Holiday Break: Dec 24 – Jan 1. Last shipping day: Dec 23. Back on Jan 2. Happy Holidays!

Jack Frost mushroom kit - Growing Instructions

Good to know before you grow the Jack Frost

  • Start the cultivation process right away when you receive the grow box.
    If not, read more about storing your Jack Frost growkit.
  • Work clean to prevent other fungi and bacteria (microorganisms) from contaminating your grow kit.
  • Always use clean tap or mineral water for misting and soaking.
    Never use distilled or demi water.
  • The first cycle does not require any additional water or care.
  • The ideal temperature is 23°C.
  • Do not put the grow kit in the dark, and never in direct sunlight
  • Picking them at the optimal time preserves their potency.

What's in the box?

  • 1x Grow bag
    This contains substrate with active mycelium (the cake) The bag has micron filters to keep contaminants out and let fresh air in
  • 1x Large Bag clip
    Easy to use and a more secure way of closing your grow bag.
  • 1x Rubber band
    To place around the substrate at the top to prevent side growth.

Preparing the Jack Frost shroom kit

  • Close all doors and windows and let the air settle in the room so no drafts can blow unwanted contaminants into your substrate bag.
  • When taking the grow bag out of the box, place it only on freshly disinfected surfaces.
  • Make sure you work with clean hands and arms. We suggest using surgical gloves and/or a good disinfectant to clean your hands and arms when handling the kit. Use a facemask to avoid breathing into the grow bag and on the cake.

Starting the cultivation process 

  1. Take out the bag from the box and unroll the bag.
  2. To let fresh air flow inside, open the bag by pulling the sides away from each other. Then, promptly close the bag with the clip.
  3. To reduce side pinning, place the rubber band around the bag at the same level as the top of the substrate. Side pinning refers to mushrooms that grow aside.
  4. Place the kit in a clean and comfortable environment for the mushrooms. The temperature is ideally 23 degrees. Do not put the grow kit in the dark, and never in direct sunlight.
  5. Now all you need is patience. Jack Frost takes about 2 to 4 weeks until it is ready for harvest. No need to air.

Growing conditions

Temperature

The ideal temperature is 23°C.
Make sure the temperature stays above 21°C and does not surpass 27°C.

To prevent temperatures from dropping below 21°C,  you can use a thermal heatingmat.
Especially in colder regions or during winter, a thermal mat becomes essential for maintaining the ideal temperature.

Always place pencils or other objects between the bag and the heat mat. This helps to spread out the heat and prevent it from getting too hot in one spot on the surface.

Light

Jack Frost only needs indirect sunlight to understand that there is a day and night cycle.

Light is important for a good yield but also make sure that there is never any direct sunlight shining on the growkit.

Water / Misting

The Jack Frost growkit has enough water inside the cake to last you at least 2 flushes. ou do not need any additional water or care. Just set it up and wait.

Flushes

Jack Frost has a slower growth rate than other cubensis strains but grows incredible amounts.
You need some patience as the first mushrooms usually appear somewhere between 2 to 3 weeks.

Once the pins emerge, the magic mushrooms are ready for harvest approximately one week later.

Harvesting of the Jack Frost mushrooms

Harvest the Jack Frost shrooms, like all cubensis mushrooms, as soon as the veils around the caps start to break.

After the veil breaks Jack will still grow a lot in size but this will mainly be water weight.

If you pick them when they are completely open they will be harder to remove and this may break the cake. Also the mushrooms will be hollow inside after drying.

Harvesting mushrooms at the optimal time helps maintain their potency.

The best way is to harvest mature mushrooms while allowing others to continue maturing. In practice, a lot of them will be ready roughly at the same time.

To harvest the mushrooms simply roll down the bag to the substrate so you can easily pick the mushrooms that are ready.

After you have harvested all of the mushrooms you can just close the bag again, place the kit back on the grow spot, and wait for the next round of pins to come out.

Soaking

You only need to water Jack Frost after the second harvest. Until then, there is enough water inside the kit for them to grow.

One exception to this rule is when pieces of the substrate crumble off when you are harvesting your mushrooms. If that happens it is also time to soak the kit.

To soak the mushroom substrate bag;

  • Fill up the bag with clean tap water or spring water until the substrate is submerged and leave it overnight,
  • the next day you can drain the water out and let the kit grow again.
  • After soaking there might be some discolorations on the substrate but if the kit still smells good it is good to go.

The end

When no more mushrooms have grown after 4 weeks that means that the cake is exhausted and it is the end of the kit.

If you see a green discoloration in the kit, it indicates contamination, and you should throw it out. (link to blogpost) [photo]

There can be other discolorations that are no problem so do send a picture to our customer service if you are unsure of the looks. (link to blogpost)

Can I store the grow kit, for later use?

If you decide to start growing later, you can keep the kit in the refrigerator at 2°C to 8°C. This will help maintain the quality of the product. You can leave the kit in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

  • Leave the growbag with mycelium in the box and place it in the fridge.
  • Make sure the fridge is clean and free of mould.
  • You can place it inside a clean plastic bag or a soaking bag as an extra precaution.

Recommended products to use in addition