Lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus) is one of the most rewarding mushrooms you can grow at home. It is almost impossible to buy fresh in UK supermarkets, and a home grown one picked at its best has a texture often compared to crab or lobster. This guide takes you through the whole process using an all in one grow bag and a liquid culture.
What you need
- An all in one grow bag with sterilised grain and substrate
- A 10ml lion’s mane liquid culture syringe with a sterile needle
- 70% IPA wipes and nitrile gloves for a clean inoculation
- A humid fruiting tent or a clear container to hold humidity
- A fine mister
1. Inoculate the bag
Work somewhere clean and still, away from open windows, fans and pets. Wipe down your surface and gloves with 70% IPA. Shake the culture syringe gently, fit the needle, wipe the injection port and push the needle through. Inject 3 to 5ml of culture, withdraw the needle and wipe the port again.
Grower’s tip: gently shaking the syringe first spreads the mycelium evenly through the liquid, so every injection carries plenty of live culture.
2. Incubate
Keep the bag somewhere dark at around 20 to 24°C. A cupboard in a heated room is ideal. Within a week you should see white, fluffy growth spreading from the injection point. When roughly a third of the grain is white, massage the bag gently to break up the colonised grain and mix it through the substrate. This spreads the mycelium and speeds up colonisation.
Leave the bag alone until it is fully white. Lion’s mane mycelium is thinner and wispier than oyster, so do not worry if it looks less dense.
3. Fruiting conditions
Once the bag is fully colonised, move it to fruiting conditions at 15 to 22°C with high humidity, fresh air and indirect light. Cut a small X, around 2cm across, in the plastic where you want the mushroom to grow. Mist the air around the cut two or three times a day, but avoid spraying the mushroom directly.
Watch out: yellowing or pink tinged spines usually mean the air is too dry or the mushroom is past its best. Raise humidity and harvest sooner.
4. Harvesting
Harvest when the spines are around 1cm long and still bright white, usually two to three weeks after the first pins appear. Cut the whole mushroom off at the base with a clean knife. Rest the bag for a week, keep it humid and you will often get a second, smaller flush.
Cooking lion’s mane
Tear the mushroom into pieces rather than slicing it, then dry fry in a hot pan to drive off moisture before adding butter and salt. Pressed flat under a heavy pan it turns crisp and golden, which is where the seafood comparisons come from.
Frequently asked questions
How long does lion's mane take to grow?
Allow three to five weeks for the bag to colonise, then around two to three weeks for the first harvest once fruiting starts.
What temperature does lion's mane need?
It fruits best at around 15 to 22°C. Avoid radiators and draughts, which dry the mushroom out.
Should I mist lion's mane directly?
No. Mist the air around it. Water sitting on the spines can cause discolouration.
How many harvests will I get?
Most bags give two flushes, sometimes three, if you keep humidity high and rest the bag between harvests.
