3 Common Mistakes When Growing Magic Mushrooms

Last updated: June 2026
This cultivation guide is regularly reviewed with practical insights on growing mushrooms.

Growing your own magic mushrooms is not difficult or complicated and can even be a lot of fun. With one of our grow kits a good start is guaranteed: you begin with a professionally prepared, sterile medium complete with spores, so you are already a few steps further than with loose spores. Much less can go wrong. Still, there are a few common mistakes we discuss here, so you too can be assured of your own harvest of beautiful mushrooms. By the way, did you know you can harvest up to seven times from one grow kit?

Common Mistakes When Growing Your Own Magic Mushrooms

The following mistakes are fairly easy to avoid. On to a successful harvest.

Mistake 1: Not Working Clean Enough

One of the most common mistakes is not working hygienically enough when setting up and maintaining your grow kit. You do not need a sterile lab at home, but a few basic hygiene rules greatly increase your chances of success. This prevents contamination of your kit with other fungi or bacteria, so only what you want grows: your own fresh mushrooms. So every time, wash your hands thoroughly with soap before starting or maintaining the kit, and make sure your tap and sink are clean too. Open the grow bag only with clean hands, and do not breathe directly into the bag or onto the kit.

Mistake 2: The Wrong Spot

Grow kits are quite often placed in unsuitable spots. The mushrooms need daylight but do not like direct sunlight; do not put them under a lamp either. In terms of temperature, mushrooms grow best between 20°C and 25°C. If your room drops below 18°C, a heating mat helps, as below that the grow often will not get going. Above 35°C it gets too warm. So choose a spot with enough daylight but no direct sunlight, not on or above a heater, with a stable temperature between 20°C and 25°C.

Mistake 3: Being Too Curious

Also common: lacking patience and opening the grow bag too early. If you want a nice harvest, leave the kit alone. After starting, it can take up to 4 weeks for the first mini mushrooms to appear, especially in colder seasons; on average you see the first growth after 2 weeks. In those first weeks the growing mushrooms need plenty of CO2, so keep the bag closed. Only once you see the first pins (small mushrooms) do you open the bag once a day to let CO2 escape and give fresh air; spray the inside with 1 to 2 pumps of clean water and close the bag again. From the first pins it moves quickly: you can often harvest within a few days. Preferably harvest before the membrane under the cap releases and the mushrooms spread their spores. And at every step: work clean.

The Cold Shock: More Harvests from One Kit

Each grow kit can yield multiple harvests. You reset the kit with a so-called cold shock. Even if a kit seems to be 'sleeping' and shows no growth, this can often bring it back to life.

All in all, it is quite easy to grow your own mushrooms. If you follow the grow guide step by step, little can go wrong. Keep in mind that mushrooms are a natural product and success is never 100% guaranteed, but with these tips you are in good shape. Do your mushrooms stop growing anyway? Then read why mushrooms stop growing.

Last updated: June 2026 | Next Level Smart