Grain spawn is the traditional way to propagate mushroom cultures. Starting with just 1 liter of sterilized grain and a sheet of culture in a petri dish, mushroom mycelium can expand to provide over 1000 liters of culture. Many different types of grains can be used for spawn, including wheat, rye, brown rice, white rice, wild bird seed, and even popcorn. Without a doubt, however, the most common grain used for mushroom cultivation is Rye. Rye's water-absorbing qualities, nutrient makeup, and, well, mushrooms seem to like it. Grain strains are used to grow mushrooms in substrates, most commonly in indoor settings, which is ideal for inoculating sterilized or pasteurized substrates. Cereal spawns are usually pure white, but can sometimes be pink, tan, or gray. It varies depending on the type of grain used and how well it is colonized by individual mushroom species and cultivars. Appearance can vary based on many factors. Grain that is properly prepared, sterilized, and has the proper moisture content is the key to successful mycelium expansion.
Our Mushroom Grain Spawn Products
Grain spawn is essential for mushroom growth. Grain spawn is quite the “grainschild” of your mushroom operation, acting as a stepping stone for your friendly fungi. It’s a process that combines sterilized grains—often wheat, rye, or millet—with mycelium, the vegetable part of a fungus.
We provide high-quality grain spawns that can be used to inoculate cultures on other substrates. We use a mixture formulated to promote the rapid growth of mycelium in the substrate. The recipe we use is a proprietary blend of locally grown rye seeds with a 10% sawdust supplement, with a slightly different recipe for each mushroom. Our strains are grown and produced by us in our own facilities under the highest quality conditions. Each package also comes with insulated shipping!
Applications of Mushroom Grain Spawn
- Grain spawn is used for Oyster, Lion's Mane, Chestnut, Shiitake, Pioppini, and Reishi mushroom cultivation.
- Grain spawn masters (G1) can be used to inoculate other grain spawn, also known as G2 or 2nd generation grain spawn.
- Grain spawn 2nd generation (G2) should only be used to inoculate sawdust-based substrate materials.
Characteristics of Mushroom Grain Spawn
- Grain is most often used to inoculate loose substrates like straw. The grain provides a nutrient kick to unsupplemented substrates.
- Grain spawn masters can also be used to increase sterilized grain to make more spawn for mushroom production.
- Grain can also be used to inoculate beds and totems, but its use may attract rodents.
- When used properly, cereal spawn will usually colonize any substrate within 7-14 days.
- Grain spawn the industry standard for high-volume commercial production.
- We recommend using Grain Generation within one to two months of purchase. Most species must be stored refrigerated, with the exception of the pink oyster, which should not be refrigerated (and should be used within two weeks of receipt).
Lifeasible offers high-quality mushroom grain spawn products. Our grain spawns are grown in a sterile lab and produced year-round to ensure you get fresh mycelium. Since each mushroom has its own specific needs, we recommend contact us for more detailed growing information.
For research use only, not for clinical use.
