Pioppino Mushroom Grow Kit Instructions
Pippino mushrooms are slightly more challenging to cultivate than oyster varieties, requiring greater focus on timing and careful monitoring throughout various growth stages.
Please note: Pippino mushrooms demand careful timing during each step of their growth. As living fungal organisms, the timing is crucial throughout the entire process. If you wish to postpone the fruiting stage, you can keep the grow block in the fridge. Storing it in the fridge will substantially slow down its growth.
GROWING MUSHROOMS:
- Place the kit indoors in an area with good ventilation and indirect sunlight. Bathrooms and kitchens are good examples. Open up the top of the bag by cutting a both corners off.
- Use the included mister to mist the area where you cut the corners, give 3 to 4 sprays at a time. Aim to do this at least twice a day. The idea is to keep the area where the mushrooms will grow moist so if it starts to look dry, feel free to water.
- Once you see little mushroom pins appearing, you can mist them more often – they love water! Its time to cut the top of the bag completely off. As they grow you will even be able to watch how the mushrooms absorb water right in front of your own eyes.
- Harvest the mushrooms when the white veil under the cap starts to break away from the cap by firmly gripping the cluster at its base, twisting and pulling it off. It will pop off. You can also cut it off at the base with a knife.
Mature mushrooms will release mushroom spores. By harvesting the mushrooms when they are thinning and their caps are becoming wavy, you will avoid mushroom spores being released. If the mushrooms release spores onto the surface underneath, they can be wiped away with a damp cloth.
If you have any doubts as to when to harvest, feel free to message us anytime at hello@kaikaifarm.au
Cook and enjoy!
GROWING A SECOND CROP (AND THIRD IF YOUR LUCKY):
- Scrape away any remaining mushroom stems left behind after harvesting using a clean knife or fork.
- (Optional) Remove the bag from the box and soak overnight. Drain and dry the outside of the bag and place back into the box.
- Mist the area with water twice a day or more. You want to keep the area moist but not soaking wet.
- The grow kit will need 14 days to “rest and repair” as the mycelium in the bag is stimulated to grow more mushrooms. After this rest period, you should see mushroom pins appearing again but sometimes the mushrooms can take up to 2 to 3 weeks to reappear, especially during the cooler months so keep misting even if you don’t see anything happen. The second crop also may have slightly fewer mushrooms so don’t be discouraged by slightly less growth - it is natural as the nutrients in the bag are being used by previous crops.
COMPOST YOUR SPENT KIT:
When the grow kit no longer grows mushrooms, empty the contents of your bag into the garden compost. You can also break up the contents of the grow kit and mix it into a shady spot in your garden and you may see oyster mushrooms grow right out of the ground.