Growing magic mushrooms from a grow kit is straightforward: keep it warm, humid and clean, give it fresh air once a day, and harvest when the caps open, usually within two to three weeks. A grow kit does the hard part for you. The mycelium is already colonised, so your job is simply to trigger and care for the fruiting. This guide walks you through it step by step, from opening the box to a second harvest, plus the timeline, yields and the mistakes that trip most people up.
In this article
- What is a magic mushroom grow kit?
- What you need before you start
- How to grow magic mushrooms step by step
- Timeline: what to expect and when
- When and how to harvest
- Getting a second and third flush
- How much will one kit yield?
- Frequently asked questions
What is a magic mushroom grow kit?
A grow kit is a tray of substrate that has already been fully colonised with mushroom mycelium, the white root-like network that eventually produces mushrooms. Because the difficult and contamination-prone early stages are already done for you in a lab, a kit is by far the easiest way to grow your own. You just provide the right conditions and the mushrooms do the rest.
Most kits are a specific strain of Psilocybe cubensis. If you have not bought one yet, our grow kit buyer’s guide covers which to pick, and the Golden Teacher is the classic beginner choice. To understand what is actually happening under the surface, see our explainer on mycelium.
What you need before you start
Almost everything comes in the box. A typical kit includes the colonised tray, a clear grow bag and a couple of paperclips or a tie. Beyond that you only need clean hands, a clean spray bottle with fresh water, and a warm spot out of direct sunlight. Hygiene is the single most important thing you bring to the process, so wash your hands and avoid touching the substrate directly.
How to grow magic mushrooms step by step
- Prepare the kit. Take the tray out of the box. Some kits ask you to soak the tray in cold water for 12 hours to rehydrate it, others do not, so follow the instructions that came with yours. Wash your hands first.
- Set up the grow bag. Place the tray inside the clear plastic bag and mist the inside of the bag lightly with fresh water. Fold the top over loosely and hold it with a paperclip, leaving a little air inside. This creates the humid microclimate mushrooms need.
- Find the right spot. Keep the kit at around 21 to 24 degrees Celsius, in indirect light. Never in direct sun, and never on a cold windowsill. Normal daylight in a room is plenty, they do not need a dark cupboard.
- Mist and air daily. Once a day, open the bag, mist the inside walls lightly if they look dry, and fan it a few times to swap the stale air for fresh. This fresh air exchange is what tells the mycelium to start making mushrooms. Do not soak the substrate itself.
- Wait for pins. Within roughly one to two weeks you will see tiny white bumps appear. These are pins, baby mushrooms. Keep up the daily misting and airing and they will grow quickly from here.
- Let them fruit. Over the next three to seven days the pins grow into full mushrooms. Keep the humidity up. If the caps start to lift and the veil under the cap begins to tear, harvest is near.
- Harvest. Pick just before or as the caps open fully, before the veil tears completely and spores drop. Twist and pull each mushroom gently at the base, or use a clean knife. Take the whole flush at once.
Cleanliness is everything. The most common reason a kit fails is contamination introduced by dirty hands or dirty water. Wash your hands before every session, use fresh water for misting, and keep pets and dust away from an open kit.
Timeline: what to expect and when
| Stage | Typical timing | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Day 0 | Rehydrate if instructed, place in bag, mist. |
| Colonisation recovery | Day 1 to 7 | Daily misting and fresh air. Be patient. |
| Pinning | Day 7 to 14 | Tiny white pins appear. Keep humidity high. |
| Fruiting | Day 14 to 21 | Mushrooms grow fast. Mist and air daily. |
| Harvest | Around day 18 to 24 | Pick as the caps open. |
These are guidelines, not a stopwatch. Temperature, strain and your home all shift the pace. Warmth speeds things up, cold slows them right down.
Magic Mushroom Grow Kits
When and how to harvest
Harvest each mushroom just as the cap opens and flattens, right before the thin veil connecting the cap to the stem tears. Wait too long and the mushroom drops spores, which makes a mess and shortens shelf life. Twist gently and pull from the base, or cut cleanly. Do not wait for the last few stragglers, take the whole flush together so the kit can move on to the next one.
Fresh mushrooms keep in the fridge for a few days. To store longer you will want to dry them, and it helps to know that they lose most of their weight as water. Our guide on how much weight mushrooms lose when dried and the fresh vs dried comparison both cover this.
Getting a second and third flush
One kit usually gives more than one harvest. After the first flush, the classic method is a cold water soak, often called dunking. Fill the tray with clean cold water, cover it, and leave it in the fridge for around 12 hours. Pour off the excess, put it back in the bag, and resume daily misting and airing. A second flush follows in one to two weeks, and sometimes a third, each a little smaller than the last.
How much will one kit yield?
Yield depends on the kit size, the strain and your care, but a healthy kit commonly produces a solid first flush with useful second and third flushes on top. The first is almost always the largest. If your first flush was small, cleaner air exchange and steadier humidity usually improve the next one.
Ready to grow your own?
Browse our fully colonised grow kits, ready to fruit straight out of the box, with discreet EU delivery. Golden Teacher is the easiest place to start, McKennaii if you want more punch.
Use code GROW10 for 10% off · For adults 18 and over.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a grow kit take?
From setup to first harvest is usually two to three weeks, with pins appearing after one to two weeks. Warmth speeds it up, cold slows it down.
Do grow kits need light?
They need indirect light as a signal, not for energy, since mushrooms do not photosynthesise. Normal room daylight is perfect. Avoid direct sunlight, which overheats and dries the kit.
What temperature is best for growing magic mushrooms?
Around 21 to 24 degrees Celsius. Below about 18 degrees growth slows dramatically, and heat above the high twenties stresses the kit and invites contamination.
Why is my grow kit not pinning?
The usual causes are too little fresh air exchange, humidity that is too low, or a temperature that is too cold. Increase daily airing, keep the bag walls misted, and move it somewhere warmer.
How many harvests will I get from one kit?
Typically two to three flushes. The first is the biggest. A cold water soak between flushes helps the kit produce again.
Are grow kits legal in the Netherlands?
Grow kits are sold legally in the Netherlands. Rules differ elsewhere, so you are responsible for the law in your own country.
