Healthy, vigorous spawn is the foundation to any successful mushroom grow, and it all starts with sterilized hydrated grain.

Our Sterilized Sorghum bags allow you to skip the rigorous and tricky process of grain preparation - we provide a clean foundation for your liquid culture and agar cultures to expand into for use with substrate so you can worry less about contamination and more about growing!

Each bag contains:

• Triple Washed, Hydrated, and Sterilized Sorghum
• Self-Healing Injection Port for clean inoculation
• 0.2 micron filter patch for contamination prevention and gas exchange

These bags are compatible with almost any species and are used as a starting point for mycelium growth. Once colonized, the grain can be:

• Used to inoculate bulk substrate (like Fast Fruiting or Monotub Mix)
  
• Grown out in jars or bags for in-bag cultivation (depending on species)
  
• Used for expanding pure cultures or clones
  

Common species include:

• Dung-loving mushrooms (when paired with monotub mix)
  
• Wood-loving mushrooms (when paired with sawdust-based substrates)
• Gourmet and medicinal species like oysters, lion’s mane, reishi, etc.
  
  

These bags are designed to be inoculated using a liquid culture syringe via the self-healing injection port.

Here is what you'll need:

• All-in-One Grow Bag
• Gloves
• Liquid Culture Syringe (Not included)
• 70% Isopropyl Alcohol Spray or Wipe
• A torch or lighter to sterilize your syringe needle

Inoculation Steps:

• Put on gloves, spray your bag, syringe, and hands - wipe down and allow to dry.
• Flame-sterilize the needle until red hot, then let it cool for a few seconds.
• Insert the needle through the injection port and inject 3–5 mL of solution into the bag.
• Move the bag to an incubation area that is dark, room temp, and clean.

If you're more familiar with advanced techniques, you can also inoculate these bags with agar transfers or grain-to-grain transfers for faster incubation times.

Incubation is an important part of the process! Most mushrooms will fully colonize grain within 2 weeks under the ideal conditions.

Try not to disturb your mushrooms too much, and leave them in an environment with these conditions:

Temperature: 70-78°F

Lighting: Darkness or low light

Environment: Clean area with access to oxygen & fresh air out of direct sunlight

Your grain is fully colonized when

• The bag is completely white with no uncolonized patches
  
• It feels firm and solid
  
• There are no signs of mold or contamination
  
  

Use it to inoculate a bulk substrate, such as:

• Fast Fruiting Mix (for oysters, lion’s mane, etc.)
  
• Monotub Mix (for dung-loving mushrooms)
• CVG Mix (for dung-loving mushrooms)
  
• Hardwood Mix (for shiitake, reishi, etc.)

You can also use a portion to expand your culture into additional grain bags

It is always recommended to do grain spawn transfers in a clean air environment.

Doing transfers in front of a Still Air Box or Flow Hood will reduce your chance of experiencing contamination during fruiting.

In a still air box or in front of a flow hood, use sterilized tools and gloves to open your substrate and grain bags, pour in the needed amount of grain, and then re-seal your substrate bags with a heat sealer, clip, or tape.

If you're doing multiple bags, make sure to do them all at once to reduce exposure time to air.

The amount of grain spawn needed varies depending on what type of mushroom you are growing.

Generally speaking, the more spawn you add to your substrate, the faster it should colonize. That being said, for some species there are diminishing returns based on how much grain is added.

For Gourmet, Wood-Loving Mushrooms, it is recommended to add a maximum of 10% grain by weight to your substrate.

• For a single 5 Pound bag of Fast Fruiting Mix
• Add 1/4-1/2 pound of colonized grain spawn.
• You can colonize 6-12 bags of Fast Fruiting Mix with a single 3 pound grain bag!

For Dung-Loving Mushrooms, a higher ratio is recommended.

• When growing Dung-Loving Mushrooms, add up to a 2:1 Ratio of substrate to grain.
• For one bag of Bulk Substrate at 5 pounds
• Add 1.5-2.5 pounds of colonized grain.

For Monotubs, two bags of substrate to one full bag of grain is typically sufficient.

Unfortunately it is not recommended to use grain spawn in outdoor applications as it can attract rodents if used in garden beds and compost piles, so it is best to add a little extra grain if you are worried about wasting it.

Troubleshooting slow colonization:

Contamination – green, black, or pink spots; foul smell are indicators of contamination.

Temps too low/high – below 65°F or above 80°F can slow or stall growth

Overhydration – water pooling in the bag, mushy looking grain, and foul smells are bad indicators.

Old or weak spawn/cultures – expired or improperly stored inoculum may not perform as intended, or introduce contamination to grain.

If unsure, contact Redwood Mushroom Supply with photos for assistance.