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Growing king oyster mushrooms

King oyster mushroom (Pleurotus eryngii) is easiest to grow as a ready-to-fruit block. Keep the bag closed until pins appear, then cut off the top. The Belgian kit gives 2 to 4 weeks until the first harvest, and you usually get only one flush.

Field & Forest Products (VS) · BS-09Mushroom Mania (BE) · BS-24

King oyster has thick, meaty stems and likes it cooler than ordinary oyster mushroom. The straw recipe for grey oyster does not work for this species.

Field & Forest Products (VS) · BS-09Field & Forest Products (VS) · BS-69

Which temperature?

The sources differ. Field & Forest gives 10–16.7 °C for fruiting and sees a higher risk of bacteria above 18.3 °C. The Mushroom Mania kit gives 15–24 °C. At 20 °C you are within the range of that kit, but above the American range.

Field & Forest Products (VS) · BS-09Mushroom Mania (BE) · BS-24

Closed first, then open

Keep the bag closed until pins appear. When they are 1.3–2.5 cm, cut off the top and leave about 15 cm of side wall standing: it holds a moist microclimate around the mushrooms. Mushroom Mania has you open the top of the bag.

Field & Forest Products (VS) · BS-09Mushroom Mania (BE) · BS-24

Light and fresh air

Give at least 10 hours of indirect light per day. Small caps on long stems point to too much CO₂: then trim the sides of the bag shorter.

Field & Forest Products (VS) · BS-09

Harvesting

Harvest when the cap is almost fully open and flat, before the edges become wavy and spores are released. A block usually gives only one flush.

Field & Forest Products (VS) · BS-09

Making your own substrate

Dutch practical research gives 22–24 °C and 3 to 10 weeks for colonisation. Straw as used for grey oyster is not a good route for king oyster.

Praktijkonderzoek Plant & Omgeving / Wageningen UR · BS-47Field & Forest Products (VS) · BS-69

Growing and eating safely

An allergic lung reaction to king oyster spores has been described in a factory worker. No risk measure is known for a single hobby block: harvest on time, do not grow in a bedroom and ventilate. Always eat the harvest cooked.

PubMed PMID 12132527 · BS-73NCBI Bookshelf · BS-60GroCycle (VK) · BS-43Voedingscentrum · BO-02

Source

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This is general growing information from the sources listed. Always follow the instructions of your kit or supplier. Only eat what demonstrably grows from your own culture of the bought, named species; if in doubt about colour, smell or shape, do not eat it.

This is not medical advice. If you repeatedly get a fever, a cough or shortness of breath while growing indoors, remove the culture and see your doctor.

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