When do I harvest magic mushrooms?

When should you harvest magic mushrooms, from a grow kit ? Pick too soon and the mushroom will not have reached their full potential. Pick too late and the whole substrate is covered with black spores.

We've noticed that Magic Mushrooms Shop customers are very curious to find out; "when do I harvest my lovely mushrooms?". So we gladly present instructions on how and when to harvest!

When do I harvest magic mushrooms ?

The best time to harvest magic mushrooms from your grow kit is just before the veil breaks. Veil breaking time is usually between 5 - 12 days after the first mushrooms pins pop up from the substrate.

This time indication is broad because the maturing of magic mushrooms can vary, depending on strain variation, humidity, temperature and fresh air.

Why harvest just before the veil breaks?

The veil connects the cap of the mushroom to the stem and covers the gills. When the mushroom matures the veil will break and uncover the gills. This is the time for the matured mushroom to think of the next generation and it will release spores from the gills to make reproduction possible.

 
The released spores will cover the other mushrooms and the substrate underneath them. This is harmless for the mushrooms and the substrate. But the potency of the mushroom will reduce a bit when you wait with the harvest of your mushrooms after the spore release.

Looking for the strains with the most potency? Read our blog on the strongest magic mushrooms!

Making spore prints and syringes

This is pretty advanced, but it's interesting to know that you can make your own spore prints.

 
Your own spore prints? It's possible! You could actually put your own cultivation process independently on an infinite loop.

 
If you want to make a spore print or make a spore syringe it is important to harvest the before spores are released. The spores need to be conserved for further cultivation. The best time to pick mushrooms, for a spore print, is when the cap has opened. The cap will flatten and gets the shape of an umbrella. Most times this will be the same or in the next few days after the veil is broken.

Too small for harvest?!

"Should I pick the small mushroom together with the big ones? Or should I wait?" A very frequently asked question.
 

 
What you can do is just pick the mushrooms that you think are big enough. And let the other mushrooms mature for a couple of days.

But keep a close eye on your grow kit!
Growth goes rapidly in this stage. One night in the pub might be enough to find your mushrooms covered in spores.

Considering microdosing? Inform yourself with our Psilocybin Microdosing Guide!

How to pick the magic mushrooms?

We have covered the picking of magic mushrooms in a different blog post.  The basic strategy is twist and pull. But to make it easy, we also made video instructions for harvesting mushrooms:

Are the fresh mushrooms harvested?

Learn how to dry and store your magic mushrooms!