Master the laboratory techniques behind professional mushroom spawn and culture production.
Move beyond simply growing mushrooms and learn how professional mycology laboratories isolate, maintain, multiply and produce high-quality mushroom cultures and spawn.
The Advanced Mycology Laboratory Workshop is an intensive, practical training experience designed around the laboratory side of mushroom production. Hosted by Holy Shiitake, our own spawn and culture laboratory, the workshop gives participants hands-on exposure to the techniques and workflows used to produce cultures, liquid cultures and grain spawn for commercial mushroom cultivation.
This is not a traditional mushroom cultivation workshop. While mushroom cultivation theory is covered to give you a complete understanding of the production cycle, the primary focus is on laboratory mycology, aseptic technique, culture work, contamination control and spawn production.
What You Will Learn
Laboratory & Sterile Technique
Understand how a professional mushroom laboratory is designed and operated.
- Laboratory zoning and workflow
- Clean-room principles
- Laminar flow hood operation
- Aseptic technique
- Sterile handling procedures
- Equipment and laboratory hygiene
- Contamination prevention
- Laboratory workflow optimisation
Agar Culture & Isolation
Learn how agar becomes the foundation of a professional mushroom culture laboratory.
- Agar media preparation
- Pouring and storing plates
- Culture transfers
- Tissue isolation
- Selecting clean and vigorous mycelium
- Sectoring and culture management
- Maintaining working cultures
Mushroom Tissue Culture
Learn how to clone desirable mushroom genetics and establish clean cultures.
- Selecting suitable fruiting bodies
- Internal tissue isolation
- Contamination avoidance
- Establishing a clean culture
- Maintaining cloned genetics
- Master and working culture concepts
Liquid Culture
Understand the production and management of liquid mycelial cultures.
- Liquid culture media
- Sterilisation
- Inoculation
- Aeration and agitation
- Culture development
- Contamination testing
- Quality control
- Storage and handling
Grain Spawn Production
Learn the laboratory principles behind producing consistent, high-quality grain spawn.
- Grain selection
- Grain preparation and hydration
- Moisture management
- Sterilisation
- Filter-patch bags
- Inoculation techniques
- Colonisation
- Spawn quality assessment
- Contamination control
Contamination Control
One of the most important skills in professional mycology is learning to recognise problems before they become production losses.
We cover:
- Bacterial contamination
- Yeast contamination
- Mould contamination
- Common laboratory contaminants
- Identifying contamination on agar and grain
- Sources of contamination
- Preventative laboratory practices
- Troubleshooting failed cultures
Mushroom Cultivation Theory
Although the workshop is laboratory-focused, you will also learn how laboratory-produced cultures and spawn fit into the complete mushroom production cycle.
Topics include:
- Mushroom biology
- Species selection
- Substrate preparation
- Sterilisation and pasteurisation
- Inoculation
- Incubation
- Fruiting conditions
- Harvesting
- Biological efficiency
- Common cultivation problems
The emphasis is on understanding the complete production chain — from culture to spawn to mushroom.
Practical Laboratory Training
This is a hands-on workshop rather than a classroom-only course.
Depending on the workshop schedule, participants will work through practical exercises including:
- Preparing agar media
- Pouring agar plates
- Performing sterile culture transfers
- Cloning mushroom tissue
- Preparing liquid culture
- Inoculating liquid culture
- Preparing grain spawn
- Inoculating spawn
- Working with a laminar flow hood
- Identifying contamination
- Preparing cultures for storage
You will work with the same fundamental laboratory principles used in professional spawn and culture production.
From Culture to Commercial Spawn
One of the key concepts of the workshop is understanding how a single mushroom culture can be developed into a scalable production system:
Master Culture → Working Culture → Agar / Liquid Culture → Grain Spawn → Commercial Cultivation
Understanding this progression is essential for anyone wanting to establish their own spawn laboratory or produce reliable spawn for other growers.
Who Is This Workshop For?
The Advanced Mycology Laboratory Workshop is suitable for:
- Commercial mushroom growers
- Aspiring spawn producers
- Mushroom entrepreneurs
- Existing cultivators wanting greater control over their genetics
- Laboratory technicians
- Agricultural entrepreneurs
- Researchers and students
- Experienced hobby cultivators
- Anyone interested in professional mushroom laboratory work
Previous laboratory experience is beneficial but not essential.
What You Take Away
Participants receive a comprehensive workshop manual covering the core principles taught during the course, together with laboratory resources and practical experience.
Depending on the workshop format, participants will also work with and/or take home their own:
- Agar cultures
- Liquid culture
- Grain spawn
- Culture storage material
- Laboratory documentation templates
Certificate of Completion included.
Train Inside a Working Spawn & Culture Laboratory
Rather than learning solely from theory, participants are trained within Holy Shiitake’s working spawn and culture laboratory.
Our business has evolved from mushroom cultivation into a specialised spawn and culture laboratory, producing mushroom cultures and spawn for cultivators.
That means our training is built around the laboratory processes we actually use — from maintaining clean cultures through to producing inoculum for mushroom growers.
Take Your Mycology Further
If you want to understand what happens before the mushroom reaches the grow room, this workshop is designed for you.
Learn how to work with mushroom genetics, establish clean cultures, produce liquid cultures, manufacture grain spawn and build the laboratory skills required to take greater control of your mushroom production.
Advanced Mycology Laboratory Workshop
Theory + Demonstration + Hands-On Laboratory Practical
Limited places available per workshop to ensure meaningful practical laboratory time.
Contact us for upcoming dates, availability and booking information.