Organic Italian Oyster Mushroom Grain Spawn
Skill level | Beginner |
Grow location | Indoor & outdoor |
Spawn shelf life | 4 months (refrigerated) |
Certifications | USDA certified organic |
Bag weight | 6 lbs |
Fruiting temps | 65-75°F |
Our USDA-certified organic Italian oyster (Pleurotus pulmonarius) grain spawn features a strain with a deliciously mild flavor and earthy aroma. Italian oyster mushrooms are thicker and meatier than blue oyster mushrooms, and their brown frilled caps can grow quite large.
Italian oysters are great for beginners and are reliable indoor year-round producers. If kept in the right conditions, they will yield substantial first, second, and even third harvests (making them an ideal commercial variety!)
Italian oyster grain spawn can be used for indoor cultivation year round. When used for outdoor cultivation, Italian oysters are generally cold tolerant and fruit prolifically in early spring or late fall.
Recommended use:
- Italian oyster grain spawn can be used for indoor production using sawdust or straw or outdoor garden beds using straw or wood chips. It is also ideal for growing in buckets.
- Do not use grain spawn for log inoculation.
- This is not a mushroom grow kit. Italian oyster grain spawn must be combined with a substrate in order to fruit.
Upon receiving your spawn:
Remove it from the shipping box as soon as possible. Then, unfold the top of the bag, making room for air space. It's also important to check and confirm that the filter patch is not obstructed. This will help the organism breathe and continue to thrive!
Scroll down for specifications, growing, and storage guides.
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- Weight: Approximately 6 lbs
- Hydration: Average of 47%
- Bags: Gusseted 2.2 mil polypropylene
- Filter: High efficiency .2 micron
- Inoculation Rates: 6 lb. bag of grain will inoculate between 120-165 lb. sterilized sawdust, and 100-130 lb. pasteurized straw
- Sterilization method: Commercial grade autoclave sterilized
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Temperature 65-75°F | 18-24°C Humidity (Phase 1: Primordia) 95-100% Humidity (Phase 2: Fruitbody) 85-95% CO2 Sensitivity (Phase 1: Primordia) <800 ppm CO2 Sensitivity (Phase 2: Fruitbody) <800 ppm - Primordia - The earliest recognizable stage of fruitbody development. Also known as “baby mushrooms” or “mushroom pins.”
- Fruitbody - A fully grown mushroom, the reproductive structure of the organism in which the spores are produced.
- CO2 sensitivity - When CO2 levels are too high, yields will decrease, stems will become long and stringy, caps will be small, and/or growth will halt.
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Oyster mushroom grain spawn can be mixed into sterilized or lime pasteurized substrates including but not limited to hardwood sawdust, straw, and coffee grounds.
Note: Grain spawn must be mixed with bulk substrate before you can fruit it. If you are new to growing mushrooms, we recommend purchasing a book on mushroom cultivation.
Recommended reading:
'Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms' by Paul Stamets
'Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation' by Tradd Cotter
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Oyster spawn can be spread in chopped straw or wood chips as shown in the video below! Making outdoor beds is one of the easiest methods for growing any type of oyster mushroom.
For our complete mushroom beds pamphlet, click here.
Be sure to use clean, untreated products when making outdoor beds.
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If you don't plan to use immediately, you can refrigerate your spawn for up to 4 months.
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Italian Oysters can easily replace button mushrooms in most recipes and pair well with many cuisines and flavors. Like all oyster mushrooms, they retain water and may develop a viscous texture when undercooked. If you prefer a firm or dryer texture, continue to cook them until their liquid has reduced and cooked off and they begin to brown.
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Our grain spawn is USDA certified organic and made using organic cultures from our own culture bank. It contains a blend of locally sourced, organic, and non-GMO ingredients from farms in New England and North America.
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If you’re going to consume home-grown mushrooms, make sure to cook your fresh mushrooms thoroughly with heat. If it is your first time eating this species, it is best to start with a small amount to check for allergies, even if cooked.
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Italian Oyster Mushrooms
Today was the 2 week mark and time to open the two 5 gal. Buckets and take a look. I was worried because one night the temperature got down into the 40’s and my buckets were in the garage. I brought them in the house and have been spraying the buckets 3 x a day as suggested. We are still having very cool nights, so think I will keep them here until the weather moderates. I have enjoyed messing with them!! Thank you for getting me started. I am 82 and can’t garden like I used to, but hopefully I can grow mushrooms. I love this variety !! Will write again when they “pin”. Marlette Cullen in Northwest NC, Blue Ridge Mts.
North Spore
Hello Marlette, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a lovely review! We wish you luck with your grow and we'll be here in case anything comes up.
Late to the party but what an entrance
I’ve been growing oyster mushrooms outside in a bed made up of straw. It has really turned into kind of a delightful way to add mushrooms to a lot of our meals without too much stress. I started in the winter with blue, Italian and popham elm oysters. I never saw any of the last ones. This was a pretty low-effort project so I had low expectations. We already have straw because we keep livestock. We also have lots of large branches that could be used to create some airflow under the straw. It wasn’t an immediate success. First I tried using straw that had already been “used” by the Goats. This isn’t a good way to grow oysters. I do expect that bedding with manure will work well with other varieties, such as the almond agricarus. We also naturally grow meadow mushrooms this way. Meadow mushrooms, like almonds, prefer an environment that already has a fair amount of microbial activity. If you’ve never heard of meadow mushrooms they look a lot like common store bought brown ones. They like manure. Back when everyone rode horses they were everywhere! We often find them in our garden beds, which are made of composted bedding from the goats. I wish we could find a source for the mycelium to grow them on purpose. Anyhow, at first, the Popham Elm Oysters did not show up. This was totally my fault as I didn’t want to use fresh straw. The mycelium also seemed to struggle with our crazy weather So I switched to fresh straw. I created a covered bed with an old chicken tractor draped with shade cloth. Then put this in a shady spot. The pink oysters immediately made an entrance in late spring when it warmed up. I started seeing these other mushrooms that were white, very different from the pink oysters. I had to look them up to identify them as the Pophams I had tried unsuccessfully to grow before. Both varieties are now about to produce their first flush! The blue & Italian oysters fruited repeatedly just until the temps got too warm.
North Spore
We really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience, Feather! Our team is here to help if you ever need anything.
Beautiful and lasting
These were easy to grow with beautiful wavey edges. They are hearty and seem to hold up better in the refrigerator than many other mushrooms.
North Spore
We really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience, Kristina! If you need help with anything, please reach out.
Wonderful!
My Italian Oyster's turned out so well. These were only my second time trying to grow and they were very successful. Thank you so much for a great product!
North Spore
Thanks for sharing, Sarah! We're so glad everything is working out for you. Our team is here to help if you ever need anything!
First time grow, fantastic!
Healthy spawn for my first bucket grow, Went like clockwork.Going strong at nearly 4 weeks. Not quite as much biomass as the blue oysters I got at the same time but tastier!
North Spore
Thanks for sharing, Karl! We really appreciate your support.
Love it!
This is an easy to grow, very prolific strain. It's fast fruiting and the mushrooms are big, beautiful and meaty. It's a favorite at the market.
North Spore
Thanks so much for sharing, Karin! Your mushrooms look incredible! Please reach out if you ever need anything.
Nice clean spawn!
I like the millet for spawn. It has a lot of inoculation points and colonization is quick. We are a commercial farm that occasionally needs to supplement our operations with spawn from other farms. Notthspore never disappoints.
North Spore
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience, Byron! We really appreciate your support.
Yum!
I bought these along with yellow/golden and pink oyster grain spawn. This variety is my favorite of the three. Big caps and nice stems that easily "shred" into almost noodles. They have a great flavor!
North Spore
Thanks for sharing, Bart! If you need help with anything, please reach out.
Oyster log totems
The grain spawn has quickly started colonizing the cottonwood logs.
Great yield
Amazing yield