Lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus) is prized for its lobster-like flavor and researched cognitive benefits. It retails at $12-20/lb, making home cultivation highly cost-effective.

How to grow lion's mane mushrooms?

Buy lion's mane supplements for cognitive benefits without growing

If growing is not practical, high-quality lion's mane supplements deliver the researched cognitive and neurological benefits. The key is choosing products made from fruiting bodies (not mycelium on grain), with verified beta-glucan content.

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Inoculate hardwood logs for multi-year outdoor harvests

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Lion's mane grows naturally on dead and dying hardwood trees. Inoculating logs with plug spawn mimics this process and produces harvests for 3-6 years with almost no ongoing work.

🛠️ Freshly-cut hardwood logs, drill with 5/16-inch bit, lion's mane plug spawn, hammer, cheese wax or soy wax

Ready-to-fruit lion's mane grow kit

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A pre-colonized lion's mane kit is the simplest way to grow this species. The hard part (sterilization and colonization) is done for you. Just open, mist, and harvest in 10-14 days.

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Grow on supplemented sawdust fruiting blocks

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Supplemented hardwood sawdust blocks are the standard commercial method for lion's mane and produce the largest, densest fruiting bodies. The substrate is sterilized (not just pasteurized) because the added nutrition attracts contaminants.

🛠️ Pressure cooker or canner, autoclavable grow bags with filter patches, hardwood sawdust or fuel pellets, wheat bran, grain spawn, spray bottle

How to grow lion's mane mushrooms?

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