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Mushroom grow kit
MiNO
The compact MonoBox. Same real grain-to-bulk method you inoculate yourself, scaled down to one small grain pot and a tub that fits a windowsill, with a grow tent to fruit in.
★★★★★ 4.8 · 6 reviewsOut of stock
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For cultivating legal gourmet mushroom species only. A gourmet liquid culture or spore syringe is not included.
filled and sterilised fresh to order
arrives sterile or we replace it
any gourmet species, your choice
fits a windowsill, grow tent included
The short version
A compact two-stage gourmet mushroom kit, the small sibling of the MonoBox. You inject the sterile grain SpawnPot with your own culture, let it colonise, mix the colonised grain into the kit's coir in the MiNO tub, then fruit it in the included HEPA-filtered grow tent. It gives around 50 to 100g or more of fresh mushrooms over several flushes, with a first harvest in as little as 4 weeks. It teaches the same real method as the MonoBox in a setup that suits a first grow or a tight space.
How it works
How a MiNO grow works
The MiNO runs the same two-stage method as the MonoBox, just scaled down to one small grain pot and one little tub. You colonise the grain first, mix it into the substrate, then fruit. No lab needed, just clean hands, a warm steady spot and some patience.
Inoculate the grain
Wipe the injection port on the SpawnPot lid with the chlorhexidine wipe, fit the sterile needle, and inject your gourmet culture in, aiming for the edge of the grain. Give the pot a gentle shake to spread it about, which speeds colonisation up. Work somewhere clean and draught-free.
Colonise the grain
Leave the SpawnPot somewhere steady. Aim for around 24 degrees, though anywhere from 18 to 24 is fine, just keep it consistent and watch for condensation. Skip the heat mat. Do not open it until the grain is solid white with mycelium.
Mix into the substrate
Tip the fully colonised grain into the coir substrate pot, break up the clumps so the grain spreads through evenly, then transfer it into the MiNO tub and finish with a thin layer of coir as a casing. The coir pot comes ready to use, so you mix the grain straight in.
Colonise the substrate
Lid on the MiNO tub, kept at the same steady warmth. This is the make-or-break stage: you want the mycelium to run through the coir quickly and knit it together. Give it a few extra days once it looks finished so the centre catches up.
Fruit your mushrooms
Move the colonised cake into the HEPA-filtered grow tent and drop the temperature slightly, to around 20 to 22 degrees. The humidity comes from the substrate, so there is no need to mist it. A small slit in the tent plus a fan in the room gives it the fresh air it needs. Harvest each mushroom just as the veil under the cap begins to tear, then dunk the cake in water between flushes for more.
Why this one
What makes the MiNO different
The MiNO exists for two reasons: a bigger kit can feel like a lot for a first grow, and not everyone has the shelf space for one. It teaches the exact same grain-to-bulk method as the MonoBox, but in a footprint you can tuck on a windowsill. It is the small kit that still does the real thing.
If you get the bug, the larger MonoBox is the same method at full size, so nothing you learn here goes to waste.
Why it works
How we make it sterile
Sterile is the whole point of the kit, so it is worth knowing what that means here. The grain you inoculate is the one part that has to be perfectly clean, and this is how we get it there.
Autoclaved
Each grain SpawnPot is heat-sealed in an autoclave bag and sterilised in distilled water at 121 degrees for 90 minutes.
Cleanroom sealed
It then passes through a HEPA-filtered corridor to a cleanroom, where a suited operator handles it in front of a 12 foot laminar flow hood.
Desiccant dried
It is rebagged with a desiccant sachet that pulls out any residual moisture, starving stray microbes, and heat-sealed shut.
Worth noting
No process is ever perfect, which is exactly why every kit is backed by the Sterile Guarantee further down.
In the box
What's included
One compact size. It is complete bar the culture, which you add yourself.
The MiNO kit
Needs 1 to 1.5ml of culture
- 1 sterile grain SpawnPot
- 1 MiNO tub to colonise and grow in
- 1 coir substrate pot
- 1 HEPA-filtered grow tent to fruit in
- 1 chlorhexidine alcohol wipe and 1 hand wipe
- 1 sterile needle
- The grow guide
The one thing you add
What you'll need
The MiNO is sterile and ready to inoculate, so you supply the living part: a gourmet liquid culture or spore syringe, 1 to 1.5ml of it. We make gourmet liquid cultures you can inoculate it with.
Liquid culture has known, predictable genetics and can be incubated a little warmer, so it tends to colonise faster and more reliably. Spore syringes are cheaper and offer more variety, but are never fully sterile, so incubate them slightly cooler to let the mycelium outrun any stragglers.
Whatever you inoculate with, give the mycelium a clean start: wipe the port, work in still, draught-free air, and flame the needle. Most failed grows trace back to a sloppy injection rather than a bad kit. We stock the sterile gear for it (a still-air box, wipes and gloves) in sterile and lab equipment.
Risk, reversed
The Sterile Guarantee
Every kit is made fresh and arrives sterile and sealed. If one shows contamination on arrival, before you have inoculated it, send us photos and we will replace the affected part. What happens after you open it comes down to your technique and conditions, which no reputable seller can promise for you. So we stand fully behind the kit reaching you clean, and the troubleshooting below helps with the rest.
At a glance
The spec sheet
- Kit type
- Two-stage, grain spawn into bulk substrate, compact
- Vessel
- MiNO tub, plus a HEPA-filtered grow tent to fruit in
- Substrate
- Coir substrate pot, ready to use
- Spawn
- One sterile grain SpawnPot
- Inoculation
- Inject the SpawnPot's port, then shake
- Culture needed
- 1 to 1.5ml, not included
- Colonisation temp
- Around 24 degrees, 18 to 24 is fine if kept steady
- Fruiting temp
- A little cooler, around 20 to 22 degrees
- Time to harvest
- As little as 4 weeks from inoculation to the first flush
- Yield
- Around 50 to 100g or more of fresh mushrooms, over several flushes
- Made
- United Kingdom, fresh to order
- Suited to
- Gourmet species: oyster, Lion's Mane, Shiitake and similar
When things look off
Common issues
Because you do the growing, the odd thing can go sideways. Here are the common ones and what they usually mean.
Nothing happening
Usually patience or temperature. Trace the mycelium edge with a marker and check in a few days. Cold slows it right down.
Yellow liquid
Normal. That is metabolites, the mycelium's own waste, not contamination.
Green, grey or sour
That is contamination. Bin the affected part and keep a contaminated kit away from your others.
Thin stems, no pins
Not enough fresh air. Widen the slit in the tent or add a little more airflow in the room.
The full step-by-step lives in the grow-kit guides, and the grow-kit troubleshooting guide goes deeper on contamination and temperature.
Other kits
Not sure this is the one?
Common questions
Frequently asked
Aim for about 24 degrees while it colonises; anywhere from 18 to 24 is fine as long as it is steady, and keep an eye out for condensation. Drop it a couple of degrees, to around 20 to 22, for fruiting. Avoid heat mats, they cause condensation.
It is the compact version. Same two-stage grain-to-bulk method, but with a single small grain SpawnPot and a little tub instead of the larger SpawnTubs and box. It suits a first grow or a tight space, with a smaller yield to match.
Any legal gourmet species you have a culture for. It suits oyster mushrooms, Lion's Mane, Shiitake and similar. We sell gourmet liquid cultures you can inoculate it with.
No. You add your own gourmet liquid culture or spore syringe, 1 to 1.5ml of it. We stock gourmet liquid cultures separately.
Roughly 1 to 2 weeks for the grain to colonise, about a week for the substrate, then a few days to fruit. So as little as 4 weeks from inoculation to the first flush, depending on species and temperature.
With good conditions it gives around 50 to 100g or more of fresh mushrooms across several flushes. The first flush is always the biggest. It is a compact kit, so the harvest is smaller than a full MonoBox.
No. The humidity comes from the substrate, so there is no misting step. Just give it fresh air in the tent with a small slit and a fan in the room.
Send us photos before opening it and we will replace the affected part, that is our Sterile Guarantee. Contamination that appears after you inoculate comes down to technique and conditions, so check the troubleshooting first.
What customers say
Reviews
Perfect, delayed my review until fruiting. My first experience growing gourmet lions mane and I can happily say everything went well and I have some beautiful fruits. The whole experience was easy, fun and rewarding. All you need is a little patience. Cylocybe are the bees knees! Found them via glowing word of mouth online. Now they will be my one stop shop for everything mycology related. Cheers guys ❤️
Perfect!
Perfect grow kit. Very easy to use and good value for money.
Easy to use with detailed instructions
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For cultivating legal gourmet mushroom species only.Sold as a sterile substrate kit for home cultivation. We trust you to be responsible.