What Does “Fully Colonized” Mean?

In a nutshell, it’s the easiest way to grow mushrooms. These bags come pre-loaded with mycelium that’s already developed to the point where it’ll start fruiting in just 4-14 days. Companies like Dreamer Shrooms offer fully colonized kits that include everything you need in one self-contained system. Produced and colonized in a sterile environment, by the time it gets to you, it’s ready to start producing mushrooms in just a few days.

So, what’s the difference? Most kits out there are just sterilized substrate and/or grain, and you have to inject them with spores or liquid culture (which you have to buy separately). Then you have to wait for colonization—a long process where the grain gets colonized, mixed with a suitable substrate, and only then will the mushrooms start to grow. This process usually takes 6-10 weeks, and there are several pitfalls that fully colonized bags eliminate:

1. Contamination risk: Sterilized grain and substrate are prime real estate for unwanted microbial guests. During the inoculation, colonization, and mixing stages, there are multiple chances for microscopic contaminants to invade, causing issues that can lead to wasted time, energy, and money. Fully colonized bags are produced in a clean room environment and pass strict quality controls, ensuring they’re free from contamination before they even reach you.
2. Optimized genetics: When you buy spores online, you usually get a Multi-Spore Syringe (MSS), which contains thousands of unique spores with varying qualities. These spores often adapt to the environment where their parent mushrooms grew, so you’re rolling the dice on whether they’ll thrive in your setup. Fully colonized kits, on the other hand, use isolated and optimized genetics tailored to the substrate, grain, and environment provided by the grow system. This means consistent results and a much higher success rate (98+%).
3. They’re faster: Several months of work have already been done for you, so you’ll see results much quicker with a fully colonized kit compared to a DIY or traditional grow kit.
4. Completely self-contained: No need to buy extra supplies, spray water, or constantly fan or exchange fresh air. Fully colonized grow kits are designed with the perfect balance of air, moisture, nutrition, and everything else the mushroom colony needs. This means less work and fewer chances for contamination. Plus, once the mycelium fully colonizes the bag, it occupies all available space, making it harder for other microbes to take hold.
5. Multiple flushes: While the number of flushes depends on factors like nutrient content, mushroom variety, and growing conditions, fully colonized bags generally produce more flushes than DIY or traditional kits.
6. Super easy: From start to finish, it’s as simple as setting the kit on your countertop and waiting for your mushrooms to grow. No heavy lifting or technical skills required.

Hope this helps you understand what “fully colonized” means and the differences between using this type of system to grow mushrooms compared to traditional methods.