Manual: Nameko Spawn

Nameko - Spawn

Use the spawn as soon as possible after you receive it, or keep it in the fridge for a few weeks at most.

What you need:

  • Nameko spawn (80 grams)
  • Sterile substrate (for example a mix of hardwood sawdust and soy hulls)
  • Pressure cooker or another heating method for sterilisation
  • Clean working area

Preparing the substrate:

  1. Mixing the substrate: Prepare a suitable sterile substrate, such as a mix of hardwood sawdust and soy hulls. A ratio of 80% hardwood sawdust and 20% soy hulls is ideal. Add enough water for the substrate to just release moisture when you squeeze it, without being soaking wet.
  2. Sterilising: Put the substrate in a sturdy, heat-resistant bag or container and sterilise it in a pressure cooker for 2 hours at 15 PSI. No pressure cooker? Then heat the substrate for longer (for example 16-24 hours at a lower temperature) until it is sterile. Let the substrate cool down completely afterwards.

Inoculation:

  1. Clean working area: Work in a clean environment to prevent contamination. Use gloves and disinfect your work surfaces.
  2. Mix in the spawn: Add the Nameko spawn to the sterilised substrate. Use a ratio of about 1:10 (70 grams of spawn to 700 grams of substrate). Mix the spawn evenly through the substrate to encourage consistent colonisation.
  3. Close the grow bag: Close the bag or container with a filter for air exchange, such as micropore tape or a filter patch.

Incubation:

  1. Environment: Put the inoculated substrate in a dark room at a temperature between 18°C and 22°C.
  2. Colonisation: Let the Nameko mycelium grow and colonise the substrate completely. This process usually takes 3 to 6 weeks. Check regularly for signs of contamination.

Growth and fruiting:

  1. Temperature and light: Move the fully colonised substrate to a room with diffuse light and a temperature between 18°C and 28°C. Our supplier gives 18 to 28 degrees for a controlled growing room, but we have by far the most success with this species simply outdoors, in partial shade. Outdoors it follows the season and comes mainly in late summer and autumn, as soon as it turns humid. Indoors, high humidity matters more than the exact temperature.
  2. High humidity: Nameko needs a high humidity (80%-90%) to form fruiting bodies.
    • Cover the grow bag with a plastic bag with small holes for ventilation.
    • Put the bag on a wet cloth or place a tray of water under the bag to raise the humidity.
    • Spray the inside of the plastic bag with water regularly, but make sure no water is left standing on the substrate.
  3. Primordia: After 3-4 weeks small yellow-brown pins (primordia) will appear. Make sure the humidity stays high while the Nameko mushrooms grow.

Harvesting:

  1. Harvest in time: Harvest the Nameko mushrooms when the caps have a nice orange-brown colour and are slightly slimy. That is a characteristic of fresh Nameko.
  2. Remove carefully: Pull the mushrooms carefully off the substrate or cut them off.

Storing:

  • Keep the harvested Nameko mushrooms in a paper bag in the fridge. They stay fresh for about a week.

Second harvest:

  • After the first harvest you can often get a second and even a third harvest. Keep the same conditions as for the first harvest. New primordia will appear after a few weeks.

Cleaning up:

  • When the substrate is spent, you can use it as compost or as a soil improver in the garden.