A Beginner’s Guide To Microdosing and Growing Psilocybin Mushrooms At Home: An Easy 9-Step Method for Growing Indoor Medicinal Mushrooms in as Little as 4 Weeks

by Julie Garner

In general, it should take 1-1.5g of mushrooms for the average person to feel any psychoactive effects. A typical microdose size is 5—10% of a full dose. Thus, a microdose will be around 50-150 mg. It is always best to start with a small dose and gradually increase it until you find the sweet spot. This is not a process you can rush.

According to Dr. Russell Newcombe—colloquially called Dr Nuke—the author of the book Magic Mushrooms, “the standard pattern for microdosing is taking a microdose every other day for one to two weeks and then taking a week or so off” (Glover, 2022).

Potencies also vary according to the form of the psilocybin. Fresh mushrooms, for example, have higher potencies than dried mushrooms.

Golden Teachers are often used for spiritual or recreational trips as they encourage introspection. They are also used by newbie shroom users as they have a milder potency while still invoking the psychoactive effects of euphoria and conscious awareness. They have round, smooth caps that are orangey brown with pale, bulky stems.

You can use either artificial or natural light. Natural light can be hard to control, especially when you are not around. LED light strips, in the range of 6,000-7,000 K, are an easy way of providing artificial light into the growing space without the drying effects of natural light. You can switch them on and off whenever you want, even going so far as to use a remote switch when you aren’t around. Just make sure that your strips are waterproof!

Mushrooms love dark, quiet, damp spaces. They hate being moved around and handled. As such, finding a stable, permanent place to grow your shrooms is imperative. There is no point in spending time and money preparing your growing chamber only for it to have to be constantly jostled and moved around the house every time you want to vacuum.

Sterilizing Your Growing Space The most important part about setting up your growing space is to find somewhere that has a low risk of contamination by dust, disease, bacteria, pests, or other organisms. Contamination is the number one cause of failed crops, which is why making sure that your equipment and supplies are on strike is of the utmost importance.

pH is a good indicator of a well-balanced substrate as it is a direct reflection of the nutrient content of the substrate. High pH substrates are alkaline in nature and tend to be lacking in nutrients, while low pH substrates aid with enzyme “breakdown,” making it easier to absorb the nutrients from it. Mushrooms prefer a slightly acidic substrate with a pH level of 5 to 6.5. This is because the acidic nature of the substrate encourages nutrient uptake. If the pH is lower than this, then the acidity risks dissolving the mycelium, so be careful not to let it fall too low. You can purchase a pH testing kit at most garden stores or online.

Hydrogen Peroxide Hydrogen peroxide is one of the most effective ways to pasteurize a substrate, although it can be expensive for large-scale projects. Hydrogen peroxide will destroy any harmful bacteria and competitor spores by damaging the mycelium. Soak the substrate for 1 to 2 hours in sterilized water. Drain the water and repeat the process. Soak the substrate in a hydrogen peroxide bath for 24 hours. The bath is a mix of water and hydrogen peroxide in a 9:2 ratio. That means for every 9 gallons of water you use; you should add 2 gallons of hydrogen peroxide. Once the substrate has soaked in the hydrogen peroxide bath, drain the bath and rinse thoroughly with sterilized water. Allow the substrate to dry off to the correct moisture levels, and then inoculate as you normally would.

Grow bags are a relatively easy technique and are suitable for a number of different mushrooms. Typically, used with straw or sawdust, these grow bags are low maintenance and high yield. What You Will Need Substrate A Grow Bag Mushroom spore syringe Isopropyl alcohol Zip tie Box cutter Masking tape

Method Step 1: Choose the Bag The first step in setting up your grow bag is to determine which type of bag you want. Thickness, style, and cost are all factors to consider before purchasing your grow bag. Typically, grow bags range in thickness between 0.4 to 2.2 mil but you can find even thicker bags online.

Polypropylene Bags Polypropylene bags are the best and most highly recommended bags for beginner growers as they also have temperature resistance and are very cheap. They can withstand pressures

Filter Patch Bags These bags come with a small mesh installed on the front to allow for air exchange. The mesh is fine enough to allow for adequate airflow and humidity control without letting contaminants pass through. These filters can range between 0.2 and 0.5 mil. The finer mesh is the least risky but also the most expensive of the filter patch bags. As long as the mesh is 0.5 mil or less, your mushrooms should be adequately protected.

Step 4: Incubation Store your grow bag in a room-temperature environment where it will not be moved around. Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from heat sources. Preferably, store the bag in a dark place. After a few days, you will begin to see white spots forming throughout the bag. It will spread rapidly. This is the mycelium forming. Be very careful not to open the bag until the substrate is fully colonized, as there is a high risk of contamination.

Mist the exposed mycelium several times a day with water. After the water has been absorbed, pull the flaps back over the mycelium to cover it. This will help retain moisture. You will need only one hole per 1.5 lbs of substrate. Larger bags may require more holes, but be careful not to overdo it as more holes will cause the substrate to dry out faster. Natural You can also use the grow bag as a makeshift terrarium by choosing not to cut open the bag and instead allowing the mushrooms to grow naturally. With this method, you have to be sure to open the top of the bag twice a day for at least 30 minutes to vent out the excess carbon dioxide.

Before you start inoculating your substrates, make sure that everything is sterile, from the work surface to your clothes and hands, to the inoculation equipment itself. Once your substrate and working area are sterilized, it’s time for inoculation.

During the incubation period, the mycelium grows by producing enzymes that break down the substrate into components that are easier to absorb.

Mycelium prefers darkness during incubation. Moisture Remember that the substrate needs to be moist enough to hold its shape when squeezed but not so much that water drips out. This will prevent the mycelium from drowning or drying out.

Indirect Light While mushrooms do not need light to grow, shocking them with light will trigger pinning. Do not use direct light as this will dry out your mushrooms and make them shy. Indirect light, such as on a shady windowsill or from a nearby LED lamp, is enough to encourage mushroom growth. High Humidity During the fruiting stage, mushrooms require a far higher humidity than during incubation—almost 80-90% humidity. This is important because your mushrooms will not grow if there is a risk of them drying out. Ensuring a high humidity will relieve this issue.

Ventilation Air flow will help balance the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. The risk with high-humidity environments is that they tend to get over-saturated with carbon dioxide, which will result in tiny, shriveled caps and spindly stems. You can vent your mushrooms daily or just ensure that the breathing holes are big enough to allow for adequate airflow.

Using a dehydrator is the safest and most reliable way to dry your mushrooms, as the risk of contamination is low. Evenly space the shrooms on the dehydrator sheet and dehydrate. Keep the temperatures below 110°F so as to prevent the loss of psilocybin. Dehydrate for 4 to 8 hours.

Honey Shrooms

Make your own “blue honey” by storing your shrooms in nature’s favorite antibacterial, antifungal sweet treat. Blue honey can be kept for up to 18 months in a cool, dark place if you maintain it well. Chop your shrooms into tiny pieces, or grind them into powder and throw it into a honey jar. Mix the shrooms into the honey thoroughly, making sure every piece is coated and submerged. Seal well and store. Make sure to check in every few weeks to make sure that no mold has formed. If it has, scoop the top layer off and discard it. The inside of the honey will not be affected. The longer the mushrooms sit in the golden liquid, the more psilocybin will seep into them, meaning that after about 6 months, you will be able to feel the psychoactive effects from just eating the honey. As honey never goes bad, neither will your shrooms. Honey is one of the longest-lasting storage methods for psilocybin.

Freezer Shrooms As with almost any food, you can throw shrooms into the freezer; however, make sure they are properly dried first. Sub-zero temperatures will break down the psilocybin in fresh mushrooms, rendering them completely useless. Drying them before freezing will prev...

Shroom Capsules Let’s be honest—shrooms are not tasty. Some people describe them as being bitter or earthy. Others say it’s like tasting the breath of the grim reaper itself. No matter how colorful the description is, we can all agree that it is not pleasant, which is how shroom capsules became so popular. Shroom capsules have no taste and can offer more precise dosages than other storage methods. Because of this, it is very popular with microdosers. Fill up some empty capsules with ground-up shroom powder and seal. It is best to fill the capsules completely so as to reduce the chances of contams. Keep the capsules in an airtight jar with a silica packet for up to a year.

While some contams are treatable, it is important to note that, in most cases, once contamination occurs, your mushrooms are likely to no longer be viable and you may need to start again. This is because contams like mold, fungi, and rot can cause serious health issues if consumed. This is devastating as it is, but even more so when your mushrooms are days away from harvest. Unfortunately, this is when indicators of contams are most visible.

TECHNIQUE 1: USING SUPPLEMENTS Supplements are a way of adding more nutritional value to your substrate, essentially giving your shrooms more to feed off of. Supplements can take many forms but tend to include high amounts of nitrogen, potassium, calcium, and phosphorus—all of which are essential to healthy and powerful shrooms.

Cold shocking Cold shocking is great for increasing the number of mushrooms produced. This process simulates heavy rain and cold conditions that typically encourage mushroom growth. It works in the same way that a cold shower would wake you up and energize you.

Mushrooms are cloned by placing a live piece of shroom into the agar. This will cause the mushroom to grow into a culture that can later be used for inoculation. The first step is to choose a large shroom as it will be easier to handle and is more likely to be fully developed. For the best results, the mushroom should not be older than 2 days after harvest. Wipe down the mushroom with alcohol, removing any debris, substrate or contams from its surface. At this point, the mushroom is no longer safe to eat but is perfect for propagation.

First, let’s start with a list of the most common names for psilocybin mushrooms. These are sometimes called the “street names” of magic mushrooms: boomers buttons cappies caps

hongos mushies pizza Toppers shrooms shroom Booms tweezes

surface of their flesh. This can appear on any part of the mushroom and is often the result of damage or maturation. Bruising: Heavy bluing that can border on appearing blackish. Cake: A P.F. cake that is usually made from Brown Rice Flour, vermiculite, and water. Candy Flipping: Mixing magic mushrooms with LSD (acid). Colonization: The growth of hyphae throughout the substrate to form mycelium. Colony: Microorganisms growing in or on the substrate. Contams: Contaminants such as bacteria, pests, mold, and other fungi.

Ego Death: The perceived separation of the sense of self from the body. It can also refer to the loss of boundaries between self and environment, removing the distinction between where you end, and the rest of the universe begins. Flipping: Mixing psychedelic substances together. Flush: One crop cycle of mushrooms. One mycelium can produce several flushes before they die. Force Fruiting: A method of tricking or rushing the mycelium into pinning. Also called shocking. Fruitbody Selection: When the mycelium chooses only the best primordia to fruit, killing off potentially unviable or weak and turning them into food for the chosen ones. Fruiting Chamber: An enclosed growing space. Functional Mushrooms: Medicinal mushrooms.

Hippie Flipping: Mixing magic mushrooms with MDMA. Hyphal Knot: When individual strands of hyphae grow and tangle around each other to create a more substantial mass that will develop into the mycelium. Inoculation: Adding spores or spawn to your substrate under optimal colonization conditions.

Integration: Taking time by yourself or with others to have an open dialogue around your psychedelic experience; often happens directly after a “trip” or within the days/weeks following the experience. You are using your conscious mind to unpack and understand what happened while your mind was in a different state and how you can apply that to your life when you are not under psychedelics. Integration is particularly important for people using psychedelics to heal from trauma, yet it is also important after a recreational dose. Integration is creating space to make meaning of that experience.

Microdose: A tiny dose of magic mushrooms that range from 0.1g to 0.5g, depending on the strain, which is used for medicinal purposes. A microdose is small enough to allow your brain to benefit from the psychoactive effects of shrooms without feeling high.

Mycelial Expansion: The growth of the mycelium as it spreads throughout the substrate. Mycology: The study of fungi. Navigation: The route you take through your trip. Pasteurization: To partially sterilize substrates, often those low in nutrients or prepared in bulk, by heating them between 140 and 160 ℉ for 1 to 1.5 hours. Phototropic: Grows toward light. Primordia Formation: The mushroom organism produces an amazing array of enzymes and optimizes the constituents of both the mycelium and the developing fruitbody. Psychoactive: The effects that certain drugs and substances have on our brains. This can include things like behavior changes, mood changes, the opening of the mind, feelings of oneness, altered thought processes, and even the stabilization of mental health.

Setting: The external factors of your trip, such as your surrounding events, objects, people, and even the time of day. Shocking: Sudden changes in environmental conditions to encourage fruiting Shroom Stomach: Nausea, cramping, or other gastrointestinal icks that were caused by consuming shrooms. Spawn: A carrier substrate that already has a colonized mycelium within it. Used to inoculate. Spore Germination: Bonded spores that begin to form hyphae through mitosis. Spore Print: The fine powder released from a fully mature mushroom. Spore prints on paper are often used to gather spores for germination. Spore Release: The fruit body releases spores into the environment for propagation. Sporophores: Thin hair-like part of some fungi.

Trip: A psychedelic experience, often including hallucinations and delusions. Tripping: A state of mind brought on by experiencing a different state of consciousness, mostly through vast changes in perception, senses, and thought patterns. Visuals: The reality distortions and hallucinations experienced through your visual—and cognitive—senses after a psychedelic dosage Yield: The number of shrooms you have after a complete harvest.

A beginner’s guide to microdosing. The Georgia Straight. https://www.straight.com/living/a-beginners-guide-to-microdosing