Occasionally, our products may arrive to you damaged due to being excessively handled during transit, or could be faulty from the manufacturer.
While we do our best to correctly package our products with sturdy double-walled boxes and adequate internal protection, sometimes transit damage happens. When it does, we must file a damage claim with our couriers, who in turn require proof of damage and supporting information to be provided.
If you have received a damaged item or one which is faulty, please fill in the form below so that we can process your claim and issue a replacement or refund.
Please provide all requested information or as much as possible to ensure your claim is processed quickly and efficiently. Thank you in advance and apologies for any inconvenience caused.
Allow us up to 2 working days to review your claim and reply. There is no need to contact us during this time.
Please keep hold of any damaged items. We may ask you to return them for inspection before being able to process your credit or refund.
Frequently Asked Questions
My Sterilised Grain Bag / All-in-One Bag has contaminated after I've inoculated it
If you are seeing contamination after your bags have been inoculated, this would indicate that your syringe contained some level of contamination (which is very, very common) or that contamination was introduced during the inoculation procedure.
If using the same syringe for different bags, you might only contaminate one bag or all of them; it depends on how contaminated the syringe is, as it only takes one microscopic mould spore to contaminate a bag. Sterilising the needle or having perfect sterile technique and procedures, unfortunately, will also not remove the contamination from inside the syringe.
Leaving our bags for 1-2 weeks before inoculation, as outlined in the instructions, validates that the contents of the bags are perfectly sterile. This validation step proves the bags are contamination-free (else you would clearly see contamination growing throughout the entire bag). It allows people to identify the cause of contamination better if it is experienced later in the grow.
We sell 1000’s of bags each week, batch processed in our industrial autoclave for an extended 2.5hr cycle. After the sterilisation cycle, all bags are left for a minimum of two weeks and individually checked before dispatch. The sterilisation strip included on the bag also provides a visual confirmation of sterility. So I can say with a guarantee that every single bag leaves our warehouse perfectly sterile. We even use them ourselves in our own lab and commercial mushroom-growing facility.
Contaminated syringes are the most common cause of contamination, especially spore syringes, which are made from fresh mushroom caps grown in open-air, unsterile environments.
Why do I have to leave my bag for 1-2 weeks before I can use them
Leaving our bags for 1-2 weeks before inoculation, as outlined in the instructions, validates that the contents of the bags are perfectly sterile. This validation step proves the bags are contamination-free (else you would clearly see contamination growing throughout the entire bag). It allows people to identify the cause of contamination better if it is experienced later in the grow.
There is a small amount of water in my grain bag, is it faulty?
Sometimes small amounts of condensation form in the bag due to temperature fluctuations during transport, this is the only way grain can appear wetter than normal.
This condensation can be readily reabsorbed by the grain if mixed up thoroughly and allowed to sit for a couple of days.
To prepare our grain, we first boil it to hydration, it is left to steam dry on racks for about 30 minutes. The grain is then hydrated, yet dry to the touch, this is the only way we can put it through our bagging system. So all grain is bagged and dispatched the same.
This condensation should not affect the growth of mycelium, even if some grains are overly hydrated as a result of reabsorbing the condensation, the bag contents remain sterile. Regardless of the slight differences in appearance, you might be able to see in the bag, it’s all food for the mycelium at the end of the day and there is absolutely nothing to worry about.
There is burst grain in my bag, should I be concerned?
The burst grains are caused by condensation formation, which is a result of temperature fluctuations during shipment. This condensation can then super-hydrate some of the grains, causing them to burst.
The movement of the bags during transit can also cause some of the grain to be crushed. This is nothing to worry about and will not affect the growth of the mycelium in any way as mycelium will naturally colonise all parts of the grain whether split or not (it’s all food for them at the end of the day, they’re not fussy) and will not increase the chances of contamination.
It is good practice to mix the grain bags up upon receipt to redistribute the grain and any condensation, the grains will naturally absorb any condensation which might be present. You’ll see also by doing this that the burst grains are only on some areas that are touching the bag. Everything inside the bag will continue to remain sterile so you have no need to worry.
I've not seen any mycelial growth in my bag after inoculating my bag with spores, why is this?
If you are inoculating with spores, the germination and initial development time can vary greatly (1 week – 4+ weeks) which is one of the reasons why we generally recommend inoculating with a clean liquid culture instead of spores. There is a little more information on this in the included guide.
Be patient to see first signs of mycelial growth, it will come and once it starts, it will continue to grow at an expected rate.
How long have you been making sterile grain and substrate for? And how many bags have you produced to date?
To date, we have sold over 100,000 mushroom growing kits to hobby growers and countless sterilised bags of grain and substrate to commercial customers. We will continue to serve the wider mushroom cultivation community with advice and support. We’ve been doing this for 6 years, and have recently moved to our new 5,500sq.ft dedicated processing facility.
