Lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus) is a wood-decomposing fungus that in nature grows on wounds in old hardwood trees. It fruits as a single cascading mass of soft white spines rather than a cap and stem, it cooks like seafood, and it is hard to find fresh in Australian shops because it bruises and browns within a day of picking. That makes it the ideal home grow: easy on hardwood, forgiving of most mistakes except dry air, and worth far more on your plate than in a punnet.

What it needs

Substrate

Supplemented hardwood, full stop. Our wood lovers substrate. It will colonise coir but fruits poorly on it.

Spawn ratio

1:4 to 1:5 by weight. 400 to 500g of grain spawn into a 2kg bag.

Colonisation

20 to 24°C in the dark. Two to three weeks on grain, two to three more on the block. Slower than oysters; do not panic.

Fruiting temperature

16 to 24°C. It will fruit warmer, but slowly and with small, yellowing fruit. In Australia that makes it an autumn-to-spring mushroom in most cities and a winter one up north.

Humidity

As high as you can keep it: 90% plus. Dry air is the thing that kills lion's mane grows. The spines go brown and crisp before the fruit is ready.

Fresh air

Moderate. It tolerates more CO2 than oysters, but still wants air moving around the block.

Light

Low. Indirect light is plenty; it fruits in quite dim rooms.

Step by step

1. Start the culture

   Lion's mane is slow from a syringe. If you can, plate your liquid culture on agar first and send a vigorous wedge to grain, or buy colonised spawn and skip the grain stage entirely.

2. Spawn the block

   In a still air box, mix spawn through a 2kg wood lovers bag at 1:4 to 1:5. Press into a brick, fold the top, clip it. Filter patch clear.

3. Colonise

   Two to three weeks at room temperature until the block is white, then a week to consolidate. A fully consolidated block pins in a tighter, better-formed mass.

4. Cut one X

   A 3 to 5cm X in one face of the bag, low on the side. One opening gives one big fruit; several openings give several small ones. Resist the second cut.

5. Fruit

   Stand the block in a clear tub or tent with 90% plus humidity, mist the air (never the forming spines, which brown where water sits), and give it gentle fresh air. Pins form as a white bulge in the cut within a week and grow spines over the next week.

6. Harvest

   When the spines are 5 to 10mm long and the fruit is still pure white, cut it off at the base with a clean knife. Do not wait for it to look bigger; yellowing and pink tinges mean it is past its best and spore-heavy.

Second and third flushes

Lion's mane often gives its best fruit on the second flush. After harvest, let the block rest a week, soak it in cold water for four to twelve hours if it feels light, drain and return it to the chamber with the same cut facing out. A third flush is common from a 2kg block if the first two were harvested on time.

Australian notes

• Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra, Adelaide hills: a near year-round grow indoors; perfect from April to October.
• Sydney, Perth, Adelaide: autumn to spring. Summer rooms over 26°C give slow, yellow, small fruit.
• Brisbane and north: a winter mushroom, or an air-conditioned one.
• Dry inland air: a sealed tub with wet perlite in the bottom holds humidity far better than misting in a dry room.

Troubleshooting

Brown, crispy spines

Too dry, or water sat on the fruit. Raise humidity, mist the air not the mushroom.

Yellow or pink tinge

Past ripe, or too warm. Harvest earlier; find a cooler spot.

A mass of tiny clusters

Too many openings or a loose bag. One tight cut.

Slow grain

Normal for this species. Use agar or colonised spawn to skip it.

Written by the Aus Myco Kingdom crew. Everything here is general growing information for gourmet and medicinal species; your room, your climate and your culture will have the final say.