How to grow magic mushrooms ? Different cultivation methods and grow teks|Part 1

The great thing about mushroom cultivation is the different ways to grow magic mushrooms. The Psilocybe cubensis mushroom will grow on rye berry /grain,  brown rice flour, grass seed, wild bird seed, coffee and even popcorn! I will give an overview of the most used magic mushroom grow TEKS floating around on the interwebs and refer to extended grow guides were possible. This is part 1. Let's start!

Magic mushroom ready to grow kit

The easiest way to grow magic mushrooms is with a ready to grow magic mushroom kit or mycelium box. These pre made mushroom grow kits contain substrate, casing layer and mycelium of the Psilocybe Cubensis mushroom.

The substrate

Most of these grow kits have a substrate that contains one of the following ingredients or a mix of them: rye grain, vermiculite and rice flour.

Many strains, but not endless

The magic mushroom grow kits are available all variations of the Psilocybe Cubensis strain like the classic cubes Golden Teacher and Cambodian, but also the less common Penis Envy and Redboy psilocybe cubensis.

Ready to grow!

The best thing of magic mushroom grow kits is that they are ready to grow! No preparation time or pressure cooker needed. Let's call this the Grow kit -Tek. For an extended written guide and magic mushroom grow kit instruction video have a look at our instruction page.

Grow magic mushrooms with: Magic Mushroom Substrate Kit

Grow magic mushrooms with a substrate kit If you like to do some of the preparation yourself. Or would like to grow a more unknown or exotic strain.  

Pre sterilized substrate

Mushroom substrate kits contain sterilized substrate made of rye, vermiculite/brown rice flour, white rice or grass-seed  (or a mix) Other combinations are possible but these are commonly used ingredients.

Add your own spores

The only thing you have to do is add the spores of your favorite magic mushroom strain or truffle strain and you are ready to grow.

 Grow magic mushrooms with: Mushroom Spawn Bags

A spawn bag can refer to two different things. First some will call a grow bag containing substrate a spawn bag, like the above substrate kit. Second and which I think is the proper item, will be a bag containing mycelium colonized substrate.  The spawn bag contains substrate, which is inoculated with a mushroom strain and is fully colonized. This is called spawn. From this spawn a larger amount of substrate can be inoculated.

Making Mushroom Spawn

Making the spawn is a sensitive procedure and needs to be done in a sterile environment. You need mycelium or spores form a mushroom strain, the proper substrate that match the mushrooms strain needs. Materials as  wood chips, straw and rye are commonly used. And a grow bag to put the substrate in. The substrate needs to be sterilized and inoculated with the mycelium or with spores. Wait till the substrate is fully colonized and the spawn bag is ready for use. A good guide on how to prepare spawn bags and more spawn bag information is available on the Shroomery forum.

Psilocybe Azurescens and Psilocybe Cyanenscens Spawn

The spawn bag is a commonly used method when cultivating Psilocybe Azurescens and Psilocybe cyanenscens. These wood loving mushrooms will grow out doors on wood chips beds. By mixing  the spawn with the wood chips, the mycelium will colonize the wood chips and eventually grow the very potent Azurescens and Cyanenscens mushrooms. Great thing is the Azurescens will grow in lower temperatures and can be grown outdoors in the Netherlands. Make sure to put them in the ground early in the year.

Grow magic mushrooms with: PF-Tek / BRF

PF-tek is a grow method that will require you to do everything yourself. This method named after Robert ' Billy' McPherson aka Psylocybe Fanaticus. The PF Tek will also be referred at as BRF ot BRF-Tek, which point to the main ingredient of the growing method, the Brown Rice Flour. The other needed materials for a PF-Tek substrate are vermiculite and water. All ingredients used in this mushroom cultivation method are easy to come by in convenient stores, garden centers and supermarkets. This and the high success rate makes PF-Tek real popular with the beginning and the more experienced mushroom grower.

PF TEK instructions

A full instruction manual you can read here: How to grow mushrooms with PF-Tek . Which will include a detailed manual, material list and PF-Tek video instructions.

Flat cake Tek

Want a different take on the PF-Tek method? The Flat cake Tek is a different method of growing mushrooms. Due a thinner and flatter substrate the surface is bigger and the mushrooms will to grow in abundance.   For the Flat cake tek you will need some fully colonized PF-Tek cakes or the substrate cake form a magic mushroom kit. A big container or casserole dish (glass or plastic),vermiculite and water for a moist/protection layer.

• Crumble or take the cakes apart in the casserole dish, make sure to get them down to small chunks.
• Gently press them down, not to firmly, to get a smooth thin surface of 2-3 cm.
• Mix the vermiculite with water, make it damp not wet.
• Add the vermiculite mix to the substrate. Again a thin layer.
• Wrap the casserole dish in wrapping foil and poke a few holes.
• Keep the Flat cake in a dark space at room temperature for 3-5 days. The mycelium to grow, until the cake is fully colonized.
• To birth the flat cake remove the vermiculite layer and flip / turn over the cake. The mycelium side should be up.
• Bring humidity up and keep the cake at the right temperature.  

Make your own grow tub or use a big grow bag to grow the mushrooms in. After the fist flush, dunk the cake to hydrate and flip the whole cake to grow the pins from the sides and the bottom of the cake.

Sliced Flat cake Tek

Identical as the flat cake only the substrate is sliced in pieces to create more sides. As mushrooms seems to prefer to grow on the side of the substrate creating more sides to the substrate looks like a good idea. Take the Flat cake and cut it in several pieces than birth it, in the same way as above. For the above Tek I give props to our boys and girls at the Mycotopia forum. Nice photo guide available in the link. For the sliced flat cake look here. This was the fist part of how to grow magic mushrooms. In Part 2 I will explain about rye grain, give a good popcorn tek and bulk growing.