Just ordered your first all-in-one mushroom grow bag? Let’s get it inoculated! This guide will cover everything you need to know about using your first grow kit, so keep reading to get started!

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What Is An All-In-One Mushroom Grow Bag?

An All-In-One mushroom grow bag is one of the easiest ways to grow your own mushrooms. Made of grain and substrate, these handy kits come with everything you’d typically use to grow your favourite strains – with fewer steps. Thanks to their ‘all-in-one’ design, you can inoculate your grain at the bottom of the bag without needing to buy and transfer to substrate separately. 

All-in-one kits are ideal for mushroom growers with simplicity in mind. One of the more affordable options on the market, these bags allow new cultivators to get a feel for things before investing in more expensive equipment. As smaller kits, you’ll get fewer mushrooms out of these bags, so if you’d prefer a heavy yield, check out our large Millet Grain & CVG Grow Kit Bundle and Rye Grain & CVG Grow Kit Bundle.

Try Bigger Yields

Choosing Your Strain:

We’re as keen as you are to grow mushrooms, but what strain will you go for? If you haven’t decided yet, it’s worth checking out our liquid cultures.

We offer plenty of UK-native gourmet and functional mushroom species to get you started. All sorted for genetics? Keep reading to use your mushroom grow bag!

Culture Library

Before we can start growing mushrooms, let's brush up on our aseptic technique. What is aseptic technique? It’s the practice of minimising contamination from microorganisms during your workflow.

Since all our bags are sterilised, you won’t need to worry about pesky mould spores inside your bag – but that’s no reason to introduce them during the inoculation process! So to minimise this risk, ensure good aseptic technique! 

To make sure you don’t introduce any contamination whilst using your all-in-one mushroom grow kit, you’ll want to follow the key points below. If you haven’t already grabbed one, it’s worth taking a look at our aseptic technique starter kits. 

Aseptic Technique Kit
  • an aspetic technique kit for mushroom growing, hand wipe, skin wipes, surface wipes, isopropyl spray bottle, gloves and mask
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Aseptic Technique Starter Kit

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The Key Things To Follow Are:

  • isopropyl alcohol spray bottle, 5 litre bottle and squeeze bottle

    Use Isopropyl

    Isopropyl is like kryptonite to mould spores, so spray or wipe it wherever you think contamination could be lurking. We recommend using a 70% Isopropyl blend for best results. You can also find it inside our handy aseptic technique kit!

  • isopropyl alcohol with kitchen roll for wiping

    Clean Everything

    Whether you’ve grabbed an aseptic technique kit or not, spray some isopropyl on everything you’ll be using – including surfaces, equipment and materials. Cleaning doesn’t just go for your tools! Treat yourself to a shower and a fresh set of clothes before embarking on any mycology tasks.

  • cleanroom HEPA filter fan blowing clean air

    Minimise Airflow

    There wouldn’t be any point in cleaning everything in sight if dust and mould spores could enter your environment! To increase the chances of success with growing mushrooms, minimise all sources of airborne contamination by reducing airflow – unless from a sterile source such as a HEPA filter. To minimise airflow, close windows, close doors and work in a draft-free space.

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The All-In-One Mushroom Grow Bag Inoculation:

Now that you have your genetics, grow bag and a little know-how on aseptic technique, it’s time to get started. But what should you do? Follow the steps below and you’ll be harvesting fresh mushrooms in no time!

Now You're Ready, Here's The Process:

  • spraying hands with isopropyl alcohol

    Spray Hands

    Give your hands a wash and then if you have them, pop some gloves on. From there, spray your hands or gloves with isopropyl and rub them together to get a good coating of isopropyl around them – this will kill most contaminants. 

  • spraying sterile grain bag with isopropyl alcohol

    Spray Bag

    Lift up your bag and give it a good spray with isopropyl to clean the outside. You can follow this up by wiping the isopropyl around the bag to cover the full surface (avoiding the filter patch) with one of the wipes that are included with your aseptic technique kit. Otherwise, use a fresh kitchen roll sheet. 

  • mushroom liquid culture syringe with luer lock cap on being sprayed with isopropyl alcohol

    Spray Syringe

    Apply the above process to your unopened genetics syringe by spraying and wiping the outside of the included bag and syringe to ensure that all contamination is killed off. Give the included needle packaging a spray too – you’ll need it shortly.

  • opening sterile luer lock cap packaging

    Open Needle Packaging

    With your syringe in one hand and your needle in the other, grab the two edges on the packaging of the needle and peel them apart until you can comfortably hold them away from the base of the needle without touching the inside!

  • removing luer lock cap from mushroom liquid culture syringe

    Remove Cap From Syringe

    Now that the needle is ready, swiftly twist the cap of your syringe off with your needle in hand, then just discard the cap. The risky part is nearly over! 

  • mushroom liquid culture syringe with needle on

    Connect Needle

    Now just connect the base of the needle with the end of the syringe and twist them into place. The luer lock connection on both sides will ensure that everything stays secure. You can now remove the rest of the packaging from your needle – just keep the cover on until you’re ready!

  • Inoculate

    Pop your syringe aside for a second and give everything a quick spray down for good measure. Then, use the surface wipe that came with your kit to wipe the injection port on your bag. Remove the needle cover and insert it into the injection port before squeezing around 3ml-5ml of genetics into the grains at the bottom of the bag. Repeat the above steps depending on how many bags you have!

  • colonised grain bag being broken up and shaken with break & shake tek

    Break & shake

    Now that you’ve inoculated your bag, set it aside for a week or so until the mycelium starts colonising the grain at the bottom – then carefully break the grains up using your fingers on the outside of the bag. Give it a shake and mix the mycelium-covered grains evenly into the substrate. This will speed up colonisation by giving your mycelium more points of inoculation!

  • Harvest!

    Once your bag finishes colonising and is covered in healthy mycelium, let the mushrooms start growing straight out of the bag. For larger yields, you can cut the bag open and spray the inside walls with water to keep the humidity up! Harvest your fresh mushrooms once your chosen strain has reached its ideal maturity, around 10-14 days for most species. 
all-in-one mushroom growing bags

That’s all there is to it! If using your mushroom grow kit has interested you in the world of mycology, it might be worth taking a look at some of our more advanced guides. If you have any other questions – just give us a shout!

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Other Guides:

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