Liquid culture is used to inoculate sterilised grain jars or bags with live mushroom mycelium. Once the grain is fully colonised, it can then be moved into a suitable fruiting substrate depending on the species you are growing.

Our liquid cultures are supplied in 10ml syringes and are ideal for gourmet, functional and specialist mushroom cultivation.

Store your liquid culture in the fridge when it arrives. Keep it sealed, clean and away from direct sunlight or heat.

Do not freeze it. Freezing can damage the live mycelium inside the syringe.

For best results, allow the syringe to come back to room temperature before using it.

When stored correctly in the fridge, liquid culture can usually remain viable for several months.

For best performance, we recommend using it as soon as possible after delivery while the culture is fresh and vigorous. Older cultures may still work, but colonisation can be slower.

The easiest species for beginners are usually oyster varieties and Lion’s Mane.

Good beginner-friendly choices include:

• Blue Oyster
  
• Pink Oyster
  
• Golden Oyster
  
• Grey Oyster
  
• Lion’s Mane
  
• King Oyster
  

These are popular because they are reliable, fast to colonise, and more forgiving than some specialist species.

Yes. Liquid culture is not a complete grow kit by itself.

You will need sterilised grain to inoculate first. Once the grain is fully colonised, it can be mixed with the correct substrate for that species.

For beginners, we recommend starting with sterilised grain and a suitable prepared substrate rather than trying to sterilise everything from scratch.

Orders are prepared and shipped as quickly as possible from our UK lab.

Because these are live cultures, we aim to send them in a fresh and healthy condition rather than leaving them sitting around for long periods. You’ll receive tracking or dispatch details once your order has been processed.

If there is an issue with your culture, contact us with your order number and clear photos of the problem.

We’ll review it and help you work out what has happened. If the issue is with the culture itself, we’ll do our best to make it right.

For best results, always use sterile technique, clean equipment and properly sterilised grain, as contamination can also come from the growing environment.