WHICH LIGHT PREFER MAGIC MUSHROOMS: INDIRECT SUNLIGHT OR LED LIGHTING

Although mushrooms are known for growing in shady spots in the forest, they do need light. If you want to grow mushrooms, it is a good idea to study the amount of light and the type of light they need. Do you put your magic mushroom grow kit in full sun or do you use artificial lighting? Do they need light all day or just a few hours? Read this blog and you'll know all about how to put your magic mushrooms in the spotlight.

Light and dark

Just got your grow kit bought, then you have to find a place to to put it down. Whether mushrooms grow in the wild or in your living room, the mycelium and the mushrooms themselves need a certain amount of light. This can differ per species: Some mushrooms, such as the Psilocybe Albino, hardly need light, while Psilocybe Cubensis (also known as Mexican) does well in bright light.

In addition, when growing indoors, you can decide for yourself whether you want to grow your magic mushrooms in natural light or in artificial light. For example, some growers use LED or CFL lighting and set up light schedules so that the mushrooms receive a set amount of light each day. But the question is whether that is the best choice for you.

Advantages and disadvantages of different light sources

If you are a hobby grower and you want to harvest magic mushrooms more often, then of course you want create the optimal conditions for a good harvest. Light plays a major role in this. If you use a grow kit, the mycelium does not necessarily need light. But the fruiting bodies that will soon appear will have that. Not only to help them grow, but it also helps them grow in the right direction.

Artificial lighting

There are different types of artificial lighting that you can choose from. There are the energy-efficient CFL (fluorescent) lighting and LED lamps. It is especially important that you take the light spectrum into account. For magic mushrooms, lamps are suitable that go towards the blue end of the light spectrum (with a light intensity of around 6000 to 7000 Kelvin). But also beware of the heat that lamps can produce, you do not want the lamps to burn your mushrooms. It is useful for your own wallet that you choose a lamp that is economical. So don't use light bulbs.

The advantage of artificial lighting: You have a lot of control. So you can very accurately determine how much light your mushrooms get (number of hours per day), so that they get exactly what they need.

Sunlight

But natural light is also possible to get good harvests. The grow kit should not be placed in direct sunlight, but choose a place with sufficient natural ambient light. The mycelium does not need that much light to bear fruit. Near a window, but also with normal lighting in the living room, there is enough light to help mushrooms grow.

The advantage of daylight is that it does not cost you any effort. You don't have to think about which lamps you need or where they should hang or stand. You simply use what is naturally present.

Whatever type of lighting you are going to use, make sure that some form of lighting is present. Magic mushrooms cannot grow in total darkness.

The amount of light for magic mushrooms

Do you have a Growkit, then place it in normal daylight or under the lamps that you have specially for that. The place where the kit is should be warm (between 20 and 25 degrees), but do not put it on the heating. After 7 to 10 days the first mushrooms will appear. It takes about a week to mature.

But how much light do magic mushrooms need? There is actually no agreement on that. If you use natural light, there is little to adjust: the mushrooms have to make do with what they get and in general that works fine. Professional growers who use artificial light often choose a fixed schedule, where the mushrooms are in the light for 12 hours and in the dark for 12 hours. But there are also those that give less light. Of course you can always try it yourself to see what gives the best result. The mushrooms can probably It will probably increase with less than 12 hours of light.

Also take the light intensity into account. With a high light intensity, it can even be harmful to your mushrooms to give them a lot of light for a long time. This applies to lamps of more than 7000 Kelvin. So if you're wondering if it's a good idea to put your mushrooms in the light for several hours, turn the number of light hours back to 4 to 5 hours.

Distance to the light source

Lamps not only give off light, but also heat. You will therefore have to ensure that there is sufficient distance between the lamps and the grow kit. If they are too close, the temperature can become too high or even cause burns. As a result, it is possible that your magic mushrooms do not rise properly or that they are damaged. Do you use artificial light, so keep an eye on this and place your lamps further away if necessary.

Are you sure what kind of light you want to use for growing mushrooms? Then it's time to create your own grow kit can be ordered. You will find grow kits for different types of magic mushrooms in the 24High webshop. When you order, we will send your grow kit in a safe and anonymous packaging and send it to you quickly.

More tips and tricks about growing psilocybin mushrooms? Click here!