Lion's Mane Grow Kits

Lions Mane Grow Kits A lion's mane mushroom grow kit is the tidiest way to grow Hericium erinaceus at home.

Lions Mane Grow Kits

Read this first for lions mane grow kits

Hericium erinaceus is grown for the tooth-like spines rather than a cap, which changes what success looks like: a dense white cluster with spines under two centimetres, harvested before it drops pollen. Kits in this category are sold as colonised blocks, ready to fruit, with the block weight stated on the listing.

Lion's mane is the one species in the shop that shows poor air quickly - long, coral-like branches mean fresh air is short. The same cold-shock and mist routine used for oyster kits works here, with more patience between flushes; the parent grow-kit archive covers the shared steps in full.

What is in the box: a colonised block of supplemented sawdust, sized on the listing, and no grain or substrate work on your side. Lion's mane fruits in fewer, heavier clusters than oysters, so one block gives fewer but larger harvests.

What is in this category

• Lion's Mane Millet Grain Spawn - 3 lb (MGS-0024, 3.4 lb)
• Lion's Mane Colonised Fruiting Block - 5 lb (MGS-0023, 6.4 lb)
• Lion's Mane All-In-One Mushroom Grow Bag (MGS-0009, 6.2 lb)
• Lion's Mane Mushroom Grow Kit (MGS-0001, 5.4 lb)

Where to go next

• guides index
• grow kits
• substrate
• spawn
• supplies

Background reading we rely on: the FreshCap substrate guide.

Lions Mane Grow Kits is listed with the same numbers the label uses, so the pack can be checked against the page it arrived from.

Quick answers on lions mane grow kits

Open the pack only when the substrate or block is fully colonised; keep it out of direct sun; and change the air before you change the temperature - in that order, lions mane grow kits behaves.

A lion's mane mushroom grow kit is the tidiest way to grow Hericium erinaceus at home. There are no caps and gills to judge, only a ball of white spines that hangs from the block like a beard. You cut the whole cluster while the spines are still pale and short, then rest the block, keep it damp and wait for a second flush about two weeks later.

Four formats, one species

The 3.5 lb kit in a vented kraft box is the counter-top version, and the one to start with. An all-in-one bag lets you break the spawn pocket and colonise a 5 lb supplemented sawdust block yourself, which is cheaper per pound and slower to arrive at. A colonised fruiting block is the same finished block without packaging, for a shelf or a fruiting tent where you control the humidity. Millet grain spawn is for growers mixing their own Master's Mix and filling several bags in one afternoon. Lion's mane is a hardwood specialist: it wants supplemented sawdust rather than straw, and it rewards fresh air more than almost any other kitchen species.

Lion's mane mushroom grow kit questions

Does it smell or taste like seafood? Cooked, it is closer to crab than to anything woody, which is why it works as a substitute in butter. Raw it tastes like nothing much.

Why are the spines going long and wispy? Too little fresh air. Long thin spines are the plant asking for fanning, not a disease. Open the lid more often once pins are visible.

How many flushes from a 5 lb block? Usually one heavy flush and a lighter second. Some blocks manage a third with a rest week and steady dampness, each one smaller than the last.