What Is Golden Teacher Pin To Harvest Time?

September 13, 2024

Key Takeaways:

Pinning is the first visible sign that your Golden Teacher mushrooms are starting to grow.
Environmental conditions such as humidity, temperature, and light play a crucial role in determining how long the pinning phase lasts.
On average, the pin-to-harvest time for Golden Teacher mushrooms is around 7 to 10 days, though this can vary depending on the growing conditions.
Choosing the best substrate for Golden Teacher mushrooms can significantly impact the speed and quality of their growth.
Proper timing for harvesting Golden Teacher mushrooms ensures the best potency and quality for your mushrooms.

What Is Pinning?

In the lifecycle of Golden Teacher mushrooms, pinning refers to the point where small mushroom primordia, often referred to as 'pins,' start to form on the mycelium. This is the first time you can visibly see mushrooms starting to develop. The pins are small, white to tan-colored bumps that will grow into full-sized mushrooms if the conditions are right.

The pinning stage is often a time of excitement for growers because it's a clear sign that your mycelium is healthy and ready to fruit. However, it can also be a delicate phase—any deviations in environmental conditions could slow down or even halt the mushroom’s growth. Ensuring that your substrate is fully colonized and that conditions are optimized for fruiting is crucial at this point.

Pinning usually occurs several days after the substrate has been fully colonized by the mycelium, and it signals the beginning of the fruiting phase. But how quickly this happens depends heavily on the conditions you provide—especially humidity, temperature, light, and fresh air exchange.

Factors That Influence Pinning

There are several key factors that can either speed up or slow down the pinning process, and understanding these factors can help you fine-tune your growing environment. Golden Teacher mushrooms, like all mushrooms, are highly sensitive to their surroundings, so creating the ideal microclimate is essential.

Humidity: Mushrooms thrive in high humidity, especially during the fruiting stage. For optimal pinning, the humidity level should be kept between 90-95%. Too little humidity can cause pins to dry out and stall growth, while too much can encourage contamination.
Temperature: Golden Teacher mushrooms prefer a slightly cooler environment during the fruiting stage, typically around 70-75°F. Temperature fluctuations outside this range can delay pinning or lead to malformed mushrooms. Maintaining a stable temperature is key for consistent growth.
Light: While mushrooms don't rely on light for photosynthesis like plants, they do use light as a signal to start fruiting. Providing indirect light for 12 hours a day helps mimic natural day-night cycles and promotes pin formation. Natural daylight or fluorescent lighting works well for this.
Fresh Air Exchange (FAE): Proper ventilation is essential for Golden Teachers during the fruiting phase. Stale air can lead to a buildup of carbon dioxide, which stunts mushroom growth. Introducing fresh air into your fruiting chamber helps the pins form and develop into full mushrooms.

All of these factors must be carefully balanced. Even if one condition is slightly off, it can delay pinning or result in small, unhealthy mushrooms.

What Substrate Works Best for Golden Teacher Mushrooms?

The type of substrate you use can have a dramatic effect on the growth and success of your Golden Teacher mushrooms. The substrate acts as a growing medium, providing the nutrients and moisture needed for the mycelium to thrive. Choosing the best substrate for Golden Teacher mushrooms can lead to healthier pins, faster colonization, and larger, more robust mushrooms.

The most common substrates for Golden Teachers include:

Straw: This is a classic mushroom-growing substrate, particularly for larger-scale grows. Straw provides excellent aeration, which promotes healthy mycelium growth. However, it does require pasteurization to avoid contamination.
Coconut Coir and Vermiculite: Many growers prefer using a mix of coconut coir and vermiculite because it holds moisture well and is resistant to contamination. Coir-based substrates are beginner-friendly and produce reliable results.
Enriched Grain: Some advanced growers like to add grains such as rye or wheat to their substrate. Grains are rich in nutrients and can speed up mycelium colonization, but they also carry a higher risk of contamination.

Maintaining the right moisture level in your substrate is critical. Too dry, and the mycelium will struggle to colonize; too wet, and you risk contamination. Most growers aim for a substrate moisture level that feels like a damp sponge—moist but not dripping.

The Pin-to-Harvest Timeline: What to Expect

Once pinning occurs, the excitement begins! Golden Teacher mushrooms typically grow from pins to mature fruiting bodies within 7 to 10 days. During this time, you’ll observe rapid growth, with the mushrooms doubling in size almost daily.

However, this timeline isn’t set in stone. Several factors can influence how quickly your mushrooms mature:

Environmental Conditions: If humidity, temperature, or fresh air exchange aren’t optimal, your mushrooms may take longer to grow. Even small variations in temperature or airflow can add days to the pin-to-harvest time.
Strain Specifics: While Golden Teachers are generally resilient, different mushroom strains have slightly different growth rates. Some growers report that their Golden Teachers mature faster than others, depending on the particular genetics of their spores.

If you're aiming to harvest the best-quality mushrooms, pay close attention to how the caps develop. Once the mushrooms start to grow, they’ll mature quickly, and timing the harvest correctly is essential for achieving the best potency and flavor.

Monitoring Mushroom Growth: What to Look For

As your mushrooms grow, keeping a close watch on their development is essential. The first few days after pinning are the most critical, as this is when the mushrooms are growing rapidly. Check them at least twice a day to monitor their progress.

Some key indicators that your mushrooms are growing healthily include:

Cap Development: Watch the caps closely. As the mushrooms grow, the caps will begin to flatten out. If the caps start turning dark or developing spots, this could be a sign of contamination or environmental stress.
Stipe Growth: The stipe, or stem, will elongate as the mushroom grows. A strong, thick stipe is a sign that the mushrooms are receiving enough moisture and nutrients. If the stipe is thin or twisted, you may need to adjust your humidity or airflow.
Veil Formation: One of the most critical parts of the mushroom's development is the veil—a thin membrane that covers the gills on the underside of the cap. The ideal time to harvest Golden Teachers is just before the veil breaks.

Timing Your Harvest: Why It Matters

When it comes to harvesting Golden Teacher mushrooms, timing is everything. The best time to harvest is just before the veil on the underside of the mushroom cap begins to tear. At this stage, the mushrooms are mature but haven’t yet released their spores, which is optimal for both potency and flavor.

If you harvest too early: The mushrooms will be smaller, and their potency may not be as strong.
If you harvest too late: The mushrooms will begin to drop spores, which can reduce their flavor and impact future flushes.

Harvesting at the right time ensures the best quality. Use a clean knife or scissors to cut the mushrooms at the base, and be careful not to disturb the surrounding substrate. This will help preserve the integrity of the mycelium for future flushes.

Troubleshooting Common Pinning and Growth Issues

Unfortunately, things don’t always go perfectly during the pinning and fruiting stages. If your Golden Teachers aren’t pinning as expected or if they seem to be growing poorly, there are several potential causes:

Low Humidity: If the humidity drops below 90%, your pins might dry out, preventing them from growing into full-sized mushrooms. Misting the fruiting chamber or using a humidity tent can help fix this issue.
Inadequate Air Exchange: Stagnant air with high levels of carbon dioxide can cause thin, elongated mushrooms. Increase the fresh air exchange by opening vents or fanning the chamber.
Contamination: If you notice dark spots, fuzz, or strange colors on your substrate, your batch may be contaminated. It’s best to isolate contaminated areas immediately to prevent the contamination from spreading.

Understanding these potential pitfalls helps you avoid them and troubleshoot quickly when problems arise.

Encouraging Multiple Flushes for Continued Growth

One of the most rewarding aspects of growing Golden Teacher mushrooms is their ability to produce multiple flushes. With proper care, you can harvest several rounds of mushrooms from a single batch of substrate. After the first flush, the mycelium will need time to recover before producing more mushrooms.

To encourage additional flushes:

Mist the substrate: After harvesting the first flush, give the substrate a light misting of water to maintain moisture.
Rest the substrate: Allow the substrate to rest for a few days in the fruiting chamber without too much interference.
Keep conditions consistent: The same high humidity and proper temperature levels that encouraged the first flush will also help with subsequent flushes.

Many growers find that subsequent flushes often produce fewer mushrooms, but the quality can still be excellent. With proper care, you can expect two to three flushes from a single batch of Golden Teacher mushroom spores.

FAQs

How long does it take for Golden Teacher mushrooms to grow from pins to harvest?

On average, the pin-to-harvest time for Golden Teacher mushrooms is around 7 to 10 days, depending on the growing conditions. Factors like humidity, temperature, and substrate quality can influence the timeline.

What is the best substrate for growing Golden Teacher mushrooms?

The best substrate for Golden Teacher mushrooms is typically a mix of straw, coconut coir, and vermiculite. This combination provides the ideal balance of nutrients, moisture retention, and airflow to support healthy mushroom growth.

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