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    How to grow wood ear mushrooms

    Auricularia spp.

    Wood ear fruits on supplemented hardwood sawdust at 72–77°F (22–25°C), with a first harvest 4–6 weeks after spawning in one study. It needs high humidity, and on logs it fruits cooler, 9–18 months after inoculation.

    By Derick · October 24, 2026

    Fruiting temperature
    72–77°F (22–25°C) in bags; log strains 45–70°F (7–21°C)
    Humidity
    85–90% RH or more (75–85% in one study)
    Spawn to first harvest
    About 4–6 weeks in one bag study; logs 9–18 months
    Grows on
    Supplemented hardwood sawdust, cottonseed hulls or hardwood logs

    Difficulty: Moderate. Wood ear needs sterilized sawdust, a month or more to colonize and humidity near 90% to fruit (Penn State; Saudi J Biol Sci).

    Wood ear growing conditions at a glance

    StageTemperatureHumidityFresh air / CO2LightDays
    Spawn run73–81°F (23–27°C)Closed bagClosed bagDark; over 500 lux can set off early pins28–30 days; 20–39 in two studies; 65 for one wild strain
    Pinning72°F (22°C) in one study; 3 days at 59–68°F (15–20°C) in another85–90% or moreBag opened or slit2,000 lux, 12 hours a day, in one studyPins 25–37 days after spawning in two studies; 76 for one wild strain
    Fruiting72–77°F (22–25°C)85–90% or more; 75–85% in one studyNot stated2,000 lux, 12 hours a day, in one studyFirst harvest 30–42 days after spawning in one study; 4–6 flushes over 2–3 months
    Logs outdoors45–60°F (7–16°C) or 50–70°F (10–21°C), by strainLong rainy spells; 95% RH if brought indoorsOutdoorsShade9–18 months to first fruiting
    Where these numbers come from
    • Spawn run: Penn State runs bags at 25°C ± 2°C (73–81°F) for 28–30 days; over 500 lux then "may result in premature formation of primordia" (Penn State). Supplemented bags colonized in 32–39 days in a Taiwanese study (Saudi J Biol Sci) and 20–32 days in an Iranian one (PLOS ONE); a wild Thai strain took 65 (CREAM).
    • Pinning and fruiting: The Taiwanese study fruited at 22°C (72°F) and 90% humidity or more, with pins at 25–28 days (Saudi J Biol Sci). The Iranian one gave 3 days at 15–20°C (59–68°F), 85–90% humidity and 2,000 lux for 12 hours a day; pins showed at 27–37 days and the first harvest at 30–42 days (PLOS ONE). The Thai strain fruited at 25°C (77°F) and 75–85%, with first pins on day 76 (CREAM).
    • Logs: Field & Forest's strain fruits at 45–60°F, 9–18 months after inoculation (Field & Forest); Mushroom Mountain's at about 50–70°F, in shade (Mushroom Mountain). Both companies sell spawn.
    • The three bag studies grew A. polytricha or A. cornea; we found no comparable figures for A. heimuer.

    What does wood ear grow on?

    • Supplemented hardwood sawdust

      Penn State's mix is 78% sawdust, 20% bran, 1% calcium carbonate and 1% sucrose, sterilized in bags at 121°C (250°F) for 60 minutes (Penn State).

    • Sawdust with grass or corn stalks

      In a Taiwanese study, replacing 30–60% of the sawdust with chopped Panicum repens or corn stalks raised biological efficiency from about 99% to 124–148% (Saudi J Biol Sci).

    • Cottonseed hulls

      93% cottonseed hulls, 5% wheat bran, 1% sucrose and 1% calcium carbonate, moistened to about 60% water (Penn State).

    • Hardwood logs

      Penn State says the oak family is preferred, though many hard and soft woods work (Penn State), and Mushroom Mountain recommends oak for its strain (Mushroom Mountain). Field & Forest's strain "strongly prefers sugar maple" and says to avoid oak, so match the log to your strain (Field & Forest).

    How to grow wood ear, step by step

    1. Get spawn

      Buy wood ear spawn or make grain spawn; farms use grain or sawdust spawn (Penn State). In the Thai study, sorghum grain spawn colonized in 21 days at 77°F (25°C) (CREAM). Done when the grain is fully colonized.

    2. Sterilize and spawn the sawdust

      Fill bags with supplemented hardwood sawdust and sterilize them. Mix in the spawn only once the bags are cool (Penn State). Done when every bag is spawned and closed.

    3. Colonize in the dark

      Keep bags at 73–81°F (23–27°C) and below 500 lux for about 28–30 days (Penn State). Colonization is far enough once mycelium covers the whole substrate surface, when the Taiwanese study moved its bags to fruit (Saudi J Biol Sci).

    4. Open the bag and raise humidity

      Open or slit the bag, drop to about 72°F (22°C) and hold 90% humidity or more (Saudi J Biol Sci). Done when primordia show: 25–37 days after spawning in two studies (Saudi J Biol Sci; PLOS ONE).

    5. Grow out the ears

      Keep the humidity up while the ears expand. Done when the edges turn wavy, the stage at which the Taiwanese study picked (Saudi J Biol Sci).

    6. Pick and repeat

      Twist each cluster off at the base (Field & Forest). Keep conditions steady for more flushes: four in 3 months in the Taiwanese study (Saudi J Biol Sci).

    What's different about growing wood ear?

    Which wood ear you grow sets the temperature

    "Wood ear" covers several Auricularia species, and their temperatures differ. Field & Forest's A. auricula-judae log strain fruits at 45–60°F (7–16°C) (Field & Forest), while A. polytricha and A. cornea fruited in bags at 72–77°F (22–25°C) (Saudi J Biol Sci; CREAM). A. heimuer was named in 2014, when Chinese wood ear identified as A. auricula-judae proved different from the European species (Phytotaxa). Check the species on your culture's label.

    Opening the bag and a small drop start the pins

    Wood ear studies start pins by opening the bag and raising humidity, often in a cooler room. A Taiwanese study dropped from 77°F to 72°F (25°C to 22°C) at 90% or more (Saudi J Biol Sci). An Iranian one gave 3 days at 59–68°F (15–20°C), with 85–90% humidity and 2,000 lux for 12 hours a day (PLOS ONE). A Thai study held 77°F (25°C) throughout (CREAM). Penn State notes that temperature, light and humidity together set the quality of the ears (Penn State).

    Logs are slow but forgiving

    On logs, wood ear takes 9–18 months to fruit, longer on thick logs. It can stall and restart through the fall while it waits for rain, and long wet spells give the biggest mushrooms. Ears left on the log survive freezing and may keep growing in spring (Field & Forest).

    When and how do you harvest wood ear?

    Wood ear is ready when the edges of the ears turn wavy; that's when a Taiwanese study picked them (Saudi J Biol Sci). Twist clusters off at the base, and dry extra ears for later (Field & Forest).

    That study got four flushes in 3 months, and the first flush outyielded the second. Its plain sawdust-and-bran bags gave about 99% biological efficiency across all four (Saudi J Biol Sci). A wild Thai strain gave six flushes in 55 days, the first the smallest. Its 800 g bags gave 242 g of fresh ears each, about 72% biological efficiency (CREAM). Our sources give no rest time between flushes; see our second-flush guide.

    Common wood ear problems

    Pins that dry out or stall

    Check humidity first: bag studies fruited wood ear at 85–90% or more (Saudi J Biol Sci; PLOS ONE). See our signs of too little humidity and the stalled-pin reset.

    Pins forming inside the bag during the spawn run

    Too much light: over 500 lux during the spawn run can trigger early primordia (Penn State). Move bags somewhere darker; see pins inside the bag.

    Logs that haven't fruited after a year

    That can be normal: logs take 9–18 months, longer when thick, and wood ear waits for a long rainy spell. In dry weather, Field & Forest moves logs indoors to a 95% RH space (Field & Forest).

    Green mold on the block

    Green is often trichoderma. Check the contamination ID table before you toss it.

    Tracking a wood ear grow in Hypha

    Hypha tracks each wood ear block from inoculation through harvest. It sets reminders from typical timings, and you can adjust them for each block to fit wood ear's month-plus colonization. Log each flush's harvest, and track contamination rates by strain to see which culture suits your room. Download Hypha to start.

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    Wood ear growing FAQ

    How long does wood ear take to grow?

    Wood ear took 30–42 days from spawning to first harvest in one bag study (PLOS ONE), but a wild Thai strain took 76 days just to pin. Add about 3 weeks for grain spawn (CREAM). Logs take 9–18 months (Field & Forest).

    Can you grow wood ear indoors?

    Wood ear grows indoors on sterilized sawdust or cottonseed hull bags, which is how it's farmed (Penn State). It needs a fruiting space that holds 85–90% humidity or more (Saudi J Biol Sci; PLOS ONE).

    What temperature does wood ear need?

    Wood ear colonizes at about 73–81°F (23–27°C) (Penn State) and fruited in bags at 72–77°F (22–25°C) in two studies (Saudi J Biol Sci; CREAM). Log strains fruit cooler: 45–60°F (7–16°C) for Field & Forest's (Field & Forest) and about 50–70°F (10–21°C) for Mushroom Mountain's (Mushroom Mountain).

    Is wood ear the same as cloud ear?

    Wood ear and cloud ear are common names that overlap, so neither pins down one species. Mycologist Tom Volk gives both for A. auricula-judae, and calls A. polytricha a very close relative (Tom Volk, UW–La Crosse). The most important wood ear grown in China is A. heimuer, long identified as A. auricula-judae (Phytotaxa). Go by the Latin name on your culture.

    Is wood ear hard to grow?

    Indoors, wood ear is moderate: sterilized sawdust, a month or more to colonize, and high humidity. On logs, Field & Forest rates it easy with the right wood (Field & Forest).

    Sources

    1. Penn State (plantpath.psu.edu/about/facilities/mushroom/resources/specialty-…)
    2. Saudi J Biol Sci (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6717086)
    3. PLOS ONE (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9942997)
    4. CREAM (creamjournal.org/pdf/CREAM_10_1_13-1.pdf)
    5. Field & Forest (fieldforest.net/wood-ear-auricularia-auricula-judae-sawdust-sp…)
    6. Mushroom Mountain (shop.mushroommountain.com/products/wood-ear-plug-spawn-auricularia-polyt…)
    7. Phytotaxa (phytotaxa.mapress.com/pt/article/view/8155)
    8. Tom Volk, UW–La Crosse (botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/apr2004.html)

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