonal changes bring wetter weather and humidity increases. You will imitate these changes in the following way:
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Using a clean knife, puncture the exposed bag in a cross pattern the same size as the hole. This will initiate the fruiting process and your mushrooms will grow from this hole.
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Mist your kit according to the misting instructions below.
Step 4: Misting
Mushrooms prefer to grow in an environment with 80-90% humidity. Because of this, you'll need to gently mist your kit regularly with a clean spray bottle. You want to create a humid environment for the mushrooms and to keep their bodies moist, rather than to 'water' them as you would a plant.
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Before your mushrooms begin to grow, a gentle mist 4-6 inches from the hole 3 times a week will suffice. You do not need to mist the box so much or so close that it becomes sodden.
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If you are using a large, household spray bottle, be sure it is set to 'mist' instead of 'stream' and mist 6-8 inches from the box.
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Once you see your mushrooms begin to pin, mist them twice a day and make sure to keep the mushrooms moist.
Step 5: Pinning
'Pinning' should begin within 3-4 weeks of initiating fruiting. If your mushrooms have not begun to pin within 4 weeks, please see our FAQ. Once they have begun to pin they will grow rapidly and should be ready to harvest within a week. Keep the mushrooms moist during this period by misting them at least 2 times a day.
Step 6: When to Harvest
Harvest your mushrooms while they are still bright yellow and before their edges have begun to flip up or harden. A white dust under your mushrooms means they have started to drop spores. Your mushrooms will be at their most tender if you harvest them before they sporate, but they'll still be edible if you don't quite catch them in time. Just don't forget to wipe off your counter!
Mushrooms are still bright yellow and their caps have not started to flatten
Mushrooms have begun to lighten in colour and their edges have begun to flip up flatten - they will be less tender.
Step 7: Harvest
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To harvest, twist and pull the entire bunch off at the base. Do not harvest one mushroom at a time, as this will slow your mushrooms' growth.
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Be sure that you have removed all of the mushrooms' base from the hole. You should be able to see brown growing medium to ensure the next flush.
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Cut off any cardboard or growing medium that has stuck to your mushrooms. You can store your mushrooms in the fridge for up to a week.
Step 8: Initiating The Next Flush
Did you know that your box has the ability to produce several clusters or 'flushes' of mushrooms over time?
After you harvest, you can then return your kit to your chosen location and repeat steps 4-7. Times between flushes can vary from 3-9 weeks. Your kit may flush several times, but the amount of mushrooms will reduce and the length of time between flushes will increase with each time until the growing medium is completely spent.
For more tips and information about how to encourage subsequent flushes sooner see our FAQ on getting more our of your kit.
Step 9: What to do with your kit when it stops producing mushrooms
Did you know that fungi play a key role in storing carbon? Trees and plants remove carbon from the atmosphere and fungi break down plant waste to create new carbon-rich soil. Clean air, healthy soil and delicious mushrooms: just one of the many ways fungi are incredible!
Once your box has finished flushing, open the box and remove the mycelium block from its plastic bag. Discard the bag in the general waste. You can now recycle the box and additional packaging and compost the block. Alternately, in warmer months you can plant your block in the garden to see if it will gain a some more energy and produce one last seasonal crop for you! Simply dig a hole in a shady spot, bury the block, cover it over with around 5cm of soil and occasionally water to keep the soil moist.
We hope you've enjoyed growing your Golden Oyster 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!