Mushroom growing conditions chart
Temperature, humidity, fresh air, light and days for each growing stage of 14 gourmet and medicinal mushrooms, in one chart.
Each table is the stage table from that species' grow guide, word for word. Every number is cited in the guide, whose “Where these numbers come from” note says which source gives which figure, and each species here lists those sources.
Published sources often disagree, so many cells give a range, or two figures with the source of each. Temperatures are in °F, most with °C in brackets. Humidity and fresh air are given the way each source states them: fresh air as CO2 in parts per million (ppm), as air changes an hour, or as whether the bag, lid or bed is open.
Online, with every source linked: hyphaapp.com/grow/conditions-chart
By Derick · November 7, 2026
| Stage | Temperature | Humidity | Fresh air / CO2 | Light | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk colonization | 75–77°F (24–25°C); fastest at 78–84°F (26–29°C) in the substrate | 80–90% | None; CO2 can run near 20,000 ppm | Dark | 10–20 on sawdust, 14–28 on straw |
| Pinning | 55–60°F (13–16°C), or about 68°F (20°C) | 95–100% | Under 600 ppm (UC) to under 1,000 ppm (North Spore); 4 air changes an hour | About 12 hours a day; diffuse daylight is enough | 7–14 |
| Fruiting | 60–64°F (16–18°C); 55–75°F (13–24°C) works | 85–95% | Under 600–1,000 ppm; 4–6 air changes an hour | Same as pinning | 3–6 from pins to harvest; flushes about 10 days apart |
Sources: UF/IFAS (ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/SS662) · UC Cooperative Extension (ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2012-05/144812.pdf) · Cornell (smallfarms.cornell.edu/resources/methods-of-commercial-mushroom-culti…) · North Spore booklet (cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2418/8179/files/FruitingBlockBooklet…) · North Spore help center (north-spore.reamaze.io/kb/troubleshooting-your-spray-and-grow-kit/tak…)
| Stage | Temperature | Humidity | Fresh air / CO2 | Light | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk colonization | 68–75°F (20–24°C) | Sealed bag | None; bag stays closed | Dark | 14–21 |
| Pinning | 55–70°F (13–21°C) | 90–95% RH | CO2 500–700 ppm | 500–1,000 lux | 3–7 |
| Fruiting | 55–70°F (13–21°C) | 80–90% RH | CO2 under 1,000 ppm | 500–1,000 lux | 5–10 to harvest |
Sources: GroCycle (grocycle.com/growing-lions-mane) · Cornell (smallfarms.cornell.edu/resources/methods-of-commercial-mushroom-culti…) · North Spore booklet (cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2418/8179/files/FruitingBlockBooklet…) · Cornell Small Farms and Fungi Ally (projects.sare.org/media/pdf/S/p/e/Specialty_Mushroom_Farm_Book__…)
| Stage | Temperature | Humidity | Fresh air / CO2 | Light | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spawn run and browning (block, in its bag) | Under 80°F (27°C), ideally about 70°F (21°C) | About 90% | None | None required | 6–12 weeks, until about 75% brown |
| Initiation (soak or cold shock) | 59–68°F (15–20°C) | 95% | 2–4 air changes an hour | Natural light, or about 10 lux of 370–420 nm light | Pins 7–14 days after the soak |
| Fruiting | 59–68°F (15–20°C); 55–70°F per North Spore | 85–90%; 85–95% per North Spore | 2–4 air changes an hour; CO2 under 1,000 ppm | As for initiation | First harvest 1–2 weeks after blocks go into fruiting |
| Spawn run on logs (outdoors) | Outdoor; fruiting starts once it drops to 60°F (16°C) or below | 60–75% for logs | Outdoors | About 60% shade | 6–18 months |
Sources: Cornell (smallfarms.cornell.edu/resources/methods-of-commercial-mushroom-culti…) · UC Cooperative Extension (ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2012-05/144812.pdf) · North Spore booklet (cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2418/8179/files/FruitingBlockBooklet…) · SARE (projects.sare.org/media/pdf/F/i/t/Fitness-Farm-BLOCKS.pdf) · MSU Extension (extension.msstate.edu/sites/default/files/document/2025-12/M2492_web…)
| Stage | Temperature | Humidity | Fresh air / CO2 | Light | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk colonization | About 77°F (25°C) | Sealed bag | None; bag stays closed | Dark | About 20–25 |
| Antler growth (bag closed) | 65–80°F (18–27°C) | 95–100% RH | CO2 20,000–40,000 ppm | Ambient light | About 28–60 |
| Conk growth (bag open) | 65–80°F (18–27°C) | 85–95% RH | CO2 under 2,000 ppm | About 800 lux | About 60–90 |
Sources: Oregon State Extension (extension.oregonstate.edu/pub/em-9364) · Journal of Fungi (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12842923) · ICAR (dmrsolan.res.in/Folder_Ganoderma.pdf) · North Spore booklet (cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2418/8179/files/FruitingBlockBooklet…)
| Stage | Temperature | Humidity | Fresh air / CO2 | Light | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk colonization | 70–75°F (21–24°C) | Sealed bag | None; bag stays sealed | Dark | About 14 days, up to 21 |
| Pinning | About 59°F (15°C) | 95–100% | Corner of the bag cut; CO2 stays high inside | Indirect light, or 12 hours a day | Pins 4–8 days after opening |
| Fruiting | 54–65°F (12–18°C) | 85–88% | Bag cut back once pins are about 2 in; under 2,000 ppm | Indirect light, or 12 hours a day | 4–5 days after the cut; picked within about 14 days of opening |
Sources: GroCycle (grocycle.com/how-to-grow-king-oyster-mushrooms) · North Spore booklet (cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2418/8179/files/FruitingBlockBooklet…)
| Stage | Temperature | Humidity | Fresh air / CO2 | Light | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk colonization | About 75°F (24°C) | 80–90% | None | Dark | 9–14, until pins start |
| Pinning | 70–80°F (21–27°C) | 95–100% | 500–1,000 ppm CO2 | Indirect light; more light gives pinker caps | Under a week, up to 12 days to first harvest |
| Fruiting | 70–80°F (21–27°C) | 85–95% | 500–1,000 ppm CO2 | Same as pinning | Next flush about 7 days after harvest |
Sources: GroCycle (grocycle.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-grow-mushrooms) · GroCycle (grocycle.com/pink-oyster-mushroom) · UF/IFAS (ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/SS662) · UC Cooperative Extension (ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2012-05/144812.pdf) · North Spore booklet (cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2418/8179/files/FruitingBlockBooklet…)
| Stage | Temperature | Humidity | Fresh air / CO2 | Light | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spawn run (sawdust bag) | 75°F (24°C) ideal; 64–70°F (18–21°C) works, slower | Sealed bag | Sealed bag | Dark, no direct sun | 14–21 |
| Pinning | 61–70°F (16–21°C) | 95–100% | Fresh air starts pinning | Not stated (200 lux in one study) | White blobs over 2–3 weeks |
| Fruiting | 61–70°F (16–21°C) | 85–90% | Fresh air | Not stated (200 lux in one study) | Up to about 3 months; pick at 1–2 months old |
| Logs, outdoors | Outdoor weather | At least 1 inch (25 mm) of rain a week | Outdoors | Not stated | First fruit about a year after inoculation |
Sources: GroCycle (grocycle.com/how-to-grow-turkey-tail-mushrooms) · Asian Journal of Mycology (asianjournalofmycology.org/pdf/AJOM_9_1_13.pdf)
| Stage | Temperature | Humidity | Fresh air / CO2 | Light | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spawn run (sealed bag) | 68–73°F (20–23°C); 73–79°F (23–26°C) in a Chinese trial | not stated | None, sealed bag; CO2 under 3,000 ppm in the trial | Not needed; dark in the trial | About 3 weeks to turn white; spawn run 30–60 days |
| Primordia (still in the bag) | 68–73°F (20–23°C) | 95% | CO2 2,000–5,000 ppm | 100–500 lux | 3–5 more weeks after dark bumps appear |
| Fruiting (bag opened) | 60–64°F (16–18°C); 66–70°F (19–21°C) in the trial; 50–65°F (10–18°C) per Mushroom Mountain | 85–95%; 93–97% in the trial | CO2 1,000 ppm or less; 400–700 ppm in the trial | 500–1,000 lux, 12 hours on; 200 lux, 12 hours in the trial | 1–2 weeks from fingers to harvest |
| Logs (bagged, then buried) | 55–70°F (13–21°C) while colonizing | not stated | Sealed filter bag, then buried | Shade | 2–3 months to colonize; fruits about a year after burial |
Sources: Penn State (plantpath.psu.edu/about/facilities/mushroom/resources/specialty-…) · GroCycle (grocycle.com/how-to-grow-maitake-mushrooms) · Mushroom Mountain (mushroommountain.com/maitake-hen-of-the-woods-grifola-frondosa) · AMB Express, via PMC (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5866258)
| Stage | Temperature | Humidity | Fresh air / CO2 | Light | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planting the bed | Any time from last frost to a few weeks before first frost | Water the bed thoroughly, not to sogginess | Open air | Partial shade | Day 0 |
| Bed colonization | Grows at 41–95°F (5–35°C), best near 79°F (26°C) | Bed damp, like a wrung-out sponge | Open air | Partial shade | About 2–6 months to first mushrooms |
| Pinning | A drop to 50–68°F (10–20°C) | Bed kept damp | Open air | Partial shade | Not stated |
| Fruiting | About 61°F (16°C) gives stout caps; 75°F (24°C) gives fast, thin ones | 85–95%; stems crack more often below 60% | Open air | Partial shade | Pick within the first few days |
Sources: Brooklyn Botanic Garden (bbg.org/article/how_to_grow_winecap_mushrooms) · review (link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00253-025-13576-1) · Cornell Small Farms (smallfarms.cornell.edu/resources/outdoor-production) · NC State Extension (richmond.ces.ncsu.edu/news/outdoor-mushroom-cultivation) · Johnny's (johnnyseeds.com/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-JSSShared…) · GroCycle (grocycle.com/wine-cap-mushroom)
| Stage | Temperature | Humidity | Fresh air / CO2 | Light | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spawn run | 64–77°F (18–25°C); farms 64–68°F (18–20°C) | Sealed bottle or bag | Not stated | Dark | 2–4 weeks; farms 20–25 days |
| Pinning | 45–50°F (7–10°C); farms 50–54°F (10–12°C) | 95–100% | Not stated | Indirect, bright enough to read by; white store enoki is grown dark | 3–5 days, up to 1–2 weeks; farms 10–14 days |
| Fruiting | 50–61°F (10–16°C); farms 37–46°F (3–8°C) | 85–95% | Kept low with a collar or sleeve for long stems | Low; 300 lux for 8 hours a day in one study | 5–8 days after pins; farms pick at 13–14 cm |
Sources: GroCycle (grocycle.com/enoki-mushrooms) · Penn State (plantpath.psu.edu/about/facilities/mushroom/resources/specialty-…) · PMC (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12387923) · Tom Volk, UW–La Crosse (botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/march97.html) · GroCycle (grocycle.com/how-to-make-grain-spawn)
| Stage | Temperature | Humidity | Fresh air / CO2 | Light | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk colonization | 73–77°F (23–25°C) in one trial | Sealed bag | Filtered bag | Dark | 4–6 weeks |
| Pinning | 55–75°F (13–24°C); one trial chilled bags at 32–41°F (0–5°C) for 3–5 days first | 85–90%; pins won't form if it's dry | Slit cut in the bag | Indirect, bright enough to read by | 12–28 days |
| Fruiting | 55–75°F (13–24°C); best yields at 57–61°F (14–16°C) in one trial | 85–90%; over 95% gave the best yields in one trial | Not stated | Indirect; 12 hours a day in one trial | 5–10 days after pins |
Sources: GroCycle (grocycle.com/chestnut-mushrooms) · GroCycle (grocycle.com/how-to-make-grain-spawn) · Mycosphere (mycosphere.org/pdf/Mycosphere_7_2_11.pdf) · Kagoshima University (ir.kagoshima-u.ac.jp/records/7509)
Pioppino
Cyclocybe aegerita (formerly Agrocybe aegerita)hyphaapp.com/grow/pioppinoPioppino grow guide| Stage | Temperature | Humidity | Fresh air / CO2 | Light | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk colonization | 72–77°F (22–25°C) | Sealed bag | None; bag stays closed | Not stated | 9–14 days (1 kg straw or wood-chip bags); about 38 days (sawdust bottles) |
| Pinning | 55–65°F (13–18°C) | 95–100% | Small cut at the top; pins form in the bag | Indirect light, or 12 hours a day | Pins 2–5 days into fruiting conditions (kits); about 7 days (bottles at 64–68°F) |
| Fruiting | 55–65°F (13–18°C) | 85–95% | Bag cut back to 4 in sidewalls; under 2,000 ppm | Indirect light, or 12 hours a day | Harvest 6–10 days after pins form (kits); about 5 days (bottles) |
Sources: Rezaeian et al., Asian Journal of Mycology (asianjournalofmycology.org/pdf/AJOM_5_1_3.pdf) · Jeon et al., Korea Journal of Breeding Science (db.koreascholar.com/Article/Detail/34657) · GroCycle (grocycle.com/pioppino-mushrooms) · North Spore booklet (cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2418/8179/files/FruitingBlockBooklet…) · GroCycle (grocycle.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-grow-mushrooms)
| Stage | Temperature | Humidity | Fresh air / CO2 | Light | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colonization | 68–77°F (20–25°C) | 60–70% in one trial | Filtered lid stays on | Dark | About 10–15 |
| Primordia | 64–72°F (18–22°C) | 70–90% | Filtered lid stays on | 500–1,000 lux, 12 hours on, 12 off | Day 18–25 from inoculation |
| Fruiting | 64–72°F (18–22°C) | 70–90% | Filtered lid stays on | 500–1,000 lux, 12 hours on, 12 off | Harvest about day 45–60 |
Sources: BioTechnologia (bibliotekanauki.pl/articles/2096987.pdf) · PLOS ONE (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5657973) · Rootlab (rootlab.com.au/beginner-mushroom-growing-kits/how-to-grow-cor…) · Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (psa.gov.in/livelihood/10137) · Mycobiology (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3769561)
| Stage | Temperature | Humidity | Fresh air / CO2 | Light | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spawn run | 73–81°F (23–27°C) | Closed bag | Closed bag | Dark; over 500 lux can set off early pins | 28–30 days; 20–39 in two studies; 65 for one wild strain |
| Pinning | 72°F (22°C) in one study; 3 days at 59–68°F (15–20°C) in another | 85–90% or more | Bag opened or slit | 2,000 lux, 12 hours a day, in one study | Pins 25–37 days after spawning in two studies; 76 for one wild strain |
| Fruiting | 72–77°F (22–25°C) | 85–90% or more; 75–85% in one study | Not stated | 2,000 lux, 12 hours a day, in one study | First harvest 30–42 days after spawning in one study; 4–6 flushes over 2–3 months |
| Logs outdoors | 45–60°F (7–16°C) or 50–70°F (10–21°C), by strain | Long rainy spells; 95% RH if brought indoors | Outdoors | Shade | 9–18 months to first fruiting |
Sources: Penn State (plantpath.psu.edu/about/facilities/mushroom/resources/specialty-…) · Saudi J Biol Sci (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6717086) · PLOS ONE (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9942997) · CREAM (creamjournal.org/pdf/CREAM_10_1_13-1.pdf) · Field & Forest (fieldforest.net/wood-ear-auricularia-auricula-judae-sawdust-sp…) · Mushroom Mountain (shop.mushroommountain.com/products/wood-ear-plug-spawn-auricularia-polyt…)
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Source: Mushroom growing conditions chart, Hypha by Demeter Mycolabs — https://hyphaapp.com/grow/conditions-chartThe data (the CSV, 47 rows) is free to reuse with credit to Demeter Mycolabs (CC BY 4.0). Spotted a number that's out of date? Email support@demetermycolabs.com and we'll fix the guide and the chart.
Demeter Mycolabs, which publishes this chart, also makes the Hypha app for tracking each grow block from inoculation to harvest.
Text © Demeter Mycolabs LLC. The data is CC BY 4.0: reuse it with credit to Demeter Mycolabs.