Midwest Grow Kits Revision 4.
1; 2018
How To Use Spawn Bags
This guide will show you how to properly Inoculate and Grow your Rye or 5-Grain Spawn Bags
Each bag has a self-healing injector site, which closes after you pull the needle out.
The white square filter patch located towards the top of the bag allows proper gas exchange but will keep contaminates out
Before you start
It is important to make sure that all spore injecting activities are done in the cleanest environment possible. Please use one of
our sterile spore injection techniques located in our grow guide. Treat injecting the spawn bag just like a substrate jar.
Inoculating
1. Wipe the syringe needle and the injection site (black spot) with an alcohol swab
2. Pull the syringe needle cover away from the syringe
3. Flame the needle until it becomes red hot, wait 3 seconds for it to cool. Push the nee-
dle about 1/2 inch into the bag and inject about 1-2 cc’s of spores. Pull the needle half
way out and angle it in a different direction and inject another 1-2 cc’s of spores. We rec-
ommend a total of 3-5 cc’s of spores per spawn bag.
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Make sure you inject in multiple locations to help spread your spore solution
around.
Unroll the spawn bag and make sure the
filter patch is upright. Slowly pull the two
sides apart and be careful not touch the
white filter. The goal is to Provide a channel
or path from the grain to the filter.
Place your spawn bags in a warm, dark location (75-81 degrees) and leave to
incubate. Unlike jars, Spawn bags colonize from the inside out so you will most
likely won’t see any mycelium growth for 7-14 days.
This is a typical spawn bag at day 14-17
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(Optional) Between 14-17 days you can break up the bags with your fingers
to spread the mycelium around. After spreading the white mycelium
around, gently re-pack the grain to its original shape.
This step is only optional as you need to be careful not to break them up
too much and destroy the mycelium network. We only suggest this step
when you have very slow growing bags. This method works best on the
Rye bags. Our 5grain bags contain very small grains and you must be
extra careful and make sure you reform the bag to its original shape and
avoid leaving air gaps in the grain.
Complete colonization may take 30-45 days depending on the species and
what temperature you incubate at. Unlike jars, the speed that spawn bags
germinate and colonize may have a much greater variance. The photo to
the right is a 5grain spawn bag full colonized and ready to move to the next
step!
Typical Growth chart of a Spawn Bag
Day 14 Day 25 Day 28 Day 35
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Fruiting Your Spawn bags
There are 3 different ways to fruit spawn bags. The most popular and recommended way, is the bulk casing method. The yield is
four to five times more than the other methods of fruiting. Your second best option for fruiting would be to use a fruiting cham-
ber with perlite like you would the substrate jars. The last option is to fruit directly in the bag.
Bulk Casing Method
This method is typically an advanced way of growing, but using our premade casing mix has made this process easier and more
convenient! This method involves simply breaking up the fully colonized spawn bag into small pieces and mixing it with the cas-
ing in the appropriate container (see ratios on bulk casing guide). The spawn and casing re-colonize and form a solid large cake.
This provides five times the surface area and results in a much larger yield. This has now become the most popular method for
first time spawn bag growers. If you choose this method, please refer to the bulk casing guide on our guides page.
Fruiting in a Humidified Chamber
The second most popular way to fruit your spawn bags would be to use a container with dampened perlite (white volcanic rock).
This is the method our substrate jar kits use. You will need vermiculite in this method to provide moisture to the cake and keep
it hydrated.
Start by removing the colonized grain from the bag. Dunking is not recommended with the spawn bags because they will
not absorb water directly into the grain. This is why you need vermiculite.
Place a piece of foil on top of the perlite. The foil should be about one inch larger than the cake on all sides.
Place a 1cm layer of vermiculite on the foil. Use a spray bottle and moisten the vermiculite enough so it’s saturated, but you
don’t want any standing water. Use spring or bottled water for misting.
Place the spawn cake on the vermiculite and add another 1cm layer of vermiculite on top. Spray top layer with water to
dampen. You will need to keep the vermiculite damp by misting daily.
It can take a few weeks for mushrooms to form. There are typically no set flushes for this style of growing, the mushrooms
will just grow sporadically for the following weeks.
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Fruiting in the Bag
The last method is fruiting directly in the bag. This method is easiest, but typically yields the least. You will need vermiculite for
this method to keep the grains hydrated.
Cut the top of the bag off. Cut above the white filter patch.
Remove the spawn cake. Add a 1cm layer of vermiculite in the bottom of the bag, then use a spray bottle to moisten the
vermiculite enough so it’s saturated, but you don’t want any standing water. Use spring or bottled water.
Put the spawn cake back in the bag and add another 1cm layer of vermiculite on top of the spawn cake. Spray with water
like you did the first layer.
Fold the top of the bag over and use a binder or paper clip to keep it closed.
Open the bag twice a day for a few minutes to allow fresh air exchange. Mist the vermiculite as needed to ensure it stays
hydrated.
It can take a few weeks for mushrooms to form. There are typically no set flushes for this style of growing, the mushrooms
will just grow sporadically for the following weeks.
It can take a few weeks for mushrooms to form. There are typically no set flushes for this style of growing, the mushrooms
will just grow sporadically for the following weeks.
Additional Question? Please email us at mgkhelp@gmail or call us (800) 921-4717 Mon-Friday 11am-5pm CST
