Lion's Mane Step-by-Step Cultivation

Growing Lion’s Mane is all about starting clean, building strong spawn, and giving the mycelium a wood-based home it can fully colonize before you trigger fruiting. In this step-by-step guide, we’ll walk through the whole process: from choosing quality genetics (culture, spawn, or cloning), expanding on agar and grain, selecting and preparing the right hardwood substrate, inoculating and incubating for a solid spawn run, then dialing in humidity, fresh air, and light to form beautiful “pom-pom” fruits and harvest multiple flushes with confidence.

Obtaining a Culture (Spore or Spawn)

Start with quality genetics. Advanced growers may begin from spores by collecting a spore print from a mature Lion’s Mane and germinating it on agar in a Petri dish.

However, Lion’s Mane spores can be slow to germinate, and the mycelium often appears thin and wispy. A more convenient option is to obtain a pure culture or commercial spawn (such as grain or sawdust spawn) from a reputable supplier. This ensures you have a vigorous, known strain.

Tip: Many first-time growers use ready-made grow kits or spawn bags that come pre-colonized with Lion’s Mane mycelium, skipping the vegetative stage and going directly to the fruiting stage. For a more DIY approach, you can also clone a piece of fresh Lion’s Mane tissue onto agar to propagate the mycelium.

Preparing Spawn on Agar and Grains

If starting from spores or a tissue culture, the next step is establishing spawn, a larger quantity of mycelium on a nutritious medium. A common method is to inoculate sterilized agar plates with the spores or tissue under sterile conditions.

Once the mycelium grows out on agar, transfer a small piece to sterilized grain to create grain spawn. Grains such as rye, wheat, or sorghum are typically sterilized in quart jars or filter bags and then inoculated with the Lion’s Mane culture.

Incubate the grain jars at ~70–75°F (~21–24°C) in the dark or in ambient light for ~2 weeks, until fully colonized.

Watch closely: Lion’s Mane tends to form premature “pins” (tiny fruiting bodies) on grain before full colonization. Shaking the jar to break up mycelium can redistribute growth, but excessive shaking may stress it. Many growers shake grain spawn only once, around 20–30% colonization, to help it fully propagate. A pinch of gypsum (calcium sulfate) added to grain can provide minerals and prevent clumping. 

Fully colonized grain spawn will look white and somewhat wispy; some uncolonized patches may just be the Lion’s Mane’s naturally thin mycelium.

Substrate Selection & Preparation

Lion’s Mane grows best on wood-based substrates that mimic its natural habitat. Common choices include hardwood sawdust (from oak, beech, maple, etc.), often supplemented with additives such as bran or soy hulls to provide additional nutrients.

A simple and effective recipe is the “Master’s Mix” (50% hardwood sawdust and 50% soybean hulls, by dry weight), hydrated to about 60% moisture content. This mix yields very high output but must be sterilized due to the nutrient-rich soy hulls. Alternatively, hardwood sawdust supplemented with ~20% wheat bran is commonly used.

An unsupplemented hardwood sawdust substrate is recommended for beginners or those without sterilization equipment, since it can be safely pasteurized (rather than sterilized) with lower contamination risk.

Other materials Lion’s Mane can grow on include straw (often with supplements), paper or cardboard, and even cottonseed hulls or corn cobs, which are used on some commercial farms.

Whatever the base, a proper moisture content is crucial, typically around 50–60% water. A quick field test is to squeeze a handful of the substrate: only a couple of drops should drip out, not a stream.

Sterilization vs. Pasteurization: If you supplement the substrate with nutrient-rich additives (such as bran or soy hulls), you must sterilize it in a pressure cooker at 15 PSI for 2–3 hours to kill all competing organisms. This is usually done by packing the moistened substrate into autoclavable bags or jars and pressure-cooking them.

If using only plain hardwood sawdust or another less nutritious base, you can pasteurize it by heating the substrate to ~150-175°F (65–80 °C) for a few hours, either by submersion in hot water or by steaming.

Pasteurization kills most molds and bacteria but is not as complete as sterilization; it relies on the substrate being a less ideal medium for contaminants. Many small-scale growers have had success pasteurizing hardwood fuel pellets (which are already pasteurized during pellet formation) by simply hydrating them with boiling water and letting them cool.

Maintaining cleanliness is critical, even after sterilization or pasteurization. Handle cooled substrate in a clean area to avoid reintroducing contaminants.

Inoculating the Substrate

Once your substrate is prepared and cooled to room temperature, it’s time to introduce the spawn.

In a clean workspace (ideally in front of a laminar flow hood or inside a disinfected still-air box), mix the grain spawn into the substrate. A common spawn rate is 10–20% spawn by weight of wet substrate (higher spawn rates promote faster colonization and better success for Lion’s Mane).

For example, 1 pound of spawn can inoculate approximately 5–10 pounds of supplemented sawdust.

Break up any clumps of spawn and evenly distribute it throughout the bag or container of substrate. Work quickly and flame-sterilize tools between batches to maintain a sterile environment.

After inoculation, seal the substrate in its container: if using filter patch grow bags, seal the top (with an impulse sealer or twist-tie). The filter allows gas exchange. If using jars, screw the lids on loosely or use filter lids to prevent spills. Label each bag or jar with the date and strain.

Incubation (Spawn Run)

The inoculated substrate must now be incubated to allow the Lion’s Mane mycelium to fully colonize it, a phase known as the spawn run.

Incubation conditions

Keep bags or jars in a dark or dim space at room temperature; optimal mycelial growth for Lion’s Mane is around 70–75 °F (21–24 °C). It will also grow (more slowly) in temperatures as low as ~64°F (~18°C) or as high as 86°F (30°C), but for best results, try to stay in the low-to-mid 70s °F (20s °C) range. Extreme heat greater than 95°F (>35 °C) will stop growth or kill the mycelium.

During incubation, the bags/jars can be kept in the dark; light is not critical at this stage. Lion’s Mane mycelium is largely indifferent to light until fruiting, though a low-intensity light cycle (ambient room light) won’t hurt and can sometimes stimulate earlier pinning.

Humidity is not a concern during incubation in sealed bags, as the bags retain moisture. Just avoid overly dry room conditions that could dry out the substrate through the filter patch.

After approximately 10–14 days, the substrate should turn white as fluffy mycelium spreads.

Colonization times vary: unsupplemented substrates may take longer (2–3 weeks), while highly supplemented substrates colonize faster if contamination is avoided.

Watch for issues: If you see patches of green, black, or other colored mold during incubation, that indicates contamination. Such bags should be removed immediately to prevent the spread of mold spores.

Don’t be deceived: Lion’s Mane mycelium can be difficult to see; it can be much wispier than other gourmet varieties.  As long as you can see growth, assume that it is colonizing well.

If the Lion’s Mane mycelium has not fully colonized the substrate after a few weeks and stalls out with uncolonized patches, it could be due to contamination, overly wet substrate, or insufficient spawn. Lion’s Mane is sometimes finicky about full colonization, so using a higher spawn rate and proper moisture content helps. Patience is key. Ensure the block is fully colonized (solid white) before proceeding to fruiting.

Initiating Fruiting (Pinning Stage)

Once the block is fully colonized with mycelium, you need to induce the fungus to form fruiting bodies (mushrooms). In nature, a change in conditions (cooler temperatures, fresh oxygen, light rain) triggers fruiting.

To simulate this, place the colonized substrate in fruiting conditions, typically characterized by a drop in temperature, increased humidity, and some light and fresh air.

A common approach is to cut an “X” or window in the bag where you want the mushrooms to emerge (often, the mycelium will show tiny primordia or “pins” pressing against the bag).

Temperature: Dropping the incubation temperature from ~75°F (~23°C) to about 50-60°F (10–15°C) for a few days can stimulate pin formation. Some growers achieve this by moving the bags to a cooler basement or refrigerating them for 12–24 hours (without freezing). Others find Lion’s Mane will pin on its own at room temperature once fully colonized, especially if there’s any air exchange; in fact, pins often form inside the bag if left long enough.

Humidity: During pinning, maintain a near-saturation humidity level (95–100% relative humidity, RH). If using a fruiting chamber or tent, you may need to mist the air or use a humidifier to keep the environment very moist, as tiny pins are prone to drying out.

Fresh Air Exchange (FAE): You need high humidity and good air exchange. Carbon dioxide buildup can inhibit proper pinning. Aim to keep CO₂ below ~800 ppm during pin initiation; in practice, this means providing at least a few air exchanges per hour via fanning, passive vents, or an air pump/fan in your grow space. Many small growers simply crack open the top of a humidity tent or unfasten a terrarium cover to allow some fresh air while maintaining high humidity.

Light: Provide gentle light on a 12-hour cycle. Lion’s Mane does not require intense light, but exposure to ambient daylight or a 12 hr/day of 5000K daylight LED helps signal the mycelium to fruit. Avoid direct sunlight or heat from lights.

Under these pinning conditions, you should see fuzzy white nodules (primordia) form and develop into baby “pom-poms” within 3–5 days.

Fruiting & Growth

Once pins form, conditions are adjusted slightly for the development of whole fruiting bodies.

Temperature: Allow fruits to grow at 65-75°F (18–24 °C) for optimal development. Lion’s Mane can fruit at cooler temperatures (down to ~50°F (10 °C)), albeit more slowly, and can tolerate up to ~75°F (~24 °C) before quality suffers. Within the range of ~60-70°F (15–22 °C), you’ll get nice, dense growth.

Humidity: Maintain high humidity (85–95% RH) throughout fruiting to prevent the developing mushroom from drying or the tips of the spines from yellowing. It’s often ideal to start near 95% for pinning and then maintain ~90% as they enlarge.

Fresh Air Exchange (FAE): Ensure consistent airflow; at least 4–8 air exchanges per hour is recommended in fruiting chambers. Lion’s Mane is somewhat more tolerant of CO₂ than oysters, but still needs adequate ventilation to form proper spines. Without enough fresh air, mushrooms may become deformed, forming coral-like blobs or elongated stems with few spines.

In practical terms, avoid fruiting in a completely sealed container. Provide vent holes or use periodic fanning, and consider installing a small fan or air pump if you are in a greenhouse tent.

Light: Continue to provide diffuse light (for example, a simple 6500K LED bulb in the grow area or indirect window light). While Lion’s Mane can form in low light, some light ensures a healthy fruiting and proper development of pigments (they stay white; too much light/heat can slightly tan the surface).

Management: Check the mushrooms at least once or twice a day. They double in size quickly once established, sometimes maturing within 4–7 days of pinning under ideal conditions.

Avoid misting the mushrooms directly; water on the delicate spines can cause bruising or discoloration. Instead, mist the chamber walls or air to maintain humidity, or use a cool-mist humidifier set on a timer.

If you notice water pooling or condensation dripping on the fruits, reduce misting. Overly wet conditions can invite bacteria or cause the mushrooms to turn pinkish (an aesthetic issue).

Harvesting

Timing the harvest correctly will ensure the best texture, flavor, and shelf life. Lion’s Mane mushrooms are ready to pick when the spines (teeth) are long and well-formed (about 1/4 - 1/2 in (0.5–1.5 cm) long) and largely pointing downward. At this stage, the mushroom will be a solid white globe of cascading spines.

If you wait too long, the spines turn yellow, and the mushroom may become watery, develop mold, or (if growing outside) become infested with bugs, so avoid over-maturity. A good rule of thumb is to harvest when the spines are clearly visible and elongated, but before any part of the mushroom begins to brown or yellow.

To harvest, grasp the base of the cluster (or use a sharp knife) and twist or cut it off at the substrate. Try to remove the entire clump in one piece. Lion’s Mane is somewhat fragile; handle it gently to avoid knocking off the teeth or bruising the flesh, as bruising shortens its storage life. A delicate touch can yield mushrooms that keep fresh longer in the fridge.

After picking the first flush, you can attempt subsequent flushes from the same block. Let the colonized block rest (no misting) for 1–2 weeks to recover, then re-initiate fruiting by soaking it in cold water for a few hours and returning it to fruiting conditions. Many growers get 2–3 flushes from a Lion’s Mane block, with diminishing yields each time.

After the final harvest, the spent substrate can be composted (earthworms love it, and sometimes surprise mushrooms might pop up after rain).