HARVESTING MUSHROOMS FOR THE FIRST TIME FROM YOUR PSYCHEDELIC GROW KIT
Did you manage to grow your first mushrooms from your psychedelic growkit? Then it is now time to harvest your magic mushrooms! But how do you do that? In this article we explain it to you step by step.
Harvesting magic mushrooms
Harvesting mushrooms - especially for the first time - is and remains a special moment. You've taken care of it for weeks with blood, sweat and tears, and finally the moment has come: your magic mushrooms are ready to be harvested. Harvesting itself is quite easy, but the right moment is crucial. This way you can get a second, third or fourth harvest from your grow kit in the future.
When should you harvest your magic mushrooms?
Timing is crucial, as we said earlier. But when is the right moment to harvest the mushrooms? Well, this all comes down to good observation. It is very important to observe the veil of the mushroom. This is the thin membrane at the bottom of the cap where the spores are. When a mushroom is mature, this veil tears and the spores are released - and this is exactly what you don't want. The spores must not end up on the mycelium, otherwise you will harvest fewer or no mushrooms at all during the next flushes.
What is the right moment to harvest?
The right moment to harvest your magic mushrooms is before the spores become visible. This is not so fast that you have to harvest the first two suitable mushrooms as soon as you see some spores. This may be the best moment to harvest, but you want to harvest as much as possible in one go. Every time you harvest, the chance of contamination is much greater. Try to harvest when 75% of your mushrooms are ready.
Traces of magic mushrooms
To determine the right moment for harvesting, it is of course important to recognize the right moment by looking at the spores. With young mushrooms, the veils are fleshy and have a light, greyish-white colour. When the veils under the mushroom cap start to tear, they often become darker and start to sag. If you see these signs, it is important not to wait any longer and harvest your mushrooms.
How do you harvest mushrooms?
There are several methods to harvest your mushrooms. Whatever method you choose, it is important to damage the mycelium as little as possible. The best way is to grab the stem of your mushroom as gently as possible and turn it right/left. After that, you can pull up the mushroom as calmly as possible, so that you can pull out the mushroom as completely as possible.
Sometimes the stalk can snap, and sometimes you can pull out some of the mycelium. It's also possible that the mushrooms or mycelium turns a bit blue, purple or black after picking. This is completely normal and you don't have to worry about it.
Work sterile
Harvesting your mushrooms comes down to a careful method and good timing. But it is also important that you work sterile. Hygiene is very important, both in growing and harvesting mushrooms. Always use a mouth mask and gloves, before harvesting. Bacteria or aggressive moulds can still contaminate your mushrooms at this stage. And this you do not want! So work carefully and cleanly to harvest your mushrooms and increase the chance of successful new harvests.
The last mile: drying and storing magic mushrooms
If you have grown your mushrooms with a growkit, you can jump in the air when it's finished. With the help of this article you can harvest your first mushrooms in the right way. But even after harvesting, you must handle your mushrooms carefully, otherwise your entire harvest may have been for nothing. In another article we will tell you more about the best way to dry and store mushrooms.
