Of all the fascinating and diverse mushrooms the fungal kingdom offers, Lion's Mane might be considered one of its greatest gems. It’s a delicious edible, a highly valued medicinal, and just an overall stunning mushroom. It’s really unlike any other mushroom in its shape, flavor, and experience.
There's a good reason why, in the last couple of years, Lion's Mane quickly sky-rocketed in popularity and practically became a household name.
Growing Lion's Mane at home is a straightforward process accessible to anyone with drive and interest. It’s a lot like cultivating other gourmet edible mushrooms, with a couple of nuances. In this guide, we’ll teach you everything you need to know to start growing Lion's Mane at home.
If you want to dive deep into the cultivation of mushrooms in general, we also highly recommend you check out our introductory guides on cultivation. There, we cover all the fundamentals in great detail. If you feel like you don’t understand something in this guide, make sure to check them out!
What is Lion's Mane?
Lion's Mane is a mushroom native to the temperate forests of the northern hemisphere. In nature, it is somewhat rare, typically found growing on fallen logs, snags, or even on the trunks of living trees. It is almost exclusively associated with Oak. In some parts of the world, it is protected due to scarcity. It is considered a type of “tooth fungus” thanks to its dangling teeth or spines, characteristic of the species.
Lion's Mane can be easily cultivated and is often found fresh in specialty grocery stores and farmers' markets. It can also be commonly seen as a supplement or as an additional ingredient in certain “functional foods” like mushroom coffee.
What Do Lion's Mane Mushrooms Look Like?
Lion’s Mane is beautiful and unique. It’s white, spherical, and ornamented with hundreds of cascading “teeth” of 2-3 cm in size. Its flesh is entirely white when fresh and turns milky white to light yellow-brown after drying. Its scientific name, “Hericium erinaceus” references its resemblance to a hedgehog, while another common name, the “pom pom” mushroom, highlights its round and playful appearance.
It’s unlike most other mushrooms, and words don’t do it justice. That’s why we’ve included a photo for you to enjoy :).
Photo by author Timo Mendez
Health Benefits of Lion's Mane Mushrooms
Lion's Mane is highly regarded for its potential to improve cognitive function. This means improving memory, focus, mental clarity, and even helping improve your mood. It has been the topic of over 400 peer-reviewed studies, including a handful of clinical trials.
While scientists are still figuring out exactly how Lion's Mane works, a large part of its health benefits are believed to be due to its ability to stimulate the production of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF). NGF is a compound that stimulates the production of new neurons in the brain and protects existing ones. Some research has also shown it is capable of reducing amyloid plaque in the brain, a compound that has been linked to Alzheimer's.
While it rarely receives the same interest from the public, it’s also worth mentioning that in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lion's Mane is utilized to improve digestive health and treat gastritis. This also makes sense, considering your digestive system has the second largest concentration of nerves after your brain.
Can You Eat Lion's Mane Mushrooms?
Absolutely. Lion's Mane mushroom is delicious.
It can be cooked in hundreds of different ways, and creative chefs are constantly discovering new recipes. One of the classics, which we can highly recommend, is Lion's Mane Crab Cakes. Another option is to cut it into large, chunky steaks and grill them at a high temperature for an almost meat-like experience. There’s also nothing wrong with throwing it into anything savory or stir-fry. A simple good search will reveal many mouth-watering recipes.
Types of Lion's Mane
Lion's Mane typically refers to the species Hericium erinaceus. While it is known that there are many different strains of Lion's Mane in cultivation, these are poorly documented, described, or named. It’s known that in China, where most of the world's Lion's Mane is cultivated, there are dozens of well-defined cultivars.
It’s also important to mention that there are numerous closely related species that are occasionally cultivated. This includes the Coral Tooth Fungus (Hericium coralloides), Bear’s Head Tooth (Hericium americanum), Fir Bears Head (Hericium abietis), Alpine Tooth Fungus (Hericium alpestre), and New Zealand Tooth Fungus (Hericium novae-zealandiae).
If you are buying a Lion's Mane culture, it can be a good idea to ask your producer about their experience with this strain. Some strains may be more adapted to specific environmental conditions like temperatures.
| Lion's Mane Cultivation “Cheat Sheet” | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name: | Hericium erinaceus |
| Common Names: | Lion’s mane, monkey head, bear’s head, coral tooth, coral spine, pom pom mushroom |
| Substrate: | Wood-lover, typically grown on sawdust or supplemented sawdust. It can also be grown on logs although this can be really slow. |
| Incubation Time | |
| Logs | 15-24 months for the first harvest, but with proper care, they can continue producing for up to six years. |
| Sawdust Blocks | 14 - 21 days |
| Time to Mature From Primordia | 5-10 days |
| Growth Conditions | |
| Incubation Temperature: | 68-77°F (20-25°C) |
| Fruiting Temperature: | 60°F to 68°F(15-20°C) |
| Humidity: | About 95-100% for primordia formation and 80-90% for good fruiting body development. |
| Ventilation/CO2: | Good air circulation is essential for Lion's Mane. Too much CO2 can cause mushrooms to grow long, stretched and deformed, or even a coral or branching shape. |
| Light Requirements: | Indirect sunlight or some fluorescent lighting is beneficial during fruiting. |
| Harvest | |
| Harvest Stage: | When the spines/teeth are about 1/4 inch long, and before they start to brown. |
| Biological Efficiency: | About 25-50% depending on supplementation and substrate |
| Yield: | 1-2 lbs per 5 lbs block |
Nuances of Lion's Mane Cultivation
- Mycelium Appearance: The mycelium of Lion's Mane is noticeably finer and less opaque than other commonly cultivated gourmet fungi. Cultivators accustomed to the robust mycelium of species like Oyster mushrooms might perceive Lion's Mane mycelium as weak or underdeveloped.
- Premature Pinning: Lion's Mane is known for its tendency to pin prematurely. Oftentimes, primordia begin forming inside the bag before the substrate is fully colonized. While it can be challenging to avoid, removing as much air from the grow bag and keeping it in darkness during incubation may help prevent early pinning. Also, utilizing a fresh culture can help reduce this. If the bags look pretty colonized anyway, you can cut a small X in the bag near the pins and allow them to develop.
- Sensitivity to CO2: Lion's Mane mushrooms are sensitive to high CO2 levels. Inadequate fresh air exchange during fruiting can lead to abnormal growth, resulting in long, stretched, deformed, or coral-shaped mushrooms. Airflow is particularly important when fruiting Lion's Mane in enclosed spaces like fruiting chambers or tents.
- Minimal Light Requirements: While Lion's Mane doesn't need a lot of light to grow, some indirect light is beneficial for healthy development during fruiting.
Easiest Way To Cultivate Lion's Mane
While we go into great detail on cultivating your Lion's Mane “from scratch” in this article, you can skip much of this process if you purchase a ready-made grow-kit. This is by far the easiest way to grow Lion's Mane at home and a great first step for any aspiring growers.
Lion's Mane Cultivation Guide
The Lion's Mane cultivation process is quite similar to other gourmet mushrooms, although there are some distinct nuances. As mentioned earlier, if you want to understand the theory of mushroom cultivation on a deeper level, you may want to check out our introductory series.
Preparing Your Substrate
Lion's Mane is almost exclusively cultivated on hardwood sawdust (oak, maple, alder, walnut, etc.) Experienced growers may decide to supplement sawdust with additional nutrients, but this increases the risk of contamination. In Asia, some growers utilize cotton seed hulls or other agricultural waste products.
For home growers with minimal experience and equipment, unsupplemented sawdust is recommended. Hardwood fuel pellets or hardwood sawdust blocks are a great option if you do not have access to other sources of hardwood sawdust. More experienced growers with sterilization equipment and clean rooms may want to supplement their substrate to improve yields.
| 3 Substrate Recipes For Lion's Mane | |
|---|---|
| Unsupplemented Sawdust | This just means 100% sawdust. This is your best option if you do not have sterilization equipment and just plan to pasteurize. |
| Masters Mix (Supplemented) | This is a classic 50:50 recipe of sawdust and soybean hulls. Requires sterilization. |
| Bran Supplemented | Instead of soy hulls, you can utilize about 20% wheat bran in addition to sawdust for supplementation. This requires sterilization. |
Hydration Of Substrate
Substrates should be hydrated to about 50-60%. This means about a 1:1 ratio of dry substrate to water. Avoid over-hydrating the substrate, which can easily lead to slow growth and contamination. If you squeeze the substrate with the palm of your hand, no more than 1-2 drops should come out. It is better to be on the slightly dry side than the substrate being too wet.
Read The In-Depth Guide On Substrates
To learn more about substrates, check out our Introduction To Substrates article. Here, we go over everything you should know, including suitable tree species and other info you should consider about your substrate preparation.
Filling Your Mushroom Grow Bag
For best results, it is recommended to utilize a mushroom grow bag for cultivation. These are heat-resistant bags with filter patches that allow the mycelium to breathe. Make sure to use a grow bag with a 0.5-micron filter patch that allows for superior air exchange, as opposed to the 0.2-micron filters, which are utilized for slower-growing species and spawn production.
The quantity of substrate you’ll want to add to each grow bag depends on the size of your grow bags. Many growers utilize large bags suitable for making 5 lb blocks. You should only be filling your bags about 50% of the way to allow for proper mixing during the inoculation phase and so that the bag can be easily sealed and folded. Consult the specifications of your grow bag to determine how much substrate they are intended to hold.
When filling your grow bag, try to be as clean as possible. Avoid getting substrate on the upper regions of the bag, as this can cause complications later. After filling, wipe the surfaces of the bags with a clean paper towel to remove any additional sawdust.
|
Bucket Cultivation-Tek For bucket cultivation, you will want to utilize an unsupplemented substrate (100% sawdust) as there is a higher risk of contamination. You should pasteurize your substrate thoroughly before introducing it into the bucket in layers along with spawn. A 15 to 20% ratio of spawn to substrate is recommended to reduce the risk of contamination. We’ll link to a complete article on bucket cultivation once we have that ready :). |
Pasteurization/Sterilization
This process simply removes any potentially harmful microorganisms from the substrate. These are other fungi and bacteria that can attack your mycelium or compete with it for food. While similar, there are distinct differences between Pasteurization and Sterilization.
- Pasteurization involves heating the substrate to about 140-170°F (60-80°C) for 1-2 hours. This is enough to eliminate all the harmful bacteria that could compete with your fungus. Pasteurization is suitable for unsupplemented substrates.
- Sterilization is more intensive and typically requires temperatures of 250 °F (121°C) at 15 PSI for 1-2 hours. It is conducted in pressure cookers or autoclaves. This is necessary for supplemented substrates.
|
Easy Pasteurization Tek For Pellets or Blocks Once hydrated, you can wait for it to cool down and then fill your clean grow bag/bucket with the pasteurized sawdust and alternating layers of spawn. |
Check out our Introduction To Pasteurization and Sterilization article if you want to learn more about this process in-depth.
Inoculation
For inoculation, you’ll need some high-quality spawn. You can make your own or purchase it from a trusted producer. Check out our Introduction To Spawn guide here if you want to learn more about spawn.
The process of inoculation simply involves mixing your substrate with your spawn. If you’re using supplemented substrate it’s recommended to do this in front of a laminar flow hood or inside a still-air-box.
For inoculation, you’ll simply want to mix your grain with your substrate. Use about a 10-20% ratio of spawn to substrate. Afterward, close the bag, either with an impulse sealer, a clip, or even a zip-tie, ensuring no air can enter. Once properly sealed, mix the grain spawn with the substrate by shaking the bag. Mix as evenly as possible. For details see our full inoculation article.
Incubation
Incubation is the growth phase of the cultivation process when you allow your fungal mycelium to do its job and colonize the substrate. While it is relatively hands-off, it does require you to monitor and potentially control the environmental conditions. Consider that Lion's Mane mycelium can be very light and wispy when it is first growing, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t see any visible growth.
- Temperature: Temperature is perhaps the most important thing to monitor during this stage. Temperatures of about 68-77°F (20-25°C) are ideal for the incubation of Lion's Mane. This said, Lion's Mane can't handle fluctuations in temp ranging from 60-85°F (15-30°C), although temps outside of the ideal will slow growth and make it prone to contamination.
- Light: It is preferable to incubate in darkness if possible, although some indirect sunlight is acceptable. Excess light may slow growth or make it more prone to early pinning.
- Time: If proper conditions are provided, incubation typically takes about 2 weeks. You’ll know incubation is complete when the entire substrate is well colonized with white mycelium. It is also very common for Lion's Mane to start pinning once incubation is complete.
Fruiting Lion's Mane Mushrooms
The final stage of the cultivation process provides the ideal conditions for developing the fruiting body. Generally speaking, these are conditions with lower temperatures and higher humidity levels, as well as fresh air exchanges. Imagine that you are trying to mimic the conditions experienced by the fungus during mushroom season.
Before setting your block out to fruit, you must make a slice into your grow bag. You want to do this with a clean and disinfected knife in a central part of the grow bag. About 4” in size is plenty to allow the fruiting body to develop. If you already have pins forming, you may want to cut near them to allow them to develop.
Alternatively, it is possible to “top fruit” lion's mane by cutting the entire top portion of the bag. The downside of top-fruiting is that the substrate is prone to drying, requiring strict humidity control. Make sure not to leave a large “lip” around the substrate, as this can cause CO2 to accumulate if there is low ventilation.
- Temperatures: Aim to keep your growing space between 55°F and 68°F (13-20°C), with the sweet spot around 64°F (18°C). If the temperature rises above 73°F (23°C), your Lion's Mane might grow more slowly or not develop properly. If your growing space gets hotter than 77°F (25°C), your growth may be significantly impacted.
- Humidity: Humidity at levels of 80-95% is ideal for Lion's Mane. Depending on your growing conditions, you may have to increase the humidity artificially. This can easily be done with a humidifier, or you can do it by adding additional moisture to your growing environment (misting or spraying the walls and floors with water).
- Fresh Air Exchange: Mushrooms naturally release CO2 during their growth and can significantly increase CO2 levels in their environment. If you are cultivating in a closed space, you will want to provide ventilation to prevent the accumulation of CO2. High CO2 levels can cause poorly developed fruiting bodies or branching.
- Time: If you provide adequate conditions, you can expect to harvest your Lion's Mane in about 10-12 days.
- Lighting: A bit of indirect light is ideal during the fruiting stage for properly developing fruiting bodies. Avoid direct sunlight.
Harvesting Lion's Mane Mushrooms
When harvesting your Lion's Mane, it is essential to monitor their growth regularly. As mentioned above, this is typically 10-12 days after pinning, but it could take longer if conditions aren’t ideal. Harvesting too early means you'll miss some of your yields. However, harvesting too late can cause a less tasty mushroom.
When To Harvest Lion's Mane
You know your lion's mane is ready when it is fully grown, plump, and feels firm to the touch. The spines should be 0.2-0.6 inches (0.5-1.5 cm) long. You know you’ve waited too long if it starts to turn yellow, wither, or it begins releasing its white powdery spores.
Conclusion
Lion's Mane is a relatively fast grower and easy to grow if you know what you’re doing. If you have any doubts about the process, check out our Introductory Series on cultivation, which goes into all the steps in great detail. We cover any doubts you may have that we couldn’t include in this article.
Happy growing!
