u/LouSpore

The gardeing is changing so fast that it seems impossible to keep up with. We've had lots of Pink and Blue Oysters popping up from Plant & Grow Blocks, but it's the King Oysters that have really impressed. Even with high temps, it is fruiting well and has proven to be a stellar species for outdoor cultivation. Until this spring, I really wasn't sure about that.

It's been done before, but we're (North Spore) coming out with a more comprehenisve video on growing in vertical planters so I thought I'd share some recent experiences. The process isn't much different from the standard bucket technique, but the outcome is visually striking. Many people have one of these around and I'm hoping that seeing this will offer insights into container dynamics and inspire the use of other interesting containers.

For real, this pink flush was about as perfect as I've ever gotten. There was no subsrate surface visible at all.

What are y'all growing?

Hey everyone!

Long-time lurker here. I’ve always been fascinated by the intersection of hardware and biology, so I wanted to share a fun DIY project I've been experimenting with in my kitchen lab.

This actually started as a research project of mine back in 2022. I was looking into how different microbial cultures react to environmental stimuli, and I became obsessed with the principle of light-inhibited growth—essentially using light to control mycelium development into precise visual patterns.

After a lot of tweaking since then (and way too many contaminated agar plates), I finally managed to turn that concept into a compact, functional setup!

How it works: Instead of using mechanical nozzles like a standard 3D printer, it uses light as an invisible, non-invasive barrier. Since certain fungal strains are sensitive to light exposure, I can project specific light patterns onto the culture medium. It basically tells the mycelium, "Hey, don't grow in the bright areas, but feel free to spread over in the dark."

The current setup: To get the best contrast, I’ve been testing different combinations of dry-powder agar mixtures for quick activation, utilizing standard petri dishes and disposable inoculating loops. I also put together a modular frame to house the culture and hold the light source perfectly in place.

I’m just treating this as a fun bio-art and maker experiment right now, but I wanted to bring it to the real experts here to get your thoughts:

1. For the experienced growers: Have you ever noticed light-inhibition happening accidentally in your setups? Which strains do you think would have the strongest visual contrast?
2. What kind of cool geometric patterns or graphics would you try to grow if you had a setup like this?

Would love to hear your feedback or just nerd out about bio-art with you all! 🙌

In the garden amongst my cultivated plants and mushrooms, on hikes with my family or just walking down the sidewalk, I'm finally seeing mushrooms everywhere in Maine. I share these because I appreciate them and am NOT asking for ID.

Please share cool pictures of fantastic fungi that you come across. As a place for many aspects of mycology, it would be crazy not to allow that. If you know what something is with very high confidence, share the name. However, we have to be very careful about offering ID advice. If we can handle offering some basic careful recommendations on where to start, I'm ok with that.

For example you might say, "that photo reminds me of Reishi, so you should perhaps compare it to species in the Ganoderma genus.". The exception is if we're talking about a species that North Spore carries, then I and my team are happy to discuss ID.

*oh and one of the pics is a slime mold, not a fungus, I know.

A friend and colleague over here at North Spore, Luke, found this shiitake growing on a log of the same type and age as already fruiting logs very nearby. The thing is that this log was never inoculated! He's sure of it.

Even though many thousands of shiitake logs are grown every year in the US, we very rarely see this mushroom in our forests (It does get reported from time to time). Why is this if it obviously likes the climate and food sources? Whatever the reason, I'm certainly glad that it doesn't show invasive tendencies.

Hundreds of years ago in East Asia, early mushroom farmers didn't use spawn, they used spores. They stacked fruiting shiitake logs on fresh logs in order to inoculate them. Some % worked and even though it was inefficient, the coolest part is that it was a system of selection, which ultimately led to the beastly mushroom we have today.

Brand new incredible book on Fungi from the world renowned mycologist, Dr. David Hibbett. A very comprehensive and up-to-date look at the kingdom that every mycophile should consider owning. Dr. Hibbett is currently a biology professor at Clark University in Worcester, MA.

Our very own Lab Manager, Rachael Martin learned from him and has vouched for his expertise, teaching ability and kindness. You can find the book here: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691265261/the-complete-fungi?srsltid=AfmBOopp_VeETV2BxOnwZhl1zz1GsYnkvosF9ppQSiT3P531vvLPpgAo

While North Spore doesn't sell this one, we sell a bunch of other fantastic mushroom books that you can check out here: https://northspore.com/collections/books-gifts-merch

A few days ago, I noticed some experimental King Trumpets fruiting in a MycoSphere in the North Spore backyard.

Well, after a wet holiday weekend, they're exploding.

Despite the heat and somewhat uneven conditions, there are a lot coming up. They look great, especially this one jacked individual that would definitely be disqualified from the Olympics. This single mushroom weighed over a pound.

We don't offer them as a Plant & Grow right now, but if you want to do this, just treat a Fruiting Block as one. https://northspore.com/collections/mushroom-fruiting-block-kits/products/grow-your-own-king-trumpets?variant=44820883996774

Just as a burried block, I wasn't sure how these would work. I have several more planted and will continue to experiment, but this is a promising start! It's also thanks to the MycoSphere.

These Black Kings were perfect. Except for a spot or two where I damaged them, both clusters were about the most uniform I've ever grown.

After many years of cultivation, I am finally growing button mushrooms! This is my first flush royalty. Do other folks have experience with these?

I'm curous to hear how people feel about this mushroom. Do you y'all have any experience growing it?

This is from a couple days ago and it's gotten huge. I'll post pics or a vid of that soon.

I'm honestly curious about your experiences, especially as it relates to other, similar products on the market. Also, one of the things that really differentiates our product is the Spore Boostr. It is genuinely helpful, but do people use it?