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So, your lion’s mane mushroom is now fully grown and seems ready for harvest, but you’re wondering if you should start harvesting it already. Well, some plants may appear to be ready for harvest when they’re actually not.
In this article, you will get to understand when to harvest lions mane mushroom as well as how to properly grow the plant.
And for the record, lion’s mane is a name for a variety of mushrooms. Most people grow this mushroom for several reasons.
What Is Lion’s Mane?
There are several varieties of mushrooms, and one of the varieties that have become widely known is the lion’s mane mushroom, this species of mushroom can also be called (pom pom blanc, monkey head mushroom, or Hieracium Erinaceus).
This is a large white mushroom that is notable for its needle-like teeth, these teeth grow backwards as the plant grows, which gives it a shaggy appearance hence the name lion’s mane.
Historically, these varieties of mushrooms are native to Asians, Europeans, and the North part of America. Its most effective growth habitat is decaying wood or rotten leaves that fall off the parent plant.
In physical properties, they are soft and have a spongy texture and appearance, they have numerous branches that extend from their body which helps farmers to spot them as lion’s mane.
They’re equally sweet and have a mild flavor, making them widely used for preparing different dishes from different parts of the world. Their flavor is similar to that of crabs and other large arthropods like lobsters.
These varieties of mushrooms are not only edible, but in addition to that, they are of medicinal value and equally provide so many health benefits to their consumers. This goes a long way to make it one of the most widely planted varieties of mushrooms.
See Also: Lions Mane Mushroom Growth Stages
When To Harvest Lions Mane Mushroom
The time chosen for the harvesting of lion’s mane mushroom is dependent on the variety you planted. In general, lion’s mane mushroom is usually ready to be harvested 4 to 6 days after pinning.
The sign that shows that it is ready for harvest is to check the teeth. You are to harvest when the teeth have been formed, in addition to this, you will see branches around it, this shows that it is ready for harvesting.
But a mushroom’s entire growth term completely depends on the variety of mushrooms you are growing.
How To Grow Lion’s Mane Mushroom From Home
Most people prefer to grow the lion’s mane mushroom at home because it is convenient to grow faster.
In addition to the above reason, you don’t need to start looking for a lot of space to grow the mushroom. It grows and germinates fast irrespective of where it is grown, provided that it receives the required nutrients for effective growth and development.
Aside from growing them on land, you can equally and easily grow them on decaying logs which happens to be among their natural habitat.
Is Lion’s Mane Mushroom Easy To Grow?
Generally, the lion’s mane mushroom is easy to grow if you have the required and sufficient knowledge for it, if not, you may find it difficult to grow this mushroom effectively.
If you’re a beginner, you don’t have to go straight into growing the lion’s mane mushroom, you will make so many mistakes without realizing it.
It is better and easier for you to start with different varieties of mushrooms which will give you the needed knowledge for you to grow the lion’s mane mushroom effectively.
One of the different varieties of mushrooms you can grow as a means to gain sufficient knowledge on the growth of the lion man’s mushroom is the oyster mushroom.
How Long Does It Take To Grow Lion’s Mane?
One crucial factor you should note when growing a lion’s mane, especially on a log, is that they don’t grow very quickly. It may take, on average, depending on the variety of the one you’re growing, two years for it to grow to maturity.
One of the reasons most farmers are still growing lion’s mane, especially on a rotten log, despite the long time it takes to grow, is that once it grows on the log, you can harvest mushrooms from the same log, the same spot for over six years. This is why it is worth a try.
Due to the late growth rate, most farmers and individuals prefer to grow lion’s mane indoors, especially in a bank, to enable them to grow quickly because they’re saprophytic.
When you grow your lion’s mane in a bag hanged or kept somewhere, it will take, on average, two months for you to start harvesting the mushrooms.
During the process of growing your lion’s mane in a bag, three important things happen, which include a stage where the mycelium spreads throughout the substrate area. This stage is called the colonization stage.
Immediately the mycelium is done with the colonization stage, it starts sprouting in just two to three days
As it keeps growing, in just 7 to 15 days, your lion’s mane mushroom is ready to be harvested
The lion’s mane mushroom is known to grow in different places, some of the places are decaying hardwoods, and other areas such as decaying falling leaves.
How To Care For Lion’s Mane Mushroom
There are three main areas for you to look into when it comes to caring for your mushrooms. They are
- Humidity or water
- Fertilizer
- Air feasibility
1. Humidity or Water
After planting your lion’s mane mushroom, the next thing to do is to water it effectively. However, before you should start watering your mushroom, you should know that mushrooms are saprophytic, so watering effectively will help greatly in the growth and development of your mushrooms.
2. Fertilizer
Like every other plant, the lion’s mane mushroom needs fertilizer to grow effectively, but it needs a lesser amount of fertilizer than other plants.
The reason for this is that they’re saprophytic, when adding Fertilizers, remember to add only the required amount to ensure faster growth and development.
3. Air feasibility
Mushrooms are saprophytic, you need to make sure that the area where you planted your mushroom is well-ventilated. Lack of ventilation causes the accumulation of CO2, which in the long run will lead to the poor growth and development of your mushroom.
Air feasibility is very much needed, and it is as important as fertilizers and watering. So when planting your lion’s mane mushroom, you should put these three things into consideration. They will determine the extent of the growth of your mushrooms.
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