How to Grow Lion's Mane Mushroom From Start to Finish

Spore n' Sprout

15 Dec 202114:26

Summary

TLDRThis video from Sportsbro offers a step-by-step guide on cultivating the Lion's Mane mushroom, a popular edible variety known for its potential health benefits, including preventing Alzheimer's and dementia. The tutorial begins with creating grain spawn using field rye, followed by inoculation with Lion's Mane liquid culture. The process involves careful sterilization, incubation, and substrate preparation with hardwood pellets and wheat bran. The video also addresses challenges like premature pinning and provides tips for successful cultivation, ending with an invitation to engage and subscribe for more informative content.

Takeaways

🍄 Lion's mane is an edible mushroom that can be used as a crabmeat substitute and has medicinal benefits, including potential prevention of Alzheimer's and dementia by promoting nerve growth in the brain.
🌾 The initial step involves creating grain spawn using field rye, which requires rinsing, soaking, boiling, and drying the grains.
🔄 After soaking, grains are boiled and then soaked in hot water until they are plump, followed by straining and drying on a flat surface for approximately 30 minutes.
🛠️ Grain spawn is sterilized in a pressure cooker at 15 psi for two and a half hours to prepare it for inoculation.
📦 Sterilized grain spawn is sealed with an impulse sealer before creating a self-healing injection port using red gasket maker or RTV silicone.
💉 The grain spawn is inoculated with lion's mane liquid culture, which can be obtained from the instructor's website, Spornsprout.com.
🧼 Inoculation should be done in a sterile environment, such as in front of a laminar flow hood or inside a still air box, to inject 2-4 milliliters of liquid culture into the grain bag.
📈 The grain bag is then incubated in a dark, warm area for up to two weeks, during which the mycelium will start to grow and the bag may need to be shaken to disperse it evenly.
🍲 A mushroom substrate is prepared using hardwood fuel pellets, wheat bran, and warm water, which is then pressure cooked at 15 psi for two and a half hours.
🌱 A fully colonized grain spawn is mixed with the cooled substrate, sealed, and further incubated for around two weeks until fully colonized.
🕳️ Lion's mane mushrooms may prematurely pin inside the bag, so it's recommended to cut holes where primordial growth is observed to allow the mushrooms to grow from these holes.

Q & A

What is Lion's Mane mushroom known for besides being an edible mushroom?
-Lion's Mane mushroom is known for its medicinal benefits, particularly for helping prevent Alzheimer's and dementia by promoting nerve growth factor in the brain.
What is the first step to grow Lion's Mane mushroom according to the video?
-The first step is to create your own grain spawn, using field rye in this case, and making a 13-pound bag.
How should the grains be prepared before being used as spawn?
-The grains should be rinsed and soaked overnight, then boiled in water, allowed to soak for about 20 minutes until they are plump but not burst open, strained, and dried for about half an hour.
What is the purpose of sterilizing the grain spawn in a pressure cooker?
-Sterilizing the grain spawn in a pressure cooker at 15 psi for two and a half hours ensures that any contaminants are killed, providing a clean environment for the mushroom mycelium to grow.
How is the grain spawn bag sealed after sterilization?
-After sterilization, an impulse sealer is used to seal the bag of grain spawn.
What material is suggested for creating a self-healing injection port on the spawn bag?
-Red gasket maker or RTV silicone is suggested for creating a self-healing injection port.
Where can viewers find Lion's Mane liquid culture syringes mentioned in the video?
-Viewers can find Lion's Mane liquid culture syringes on the website spornsprout.com.
What is the recommended environment for inoculating the grain spawn with Lion's Mane liquid culture?
-The inoculation process should be done as sterile as possible, preferably in front of a laminar flow hood or inside of a still air box.
How much liquid culture should be injected into the grain bag during inoculation?
-Two to four milliliters of the liquid culture syringe should be injected into the grain bag.
What should be observed after the grain spawn has been incubating for about four to five days?
-After four to five days of incubation, mycelium growth should start to be visible on the grain, and the bag should be shaken to evenly disperse the myciliated grain.
What is the recipe for the mushroom substrate used in the video?
-The recipe consists of five cups of hardwood fuel pellets, one cup of wheat bran, and five and a half cups of warm water.
How long should the substrate be incubated after being mixed with the grain spawn?
-The substrate should be incubated for around two weeks until it is fully colonized.
What should be done if Lion's Mane starts to pin prematurely inside the bag?
-If Lion's Mane starts to pin prematurely inside the bag, cut little holes where the primordial growth is observed to allow the mushroom to grow from those holes.

Outlines

00:00

🍄 Introduction to Lion's Mane Mushroom Cultivation

This paragraph introduces the video's focus on growing Lion's Mane mushrooms, an edible variety known for its potential health benefits, such as preventing Alzheimer's and dementia by promoting nerve growth in the brain. The host, Sportsbro, outlines the initial steps of the cultivation process, which include creating grain spawn using field rye. The grains are rinsed, soaked overnight, boiled, and soaked again in hot water to plump them up. They are then strained, dried, and loaded into a spawn bag before being sterilized in a pressure cooker at 15 psi for two and a half hours.

05:02

🛠 Preparing the Grain Spawn for Inoculation

After sterilizing the grain spawn, the video demonstrates how to seal the bag using an impulse sealer and create a self-healing injection port with red gasket maker or RTV silicone. The injection port is crucial for inoculating the grain spawn with Lion's Mane liquid culture, which can be found on the host's website, Spornsprout.com. The inoculation should be performed under sterile conditions, preferably with a laminar flow hood or in a still air box. The process involves injecting 2-4 milliliters of liquid culture into the grain bag. The bag is then placed in a dark, warm area to incubate for up to two weeks, during which mycelium growth should be observed. Shaking the bag helps to evenly disperse the myciliated grain and speed up colonization.

10:34

🌱 Creating and Colonizing the Mushroom Substrate

The video proceeds to the next phase of mushroom cultivation, which involves making a mushroom substrate using hardwood fuel pellets, wheat bran, and warm water. This mixture is pressure cooked at 15 psi for two and a half hours. Once cooled, the fully colonized grain spawn is mixed with the substrate. The bag is sealed and incubated for an additional two weeks to allow full colonization. The host advises to monitor for premature pinning of the Lion's Mane inside the bag and to cut holes to facilitate growth from these points. The video concludes with a reminder to subscribe for more educational content.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Lion's Mane Mushroom

Lion's Mane Mushroom is the central theme of the video. It is an edible mushroom known for its unique appearance, resembling a lion's mane, and its potential health benefits. The video focuses on teaching viewers how to grow this type of mushroom at home. It is mentioned as a popular replacement for crabmeat and for its medicinal properties, particularly in promoting nerve growth factor in the brain to help prevent Alzheimer's and dementia.

💡Grain Spawn

Grain spawn is a critical component in the mushroom cultivation process. It refers to grains that have been inoculated with mushroom spores or mycelium, which serve as a food source for the mycelium to grow and spread. In the script, field rye is used to create grain spawn, and the process involves rinsing, soaking, boiling, and sterilizing the grains before they are ready for inoculation with lion's mane liquid culture.

💡Field Rye

Field rye is a type of grain used in the video to create grain spawn for growing lion's mane mushrooms. It is one of the preferred grains for mushroom cultivation due to its nutritional content and structure, which supports the growth of mycelium. The script details the steps of using field rye, including soaking and boiling it before it can be used as a substrate for the mushroom mycelium.

💡Sterilization

Sterilization is a crucial step in the mushroom cultivation process to ensure that the grain spawn and substrate are free from contaminants. The video mentions sterilizing the grain spawn in a pressure cooker at 15 psi for two and a half hours. This step is essential to kill any bacteria or other organisms that could compete with or harm the mushroom mycelium.

💡Pressure Cooker

A pressure cooker is a kitchen appliance used in the video to sterilize the grain spawn and the mushroom substrate. It operates at high pressure, which raises the temperature above the boiling point of water, thereby effectively killing off contaminants. The script specifies using the pressure cooker at 15 psi for a duration of two and a half hours for sterilization.

💡Impulsive Sealer

An impulsive sealer is a device used to seal bags containing the grain spawn or substrate, creating an airtight environment that is essential for the growth of the mushroom mycelium. The video script mentions using an impulsive sealer to seal the bags after sterilization and inoculation, ensuring that the mycelium can grow without exposure to contaminants.

💡Liquid Culture

Liquid culture refers to a method of cultivating microorganisms, such as bacteria or fungi, in a liquid medium. In the context of the video, lion's mane liquid culture is used to inoculate the grain spawn. The script describes injecting the liquid culture into the grain bag, which contains the mycelium that will grow and colonize the grain.

💡Mycelium

Mycelium is the vegetative part of a fungus, consisting of a network of fine white filaments called hyphae. In mushroom cultivation, the mycelium is the initial stage before the fruiting bodies (mushrooms) form. The video script describes the growth of mycelium on the grain and its importance in the colonization process before the mushrooms can grow.

💡Incubation

Incubation in the context of mushroom cultivation refers to the period during which the inoculated grain spawn or substrate is kept in optimal conditions to allow the mycelium to grow and colonize. The video mentions incubating the grain spawn in a dark, warm area for up to two weeks and the substrate for another two weeks until it is fully colonized.

💡Mushroom Substrate

A mushroom substrate is the material in which mushrooms grow. It provides the necessary nutrients and environment for the mycelium to develop into fruiting bodies. The video script provides a recipe for a lion's mane mushroom substrate consisting of hardwood fuel pellets, wheat bran, and warm water, which is then pressure cooked and inoculated with the grain spawn.

💡Primordial Growth

Primordial growth refers to the early stage of mushroom development before the fruiting bodies emerge. In the video, the script mentions observing primordial growth as an indication that the mycelium is ready to produce mushrooms. The grower is advised to cut holes in the bag at these points to allow the lion's mane mushrooms to grow from these spots.

Highlights

Introduction to growing Lion's Mane mushrooms, an edible variety with potential health benefits.

Lion's Mane mushrooms can be used as a crabmeat substitute and for medicinal purposes.

Medicinal benefits of Lion's Mane include prevention of Alzheimer's and dementia by promoting nerve growth factor.

Creating grain spawn is the first step in the mushroom cultivation process.

Field rye is used to make a 13-pound bag of grain spawn.

Grains must be rinsed and soaked overnight for proper hydration.

Boiling grains in water is part of the preparation process.

Soaking grains in hot water helps them become plump without bursting.

Grains are dried on a flat surface for approximately 30 minutes.

Loading the dried grains into a spawn bag is the next step.

Sterilizing grain spawn in a pressure cooker is crucial for the cultivation process.

Sealing the sterilized grain spawn bag with an impulse sealer is necessary.

Creating a self-healing injection port is an important step for inoculation.

Inoculating the grain spawn with Lion's Mane liquid culture is a sterile process.

Instructions for finding Lion's Mane liquid culture syringes are provided.

Proper injection of liquid culture into the grain bag is detailed.

Incubation of the grain sponge in a dark, warm area is necessary for mycelium growth.

Shaking the bag helps to evenly disperse the mycelium for faster colonization.

Preparing the mushroom substrate with a specific recipe is part of the process.

Pressure cooking the substrate is a key step in the preparation process.

Using a fully colonized grain spawn to spawn the substrate is crucial.

Sealing the substrate bag and further incubation leads to full colonization.

Managing premature pinning by creating holes for the Lion's Mane to grow through.

Closing remarks and invitation for questions and subscription.