Grow kits make growing mushrooms at home very easy. Still, there are some things you can look out for:

1. Forgetting to work hygienically

Many novice growers forget or overlook the fact that sanitation is very important when growing mushrooms. Mushrooms, but especially magic mushrooms, are very vulnerable to contamination. If the environment is not sterile, bacteria and mold can get into your grow kit. If that happens, there is a risk that your mushrooms will lose out.

A grow kit provides a safe environment for your mushrooms. You don’t have to do much to grow the mushrooms. Still, it is important to pay attention to hygiene: wash your hands before working with the grow kit. If you use tools (you don’t actually need them), sterilize them with alcohol first. Follow the instructions on the package of your grow kit and you can get started with confidence.

2. Common mistakes with a grow kit: Not paying attention to temperature and humidity

For mushrooms, temperature and humidity are very important. They grow especially well at temperatures between 21 and 24 degrees and humidity of 85 to 95 percent. These values should not fluctuate too much, but also should not be too high or too low by default. This can lead to poor growth or the growth process comes to a complete halt.

So don’t just put your mushroom grow kit in a random place. Before you know it, it will be in the sun all day or it will be too dry or too cold. Some magic mushrooms are pretty hardened and can take some. Still, it’s a good idea to take a moment to think about where you’re going to put your grow kit: make sure it’s in a pleasantly warm place that’s well ventilated. You may want to use a thermometer to keep track of the temperature.

3. Watering too much or too little

Mushrooms also need water, but it should be neither too much nor too little. Giving too much water can make the mycelium too moist, giving fungi and bacteria a chance. When it is too dry, the mushrooms dry out and will not grow well.

Thus, it is important to keep the mycelium sufficiently moist. In addition, mushrooms also absorb moisture from the air, which is why humidity also plays a big role. Fortunately, you can read how to water properly in the grow kits’ instructions. You do this at the beginning by submerging the grow kit and later by spraying the mushrooms with water using a spray. If you see that the set is too humid, you can open it for a while to promote air circulation.

4. Not providing the right lighting conditions

Although mushrooms do not like to be in full sun (in the forest you will find them in shady places as well), they do need light. One of the most common mistakes among beginners is to think that mushrooms grow well in the dark. However, they need indirect light. They use it to infer in which direction they need to grow.

Don’t put your mushrooms in full sun (they will also get too hot and dry out), but don’t put them in a dark room either. You can just put them in a room where light falls in. Even artificial light suffices, as long as there is 12 hours of light per day. Special grow lights are not necessary, your mushrooms will do fine as long as there is light in the room.

5. Don’t make this mistake with your grow kit: being too impatient!

Growing mushrooms requires patience, which can be difficult as a novice grower. And so the common mistake with a mushroom grow kit is being too impatient. This can manifest itself in opening the grow bag too often to take a peek inside or harvesting the mushrooms too early.

The former causes problems with humidity and temperature in the grow kit. The second ensures that your mushrooms are not yet sufficiently developed when you harvest them. Follow the instructions of the grow kit and trust the process. Your mushrooms will grow naturally if you give them time. Harvest them the moment the caps have opened, but before the membrane under the cap comes off.

If you want to know more about the growing process of magic mushrooms, read more on Erowid.org about the Growing Cycle.