Growing
Why Grow Mushrooms at Home?
The boom in home mushroom cultivation is tapping into a broader interest in self-reliance and sustainable living. Here's a deeper look at why and how growing mushrooms at home is catching on:
Sustainability Mushrooms are incredibly efficient to grow. They thrive on substrates like straw, wood chips, or coffee grounds—materials that would otherwise be considered waste. This makes mushroom cultivation a poster child for sustainability, turning what’s leftover into something valuable.
Health Benefits A powerhouse of nutrition, mushrooms are low in calories while being rich in protein, fiber, and essential vitamins like B and D. Growing them at home ensures they are fresh and entirely organic, free from pesticides and other harmful chemicals often found in commercially grown produce.
Educational Value There’s a real thrill in watching mushrooms grow. The process from spore to fruit is relatively quick and provides a fascinating insight into the fungal life cycle. It’s an educational and captivating journey, that teaches patience and care.
Therapeutic Activity Many find the process of growing mushrooms at home to be a therapeutic hobby, as it requires a level of care and interaction that can be a calming, meditative practice, helping individuals to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
The Essentials of Mushroom Grow Kits
Online suppliers have streamlined the process of mushroom cultivation with grow kits that remove much of the guesswork involved. These kits typically contain:
Spore syringes or spawn This is the seed of your mushroom crop. Spores are for those who want the full experience, while spawn is partially grown mycelium, giving you a head start.
Substrate The base where mushrooms will develop. Each type of mushroom prefers different substrates, and kits are tailored to match the right substrate with the right mushroom type.
Containers or bags Often transparent, these are used to hold the substrate and spores or spawn. They allow for proper humidity and sometimes are designed to create a micro-environment ideal for mushroom growth.
Instructions Detailed, step-by-step instructions guide even a novice through the entire process. These often include troubleshooting tips and ways to maximize yield.
Our friends at MycoPunks and Orangutan Trading Co have created exclusive discounts for Psychedelic Society members off a selection of curated mushroom cultivation kits, supplies and spores.
MycoPunks are a small team of passionate fungi fanatics who supply all manner of mycology related wares, from ready to use mushroom grow kits to lab equipment! Simply use the code PSYCHSOC at checkout for 20% off selected items.
Orangutan Trading Co offer a vast selection of spore syringes, prints, and swabs for microscopy. Use the code PSYCHSOC for 10% off your spores.
Psilocybin (Magic) Mushrooms
Many species of mushroom contain psilocybin. Both fresh and dried psilocybin mushrooms, and inoculated mushroom grow kits, are currently illegal to possess in the UK.
It is legal to purchase and own psilocybin mushroom spores for research purposes only, as well as uninoculated mushroom grow kits.
Inoculating a mushroom grow kit with psilocybin spores would be illegal if done in the UK and something we do not advise on doing.
Please read up on responsible use.
Sign up for our Shroomshop Masterclass
We’ve teamed up with Darren Le Baron to bring one of our most exciting and sell out events, Shroomshop, to your screens in the most compact and accessible way. In this online masterclass you will learn indoor mushroom cultivation for growing medicinal and gourmet mushrooms from start to finish, in an easy to follow step-by-step series of videos. Find out more here.