Species guides 3 min read
How to grow lion's mane at home in Australia
A soft white pom-pom that tastes like crab and fruits from a hole in a bag. Lion's mane is the mushroom that turns kit buyers into growers.
AMK Store Est. 2026
Sub & grain fit for a kingdom.
Sterilised grain and premium CVA substrate for gourmet and medicinal mushroom growers. All-in-one grow bags, pre-poured agar, cultures and grow kits are on the way.
- Sterilised
- Injection-port grain bags
- Filter-patch sub bags
The staples
EVERY GROW STARTS WITH THESES STEPS
STEP 01• CHOOSE WHAT CULTURE YOU WANT TO GROW
The range
Everything for the grow.
Build your grow
How much grain do you actually need?
Tell us how much substrate you are filling and the spawn ratio you like. We will work out the grain, pick the cheapest mix of bag sizes, and bag the lot in one click.
Substrate
Grow docketAMK Store
2.5kg grain
+
5kg substrate
Total$0
Bag mix is the cheapest combination of our bag sizes that covers what you need.
Grain guide
Pick your grain.
Four grains, one standard. Here is how they compare, in grower terms.
How it fits together
Plate to harvest in four moves.
-
01
Inoculate
Introduce your culture to a bag of sterilised grain through the injection port.
Sterilised grain -
02
Colonise
Let the mycelium run through every kernel until the bag turns white.
Agar for clean starts -
03
Spawn to sub
Break up the colonised grain and mix it through your substrate.
Premium CVA substrate -
04
Fruit
Give it fresh air, humidity and light, then harvest your flush.
All-in-ones do 01 to 03 in one bag
The culture library Coming soon
Gourmet & medicinal, on the bench.
The library is being catalogued now. Join the drop list and you will hear the moment it opens.
The kingdom standard
Made properly, bagged properly.
Sterilised
Grain and substrate both arrive sterilised and sealed, ready to use.
A refined recipe
Our CVA recipe has been refined over years of growing for consistent results.
Nutrient-enhanced grain
Prepared with proven methods and carefully selected nutrients for a strong start.
Proper bags
Grain bags carry an injection port. Substrate bags breathe through a filter patch.
Questions
Good to know.
Something not covered here? Ask us and we will add it.
What is the difference between grain and substrate?
Grain is what you inoculate first. Once the mycelium has colonised it, that grain becomes spawn, and you mix it through the substrate: the bulk material your mushrooms fruit from.
Which grain should I choose?
Wheat is the all-rounder. Oats and milo break apart easily, and milo gives you the most inoculation points per kilo. Corn has the biggest kernels. The grain guide compares all four.
How much grain do I need for my substrate?
It depends on your spawn ratio. At 1:2 you use one part grain to two parts substrate, so 5kg of substrate takes 2.5kg of grain. The grow builder does the maths and picks the bag sizes.
What is an all-in-one grow bag?
Sterilised grain and substrate layered in one bag with an injection port. You inoculate the grain, let it colonise, then mix it through the substrate without opening the bag. They are coming soon.
How should I store my bags?
Keep them sealed, somewhere cool, clean and out of direct sunlight, and use them soon after they arrive.
When do cultures, agar and grow kits land?
They are being prepared now. Join the drop list and you will hear first.
Shop all
Sterilised grain, premium substrate and everything coming next.
Premium Substrates
Wood Lovers Substrate
$302kg bag · $15 per kg
Our refined wood lovers recipe, sterilised and bagged with a filter patch. 2 or 4kg.
1
- Sterilised and sealed, with a filter patch
- A recipe refined over years of growing
About
The perfect substrate for your wood-loving fungi. Our premium Wood Lovers Substrate is carefully prepared using high-quality ingredients and enhanced with added nutrients to support strong, healthy mycelial growth and provide the ideal foundation for successful cultivation.
For the species that grow on wood
Lion's mane, shiitake, king oyster, reishi, turkey tail and most of the oysters are wood-decomposing fungi. In nature they grow on logs and stumps; indoors they fruit biggest on a hardwood substrate. Ours is built on hardwood pellets (HWP), hydrated, supplemented with added nutrients for fast, dense colonisation, and sterilised in a filter-patch bag. Open it, mix in your spawn, and grow a proper block.
Sizes and prices: 2kg for $30 and 4kg for $55. Prices in AUD, GST inclusive where it applies, shipped tracked Australia-wide.
How to use it
- Spawn
In a still air box or in front of a flow hood, open the bag and mix colonised grain spawn through at 1:4 to 1:5 by weight (a 2kg bag takes 400 to 500g of spawn). Hardwood blocks run leaner than coir tubs.
- Colonise as a block
Flatten the bag into a brick, fold the top over and leave it at 20 to 24°C in the dark. Lion's mane and oysters take two to three weeks; shiitake takes six to ten weeks and then browns before it is ready.
- Fruit from the bag
Cut a small X in the bag for lion's mane and king oyster (they fruit from a cut), or open the top for oysters. High humidity, fresh air and indirect light.
Species notes
- Lion's mane
- Fruit from a 3cm cut in the side. 16 to 24°C, very high humidity, harvest before the spines yellow.
- Shiitake
- Let the block fully brown, then cold shock and soak. 10 to 20°C to fruit. Patience pays.
- King oyster
- Cool fruiting (13 to 18°C) with strong fresh air for thick stems. Fruit from a cut, not an open top.
- Reishi
- Warm (24 to 30°C) and slow. Low fresh air gives antlers, high fresh air gives shelves.
Questions
About this product
Which mushrooms grow on wood lovers substrate?
Lion's mane, shiitake, king oyster, reishi, turkey tail and all the oyster species. Anything that grows on logs in nature.
What spawn ratio for a hardwood block?
1:4 to 1:5 by weight is standard. A 2kg bag takes 400 to 500g of grain spawn; a 4kg bag takes 800g to 1kg.
Can I use it for oysters?
Yes, and they will fruit bigger and firmer on hardwood than on coir. Coir is just cheaper and more forgiving for a first grow.
How long does shiitake take?
Six to ten weeks to colonise, another two to four to brown, then a cold shock to fruit. It is a long project with a very good ending.
Do I need a tub?
No. Hardwood substrate is grown as a block in its own bag and fruited from cuts or the open top. A humid tent or tub around it helps hold humidity.
Guides for this product
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The drop list
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