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Category: Mushroom Growing Guide
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How to make magic mushrooms spore prints

How to make magic mushroom spore print
Make your own magic mushroom spore print

Step 11. Day 32-33. How to make spore print?

The excited day of The first Psilocybe Cubensis harvest is coming. But before cropping let's make spore prints for the future cultivation and mycological experiments.

Here is a video demonstration: How to make a Spore Print

What flush is the best for spore prints

There is no consensus which flush is better for spore prints. Some growers state you should gather spore prints from the first flush, some growers note that from the second flush or the most powerful flush or even from the last flush.

We decided to make spore prints from each flush and check them experimentally. It's so great to know you have your own spore print and you can start growing process any time.

When you look at the smallest cap under a microscope you can see a lot of spores on the mushroom blades of the caps.

Magic mushroom cap with spores under a microscope
Psilocybin mushroom cap with spores under a microscope


From flush to flush spore prints are different as mushrooms yield different as well. We'd like to demonstrate how spore prints differ on the most modest 1st flush of fruiting and on the most powerful 3rd flush of fruiting.

There are spore prints from the 1st flush:

Psilocybin mushrooms spore prints from the first flush of fruiting and harvesting period
Psilocybe Cubensis spore prints from the first flush of fruiting and harvesting period
Ready to store and to use psilocybin mushrooms spore prints from the first flush of fruiting
Ready to store and to use psilocybe cubensis spore prints from the first flush of fruiting


At first glance such spore prints are not perfect. But if we examine the poorest print under a microscope you can see it has poured so many spores that you could inoculate a dozen jars with them.

Magic mushroom Psilocybe Cubensis spore print under microscope
Psilocybin mushroom Psilocybe Cubensis spore print under microscope
Golden teacher spores microscopy
Spores of Golden teacher magic mushroom under microscope. Photo by mrzimm - Shroomok Growers Community on Discord


Now let's compare spore prints on The Third flush of harvesting: powerful, fulfilled, large and beautiful!

Psilocybin mushroom spore prints from the 3-rd flush of fruiting (Brazil strain)
Magic mushroom spore prints from the 3-rd flush of fruiting (Brazil strain)
Magic fungi spore prints from the third flush of fruiting and harvesting period (Thai - on the left, Golden Teacher - on the right)
Psilocybe Cubensis fungi spore prints from the third flush of fruiting and harvesting period (Thai - on the left, Golden Teacher - on the right)



The most powerful mushroom was grown on The third flush of fruiting and harvesting period (Psilocybe Cubensis Golden Teacher). Here is the biggest spore print of our growing.

The biggest magic fungi cap for spore print. Psilocybin cubensis Golden Teacher of the third flush
The biggest magic fungi cap for spore print. Psilocybin cubensis Golden Teacher of the third flush
The biggest psilocybe cubensis spore print. Golden Teacher of the third flush
The biggest psilocybe cubensis spore print. Golden Teacher of the third flush
Big magic fungi and spore print. Golden Teacher of the third flush
Big magic fungi and spore print. Golden Teacher of the third flush

What you need for preparing mushroom spore prints

To make spore prints you need to prepare:

1. Healthy mature mushrooms on the cake right after torn veil.

2. Scalpel, blade or a sharp thin knife.

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3. Pair of tweezers.

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4. Scissors.

5. Aluminium foil.

6. Small zip bags for spore print long-term storage.

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7. Growers outfit: gloves, cap, gown.

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8. Ethyl alcohol (70%).

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9. Cotton pads.

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10. Plastic box with lid or a glass.

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1.1. Water in a spray-bottle (boiled chilled water).

1.2. Germicidal lamp, Glovebox or SAB — optional.

Step-by-step process for preparing mushroom spore prints

Ideally, all manipulations should be carried out in the glovebox or still air box (SAB).

Without glovebox your spore prints are not sterile. They are prepared in relatively clean conditions. When you decide to make a liquid spore syringe from such prints antibiotic is must have to use!

Germicidal lamp is not necessary in this process. But it will help you get more clean prints without glovebox. You can do the same thing without the lamp, but don't forget about antibiotic in liquid spore syringe before substrate inoculation.

Now let's move on the step-by-step instructions:

1. Wear a face mask and gloves before manipulations. Wipe the table and all tools with alcohol.

2. Cut rectangular pieces from the foil, so that they are fit the zip bags size. We used 6 cm by 8 cm zip bags. The foil pieces were about 5 cm by 6 cm. It's better to use thick foil. Wipe both sides of each piece of foil with alcohol.

3. Wipe the plastic box and its lid with cotton disk soaked in alcohol. Put the box under the germicidal lamp for 5 minutes (optional, if you don't have a germicidal lamp).

4. Wipe the lid from the plastic box with alcohol. Stick the foil to the lid. It glues itself easily after wiping it with alcohol. Put the lid with foil pieces under germicidal lamp for 5-10 minutes to sterilize the surface for spore prints (optional, if you don't have a germicidal lamp).

Using germicidal lamp for spore prints preparation
Plastic lid with foil pieces on it. Using germicidal lamp for spore prints preparation.
Sterilizing (quartz) lamp for spore print preparation. Plastic lid with foil pieces on it. Using germicidal lamp for spore prints preparation.
Sterilizing (quartz) lamp for spore print preparation. Plastic lid with foil pieces on it


5. 5-10 minutes after put the lid with foil pieces on the table.

6. Choose the most beautiful mushrooms on the cake. They should be the largest, most powerful. The veil under the cap should have torn.


7. Wipe the blade or scalpel and tweezers with alcohol.Carefully cut the cap from the stem at the highest possible point. Be sure not to touch the spores with scalpel. Use the tweezers to help with cap.

Cut the cap from the stem at the highest possible point with blade or scalpel. Psilocybin fungi spore print preparation
Cut the cap from the stem at the highest possible point with blade or scalpel. Magic mushroom spore print preparation

8. Place the cap on the piece of foil with the spores facing down.

Place mushroom caps on the pieces of foil with the spores facing down. Magic mushroom spore print preparation
Place mushroom caps on the pieces of foil with the spores facing down. Psilocybe Cubensis spore print preparation


9. Spray the plastic box (or clean glass) from the sprayer (1-3 times) with chilled boiled water. Cover prints with it.

Why is it needed? As you know, mushrooms are 90% consist of water. Caps become dry rapidly after we cut them off. Dry caps will shrink and won't throw spores. So we need to help them and keep humid environment. As a result, more spores will be accumulated on your spore print.

Cover mushroom caps with plastic box sprayed with water. Leave mushroom caps for 24 hours
Cover mushroom caps with plastic box sprayed with water. Leave mushroom caps for 24 hours
Cover mushroom caps with plastic box or glass sprayed with chilled boiled water. Magic mushroom spore print preparation
Cover mushroom caps with plastic box or glass sprayed with chilled boiled water. Magic mushroom spore print preparation
How to make spore print guide
Cover mushroom caps with glass jar and wait for 24 hours
How to make spore print at home
One more option: plastic box for spore print preparation


10. After 24 hours under the box most of the spores will have fallen down. Remove the box. Remove the caps from the foil with tweezers. Take care not to smudge the prints.

After 24 hours open the box. Remove mushroom caps from the foil with tweezers. Magic fungi spore print preparation
After 24 hours open the box. Remove mushroom caps from the foil with tweezers. Psilocybin fungi spore print preparation
Remove mushroom caps from the foil. Psilocybin mushroom spore print preparation
Remove mushroom caps from the foil. Psilocybin fungi spore print preparation



1.1. Prints will be moist a little, so you need to let them dry. For less contamination from the air we cover the prints with a dry box and let them dry for 10-15 minutes. In the meantime, you can put the zip-lock bags under a germicidal lamp for extra sterility.

1.2. Pick up the spore printed foil with a pair of tweezers. Put it in a zip bag, close, sign with strain, flush, date. Zip bags are excellent to use here. It is very important the bags are 100% airtight. Ready!

Ready for storing spore prints
Ready for storing spore prints

How long can spore prints be stored? Storage conditions for spore prints

Spore prints in zip bags should be stored in a cool and dark place, preferably in the refrigerator.

The guaranteed shelf life of spore prints is up to 5 years. During the first 2 years spores almost completely retain their viability.

If the spore print has been stored for 2 years or more then the spores will be dehydrated. Such spores need a longer hydration in water when preparing a liquid spore suspension. Each year of storage increases the duration of rehydration by 1 day. 2 years of storage - 2 days of rehydration, 3 years - 3 days of rehydration, etc. or you can simply leave them in water for a week.

Such liquid spore syringe should be stored in a refrigerator at +2°..+8°C or 36-46°F.

Although each fresh spore print contains millions of spores. Only 3-5% of them are viable. The percentage of viable spores gradually decrease over time.

Now it's time for the most excited moment!

Step 12. First flush. When and How to harvest mushrooms 🔽

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