Magic mushrooms are becoming the darlings of minds who want something unique. The name refers to certain species of mushrooms that contain psychoactive compounds that can change a person’s nervous system and behavior.
People who want to be creative and deal with anxiety and depression love using these mushrooms as a cure. If you are the one who wants to grow them in your house but doesn’t have enough experience and knowledge about them, then don’t worry; we are here to help you from start to end. In this blog post, we will discuss magic mushrooms indoors effectively with little effort.
What are Magic Mushrooms?
These are not species but a combination of species that contain psychoactive materials such as psilocybin and psilocin. These species have unique stems and caps and vary in size and color.
They are very popular among musicians, actors, singers, spiritual leaders, and also in hospitals to deal with depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. Some effects of their are visual distortion, changes in perception of time, and spiritual experiences.
How Long Does It Take to Grow Magic Mushrooms
Not all strains of mushrooms are used to grow, and only a few strains are cultivated. Like weed growth stages, mushrooms grow in four stages within 5 to 8 weeks. Let’s have an example of a psilocybe cubensis strain to understand a mushroom’s growth stages and approximate span. The four stages of mushroom growth are:
1. Inoculation Phase
Prepare the substrate and sterilize it to remove any contaminants. Cool the substrate and inoculate the mycelium culture into it. This phase lasts for 1-2 weeks.
2. Colonization and Settling Phase
Place the substrate with a mycelium culture in a dark place. Optimize the environment to promote mycelium growth. Mycelium starts consuming the substrate nutrients and appears as colonies over the substrate. This happens within 2-4 weeks.
3. Germinating Phase
Within a week of colony formation, needle-like structures start rising from the colonies. These needle-like structures germinate into mushrooms within 5-12 days. This growth phase occurs over 4-6 weeks.
4. Reaping Phase
Harvesting the mushrooms as the veil tears between the cap and stem is common. Reaping is usually done a week after the formation of a needle-like structure.
Methods of Magic Mushroom Cultivation
There are multiple methods to grow magic toadstools; we cannot recommend just one method. To make a good decision, you must analyze your environment and choose one growing method. Here are some popular methods of growing them:
1. Using Substrate
Substrates can act as a medium for growing mushrooms. Usually, they contain brown rice flour and water; you can select other substrates, like compost and straw, but they all provide different nutrients to mushrooms.
2. Agar Culture
Agar is a gem that comes from seaweeds. It is preferred as a solid growing medium for mushrooms and other microorganisms. An agar medium with rich nutrients is suitable for mushroom mycelium growth.
3. Spores
As we discussed above, spores are reproductive cells of mushrooms. In this process, you will get spores from mature mushrooms and put them on paper. Then, you will use an agar medium for further growth of mushrooms.
Also check out our Mushroom Grow Tents
How to Grow Magic Mushrooms?
Their growth depends on many points; you must address each point adequately before cultivating these
mushrooms. Here are some necessary factors that should need to be fulfilled:
1. Basic Research
Before you start your process, basic research about mushrooms and different species that fall under the mushrooms category is the most important thing.
Secondly, which type of effect you want from mushrooms is also crucial because it will help you select the best piece that will better tailor your needs to you.
2. Finding Suitable Strains
Strain refers to different genetic variations in the context of mushrooms, including the growth speed, structure of the plant, and flavor. Making a suitable strain should be easy when you know what you want from magic shrooms.
3. Selecting Best Substrate
The substrate in the context of these fungal shrooms refers to the medium in which you will grow it. It could be water, soil, or any other medium that suits your environment. The common substrate includes good-quality rice flour and water, which eventually helps mushrooms survive easily.
4. Immunization
Clean your substrate from things affecting your mushroom’s spores or mycelium. Mushroom spores aid in reproduction, while mycelium assists in vegetative growth.
5. Nurturing of Mushrooms
Nurturing is putting your substrate in a dark and warm place for several days or weeks to remove all unwanted components and avoid contamination.
6. Optimal Fruiting Environment
Once you nurture your mushroom, it’s time to give it some fresh air, light, and an environment in which mushrooms love to grow. Maintaining temperatures and humidity levels is also vital in effective mushroom growth.
7. Cutting
This question often needs to be clarified for beginners because they are still determining the best timing for harvesting these mushrooms. It is best when the caps are open, and plenty of mushrooms connect the cap to the stem, which is close to breaking. Cut the mushroom at this time to have a good experience in terms of taste or whatever purpose you intend to use it for.
8. Storage
Putting your mushrooms in dry containers and checking the humidity around your storage will help keep your mushroom yield-free from mold. Humidity attracts mold more than anything else.
How to Grow Mushrooms with Growing Kits
Instead of using different manual methods to grow mushrooms, growing kits made the process much easier. Growing kits fascinate beginners to grow mushrooms quickly. Here are a few steps to consider while growing mushrooms in growing kits:
1. Select the Kit
Select a mushroom grow kit that is readily available in the market. The kits come with pre-inoculate substrate blocks.
2. Setup the Grow Kit
Open the kit and cut the substrate box as per the instructions. This exposes the pre-colonized substrate to external air, and the fruiting phase begins.
3. Maintain Optimal conditions
Shower the water over the substrate to enhance humidity levels. Moisture and humidity levels boost mushroom growth. Mushrooms need more oxygen and rare direct light to grow. Place the kit in a place to avoid direct light but get some indirect sunlight.
4. Harvesting
Maintain the optimal mushroom growth conditions until they reach maximum growth and reap it. However, you must observe mushrooms’ healthy growth patterns to avoid discoloration due to inadequate conditions.
Rewards of Growing Magic Mushrooms at Home
Growing mushrooms at home can be rewarding, either as a personal reward or as an educational one. Rewards to grow magic at home include:
Personal Pleasure
Mushroom cultivation can be a source of pleasure for a person as he observes the whole process of successful mushroom growth.
Educational Benefit
From an educational point of view, it is a great hands-on experience. You’ll learn about substrate preparation, mycelium inoculation, seedlings, and harvesting.
Therapeutic and Research Purposes
Mushrooms growing is rewarding when you experiment with the mushrooms for therapeutic purposes or to do research. Using them in local trials and research rewards you with an appreciation on national levels.
Conclusion
Your first attempt to grow magic mushrooms may yield something other than what you expect. You must learn over time to optimize your techniques and learn from your mistakes.
Growing magic mushrooms is illegal in many states but also legal in several states with some preventive measures. Before you start cultivating them, you must confirm their legal status. The cultivation of mushrooms provides a cheap source for interested people. You must choose the right strain and follow the correct process to grow. You’ll be rewarded if you cultivate the therapeutically used strains more often. If you have any questions, let us know in the comment section.
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