Lion's mane fruiting block (6lb)

Details

• Species: Lion’s mane (Hericium Erinaceus)
• Fruiting to harvest time: 10–14 days
• Flushes: 2-4
• Total yield: up to 2.5lb
• Overall difficulty: Easy

Requirements

To successfully grow Lion’s mane 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

• Fold the top of the bag underneath the bottom of the block. Squeeze out excess air from the top of the block. Tape the top of bag as tightly as possible to the bottom. Removing air from the inside of the bag encourages growth out of the front of the block.
• Cut the bag along recommended lines with a clean knife. Do not worry much about cutting into the block, the mycelium will recover.
• Alternatively you can experiment with top-fruiting by cutting the top of the bag off and folding the sides down, leaving a few inches of the bag above the top of the block. This will increase the yield of the first flush but is more work. Southwest mushrooms has a good video highlighting the process.
• Place in fruiting chamber and maintain environment conditions daily. See table above for ideal ranges. Mist/fan twice per day is acceptable - more often is better. In about 2 weeks you will have full lion’s mane mushrooms!

Harvest

• It is time to harvest as soon as you notice slowed growth, spines longer than an inch, or spores (white dust underneath fruits). Ideally the mushrooms should be harvested right before they start to drop spores.
• Remove block from chamber. Harvest by cutting at the base of the mushroom cluster 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.
• Alternatively, you can twist/pull clusters off, but cutting will ensure the block is not damaged.
• 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 a few flushes if conditions are maintained.

• 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.