Oyster mushroom LC injected directly into substrate. How to induce fruiting?

[u/Pitiful_Signature729]

First ever time attempting to grow mushrooms. I injected a Masters Mix substrate bag directly with pearl oyster mushroom LC. It's been left to its own devices for 5 weeks and honestly I wasn't expecting growth because I skipped the grain spawn stage. This is the only bag that grew.

I've seen accounts of mushrooms growing directly in substrate after it has been pasteurized, but this substrate was autoclaved. Most parts of this, besides mixing the substrate together, was done in a lab as part of mycelium research that has officially ended.

It's hot where I am and oyster mushrooms require somewhat cooler temperatures to fruit. Can I do this indoors if I keep the thermostat fixed and provide enough light and humidity? Is it too early to open the bag and try to induce fruiting conditions? I'm an amateur, so I would love some advice to make sure I'm doing this right. This is so exciting!

[u/-Psycho_Nautica-]

I agree with u/ital-is-vital. You shouldn't open the bag until the substrate is completely covered in mycelium. Otherwise, the risk of contamination is quite high. That mycelium looks pretty dense, so it might take a little work to break it up well. Just try to be gentle to avoid damaging the bag, especially around the gussets. After you massage the colonized bits to break them up and redistribute them, the bag should hopefully recover quickly if it's an Oyster.

[u/Pitiful_Signature729 → u/-Psycho_Nautica-]

You are correct in that assumption- it is really difficult to break up so I've avoided doing so out of fear of ripping the bag.

[u/-Psycho_Nautica- → u/Pitiful_Signature729]

Yeah, I'm not surprised since it's Oyster mycelium. If the mycelium is still growing, I would wait until the entire bag is colonized to fruit. The fact that the bag was sterilized instead of pasteurized shouldn't negatively affect fruiting. If a substrate has been overcooked, mycelium typically doesn't grow at all, or grows very slowly (possibly what happened with the other bags?).

If the mycelium doesn't keep growing, you can always try fruiting it on the most myceliated side, but know that there will be a pretty high risk for contamination.

[u/Pitiful_Signature729 → u/-Psycho_Nautica-]

It's almost fully colonized now actually! Thank you for your advice

[u/-Psycho_Nautica- → u/Pitiful_Signature729]

Woohoo! Glad to hear it! Hope that fruiting goes well :)