02In the kit
Mazatapec in the grow kit: what is in the box and what to expect
From soaking to the last flush
Updated
A Mazatapec grow kit is a box of rye or grain that is already fully grown through with Psilocybe cubensis mycelium. You do not sow anything. According to Dutch-Smart's product pages, the kit is soaked on arrival (except the FreshMushrooms version), placed in a bag with an air filter in a warm, light spot, and produces its first small mushrooms, called pins, one to two weeks later. The figures on this page are the shop's own descriptions; no independent grow trial of Mazatapec has been published.
Legal note. In the Netherlands a grow kit is legal to buy, but the mushrooms are illegal as soon as they appear. In the United Kingdom, Germany and under US federal law, growing them is a criminal offence. The law page has the details. The information below is written for readers in the Netherlands.
What is in the box
The three Mazatapec kits share the same cultivar and differ in volume and substrate. The shop lists:
| 1200 cc kit | FreshMushrooms | XXL 2100 cc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Substrate | rye and perlite, vermiculite top layer | fully colonised, 100% mycelium | grain |
| Volume | 1200 ml grow box | 1200 cc grow box | 2100 cc |
| In the box | grow bag with air filter, manual NL/EN | grow bag with air filter holes, manual NL/EN | grow bag with air filter, paperclips, manual |
| Soaking | immediately on arrival | not needed; mist with a syringe | as described in the manual |
| Yield stated | 400 to 600 g | not stated | not stated in grams |
| Product | Mazatapec 1200cc | Mazatapec FreshMushrooms | Mazatapec XXL |
The kit guide helps you choose between them.
The timeline, as the shop describes it
The XXL product page gives the most complete timeline:
- Day 0. Soak the mycelium block as the manual describes. The FreshMushrooms kit skips this: the shop says spraying a little water into it now and then is enough.
- Set-up. Place the block in the grow bag in a bright spot out of direct sunlight.
- Week 1 to 2. The first pins appear.
- 5 to 7 days later. The mushrooms are ready to harvest. The shop advises harvesting just before the veil under the cap breaks.
- After that. Further flushes, with the first usually the largest.
A "flush" is one wave of mushrooms. Between flushes the block rests, and the manual explains how to get it going again. How many flushes a kit gives depends on care and hygiene; the shop says "multiple".
Warmth and light
Cubensis is a warm-climate species. Guzmán recorded it in Mexican pastures from the tropical lowlands up to the cloud forest zone (Guzmán, 2008), and the kits are kept warm accordingly. The shop's product pages advise a temperature in the low to mid twenties Celsius; 22 to 24 °C fits all of its descriptions. The shop also advises a bright spot out of direct sunlight, which would dry out and heat up the bag.
Is Mazatapec slower?
The XXL page says that, compared with well-known cultivars such as Mexican and Thai, "Mazatapec grows a little slower" while "still producing consistent harvests". That is the shop's description. We found no published comparison of growth rates between cubensis cultivars, and a kit's speed also depends on temperature, the freshness of the kit and how it was soaked.
A fresh product
All three kits are living mycelium and do not keep. The 1200 cc page says to soak the kit immediately upon receipt. The FreshMushrooms page says to set it up immediately and, if that is not possible, keep it in the refrigerator for at most one day. The XXL page allows one to two days in the fridge before yield starts to suffer. Order when you can set the kit up straight away.
Contamination and hygiene
Contamination by moulds or bacteria can spoil a kit. The shop says the fully colonised FreshMushrooms kit has a lower risk of contamination during growth. Clean hands and touching the mycelium as little as possible help. Green, black or slimy patches point to contamination; the manual explains what to do.
After the harvest
The XXL page notes that harvested mushrooms are best used fresh or dried for longer storage. Storage affects strength: a Czech laboratory study found the largest losses of active compounds in fresh mushrooms kept frozen and the smallest in dried material kept dark at room temperature (Gotvaldová et al., 2021). The strength page explains what this means.
