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- 🍄 Cloning mushrooms gives growers genetically identical offspring with consistent quality and predictable yields.
- ⚡ Compared to spores, cloning mushrooms leads to faster fruiting times and reduced variability in traits.
- 🔬 Using agar plates provides clearer isolation of healthy mycelium and reduces contamination risks.
- 🌱 Store-bought and even dried mushrooms can be cloned under the right conditions.
- 🧰 Mushroom cloning requires minimal equipment and can be started at home with basic sterile techniques.
Cloning mushrooms is a reliable technique in modern mycology. It lets growers preserve and copy specific mushroom genetics with great accuracy. If you want to reproduce wild varieties, keep a reliable crop for cooking or medicine, or get less variation than you do with spores, learning how to clone mushrooms—also known as Clone TEK—gives you an edge. This guide covers the techniques, tools, benefits, and problems of mushroom cloning so you can grow consistent, quality mushrooms at home. For best results, pair your cloning efforts with our ready-to-use mushroom grow bags, which provide a clean, controlled environment for strong and healthy growth.
What Does It Mean to Clone a Mushroom?
To clone mushrooms means to take a tissue sample from an existing fruit body—a mature mushroom—and use it to grow genetically identical mycelium. This process, known as tissue culture, skips spore germination completely. It lets growers copy the exact characteristics of the parent mushroom.
Mushroom spores are like seeds: they create genetic variation. This can be exciting for breeding but a problem for consistency. In cloning, only one set of genetics—those of the chosen specimen—is passed on. This makes future harvests uniform. You can compare this to plant cuttings, which are also a method of cloning in the plant world.
According to mycologist Paul Stamets, cloning mushrooms lets growers “copy a mushroom’s exact genetic makeup, resulting in stable cultivation outcomes” (Stamets, 2000). So, if you found a very potent Lion’s Mane in nature, cloning would let you keep its unique strength and traits for a long time.
Why Clone Mushrooms Instead of Using Spores?
Spores are how mushrooms usually spread in nature, but they are somewhat unpredictable. Spores combine DNA from two parent mushrooms, and each new culture from spores produces genetically different mycelium. This variety can lead to results that aren't consistent—things like unwanted characteristics, weak yields, or even failure to fruit.
Cloning mushrooms, on the other hand, offers several main benefits:
- 🕒 Faster Fruiting Cycles: Cloning skips germination, going straight to colonization with genetic material that is already strong. This can cut 7–14 days from your grow timeline.
- 🧬 Genetic Consistency: You keep specific traits like yield size, shape and form, coloration, medicinal properties, contamination resistance, or growth rate.
- 📈 Predictable Results: This is especially helpful for commercial growers and extract makers who need exact chemical makeups.
- 🌿 Saving Rare Strains: When finding wild or rare varieties (if allowed by law), cloning lets you grow mushrooms that might otherwise be gone over time or from certain places.
Unlike spores, which can yield many different versions of a single strain, cloning mushrooms gives you an exact genetic match each time you grow.
Best Types of Mushrooms to Clone
While many mushrooms can be cloned successfully, certain species do especially well, mainly when you are starting out. These include:
Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus)
- Fast colonizers with fast-growing mycelium
- High contamination resistance
- Easy for beginners due to their easy-to-grow nature
Shiitake (Lentinula edodes)
- Popular in gourmet cooking and medicinal use
- Slightly slower mycelium growth but strong, with good fruiting over a long time
Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus)
- Known to help brain cells grow, which may support thinking
- Delicate mycelium that benefits a lot from cloning to keep its strength
Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum)
- Used widely in traditional medicine
- Cloning keeps the specific amounts of ganoderic acids and triterpenoids for each strain
Wild Mushrooms
- Perfect for cloning if found fresh and collected legally
- Lets you find very local genetics for unique medicinal or cooking traits
Avoid mushrooms that are hybrids or lab-engineered, especially if you want to reproduce them consistently over a long time—some traits might not stay the same in these varieties over multiple generations.
Tools and Supplies You’ll Need
Lab-grade tools can improve results, but they’re not always needed. You can successfully clone mushrooms at home with little money if you focus on being clean and sterile.
Here’s a list of recommended mushroom cloning equipment:
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Scalpel or Hobby Knife | To remove sterile tissue from mushroom interior |
| Agar Plates in Petri Dishes | Nutrient base for mycelium to grow; Zombie Mushrooms offers pre-poured sterile options |
| Isopropyl Alcohol (70% or higher) | For cleaning tools, workspace, and hands |
| Still Air Box (SAB) or Glove Box | Closed space to stop spore contamination |
| Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot | For sterilizing grain, water, and jars |
| Micropore Tape or Parafilm | Used to seal petri dishes while allowing gas exchange |
| Gloves and Face Mask | Optional but recommended for keeping things sterile |
| Sterile Jars with Injection Ports | For making liquid cultures after agar growth |
| Grow Bags or Grain Spawn Containers | Where mycelium that has grown is moved to larger growing material |
Zombie Mushrooms makes growing easier with beginner-friendly grow kits and sterilized supplies.
How to Clone Mushrooms Using Agar (Step-by-Step)
This method, seen as the most efficient and reliable, uses gel-like, nutrient-rich agar in petri dishes to grow mycelium from tissue samples.
Step-by-Step Agar Cloning Procedure:
-
Clean Your Work Area
Wipe down all surfaces with isopropyl alcohol. Work inside a still air box if possible. Wear gloves and rinse them in alcohol often. -
Select a Healthy Mushroom
Choose a mushroom with no signs of bruising, mold, or rot. Ideally, it should be recently harvested. -
Tear, Don’t Cut
Breaking the mushroom in half rather than slicing it open reduces bringing in outside contaminants to the sterile interior. -
Take a Small Tissue Sample
Using a sterile blade, remove a section of inner flesh about the size of a grain of rice—smaller pieces reduce contamination risk. -
Transfer to Agar Plate
Gently place the tissue on the center of the agar surface. Avoid touching the sides of the plate. -
Seal the Dish
Close the petri dish and wrap it with micropore tape. Label the plate with the strain, date, and tissue source. -
Incubate for Colonization
Store plates at ~70°F (21°C) away from direct light or airflow. Mycelium usually appears within 5–14 days. -
Check and Transfer Again
Once a lot of mycelium grows, transfer a clean edge section of mycelium to a new sterile agar plate. Repeat 1–2 times to make sure cultures are pure and free of contaminants. -
Add to Your Growing Material
After separating it, transfer to liquid culture, sterile grain, or sawdust spawn to grow more mushrooms.
According to the Mycological Society of America, agar-based cloning results in the cleanest cultures and is the best method for finding contamination signs early (Mycological Society of America, n.d.).
How to Clone Mushrooms Without Agar
While agar cloning is best, other Clone TEKs exist using easier to find materials.
a) Cardboard Cloning TEK
- Cut clean cardboard into small squares
- Soak in boiling water; squeeze out extra water
- Place sterile tissue between folded layers
- Store in sterile Tupperware or bag at ~70°F
- Check after 7–14 days for mycelial growth between layers
b) Liquid Culture TEK
- Sterilize a nutrient solution of water and light sugars (e.g., honey or karo syrup)
- Drop a rice-grain-sized mushroom tissue into the liquid using sterile tweezers
- Shake culture gently once a day
- Wait 7–14 days for white, cloudy mycelium to appear
- Can be used to add to grain spawn or agar plates
c) Grain-in-a-Jar TEK
- Sterilize jars of brown rice, rye grain, or popcorn
- Place mushroom tissue directly into the grain inside a SAB
- Allow 2–3 weeks for mycelium to colonize the grain
These TEKs are more beginner-friendly in materials, but they come with a higher risk of hidden contamination. For developing strains over a long time, agar is the best choice.
Can You Clone Dried or Store-Bought Mushrooms?
Yes, but if they can be cloned depends on several things:
Dried Mushrooms
- If dried at low temperatures (<100°F/38°C) and within the past few weeks, some living cells may remain.
- Try cloning as usual, but success rates are much lower.
Store-Bought Mushrooms
- If not cooked, heavily processed, or chemically treated, fresh commercial mushrooms often have living tissue.
- Make sure they were refrigerated and not washed or treated with radiation before sale.
Wild Mushrooms
- Very good for cloning.
- Handle them quickly— the faster the tissue goes onto agar/media, the greater the success.
- Check local laws about gathering and growing wild mushrooms.
Always use internal tissue and focus on being sterile to deal with stress or possible spoilage from handling or transport.
Common Mistakes and Troubleshooting in Mushroom Cloning
Getting a clean culture isn’t just about the mushroom—it's about how you do it. Watch for these common problems:
- Contaminated Specimens: Do not use mushrooms with discolored spots, unusual smells, or mold.
- Poor Sterilization: Wipe tools and gloved hands with alcohol often. One missed sterilization step can ruin a batch.
- Incorrect Tissue Size: Too large means slower colonization and higher contamination risk. Aim for a rice-grain or smaller.
- Leaving Plates Open: If plates are open longer than a few seconds, it lets in airborne spores and bacteria.
- Misidentifying Mycelium vs. Mold: Healthy mycelium is uniform, wispy-white. Green, black, or orange fuzz means it's mold.
If contamination appears, separate the plate and work from an untouched section or begin again with a fresh clone.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mushroom Cloning
Q: Can I clone a mushroom that’s already dried out?
A: Possible but less reliable; recent low-temp dehydration keeps cells alive better.
Q: What does healthy mycelium look like on agar?
A: Bright white, airy or ruffled edges, evenly expanding. Do not accept slimy or colored growths.
Q: How long does cloning take from tissue to full flush?
A: Usually 5–14 days for mycelium on agar, then 3–6 more weeks through grain and substrate to fruiting.
Q: How long can I store a cloned culture?
A: Agar plates last 2–4 months refrigerated; for longer-term storage, you can use slants or dried samples.
Q: Can I clone from cooked mushrooms?
A: No. Cooking kills all living cells—cloning needs live, undamaged tissue.
Final Thoughts: Why Experienced Growers Swear By Cloning
For growers who value control, consistency, and efficiency, mushroom cloning is very important. Whether keeping top genetics safe, preserving a wild discovery, or simply ensuring strong and healthy crops, Clone TEK lets growers copy exactly what works—over and over.
With easy access to tools and kits from companies like Zombie Mushrooms, even beginners can successfully grow mushrooms at home without the guesswork of spores. Cloning mushrooms does not just help you grow mushrooms—it helps you take care of mushroom genetics.
Start today, and grow better.
Citations:
Stamets, P. (2000). Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press.
Rogers, R. (2011). The Fungal Pharmacy: The Complete Guide to Medicinal Mushrooms and Lichens of North America. North Atlantic Books.
Mycological Society of America. (n.d.). Basic Mushroom Cultivation Techniques. Retrieved from https://msafungi.org
