The short answer
A gourmet mushroom grow runs on three things: a clean culture, something for it to eat, and a way to check it is clean. In practice that means grain (as sterilised grain bags or all in one grow bags), a bulk substrate matched to the species, and a few agar plates. If you are looking for mycology supplies in Australia, Aus Myco Kingdom, an Australian substrate and lab supplier on Culture Cave, lists all of these and ships within Australia. The Australian mycology supplies page gathers what local vendors list in one place.
This guide covers gourmet species and basic agar lab practice only. Browse the species under gourmet cultures.
Sterilised grain bags and what grain spawn is
Grain spawn is sterilised grain that has been fully colonised by mushroom mycelium. When the spawn is broken up and mixed into a bulk substrate, the mycelium grows out from hundreds of kernels at once. Grain holds water and carries plenty of starch and protein, but for most gourmet species it is a stepping stone, not the place the mushrooms fruit.
A sterilised grain bag is where spawn starts: hydrated grain, sealed in a filter bag and sterilised, ready for a liquid culture or a piece of colonised agar. Aus Myco Kingdom lists sterilised grain bags in 1kg and 2kg sizes and describes its grain as prepared with added nutrients. The grain spawn and grow bags guide explains grain types, hydration and sterilisation in more detail.
1kg or 2kg?
A 1kg bag suits a first run, a single tub or a trial of a new culture, and if something goes wrong you lose less. A 2kg bag gives more spawn, for a larger bulk substrate or to split across several containers. More spawn generally means the mycelium covers the bulk sooner, leaving moulds less time to get a foothold.
All in one grow bags: grain and substrate in one bag
An all in one grow bag holds a layer of sterilised grain and a layer of bulk substrate in the same sealed bag. You inoculate the grain, usually through an injection port, wait for the mycelium to colonise it, then break the grain up and mix it through the substrate without opening the bag. The bag then becomes its own fruiting container.
Beginners like them because there is no separate spawn step, no tub to clean and no moment where colonised grain sits open to the room. Every step outside a sealed bag is a chance for contamination, and an all in one bag removes most of them. The trade-off is flexibility: you get the substrate the maker chose.
Aus Myco Kingdom lists all in one grow bags in 1kg and 2kg sizes, made with its CVA substrate and grain. Because the substrate layer is coir based, they suit gourmet species that take to coir mixes, with oyster the usual example. Other vendors' options sit under grow bags.
CVA substrate: coir, vermiculite and gypsum
CVA stands for coco coir, vermiculite and gypsum. Coir is coconut husk fibre, vermiculite is an expanded mineral that holds water and keeps the mix airy, and gypsum (calcium sulphate) adds calcium. Together they make a bulk substrate that holds moisture well and is fairly low in nutrients, so many contaminants have less to feed on.
For gourmet growing, CVA suits oyster species, which are vigorous and run happily through a coir-based mix. Most other gourmet species do far better on hardwood. Aus Myco Kingdom lists premium CVA substrate bags and states that all its substrates are sterilised, which saves you pasteurising or sterilising coir at home. Every vendor's grain and substrate listings are under substrate and grain.
Wood lovers substrate for gourmet species
Many popular gourmet mushrooms grow on dead or dying hardwood in the wild. Lion's mane, shiitake, reishi, king oyster and oyster all belong to this group. Most of them grow poorly on coir; oyster is the exception that does well on both. On a hardwood sawdust substrate they behave much as they would on a log.
Aus Myco Kingdom lists a 3kg wood lovers substrate, hardwood based and described by the vendor as enhanced with added nutrients. Wood lovers usually colonise more slowly than oyster. Shiitake goes through a browning stage before it fruits, while lion's mane often fruits readily from a small cut in the bag, which makes it a friendly first wood lover.
Pre-poured agar plates: high nutrition and low nutrition
Agar is a seaweed gel that, mixed with nutrients and sterilised, gives mycelium a flat, clean surface to grow on. A plate shows within days whether a culture is contaminated, and lets you cut healthy mycelium away from anything that is not. The beginner's guide to agar plates covers the method.
Two terms come up constantly in agar work:
- High nutrition agar carries more sugars and nutrients, often malt extract with additions such as yeast or peptone. Mycelium grows thick and fast on it, useful for expanding a clean culture before it goes to grain. Bacteria and moulds grow fast on it too.
- Low nutrition agar is lean on purpose. Growth is thinner and more spread out, which makes contamination and odd sectors easier to spot, and fast-growing contaminants have less to feed on. It is the usual choice for testing a liquid culture and for isolation work, where seeing clearly matters more than speed.
Aus Myco Kingdom lists pre-poured agar plates in both versions. It describes its low nutrition plates as suited to liquid culture testing and isolation work, and offers its high nutrition plates in blue, purple, orange, turquoise, pink or no colour, chosen in the order notes. Tinted agar makes pale mycelium easier to see against the plate. Plates from other vendors are listed under agar plates.
Why buy mushroom growing supplies inside Australia
They are bulky. Grain and substrate are sold by the kilogram, and a few bags make a heavy parcel. Sending that weight by Australia Post or a courier, priced in AUD, is simpler than bringing it in from overseas.
They are perishable once opened. A sterilised bag stays sterile only while it stays sealed, so grain and substrate are best used soon after they arrive. Agar plates dry out over time and are sensitive to heat. A short domestic trip is kinder to them than a long international one, especially in summer; see ordering cultures in the Australian summer.
There is no border. Australia has strict biosecurity rules on fungal and other biological material arriving from overseas. Parcels can be inspected, held or destroyed at the border, and live cultures in particular may need an import permit; the Department of Agriculture's BICON database sets the conditions. A parcel from an Australian vendor never crosses that line.
A starter list for a first gourmet grow
A simple first grow with oyster, the most forgiving gourmet species, needs:
- A clean gourmet culture, as a liquid culture syringe or an agar plate. Aus Myco Kingdom lists gourmet liquid cultures and colonised grain bags as coming soon, so check its storefront for what is live.
- A 1kg all in one grow bag, or a 1kg sterilised grain bag and a CVA substrate bag if you would rather spawn into a tub.
- Two or three low nutrition agar plates to test the culture before you commit a bag to it.
- The basics: 70 percent isopropyl alcohol, nitrile gloves, micropore tape, and a still air box or a clean, draught-free corner to work in.
- A fruiting spot with indirect light, humidity and plenty of fresh air, which oysters need more than most.
Once that works, a bag of wood lovers substrate and a lion's mane culture make a natural second grow.
Where spores fit
The spore syringes, prints and isolated genetics that Australian vendors list are a separate category, covered on the mushroom spores Australia page and in the post on buying mushroom spores in Australia. Psilocybe and Panaeolus spores and cultures on Culture Cave are sold for microscopy and taxonomy use only, and buyers must check the law in their own state or territory. This is general information, not legal advice.