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Grain spawn

Rye Grain Master Spawn

A reliable rye grain recipe used to produce master spawn for oyster, shiitake, and lion’s mane. It provides even hydration and strong mycelial colonization.

Intermediate14 days

What ingredients does it use?

What ingredients does it use?MetricImperial
Rye Grain1000 g2.2 lbs
Water1500 ml50.72 fl_oz
Gypsum15 g0.52 oz
Lime5 g0.17 oz

Recipe details

Type
Grain spawn
Difficulty
Intermediate
Sterilization
Pressure cooker · 90 min
Container
1L Glass Jars with Metal Lids
Expected yield
10–12 jars of fully colonized grain spawn
Cycle length
14 days

How do I prepare it?

Soak and simmer rye grains until hydrated, drain thoroughly, mix with gypsum, load into jars, and sterilize.

  1. Rinse rye grain thoroughly and soak it in cold water for 12–18 hours.
  2. Drain the grains and simmer them in fresh water for 10–15 minutes until they reach 55–60% hydration.
  3. Drain the grains completely and allow steam-drying for 20–30 minutes.
  4. Mix in gypsum and lime to prevent clumping and stabilize pH.
  5. Load hydrated grains into sterilizable jars at 70–80% capacity.
  6. Sterilize grain jars at 15 PSI for 90 minutes.
  7. Let cool fully before inoculating with existing grain spawn or liquid culture.
  8. Shake jars after 25–30% colonization to speed up distribution.
  9. Once fully colonized, use as master grain spawn for bulk substrate.

Use this recipe in your batches

In MycoLab you copy this recipe to your organization, link it to your batches and compare the yield of each one.