Peel out the perforated cut out.

This exposed the substrate block which has been fully colonised by the mycelium. The mycelium should look whispy white.

What's inside? What you're looking at is the substrate which is made of sawdust and soy hull that has been fully colonised, essentially eaten up, by the mycelium. Mycelium is the white spider web looking thing throughout the substrate and is actually the living organism itself!

With a clean knife or scissors, cut an 'X' into the bag.

Tip: Leave it alone! Resist the urge to put your fingers in the cut and peel the plastic back. This just introduces contamination.

Where to put it? Somewhere away from sunlight but not in the dark. Remember these mushrooms are forest mushrooms so they like ambient light and fresh air. We like to put it on the kitchen bench top, that way we see it multiple times a day and can easily mist it the watch it grow!

Give the 'X' a mist with water 2 - 3 times a day. Remember you're replicating humidity not rain so do not water it too heavily. Maybe 4-6 sprays from about a forearms lengh away.

Tip: At first the water will sit on top of the 'X' and not "get inside". Thats ok!! You're creating evaporative humidity which is what you want. The substrate has the water it needs inside so you are not watering it like a plant.

Mushrooms nearly double in size a day so once they start growing keep a good eye on them! Oysters take about 10 days and Lion's Mane takes about 14 days to fully grow! Since they grow so fast they won't stay forever and you need to harvest them when they're ready.

To harvest: Lay the kit flat on it's back. place one hand at the base of the mushroom and the other on the top of the kit. Pull up and the mushroom should come away from the substrate.