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Organic Lion's Mane Mushroom Plug Spawn
Skill level | Intermediate |
Grow location | Outdoors |
Spawn shelf life | 6 months (refrigerated) |
Incubation | 12-24 months |
Fruiting temps | 55-70°F |
Best log type | See wood chart below |
Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) is a nutritious medicinal mushroom that produces plump white clusters with icicle-like teeth. When cooked, it has a consistency and flavor similar to crab meat.
Though slightly harder to get flushes than oysters or shiitake, they are still a great outdoor mushroom for intermediate growers. They colonize slowly but are relatively reliable producers.
Note: Dowel may be fluted or spiral. Aside from being kiln dried, our wooden dowels are not treated in any other way.
Lion's Mane wood chart:
BEST WOOD SPECIES* | Beech, Hornbeam, Hard Maple |
OTHER SUITABLE SPECIES | Alder, Aspen, Birch, Black Walnut, Box Elder, Cherry, Chestnut, Cottonwood, Elm, Hackberry, Mulberry, Oak, Soft Maple, Sweetgum |
AVOID | Hemlock, Pine |
Ideal project size:
Plug spawn is ideal for smaller projects of 1-10 logs, though some log cultivators will use them for larger projects.
That's not mold, it's mycelium!
Your kit includes plug spawn colonized with mushroom mycelium. It may appear covered with a soft, white, mold-like substance - that's the mushroom mycelium! It is completely normal. The mycelium of some species is more prominent than others.
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To grow on logs using plug spawn, you will need a Drill Bit, Log Sealing Wax, and Wax Daubers.
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Click here to download our pamphlet on growing mushrooms on logs, stumps, and totems.
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Lion’s mane prefers the Totem Method, though it can work with Log or Stump methods. (Yields tend to be smaller with log or stump methods). Colonization is 12-24 months and fruits in the fall. Lion’s mane prefers maple but can grow on many hardwood species and on logs with large or small diameters.
For our complete plug spawn pamphlet, click here.
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If you don't plan to use immediately, you can refrigerate your spawn for up to 6 months.
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"5 of the Best Lion's Mane Mushroom Recipes"
Its unique flavor and consistency make it ideal as a seafood substitute in recipes. We like to slice it into rounds and pan-fry it in olive oil or butter. We also recommend ripping it up and making vegan or vegetarian crab cakes with it. You can find some amazing recipes online!
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If you’re going to consume home-grown mushrooms, make sure to cook your fresh mushrooms thoroughly with heat. If it is your first time eating this species, it is best to start with a small amount to check for allergies, even if cooked.
*Recommendations are based on our own testing. You may have different results experimenting with other wood species.
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Lion's Mane plug spawn
You guys always ship fast, and fill the order to the brim. I've got a bunch of red oak logs sitting in a small copse enjoying a December rain, with your Lion's Mane spawn plugs newly added. Here's to a great future harvest.
Lions Mane
Our Lions Mane plugs arrived quickly and in great condition with lots of active mycelium growth visible. We have had success with North Spore shiitakes and snow oysters in logs, so we are very excited to try more varieties. The instructions were very clear, and we appreciate your informative videos. Thanks!
Great product that works
I’ve bought quite a few log plugs, my Shiitake logs I made last year are just starting to fruit, soo exciting. These lion mane plugs were well coated with mycelium and I can’t wait till they bring good food and medicine to my family. They’re fun to make logs with and create amazing treats for years to come. Thanks North Spore for making a fun hobby even easier and better
Lions mane plugs & wine cap sawdust spawn
My order came quickly, the Lions mane plugs we're nicely covered with mycelium, I got 6 logs done and now we wait for them to get going hopefully next year, can't wait to see the mushrooms sprout. The wine cap spawnn on sawdust was nice and white with mycelium as well now they are in my veggie garden on wood chips. In the spring I will plant my tomatoes,peppers and Swiss chard to shade them and everyone should get along just fine in the no till bed. Dinner will be delicious in summer!
plugs are fantastic
My only regret is not getting more on the initial order. Plugs arrived covered in mycelium in late August in the south. I was pretty worried about the heat in their transit. This next fall is going to be fruitful.