About Psilocybe cubensis vials
Every spore vial in our catalogue contains a single, isolated Psilocybe cubensis strain in a sterile preservation fluid. Cubensis is the most widely cultivated species in the genus, with shared growing parameters across most strains — the differences between strains are mostly visual, behavioural and in subtle yields. The technical specs below apply to every cubensis vial we ship; the strain-specific traits are listed in the table on each product page.
| Species |
Psilocybe cubensis |
| Vial volume |
10 ml |
| Fruiting temperature |
21–24 °C (70–75 °F) |
| Optimal humidity |
90–95% |
| Compatible substrates |
BRF cakes, grain, manure-based, coir-based |
| Time to first harvest |
~30–45 days (varies per strain) |
| Typical flushes |
3–5 |
| Spore print colour |
Dark purple-brown |
| Shelf life |
Up to 2 years refrigerated (2–8 °C) |
Contents
- 1× glass vial with 10 ml sterile spore solution
- 1× sterile 10 ml syringe
- 2× alcohol prep pads (“alco preps”)
- Carton box, sealed for shipping
Why choose a spore vial?
- Long shelf life. Up to 2 years refrigerated — significantly longer than a typical spore syringe.
- No static charge. Glass vials don’t carry static, so spores stay in suspension and don’t cling to the inside walls. You actually get to use 100% of the spores.
- Higher spore density. Roughly 1,000 spore grow-parts per millilitre — about double a standard syringe.
- Resealable septum. The rubber membrane re-seals after each needle pass, so one vial inoculates multiple substrates over time.
- Compatible with liquid culture media. Vial spore solution is clean for use with LC growth media, where syringes often aren’t.
Practical use
A 10 ml spore vial holds enough solution to inoculate roughly 3 litres of substrate (around 3 ml per litre). Always sterilise the rubber septum with an alcohol prep before inserting a needle, and replace the protective stopper cap between uses. The vial can be drawn from multiple times as long as the septum is sterilised before each pass.
Best practice: transfer to agar or liquid culture first. For the most reliable results, don’t inject spore solution directly into grain. Spores need to germinate before they can colonise, and grain offers no way to spot contamination early. Transferring to an agar plate or to a liquid culture (LC) medium first lets you isolate clean, vigorous mycelium before it ever touches your final substrate. This step typically increases success rates significantly and lets you produce multiple grain bags from a single vial via LC.
Storage
Store the vial in the refrigerator between 2 °C and 8 °C (35–46 °F), dark and upright. Keep the protective septa stopper cap in place when not in use. Do not freeze — ice crystal formation can rupture spores. Stored correctly, a spore vial remains usable for up to 2 years from dispatch. If the solution shows green, pink or orange tints, contamination has set in and the vial should be discarded; faint brownish cloudiness is normal and represents the spores themselves.
A note on legality
Psilocybe spores themselves contain no psilocybin and are legal to possess in most EU countries. Local laws on cultivation and possession of mature mushrooms vary — please check the regulations in your country before going further.