How to Grow Cordyceps militaris

No, you can’t.
Making tincture or cooking will kill the contamination but will not destroy the toxic substance contamination can secrete. Since we do not know what contamination is inside, please play it safe. Don’t use and discard it.

Yes, if you clean them with warm, soapy water and a soft sponge and sterilise them with a germicidal UV light. Replace the micropore tape with a fresh one.

The containers cannot be autoclaved.
You can try cleaning it up with isopropyl alcohol post-wash and bypass UV sterilisation to reuse them, but understand it’s not a 100% guarantee it will work.

Technically, yes, but it is not recommended. Our substrate is designed for fruit production, not direct mycelium consumption.
If we were to eat the mycelium, we would have designed our substrate very differently and let it only produce mycelium and not fruits.

Drying and powdering Cordyceps is out of the kit’s scope and requires deep knowledge of oxidation, heat, and other factors to preserve potency.
If you do wish to dry and powder Cordyceps, you may, but please do your own research. Our part is to help you grow.

The recommended temperature for growing the Cordyceps is 10-20°C, with slower growth leading to a higher concentration of medicinal compounds.
Slower growth happens when the temperature is in the early 10’s.

The kit is designed to require minimal maintenance once set up, only needing to be checked for contamination.
We also check for mushroom pinning around 45 days.

If you haven’t started using the kit yet, it needs to be used within a week (for the best results) or up to a maximum of 3 weeks.
Cordyceps are also extremely sensitive to light and begin changing colour to orange from white and undergo some major changes in their structure, so the syringe must always be stored in a dark environment before being used. Additionally, the kit or its contents should never be placed in the fridge.

The fruits however can be stored in the fridge.

Harvest is expected between 45-60 days, and the yield from one container is between 10-45 grams (fresh) approx, suitable for making tinctures that can last for at least two months.

It should take approximately 5 minutes to read the growing guide, 5 minutes to watch the instruction video, 10 minutes to clean all equipment using the alcohol spray bottle and set up the kit, and finally, about 5 minutes to harvest.

You may additionally need to spend some time researching cordyceps, its benefits, side effects, and ways to consume it.

Yes, you can but remember the broth used to make cordyceps differs from normal liquid culture. Cordyceps does not perform well when expanded multiple times or when exposed to light unless fruiting or when kept in a low nutritional environment.

Rootlab’s Liquid culture for Cordyceps is from a master culture and has not been expanded, and uses 7 ingredient broth.

Cordyceps are referred to as medicinal mushrooms, meaning they are consumed for health rather than culinary reasons (It is important to note that ‘medicinal mushrooms’ is not a euphemism for psychedelic. These mushrooms are not psychedelic). While we can’t list the medicinal benefits of cordyceps to abide by Australian Law, which is very restrictive in this regard, I am sure you are here because you have heard or know how amazing these mushrooms are and what they are capable of.

The mushrooms won’t be ready for at least 45 days. Harvesting them after 45-60 days is ideal. Another sign your mushrooms could be ready is at least 3 mushrooms are 4 cm in length or above. (although this is not always a 100% reliable sign).

You will need to get a sterile petri dish to collect cordyceps spores. Put some Vaseline in the inner part of the lid and stick one cordyceps mushroom harvested at 45 days. Close the petri dish with parafilm and let it drop spores on a sterile surface for 15 days. After 15 days, the mushroom would have shrivelled up and dropped all of its spores. Using a sterile cotton swab, collect the invisible spore from the bottom of the petri dish and roll it on an agar plate. Watch your spores grow.