Grain Spawn Innoculation

All of our liquid cultures can be used to inoculate approximately 12 pounds of sterile grain spawn per syringe. You may be able to stretch them a bit further, though incubation times will be longer. The shorter your incubation times, the lower the risk of contamination.

Grain Spawn Incubation

Blue Oyster mushrooms incubate fairly quickly. Allow the grain spawn to incubate at room temperature (70-75° F) for 10-14 days, at which point a light fuzz of white growth should be seen throughout the grain. You may wish to shake the grain spawn approximately half way through the incubation period to help spread the developing mycelium through portions of the grain that were not exposed directly to the culture.

Bulk Substrate Innoculation

Like other Oyster mushrooms the Blue Oyster thrives on wood and straw substrates. Preferred wood types include Alder, Aspen, Beech, Birch, Chestnut, Cottonwood, Elm, Maple, Oak, Poplar, Sweetgum, Tanoak, Walnut and Willow. That said, Blue Oysters are not very picky and will happily grow on a wide variety of materials, including paper/cardboard, coffee grounds, grass and more. A sterile substrate is not required, unless it is heavily supplemented.

A ratio of 20% spawn to 80% substrate is recommended. As with the grain spawn inoculation you can stretch your spawn further than that, though colonization time will be slower and the risk of contamination will be correspondingly higher.

Bulk Substrate Incubation

Bulk substrate should be incubated at 50-65° F for 2-3 weeks.