Organic Blue Oyster Mushroom Growing Kit

[See UPDATE below!] This was so very simple and successful it gets all five stars. All I had to do in accordance with the instructions was cut the package as shown and set it in a clean bowl with a half inch of water in the bottom and keep it in a moist environment with a normal household temperature range. Since I live in a very arid climate and I don't use air conditioning very much, I set mine inside an old (clean) aquarium and kept it down on the floor under the kitchen table next to an interior wall that stays a bit cooler than the rest of the house. We were experiencing heatwaves the whole time I was growing out this culture and the house was normally in the 80s during the day, but this zone might have stayed in the 70s as recommended. In 4 weeks an abundance of mushrooms began to sprout and to my surprise, even with the very limited light it was getting under the table, the mushroom caps were distinctly blue from the outset. The time it took sprout did not surprise me at all. I could see the amount of mycellium coverage on the substrate-medium and how much it was advancing each day. I started to worry a little when the cavity made by the cut into the package became very dark, but that apparently was this mushroom's normal coloration just before sending up shoots because they began to emerge the next day without contamination.UPDATE: At 4 days into the fruiting (mushrooming) period, I took the kit out of the aquarium since it was getting a little big and floppy and I didn't want to break them lifting it in and out. This is the only time I used the humidity sleeve/bag that was provided with the kit. The very next day I noticed fungus growing on the inside surface of the bag AND hanging like frost down from the edges of the mushroom caps. Nothing had touched the inside of that bag except the mushrooms themselves. Fearing contamination, I removed the humidity sleeve and saw that the fronds dangling from the edges of the mushroom dried up in the air. I theorized that perhaps the carbon dioxide buildup from the growing mushrooms was spurring the growths of whatever that additional fungus was and returned the kit to the aquarium, where there was much more space. The next day all was well. I've provided photos for each day during the week of fruiting, including the bag and afterward.

it grew the 1st 2 weeks and started to show signs of dying instead of growing. It started to look sluggish and didn't grow any bigger. they had a brownish looking color to them instead of getting larger. stayed at that one size. I'd picked them & discarded as they were to small to do anything with. Also waited & hoping a 2nd batch would be better but to no avail. I follow the instructions as stated. this is my 3rd time growing these but my first time purchasing from this vendor. worse experience ever. Waste of money

Contacted manufacturer via email when kit did not grow. Same day response with helpful suggestions. After another week of no growth (except for green mold), emailed again with photos and manufacturer immediately sent me a new kit.New kit sprouted in 3-4 days! See photo.Mushrooms did not only start growing from the initial 'X' cut I made in the plastic, but also from the narrower side of the kit, requiring me to make another few cuts in the plastic to let the unexpected baby mushrooms grow out.Photo 2 shows the almost ready to pick 'unexpected' crop. Picked the mushrooms from the other side last night.Problems happen. Obviously the first kit had something wrong with it because I used the same exact techniques with the 2nd kit which sprouted wildly in well under 7 days. I had purchased 2 kits from Amazon from different manufacturers on the same day in Dec 2015. The other manufacturer's kit did start and grow successfully, but did not produce anywhere near the crop this manufacturer's kit is producing.5 stars rating for not only the great service, but the better yield of this kit.It seems mushroom growing is not an exact science. And this manufacturer solidly stood behind their product.It's interesting that other negative commenters who seemed to have purchased this kit from Amazon around the same Dec 2015 time period also had no success with their kits. Tip: I did not phone the number for assistance, I emailed - which might work better in addressing problems.I wonder if there was some problem in the Amazon storage and shipping process, or just in the specific 'lot' of kits shipped around December. Although Amazon was quick to offer a refund, I'm glad I contacted the manufacturer instead, whose replacement kit was great!Photo 1 shows the mushrooms growing out of 2 sides of the kit.Photo 2 shows the kit the next day, after I harvested the other side.These things really do seem to double in size daily.My family was amazed.

This thing has been really fun to watch, and I'd recommend it to someone who wanted to teach their kids about fungi or biology in general. That being said, it wasn't what I expected. It's definitely not pretty. It's a log infested with spores, sealed in a plastic bag, and the log never comes out of the bag. You split the bag and the wood in an x shape, keep conditions humid and relatively dark, profit. I thought I was buying something analogous to the shiitake logs that look pretty, something I could set in the side of my garden in the shade for a unique look. This is not that. It always will be a funky looking log in a sealed plastic bag. I'm considering covering the bag in Moss to make it more decorative, but even then it won't be great looking and that would interfere with future harvest. But if you're a big fan of mushrooms to eat, like me, it's not great for that either, because the yield is very low. So I am not sure who this product is for, unless it's for educational purposes. It does work as advertised, and it was my bad for not doing enough research to know what I was getting for the purpose I wanted it for. Friends don't let friends Amazon shop drunk.