Frequently Asked Questions

At Mycosphere, quality is our top priority. We work with living products (mycelium) that have a limited shelf life. That’s why we produce most of our mycelium to order, so we can ship it when it’s at its peak vitality.

Here you will find our production and delivery times for each product.

1. Can I receive my mycelium outside the European Union?
   Currently, we do not ship our mycelium outside the European Union. However, you may carry it in your personal luggage. With every purchase, we will provide you with an invoice and a packing slip. Please note that although we carefully package the mycelium in airtight 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 mycelium purchase, you will receive a detailed invoice and a packing slip to ensure the traceability of your order.
3. How are the mycelium packages shipped?
   We take great care to pack our mycelium in airtight containers for shipping to ensure their safety during transit. However, please note that the possibility of customs delays depends on the final destination and cannot be guaranteed.

You can get an estimate of the shipping cost by visiting your shopping cart and entering the shipping destination. Shipping costs vary depending on the products selected, their weight, the destination, and the carrier you choose. We would like to emphasize that we do not mark up shipping costs. Instead, we display the rates directly from our various partner carriers, including DPD, Chronopost, Bpost, UPS, PostNL, and Mondial Relay.

You can pick up your orders in person by appointment. You can place your order on our website and select the "pickup" option when choosing a shipping method, or you can also place your order through our contact page.

We are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the following address: Rue du Zémont 32, 5030 Lonzée (Belgium). Drive around the warehouses; we are located across from the riding arena at the third gate.
Please let us know when you’re arriving by replying to this email (contact@lamycosphere.com) or by calling the following number: +32(0)81 39 77 39.

If you receive a damaged package, the best course of action is to accept the delivery while taking care to document the condition of the package immediately. We encourage you to send us a detailed description of the issue, along with photos showing the exterior of the damaged box and 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 regarding the refund for your order. The return or disposal of a package by the carrier may incur additional costs, and live products such as mycelium or bundles may become unusable due to return times that are generally longer than shipping times. However, a damaged box does not necessarily mean that the products inside are unusable. Only a detailed description accompanied by photos will allow us to make the appropriate decision.

It is important to note that responsibility for delivery lies with the customer. We offer various carriers from which you can choose, and shipping costs are generally based on the quality of the shipping service you select. La Mycosphère cannot be held responsible for any damage to products during transit, whether due to temperature fluctuations, delivery delays, customs hold-ups, or storage conditions at the pickup point, among other factors (non-exhaustive list).

Furthermore, Mycosphère cannot be held liable 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 the pickup deadline at the pickup point, for example.

Please read our shipping policy here.

If you encounter a problem with one or more of our products, we strongly encourage you to contact us promptly via email. Please include a detailed description of the situation, providing as much information as possible. If possible, please 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 issue effectively.

Our team is committed to responding promptly to your inquiry and working with you to find the best possible solution. Your feedback and cooperation are essential to ensuring the quality of our products and services.

Our mycelium is certified organic under the "BE-BIO-01" standard by Certisys (Belgium). The grains we use come from farms located in Belgium, which are also certified organic. You can view and download our certificate here.

Our bags are made from certified organic cereal grains (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 that you store it in the refrigerator at a temperature of 1 to 4 degrees Celsius. The lower the temperature, the slower the mycelium’s metabolism becomes. It is important to note that grain-based mycelium 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 still be used after this period, its potency gradually decreases over time. For optimal performance, it is best to use it as soon as possible after receipt.

As for mycelium on logs and in liquid cultures, they can be stored for several months without any problems.

It is possible that the grains or plugs may separate during shipping, which can make the mycelium less visible. However, it is important to note that we always ship our mycelium when it is fully colonized, meaning it is ready to use as is. Generally, before using the mycelium, you will break it up to distribute it evenly throughout the substrate, which will give it the same appearance as when it was shipped.

If you wish to check the viability of the mycelium, you can store the bag at room temperature (20°C) for 5 to 10 days, and the mycelium should begin 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 (Red Wine Stropharia) tend to be more fragile.

If you still have any doubts, please feel free 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 a grain-based mycelium, the most common method is to grow it in a Petri dish by placing a few grains on a gel medium. A simpler alternative is to use brown corrugated cardboard. Here’s how to do it:

1. Dip a piece of cardboard in boiling water for 10 seconds.
2. Drain it thoroughly.
3. Place a few grains of mycelium on the cardboard.
4. Gently roll the cardboard into a tube, taking care not to compress it too tightly so that it remains somewhat airy.
5. Place the cardboard in a tightly sealed plastic container.
6. Store the box at room temperature (around 20°C) for about a week.

You should observe how the mycelium spreads around the grains and then onto the cardboard over time.

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

Our supply of plant varieties comes from a variety of sources: some are collected directly from the surrounding natural environment, while others come from recognized producers in the field. We select our plant varieties based on various criteria, including their natural resistance to disease, flavor, productivity, visual appearance, and more.

We maintain the vitality and quality of our strains by regularly cultivating mushrooms in non-sterile environments. By using spore-based selection and sterile laboratory propagation, we ensure the purity of our strains. This allows us to provide you with high-quality, reliable products.

With the exception of log cultivation, other cultivation methods generally require pasteurization or sterilization of the substrate.

Of course, this isn’t a requirement. It’s possible to have success with an unpasteurized substrate. But the chances of success are significantly lower. Since you’re investing time and energy to grow beautiful mushrooms, you might as well do it right to increase your chances of harvesting beautiful mushrooms rather than a bunch of green mold...

The environment is teeming with microorganisms invisible to the naked eye: molds, bacteria, and so on. These are found just about everywhere—in the air and in the growing media you’ll be using. 

The purpose of pasteurization is to eliminate most pathogens by heating the product to a temperature between 65° and 99°, thereby reducing the risk of contamination. It is also possible to perform cold pasteurization by immersing the product in a lime bath. 

Adjusting the pH will limit the growth of bacteria and mold and give our mycelium a better chance to thrive. The purpose of sterilization is to eliminate all microorganisms present in the substrate by raising the temperature to 121°C under pressure.

For home brewing, we generally recommend either cold pasteurization or hot pasteurization.

If you're thinking about growing mushrooms for the first time, we recommend starting with oyster mushrooms for indoor cultivation. This is the easiest and most rewarding variety to grow, making it ideal for beginners. On our website, you can find ready-to-grow kits that contain everything you need, as well as mycelium if you'd like to create your own growing medium.

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

We calculate the percentage of the weight of the wet mycelium relative to the wet substrate:

- Under sterile laboratory conditions: 0.5–2%

- Under non-sterile conditions, at home: 5–10%

- For outdoor cultivation: 20%

The amount of mycelium required may vary slightly depending on pasteurization techniques and substrates.

It depends... On the product pages for our various mycelium strains, we provide estimates of potential yields based on our own experience. 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 humidity level, and the number of harvests performed.

Generally, a successful cultivation yields between 15% and 25% of the wet substrate weight in fresh mushrooms. However, these figures may vary depending on specific growing conditions. We therefore recommend following the instructions provided with our products and closely monitoring the cultivation process to achieve the best results.

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

Il est important de noter que cette période de récolte optimale peut varier pour chaque espèce, et c'est quelque chose qui s'apprend avec l'expérience.

En général, vous pouvez repérer le moment optimal pour la récolte lorsque vous constatez que la croissance des chapeaux commence à ralentir. De plus, la couleur des chapeaux peut commencer à s'éclaircir, et dans le cas des pleurotes, les bords des chapeaux peuvent légèrement brunir et se relever.

Une fois que ces signes deviennent évidents, il est conseillé de ne plus attendre et de procéder à la récolte pour obtenir des champignons à leur meilleur état de qualité.

In recent years, there has been considerable enthusiasm for growing mushrooms on coffee grounds, an intriguing concept. Coffee grounds offer a distinct advantage, as they are already partially pasteurized during the coffee-making process. They can then be inoculated with mushroom mycelium, transforming them into a valuable resource that produces both fresh mushrooms and compost. This concept has attracted many entrepreneurs around the world, who have launched their own startups in numerous cities.

However, it is essential to clarify certain important details:

1. This method works best for growing oyster mushrooms. Most other types of mushrooms do not thrive as well in this substrate.
2. Coffee grounds alone do not make an ideal growing medium because they lack carbon. It is therefore necessary to add a carbon-rich material, usually sawdust or straw. The proportion of coffee grounds in the mixture is generally 20% to a maximum of 50%.
3. Coffee grounds are not sterile. They are lightly pasteurized, but they can quickly become contaminated by microorganisms present in the ambient air. Because it is rich in nitrogen, it is conducive to the growth of mold and bacteria. Therefore, it must be stored immediately in an airtight container and used within 48 hours of collection. This requirement can be difficult for cafes or restaurants to meet.
4. Although coffee grounds are essentially a free resource, one should not underestimate the logistical costs associated with collecting them, storing them in a cool place, and cleaning the containers. Labor costs in mushroom production remain the primary cost factor, which can make it difficult to achieve profitability or remain competitive compared to more traditional production methods.

In conclusion, based on our experience, coffee grounds are a promising substrate for individuals looking to conduct experiments at home. However, they should be viewed more as an additive that provides nitrogen than as a substrate in its own right. Nevertheless, coffee grounds can be a useful component in the production of "white" (inoculation mycelium), as each small grain of grounds serves as an additional inoculation point, thereby accelerating colonization by the mycelium. We have already conducted successful tests with oyster mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms using coffee grounds in this manner.

Yes, most of the mushroom varieties you’ll find on our website are wood-decaying saprophytes, which means they feed on the organic matter found in decaying dead wood. When growing these mushrooms on logs or stumps, it’s important to keep the following points in mind:

1. The logs or stumps should have been cut recently. We recommend waiting about two weeks after cutting to allow any antifungal substances present in the sap to break down naturally.
2. Don’t wait longer than three months to start growing them, because after that time, there’s a greater risk that other, hardier native mushroom varieties will take over, leaving little chance for your cultivated mushrooms to grow properly.

For more detailed information on growing each variety of mushroom, please visit our product-specific pages.

We also have an article on log cultivation.

Most of the mushroom varieties we grow are generally better suited to hardwoods. However, we are conducting tests with various varieties that could be successfully grown on softwood, whether indoors or outdoors. For example, our KB1 oyster mushroom variety shows good adaptability. Cultivation on firewood pellets containing 20% softwood has worked well, although yields were slightly lower than those obtained with 100% hardwood. The oyster mushroom (Pleurotus pulmonarius ) also appears to adapt well to softwood.

If you want to grow mushrooms outdoors, here are a few methods you can try:

1. Growing on logs or stumps: You can use our seed-coated pegs for this method.
2. Growing on mulch, wood chips, or sawdust: There are several varieties suited to this method that you can explore on our website.
3. Growing on compost: The species best suited for growing on compost are agarics, blue-footed mushrooms, and coprins.

We provide more detailed information about each mushroom variety and the appropriate growing methods in our product descriptions. In addition, we are working on creating specific guides dedicated to growing mushrooms outdoors to provide you with more detailed advice.

You can place an order directly with us (minimum 1 kg) and pick it up in person: contact@lamycosphere.com

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

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

Oyster mushrooms will keep for 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator, while shiitake and king oyster mushrooms will keep for 10 to 15 days.

The farm is not open to the public. We usually hold one or two open houses a year. Stay up to date on our activities on our website or through social media.

Due to the nature of our operations, it is difficult for us to host and train people on a short-term basis. Therefore, except in exceptional cases, we do not accept interns or WWOOFers.

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