King oyster fruiting block (6lb)

Details

• Species: King Oyster (Pleurotus eryngii)
• Fruiting to harvest time: 10–14 days
• Flushes: 2-3
• Total yield: 1.5-2lb
• Overall difficulty: Medium

Requirements

To successfully grow King Oyster mushrooms you’ll need:

• A fruiting chamber. If you don't have one, check out this guide to build a simple SGFC How To Build A Shotgun Fruiting Chamber (SGFC) - EZMushroom. There are many other resources online. A Martha tent can be more effective, but also requires more resources and setup.
• Location in a well-lit room. Avoid direct sunlight. 
• Patience

Growing Instructions

First flush

• King Oysters fruit best off the top of the block. Wash hands before making any cuts in the bag.
• Cut the top of the bag along recommended line at the very top of the bag with a clean pair of scissors. Cut a U-shaped slit in the each short side of the bag. Then fold the sides of the bag down over the block. Leave about 2-3 inches of plastic above the top of the block. This may help retain CO₂ in early stages to encourage thick stem growth.
• Remove any substrate or mycelium from the sides of the plastic bag with a clean paper towel. This mycelium is weak and can become prone to contamination in later flushes.
• Place in fruiting chamber and maintain environment conditions daily. See table above for ideal ranges. Before pins form, fanning infrequently will encourage thicker stem growth. Once pins appear, mist/fan twice per day is acceptable - more often is better. In about 2 weeks you will have mature King Oyster mushrooms!

Harvest

• It is time to harvest as soon as you notice growth slowing down or caps beginning to flatten. Spore load is low for P. eryngii, but if you begin to notice any it is best to harvest ASAP.
• Remove block from chamber. Harvest by cutting the bases of the mushrooms with a clean knife. Cut as close to the base of the block as possible. Be sure to remove all fruiting bodies - lingering ones have a high chance of becoming contaminated. It is ok to leave larger mycelium structures that do not appear to be fruits.
• Alternatively, you can twist/pull fruits off. This can be more effective for P. eryngii than it is for other species.
• Cook and enjoy immediately for the best quality, or refrigerate in a brown paper bag for 7-10 days.

Subsequent flushes

The block will produce two flushes if conditions are maintained. A third flush is likely to have low yield.

• Rehydrate the block between each flush. Immediately after harvesting, place block in sink or tub and fill bag with lukewarm or cool water. Let sit for 10-16 hours, overnight is ideal. The mycelium will absorb the water it needs for a second flush of mushrooms.
• After duration has passed, drain excess water from the bag and return block to fruiting conditions.