What are side pins in mushroom growing and how do you avoid them?

If you ever use a grow kit to grow mushrooms, you may have already seen them: side pins. These are mushrooms that grow on the side of the substrate. In this blog, we explain exactly what side pins are and why it can be problematic for these mushrooms to grow on the sides of your grow kit. Fortunately, it is easy to prevent them.

The problem of side pins

When you grow your own mushrooms, you may have to deal with side pins (or side pins). These are often misshapen mushrooms growing on the side of the substrate. The substrate is the natural material in which the mushrooms grow. Side pins are not dangerous and just have the same properties as normal magic mushrooms. Still, they can cause problems for your breeding.

Why do these mushrooms grow on the side, you may wonder. Take your grow kit at it and look at the tank. There is generally a small space between the substrate and the container. That space is created because the substrate shrinks a bit as the mushrooms grow. If conditions are right, side pins can form there. It’s nice and moist there, and they get plenty of light to grow there, too. So unfortunately for you as a grower, that little bit of space can have ideal conditions for the growth of side pins.

Since that space is obviously not very large, the mushrooms will start growing upward in strange twists and turns. That’s not such a problem yet, but that narrow space is very humid. On top of that, the mushrooms are squashed against the container, so that moisture cannot escape. This increases the chances of bacteria and mold forming. And that, of course, is not what you want in your mushroom grow kit.

Side pins prevented

So it is a good idea to try to prevent the formation of side pins. Fortunately, this can be done with a few simple measures.

Not allowing light to reach the substrate

Side pins can grow on the sides because the nursery allows light to pass through. When you block that light, you make sides much less attractive to mushrooms to grow there. You can place the grow kit in the original cardboard box to prevent light from falling on the substrate. Of course, you can also cover the sides of the plastic container with with a plastic bag or something similar.

Keep an eye on moisture levels

Even more important than light is moisture in the grow kit. The reason the substrate is shrinking (and creating space between the container and the substrate) is drought. So keep the culture medium moist by misting it. You are therefore less likely to have an empty space and also the mushrooms are encouraged to grow upward, rather than sideways. Use a misting tool and spray at a small distance from the substrate. There will be drops on it, but be careful that it does not become so much that puddles of water form. You can also spray the inner walls in a grow kit, which also helps keep the climate in the kit moist.

For people who have a grow room, it is important to keep an eye on air circulation. Excessive air circulation will cause the substrate to dry out more quickly. Lower the circulation until you see drops forming again on the surface.

What to do if side pins are already growing?

If you already have side pins growing in your growing set, there is nothing you can do about it. And in fact, as long as no fungi or bacteria form in your grow kit, that’s not a bad thing either. So just let them grow, they may very well become fine mushrooms that look normal. But it could also be that the side pins are deformed and very damp. That too is not a problem, but check carefully to make sure there is no mold on it. You harvest the side pins at the same time as your other mushrooms .

You can reuse the substrate, if it has remained clean, for another flush (you can get multiple harvests from a grow kit). To do this, use the manual you received with your grow kit.

So side pins are nothing but mushrooms that have started to grow in a somewhat unfortunate place. They can be oddly shaped because of this and are sometimes very moist. Formation of side pins increases the likelihood of mold or bacteria developing, which can jeopardize your entire mushroom crop. So it is best to prevent the growth of side pins. If you do have them, then it is good to know that side pins have the same properties as normal mushrooms. So in that case, we recommend simply harvesting them and using them. Because throwing away good mushrooms, of course you don’t do that either!