When To Harvest Lion’s Mane? [Harvesting Guide]

Did you grow Lion’s Mane to enjoy its lobster-like flavor, but it turned brown and slimy on harvest? Perhaps, you scavenged it too late.

Besides their delicious taste, Lion’s Mane also benefits people with Alzheimer, dementia, and gastritis. However, eating them raw or rotten can cause allergies and stomach discomfort.

So, go through this entire article if you love mushrooms and want your favorite Lion’s Mane to taste fresh and delicious.

Will Lion’s Mane Grow Back After Harvest?

Lion’s Mane contains the middle fleshy stalk covered by dangling long white spines that looks like freezing water drips.

This heterotroph ranges from 10-25 cm in diameter and grows best in 10-12 hours of indirect supplemental light.

Mas heterotroph

Moreover, a temperature range of 60-70°F and a humidity of about 70% is the best growing condition for Lion’s Mane.

On these proper growing conditions, you can harvest your Lion’s Mane in about 1-2 years after it passes the three growth stages: colonization, pinhead formation, and fruiting.

Furthermore, this delicious mushroom will repeatedly grow back after 2-3 weeks of first harvest up to 6 years if you grow them on logs.

Growing on a Mushroom grow kit, you will get the fruit within 12-20 days under the proper growing conditions.

When to Harvest Lion’s Mane?

You can easily tell that Lion’s Mane is fresh if they are creamy white in color. Upon maturity, the white color gradually turns yellow to slimy orange.

Those yellow-colored mushrooms are still consumable, but it’s time to throw them away if they are orange, brown, or black with a sticky texture.

Thus, a ready-to-harvest Lion’s Mane is whitish or yellowish with long spines and spongy in texture when you press them with a finger. 

How do You Harvest Lion’s Mane?

You rarely find Lion’s Mane in grocery stores and supermarkets as it decays quickly. So it’s a great idea to grow it on your own using a mushroom grow kit.

Upon growing, this mushroom releases dusty spores, so you need to place the kit in a well-ventilated area or harvest them when young.

• Examine your mushroom grow kit to see if it has whitish mycelium. If the kit is still brown, place it in the darkroom at 18-24°C  until it becomes brown.
• After the kit is myceliated, place it in a well-ventilated place, getting bright indirect sunlight.
• Cut 5cm along the side of the kit and squeeze the excess air and fold the extra plastic bag (including the filter) under it.
• Place the kit upright, exposing the mycelium with fresh oxygen that encourages mushroom production within 2 weeks.
• Spray the mycelium until you see the spines coming out, and create a humid environment with a humidity tent.
• Loosely cover the growing mushroom with a clear plastic bag, ensuring enough room for growth.
• Replace the humidity tent 2-5 times daily and increase the holes if the mushrooms grow feathery due to high CO2.
• After the spines grow, the mushrooms will be ready to harvest within a week. Harvest when the teeth form clearly.
• If you store Lion’s Mane properly in brown paper bags, it will last up to 10 days in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator.