Lion's Mane

Hericium erinaceus

Available as

Mother cultures (Petri dish)
Grain spawn
Sawdust spawn

About this strain

A selected lion's mane strain, valued for reliable fruiting across a wider temperature range than typical strains — approx. 16–24°C — which makes it easier to keep yields up where temperatures fluctuate. Instead of long, hanging spines it forms white, cauliflower-like fruiting bodies covered in short spines — looser and less firm than those of ML5000. The flavour is delicate and nutty, and when fried the texture resembles crab meat.

It is grown on sterilised hardwood sawdust blocks with added bran, as well as on hardwood logs.

How to grow it

Preparation

Substrate: blocks: hardwood sawdust (fine and coarse) with approx. 20% supplement, e.g. bran, sterilised; outdoors: hardwood logs
Spawn rate: 1–2% on sterilised sawdust

Growing stages

Spawn run (incubation)
Temperature
21–24°C
Humidity
95–100%
Duration
15–20 days
CO₂
>5,000 ppm
Fresh air
0–1 per hour
Primordia formation
Temperature
cool to 10–15°C, then approx. 18–21°C
Humidity
90–95%
Duration
3–5 days
CO₂
500–700 ppm
Fresh air
5–8 per hour
Light
approx. 500 lx
Pinning is triggered by cooling and fresh air; once pins form, return to the fruiting temperature.
Fruiting
Temperature
16–24°C
Humidity
85–90%
Duration
4–5 days
CO₂
500–1,000 ppm
Fresh air
5–8 per hour
Light
<500 lx
With too much CO₂ the mushrooms branch and form long, sparse spines.

Harvest

Flushes: 2–3
Between flushes: approx. 14 days

Pick when the spines are approx. 0.5–1 cm long, before the mushroom starts to yellow. The mushrooms are delicate and bruise brown easily — handle them gently.

Please note: these growing parameters bring together the experience of practising growers — a starting point, not a guarantee of results. Every grow has its own substrate, climate and equipment, and even small differences can noticeably change the yield. Adjust these values to your own conditions.