Frequently Asked Questions

At Mycosphere, we care about quality. We work with living products (myceliums) that have a limited lifespan. Therefore, we produce most of our myceliums on order, so we can send them at the peak of their vigor.

Here you will find our production and delivery times depending on the products.

1. Can I receive my myceliums outside the European Union?
   Currently, we do not ship our myceliums outside the European Union. However, you have the option to carry them in your personal luggage. With each purchase, we will provide you with an invoice and a delivery note. Please note that although we carefully pack the myceliums in sealed containers, we cannot guarantee that they will not be held at customs depending on the final destination.
2. What documents will I receive with my mycelium purchase?
   With every purchase of myceliums, you will receive a detailed invoice and a delivery note to ensure the traceability of your order.
3. How are the myceliums packed during shipping?
   We take great care to pack our myceliums in sealed containers during shipping to ensure their safety during transport. However, please note that the possibility of customs blockage depends on the final destination and cannot be guaranteed.

You can get an estimate of the delivery cost by visiting your cart and entering the shipping destination. The delivery cost varies depending on the selected products, their weight, the destination, and the carrier you choose. We want to emphasize that we do not apply any markup on delivery fees. Instead, we directly display the rates of our various partner carriers, including DPD, Chronopost, Bpost, UPS, PostNL, and Mondial Relay.

It is possible to come and pick up your orders on site, by appointment. You can place the order on our website and choose the "pickup" option when selecting the carrier, or you can also place the order via the contact page.

We are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm at the following address: Rue du Zémont 32, 5030 Lonzée (Belgium). Go around the hangars, we are located opposite the riding school at the 3rd door.
Please notify us of your arrival by replying to the email (contact@lamycosphere.com) or at the following number: +32(0)81 39 77 39.

If you receive a damaged package, the best option is to accept the delivery while promptly documenting the condition of the package. We encourage you to send us a detailed description of the problem, accompanied by photos showing the outside of the damaged box as well as the products inside. This will help us properly assess the situation.

It is essential to note that if you refuse the package, this could lead to complications in refunding your order. The return or destruction of a package by the carrier may incur additional costs, and living products such as mycelium or bundles risk becoming unusable due to return times generally being longer than shipping times. However, a damaged box does not necessarily mean that the products inside are irrecoverable. Only a detailed description accompanied by photos will allow us to make the appropriate decision.

It is important to emphasize that the responsibility for delivery lies with the customer. We offer different carriers from which you can choose, and delivery costs are generally related to the quality of the transport service you select. Mycosphère cannot be held responsible for any damage to products during transport, whether due to temperature variations, delivery delays, customs hold-ups, or storage conditions at the pickup point, among others (non-exhaustive list).

Furthermore, Mycosphère cannot be held responsible if the package could not be delivered due to an incorrect address provided by the customer, the customer's absence at the time of delivery, or failure to meet deadlines at the pickup point, for example.

We invite you to read our shipping policy here.

In case of a problem with one or more of our products, we strongly encourage you to contact us quickly by e-mail. Please include a detailed description of the situation, providing as much information as possible. If feasible, attach photos to help us assess the situation accurately.

On most of our products, you will find a label with a specific batch number. If possible, please provide us with this batch number, as it will greatly facilitate our ability to identify and resolve the problem effectively.

Our team is committed to responding quickly to your request and working collaboratively with you to find the best possible solution. Your feedback and cooperation are essential to ensure the quality of our products and services.

Our myceliums are certified organic "BE-BIO-01" by Certisys (Belgium). The grains used come from farms located in Belgium, also certified organic. You can consult and download our certificate here.

Our bags are made from cereal grains certified organic (BE-BIO-01 Certisys), with a small percentage of untreated beech sawdust.

If you do not plan to use the mycelium within 3 to 5 days, it is recommended to store it in the refrigerator at a temperature of 1 to 4 degrees Celsius. The lower the temperature, the slower the metabolism of the mycelium. It is important to note that grain spawn is not frost-resistant, so it must be protected from very low temperatures.

Ideally, we recommend using the mycelium within 30 days of receipt. Although the mycelium can be used after this period, it gradually loses its vigor over time. For optimal performance, it is best to use it quickly after receipt.

Regarding mycelium on dowels and in liquid cultures, they can be stored for several months without any problem.

It can happen that the grains or plugs separate during transport, which can make the mycelium less visible. However, it is important to note that we always ship our mycelia when they are fully colonized, which means they are usable as is. Generally, before using the mycelium, you will break it up to distribute it evenly in the substrate, which will give it the same appearance as when shipped.

If you want to check the viability of the mycelium, you can keep the bag at room temperature (20°C) for 5 to 10 days, and the mycelium should start to cover the substrate again and become visible to the naked eye. You can also test it on a Petri dish or on moistened cardboard.

Note : It is important to note that some mushroom varieties have thicker and whiter mycelia than others. The mycelia of Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus) and Stropharia rugosoannulata (Wine Cap Stropharia) tend to be more fragile.

If you have any doubts nonetheless, do not hesitate to send us an email with one or more photos of your mycelium, and we will respond as soon as possible at the following address: contact@lamycosphere.com.

To assess the viability of grain spawn, the most common method is to cultivate it in a Petri dish by placing a few grains on an agar medium. A simpler alternative is to use brown corrugated cardboard. Here's how to proceed:

1. Dip a piece of cardboard in boiling water for 10 seconds.
2. Drain it carefully.
3. Place a few grains of grain spawn on the cardboard.
4. Gently roll the cardboard onto itself to form a roll, taking care not to compress it excessively to maintain some aeration.
5. Place the cardboard in an airtight plastic box.
6. Keep the box at a room temperature of about 20°C for about a week.

You should observe the development of grain spawn around the grains, then on the cardboard over time.

We produce all of our mycelium in our laboratory located in Gembloux, Belgium.

Our strain supply comes from different sources: some are directly collected from the surrounding nature, while others come from recognized producers in the field. The choice of our strains is based on various criteria, including their natural robustness against diseases, their taste quality, their productivity, their visual appearance, etc.

We preserve the vitality and quality of our strains through regular cultivation of mushrooms in non-sterile environments. By using spore-based selection and sterile laboratory reproduction, we guarantee the purity of our strains. This allows us to provide you with high-quality and reliable products.

Except for log cultivation, other cultivation methods generally require pasteurization or sterilization of the substrate.

Of course, this is not mandatory. Sometimes success is achieved with an unpasteurized substrate. But the chances of success are significantly reduced. If you are going to spend time and energy to harvest beautiful mushrooms, you might as well do it properly to increase the chances of harvesting beautiful mushrooms rather than a pile of green molds...

The surrounding world is filled with microorganisms invisible to the naked eye: molds, bacteria, etc. These are present almost everywhere, in the air and in the substrates you will inoculate. 

The objective of pasteurization is to eliminate most competitors by heating between 65° and 99°, thus giving a better chance. It is also possible to pasteurize cold, by soaking in a lime bath. 

Changing the pH will limit the growth of bacteria and molds and will once again give our mycelium a better chance. The goal of sterilization is to eliminate all microorganisms present in the substrate by raising the temperature with pressure to 121°.

For amateur cultivation, we generally recommend either cold or hot pasteurization.

If you are considering growing mushrooms for the first time, we recommend starting with oyster mushrooms for indoor cultivation. It is the simplest and most rewarding variety to produce, ideal for beginners. You can find on our site ready-to-grow kits containing everything you need, as well as mycelium if you want to create your own substrate.

For outdoor cultivation, we recommend stropharia. Their mycelium is very robust and productive, and they can produce mushrooms for several years. It is an excellent choice for those who want to grow mushrooms outdoors.

We count as a percentage the weight of the wet mycelium compared to the wet substrate:

- In sterile laboratory conditions: 0.5-2 %

- In non-sterile conditions, at home: 5-10 %

- In outdoor cultivation: 20 %

The amount of mycelium needed may vary slightly depending on pasteurization techniques, substrates.

It depends... We provide on the datasheets of our different mycelium varieties estimates of potential yields based on our own experiences. However, it is important to note that the amount of mushrooms harvested can vary depending on several factors, including the type of substrate used, the moisture level, and the number of harvests performed.

In general, a successful cultivation usually produces between 15% and 25% of the wet substrate weight in fresh mushrooms. However, these figures can vary depending on the specific cultivation conditions. It is therefore recommended to follow the instructions provided with our products and to carefully monitor the cultivation process to achieve the best results.

It is recommended to harvest the mushrooms before they reach maturity, that is, before the sporulation stage. Mushrooms generally become more fibrous and have a reduced shelf life after this stage.

It is important to note that this optimal harvest period can vary for each species, and it is something that is learned through experience.

In general, you can spot the optimal harvest time when you notice that the growth of the caps begins to slow down. Additionally, the color of the caps may start to lighten, and in the case of oyster mushrooms, the edges of the caps may slightly brown and curl up.

Once these signs become evident, it is advisable not to wait any longer and to proceed with the harvest to obtain mushrooms at their best quality.

There has been considerable enthusiasm in recent years around mushroom cultivation on coffee grounds, an intriguing concept. Coffee grounds have a certain advantage because they are already partially pasteurized during the coffee-making process. They can then be inoculated with mushroom mycelium, turning them into a valued resource, producing both fresh mushrooms and compost. This concept has attracted many entrepreneurs worldwide, who have launched their own startups in many different cities.

However, it is essential to specify some important information:

1. This concept mainly works for oyster mushroom cultivation. Most other mushroom varieties do not thrive as well with this substrate.
2. Coffee grounds used alone do not constitute an ideal substrate because they lack carbon. It is therefore necessary to add a carbonaceous material, usually sawdust or straw. The coffee grounds content in the mix is generally between 20 and 50% maximum.
3. Coffee grounds are not sterile. They are slightly pasteurized, but can be quickly contaminated by microorganisms present in the ambient air. Due to their nitrogen richness, they are conducive to the development of molds and bacteria. Therefore, they must be stored immediately in an airtight container and used within 48 hours of collection. This constraint can be difficult to meet for cafes or restaurants.
4. Although coffee grounds are initially a free resource, the logistical costs associated with their collection, cool storage, and cleaning of containers should not be underestimated. Labor costs in mushroom production remain the main cost factor, which can make profitability or competitiveness difficult compared to more traditional production methods.

In conclusion, based on our experiences, coffee grounds are an interesting substrate for individuals wishing to conduct experiments at home. However, it should be considered more as an additive that provides nitrogen than as a substrate in its own right. Nevertheless, coffee grounds can be an interesting element for making the "white" (spawn mycelium), as each small grain of grounds constitutes an additional inoculation point, thus accelerating colonization by the mycelium. We have already conducted successful tests with oyster mushrooms and shiitakes using coffee grounds in this way.

Yes, most of the mushroom varieties you will find on our site are lignicolous saprophytic mushrooms, which means they feed on the organic matter present in dead wood that is decomposing. When cultivating these mushrooms on logs or stumps, it is important to consider the following points:

1. Logs or stumps must have been cut recently. We recommend waiting about 2 weeks after cutting to allow any anti-fungal substances present in the wood sap to naturally break down.
2. Do not wait more than 3 months to start cultivation, because beyond this period, the risk increases that other more robust native mushroom varieties will take over and leave little chance for our cultivated mushrooms to develop properly.

For more detailed information on the cultivation of each mushroom variety, you can consult our specific product pages.

We also have an article on log cultivation.

Most of the mushroom varieties we cultivate are generally better suited to hardwood species. However, we are conducting tests with different varieties that could be successfully grown on softwood, whether in indoor or outdoor cultivation. For example, our grey oyster KB1 variety shows good adaptability. Cultivation on firewood pellets with 20% softwood worked well, although yields were slightly lower than those obtained with 100% hardwood. The pleurotus pulmonarius also seems to adapt well to softwood.

If you want to grow mushrooms outdoors, here are some methods you can use:

1. Log or stump cultivation: You can use our inoculated plugs for this method.
2. Cultivation on mulch, wood chips, or sawdust: There are several varieties suited to this method that you can discover on our website.
3. Compost cultivation: The species best suited for compost cultivation are agarics, blue-foot mushrooms, and coprins.

We provide more detailed information on each mushroom variety and the suitable cultivation methods on our product sheets. Additionally, we are working on creating specific sheets dedicated to outdoor mushroom cultivation to provide you with more precise advice.

You can order directly from us (minimum 1kg) and come pick them up on site: contact@lamycosphere.com

The availability of fresh mushrooms can vary greatly from one week to another.

We recommend storing your mushrooms in the fridge in a paper bag. This way, the mushrooms will tend to dry out slowly. Mushrooms need to breathe.

Oyster mushrooms keep for 5 to 7 days in the fridge, shiitakes and eryngis between 10 and 15 days.

The farm is not open to the public. We usually organize one or two open days per year. Stay informed about our activities on our website or via social media.

The organization of our activity makes it difficult for us to host and train people for short-term purposes. Except in exceptional cases, we therefore do not host interns or wwoofers.

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