Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) is one of the most distinctive mushrooms you can grow. Instead of a cap and gills it forms a white, shaggy cluster of soft hanging spines, and the texture when cooked is often compared to crab or lobster. It is a little more particular than oyster mushrooms, but entirely manageable.
What you need
- Lion’s Mane liquid culture (10ml syringe of Hericium erinaceus)
- A kit or substrate to inoculate: a beginner kit such as the EZPZ, or grain spawn plus bulk substrate for a monotub
- Gloves and alcohol wipes, and a still-air box if you are working with open containers
Colonisation
Inject 1 to 3ml of culture into your grain or kit using clean technique, then keep it at roughly 21 to 24 degrees C in the dark until the substrate is fully white. Lion’s Mane tends to colonise a little more slowly than oyster, so be patient. Our still-air box guide covers keeping contamination out.
Fruiting conditions
- Cooler air: aim for about 15 to 21 degrees C. Higher temperatures give small, stringy or poorly formed fruits.
- High humidity: around 85 to 95 per cent. Use a fruiting tent or humid chamber.
- Gentle misting: mist the walls and the air, not the mushrooms. Water sitting on the delicate spines can cause bruising and bacterial blotches.
- Fresh air and some light: a few hours of indirect light a day, and regular air exchange. Too little fresh air gives coral-like, branching fruits instead of a proper ball.
When to harvest
Harvest when the spines are about 0.5 to 1cm long, and before the mushroom turns yellow or brown. Cut or twist it off at the base. Spines that are long and discoloured mean it is past its best and may taste bitter. After harvesting, rest the block for several days and look for a second flush.
Cooking
Tear it into thick pieces or slice into steaks and fry in butter or oil until golden on both sides. Because the flesh holds a lot of water, a dry pan first helps it brown. Lion’s Mane should be cooked rather than eaten raw.
New to growing? Begin with oyster mushrooms, then come back to Lion’s Mane, or explore all gourmet and medicinal cultures.
Our kits, cultures and supplies are intended for legal species such as gourmet and medicinal mushrooms. We make no health claims for any species. Growing mushrooms that contain psilocybin is illegal in the UK. 18+ only.
