Cultivation tool
Cultivation timeline
Pick the species you're growing and the date you'll inoculate. The calculator outputs a stage-by-stage calendar so you know when to expect spawn run, when to do bulk transfer, when to drop chamber temp for fruiting, when first flush will land. Plan around it.
Inputs
About this species
PoHu is the home-grow workhorse. Forgiving timeline; absolute fastest cycle of any species in the calculator.
- Total cycle
- 30–60 days
- Colonize temp
- 70–78°F
- Fruit temp
- 55–70°F
- Fruit humidity
- 85–95%
- 1
Inoculation
Day 0-0Earliest
Mon, May 4
Typical
Mon, May 4
Latest
Mon, May 4
Liquid culture (or sterilized grain spawn) introduced into pasteurized substrate or pre-sterilized grain jars. Sterile-technique critical here.
Tasks
- Prep clean work area; flame-sterilize tools
- Inject 2-4 mL liquid culture per quart spawn jar OR mix grain spawn into substrate
- Date + label every container
- 2
Spawn run
Day 4-12Earliest
Fri, May 8
Typical
Mon, May 11
Latest
Sat, May 16
Mycelium colonizes the grain or initial substrate. Inspect daily for contamination signals (greens, blacks, pinks).
Tasks
- Daily contamination check
- Optional: shake spawn jars at ~30% colonization to redistribute mycelium
- 3
Bulk substrate transfer
Day 10-21Earliest
Thu, May 14
Typical
Mon, May 18
Latest
Mon, May 25
Fully-colonized grain spawn mixed into pasteurized bulk substrate (master's mix or supplemented hardwood). 1:5 spawn-to-substrate ratio typical.
Tasks
- Pasteurize bulk substrate at 160°F for 90 min
- Cool substrate to ambient before mixing
- Mix 1 part spawn to 5 parts substrate; pack into filter-patch grow bags
- 4
Bulk colonization
Day 18-32Earliest
Fri, May 22
Typical
Thu, May 28
Latest
Fri, Jun 5
Mycelium grows through the bulk substrate. Bags should turn fully white in 10-14 days.
Tasks
- Hang bags in dark colonization area at 70-78°F
- No light needed, no FAE needed at this stage
- 5
Fruit preparation
Day 22-34Earliest
Tue, May 26
Typical
Sat, May 30
Latest
Sun, Jun 7
Cut a 4-6 inch X across the front face of the colonized bag. Move to fruiting chamber (Martha tent, monotub, etc.).
Tasks
- Cut X-shape opening; mist surface lightly
- Drop fruiting-chamber temperature to 60-68°F if possible
- Increase humidity to 90%+
- 6
Pinning
Day 24-38Earliest
Thu, May 28
Typical
Tue, Jun 2
Latest
Thu, Jun 11
Tiny mushroom primordia (pins) appear at the cut. Looks like dense white knots, 1-3 mm.
Tasks
- Mist 2-3x daily; don't disturb pins directly
- FAE bursts: open chamber 30 sec, twice a day
- 7
First-flush growth
Day 28-42Earliest
Mon, Jun 1
Typical
Sat, Jun 6
Latest
Mon, Jun 15
Fruit bodies double in size daily under good conditions. Caps 2-4 inches across at maturity.
Tasks
- Continue misting + FAE
- Watch for cap shape — flat to slightly upturned edge = harvest threshold
- 8
First-flush harvest
Day 30-45Earliest
Wed, Jun 3
Typical
Mon, Jun 8
Latest
Thu, Jun 18
Harvest just before spore release. Twist gently at the base or cut clean at substrate.
Tasks
- Harvest entire cluster at once
- Weigh + log yield
- Soak block in cool water 12 hours to trigger flush 2
- 9
Rest period
Day 35-50Earliest
Mon, Jun 8
Typical
Sat, Jun 13
Latest
Tue, Jun 23
Substrate rebuilds primordial sites between flushes. 5-10 days of low-activity recovery.
Tasks
- Continue misting at lower frequency
- 10
Second-flush growth
Day 40-55Earliest
Sat, Jun 13
Typical
Thu, Jun 18
Latest
Sun, Jun 28
Smaller flush than first; typically 50-70% of first-flush yield. Same fruit cycle plays out faster.
Tasks
- Same as first flush
- 11
Second-flush harvest
Day 42-55Earliest
Mon, Jun 15
Typical
Sat, Jun 20
Latest
Sun, Jun 28
Harvest, weigh, log.
Tasks
- Soak again for an optional flush 3 (small)
- 12
Substrate exhausted
Day 45-60Earliest
Thu, Jun 18
Typical
Sun, Jun 28
Latest
Fri, Jul 3
Most home cycles end after 2-3 flushes. Substrate goes to compost or outdoor mushroom-bed.
Tasks
- Compost spent substrate or use as outdoor mushroom-bed inoculant
About these numbers
Real cycle timing, range-based estimates
Stage durations come from cultivation literature (Stamets, Field & Forest grower data) plus community-reported home-grow cycles. The "low / mid / high" range per stage reflects real variability — your cycle hits somewhere in that band based on cultivar, environment, spawn quality, and operator skill.
Plan around the high estimate. Better to have your fruiting chamber ready a week early than to be scrambling when pins appear unexpectedly. The mid estimate is what an experienced grower hits in a controlled environment.
Outdoor cultivation (hardwood logs) doesn't fit this calendar pattern — outdoor cycles are seasonal and weather-driven rather than day-counted. Outdoor log cultivation gets its own deeper treatment in the cultivation curriculum.