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FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Please take 2 minutes to read this FAQ for your answer. Help us keep cost down so spores stay affordable. Thank you so much for putting in the effort to read first before going to that email button :) 

Can Psilocybe mushroom spores give you a buzz?

NO. Psilocybe mushroom (magic mushroom) spores do NOT contain the scheduled drug psilocybin or psilocin, thus they are legal. This was proven by a forensic scientific study by the FBI. That study used to be easy to find now they charge to download it and it gets moved around a lot. Parts of it are posted here on shroomery.org. To find this report you can also google this: JOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES 

American Academy of Forensic Sciences (1948) 

Volume 45 - Number 3 - May 2000 - JFSCAS 45 (3)513-754 (2000) 

DETECTING PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS IN THE DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF MUSHROOMS 

What is ridiculous about that FBI forensic scientist report is they posted pictures of psilocybe cubensis mushrooms they grew on rice cakes in a lab, yet they labeled them as Psilocybe Cyanescens.

Ps. Cyanescens mushrooms do not produce mushrooms on rice cakes or indoors and it was so obvious from the photos they were cubensis mushrooms. The spore vendor, PF Fanaticus, the FBI purchased the spores from never sold ps. cyanescens and PF's book and website clearly stated they were cubensis. Your tax dollars hard at work. Thank God times have changed and governments are allowing research into these amazing healing mushrooms now.  

Can I pick up an order? Do you have a store front?

No. Everything is done by mail order only, thank you for understanding. 

Can I pay with debit or credit card?

Yes and no. We can not accept cards in the traditional e-commerce way as visa and masterfart won't allow the sale of psilocybe mushroom spores with cards. We have alternative payment methods listed at checkout. We use a 3rd party service called MAX Redemption that bypasses the power giants strict rules. MAX Redemption is USA only. We can not use payment methods such as PayPal, Venmo and Google Pay due to their strict policies on spores. They have to follow the lame rules set by masterfart. Thanks for understanding. If you go through the check out process and start an order, all of the payment methods are listed in great detail. There is no harm in generating an order to read the details since you don't pay for it live. Simply back out if you want to read the other payment methods. Find one you like and finalize the order. If you accidentally create an order, no worries we ignore unpaid orders.  MAX Redemption is a secure payment method that accepts VISA, Mastercard and Discovery in the USA. New users will need to create an account first. Like all other payment methods ID verification is required to prevent card fraud. It's the same as signing up for a PayPal or bank account as nobody wants to eat fraudulent charges. 

An Item shows 1 in stock, do you only have 1 left?

No. We limit the quantity of that particular spore product to 1 per customer. We have an high demand for some of our spores right now and we want to spread the spore love around to as many people as possible. These low stock numbers usually means it might go out of stock soon though. We will increase the quantity numbers when supply catches up with demand. We are making them as fast as we can but their is a 3 week testing process that has to be done first. We welcome large variety orders, just not large orders of one particular strain on some strains.

Do you take preorders for out of stock spores?

No. You can't check out with out of stock items. There is an email notification system for out of stock items, look under the out of stock button on that particular page. 

I sent you a payment how will I know when you received it? 

The simple answer is we send you an email with your tracking # that it was shipped. There is no automated response of when we receive your payments since we have to manually check them and change the order over to paid.  You will usually get that email tracking # within 0 to 4 business days for digital payments. A business day is Monday through Friday. Orders made late in the day Friday, one business day would be late in the day Monday. Mail orders take longer. We usually don't work weekends or holidays so take that into consideration. Further details will be in the confirmation email that is sent to you seconds after you generated the order. Please don't email us asking if we received your payment too quickly. We are overwhelmed with these emails and it slows down your order.  Most of the time orders are shipped before I get to that email and thus, wasted time. Having patience will help us get orders out the door quicker. If a week goes by and the tracking email is not in your spam folder then yes email us.   Remember to check your SPAM folder. Some popular email programs like Gmail, delete spam by default unless you adjust the settings. You don't want the spores left outside freezing all night because you failed to account for your email spam settings. 

Paying in Bitcoin (BTC) 

We are not accepting any crypto payments. Due to all the manipulation in the market and the world economy still being unstable. Sadly it might take regulation in the market to stop the manipulation. We will accept it in the future when crypto appears stable. 


BAD ADDRESS NOTICE

We are wasting a lot of time on dealing customers giving bad addresses, mostly forgetting Apt. #. We have many paid bad address orders sitting for months months with no reply from our emails. If you forget to include your apt. # or give a bad address, count on your order being delayed. PLEASE take time and read over your address carefully and input it correctly before sending the order. There is an address verification during check out so this should not be happening.  We suspect the small buttons on cell phones is the issue. 

How long will spores last. What is their shelf life?

Mushroom spores can last for years! For long term storage it's best if spores are stored in the refrigerator. Spore prints need to be sealed from moisture before storing in the fridge. Sealing them from air and heat prolongs their life. Spore prints have been known to last 18 years! Perhaps longer but this is the longest we are aware of from our customer feedback and our network. Spore syringes do not last as long because eventually the water develops bacteria. A general guideline is 8 to 12 months. Although we have heard many reports of 2 to 5 years. 1 customer recently reported 8 years, stored in the fridge. If your spore prints do not germinate within the usual time frame then rehydrate them in sterile water for 24 hours. Spores prints older then 6 months should always be soaked in sterile water for 24 hours before attempting to germinate them. Liquid culture syringes should be used within 1 month of receiving them, especially in the summer months. Liquid culture syringes absolutely should be stored in the refrigerator unless they will be used soon. Except Pink Oyster cultures, they should be stored at room temperature. We offer a 45 day viable guarantee on liquid culture syringes. Starting November 18th 2021 We offer a 90 day viable guarantee on spore prints and spore syringes. Most vendors in this industry offer 30 days or no guarantee at all on spores so we feel 90 days is plenty of time to know if there is any problems. Spore prints should not be stored in the refrigerator unless sealed from moisture, such as vacuum sealing. 

Our policy on spore syringes and bacteria, dead spores and replacements.  Spore syringes really aren't good for using on agar. Some times they will show bacteria on agar, yet when you put them directly to grain there is no signs of bacteria. On agar, the mushroom mycelium can not compete against the trace amounts of bacteria. But once put directly to grain, the mycelium easily outcompetes the trace amounts of bacteria and grows on the healthy mycelium. We learned this from Paul Stamets, one of the greatest mycologist of our generation. Because of this we don't recommend using spore syringes on agar, unless you happen to be using gentamicin sulfate antibiotic powder. We use gentamicin in our agar for testing spore syringes. So our test batches will not show bacteria. Yours might show bacteria on agar if you're not using gentamicin. Gentamicin is hard to find but you can find it at here at ShroomSupply.com. If you want to use agar for strain isolation etc.. or making liquid cultures, then we recommend using spore prints. You should also be aware that using too much spore solution on agar will cause bacteria. Only a few drops is needed. If you still want to use spore syringes on agar, then use gentamicin for best results. 

About 1 in 100 spore prints will naturally have trace amounts of bacteria. Once we combine many spore prints in our batch spore solution, this could cause trace amounts of bacteria in some batches of spore solution. Because of this we will not replace spore syringes from customers claiming to see bacteria on agar.  We never make spore syringes that show bacteria or molds etc in our test results with gentamicin. Although on occasion we do accidentally contaminate a batch during the syringe making process, it's just part of the business. However that error leads to green mold, trichoderma, not bacteria. We only see this error about twice per year so it's rare we make this mistake. We do use batch #'s on all our our syringe labels such as faqworth11. There are 80 spore syringes per batch made. And some coopons like the one you passed. If anybody is reading and wants 11 percent off at check out give it a go.  I spelled that wrong on purpose so the bots move on. We want you to keep track of the batch #s of your spore syringes before you throw them away. A simple note in your phone. If we get enough complaints from customers on one particular batch, that tells us the problem is on our end and not the customers end. In that case we will replace them for free along with some free spores for the troubles. Most of the problems in this hobby come from the substrate itself, not the spore syringes. If molds or bacteria are present in the grains and water from the spore syringe is added, it's going to accelerate the contamination process. This does not mean the mold or bacteria came from the spore syringe itself. We spend a lot of time testing our spore solution before each small batch of spore syringes is made. It's a big waste of time and money for us if we send out spore syringes that are contaminated. We throw that solution out and take the loss. We are only making spore syringes from batches that went through a 3 week testing process and did pass on agar with gentamicin. If the mycelium looks healthy and vigorous on our agar, it's going to do great on properly prepared grain. 


These days more and more people are using agar for strain isolation but most people still want to use spore syringes on agar instead of spore prints. Again I remind you, any spore syringe that might show bacteria on agar will 99% of the time not show bacteria when put directly to grain. Use spore prints when working with agar. 

Our policy when customers claim to have a problem with spore syringes is:

  1. We want to the know the batch # on the spore syringe label. If you don't have this we will not consider replacing it for free. 
  2. What kind or color of contamination are you seeing?
  3. Are you using agar or grain? 
  4. Provide pictures of the contamination

We do keep track of any complaints. If no other complaints have come in over the last month then we know it's not a problem on our end. We will keep your order ID and contact information on file and if several other complaints come in on the same batch # then we will contact you to send out free replacements. The only sure way we know if the problem spore syringe batch is on our end and not yours is when lots of customers mention the same batch # is bad. Thus we require that batch # from you if you want us to consider replacing it for free.

Mushrooms.com and all of our associates through our supply chain have been working with mushrooms for over 2 decades! There is over 120 years of experience if you combine all of experience and time in this field. This is not some new business or hobby for us and we take a lot of pride in quality and great genetics and clean viable spores and cultures.

I will also address spores that do not germinate. There are several factors that can cause this. Extreme weather in the winter or summer can kill the spores. This is more common in spore syringes than spore prints. In the winter, frozen spore syringes creates ice crystals in the spore solution that usually kills the spores. In the summer, extreme heat for long periods of time can damage or kill the spores. Such as leaving your spores in the mail box for too long in the hot summer sun. Other factors do include bacteria in the substrate that will prevent mycelium from growing. As well too wet or to dry of a substrate can stunt or stop growth. Also not having your temperature correct for the species can cause spores not to germinate. For example cold weather species need much cooler temperatures then sub tropical species just to germinate. Temperatures can be adjusted after the spores germinate. 

We want you to be successful with your hobby and be blessed with muShrooms. There are so many variations to this hobby that can cause a mushroom project not to work. Even with our many years of experience we have failed grows all the time, like around 5%. Mushroom mycelium contaminates easily indoors, it't just the nature of domesticating a wild fungi. 

Out in nature mycelium has natural microorganisms protecting and working with the fungi. That symbiotic relationship with nature is lost when the mycelium is grown indoors, thus it has potential to contaminate. We do offer discounted replacements on spore syringes when your project fails so keep that in mind. However we will not replace spore syringes for free unless we are convinced the problem was on our end after many customer complaints of the same batch number. We will also not replace spore syringes just because they showed bacteria on agar or LC solution. When a bad batch of spore syringes is sent out on our end, we usually get 10 to 20 complaints over a 2 to 3 week period. Once number 4 comes in we will consider it an issue on our end send you out a free replacements. If you don't want to wait, we will replace them for you for $5 to $10 each plus shipping. Or option 2, you can make a new order and we will match a free spore syringe with a paid spore syringe. Our policy here is to replace with the same strain you had an issue with.

Another tip about storage of colonizing grain jars. They should not be stored 2 feet from the floor or near air vents. This will greatly reduce the risk of your grain getting contaminated. They should be stored in clean areas away from foot traffic and preferably draft free. Don't fret if your project fails, set backs in this hobby happen all the time. Blessed are those who persist and have patience with mushrooms :) 

Is mushrooms.com secure?

Yes. We have put in extra security features into Mushrooms.com to ensure your information is private.

  • We have installed professional security scripts to prevent hackers from injecting malicious code in to mushrooms.com.
  • Mushrooms.com is NOT on a cheap shared IP hosting plan with other web sites as we have our own server hosted by a highly reviewed and respected company that monitors the servers 24/7. We also pay a professional security firm to harden our server and make it more secure and monitor it. Having a web site on cheap shared IP plan is one way hackers inject malicious code at the server level. We learned our lesson the hard way about this once at our previous web site. 
  • We use an SSL encryption for all the data transmitted and secure connection between your browser and this web site. We don't process cards here on mushrooms.com so nothing is stored here anyway. It's extremely rare you ever hear of SSL's getting hacked. You can always see a web site SSL is working by looking in the URL bar for a pad lock symbol or the URL address. Also the URL will be httpS instead of http. 
  • Our email is run through ProtonMail. This is based in Switzerland and is considered the most secure and private email service available. It's using state of the art end to end encryption for ProtonMail users. You can sign up for a free anonymous account with ProtonMail. Even this service does not have the keys to read our emails and they are transmitted encrypted through our internet provider, like a VPN. If you send us an email from a non ProtonMail account it will be encrypted to us, but our reply to you will not be encrypted on your end unless using a ProtonMail account. Our email also accepts PGP encryption keys. To be honest proton mail sucks for business and and it's made email answering more challenging. The sorting and search function is horrible. We will be going back to Apple email soon and leave 1 proton email open for customers who still want that encryption privacy. Hardly anyone uses proton to email us so it was a bad idea changing. It does not mesh well with the Apple Mail client. 
  • Customer now have the option to add 2 factor authentication on their account. We recommend a free app like Google Authenticator. It has face or finger print ID as well you can move your files to other devices very easily with QR codes. No need to plug in external discs. If you set up the 2FA within your account, be sure and select "time based' in your app. Simply look under your profile area to enable Two Factor Authentication and follow instructions. Apple and Microsoft got together recently and created a password less login standard. We will try and get that implemented when it's ready.
  • As you may have noticed there are no 3rd party advertisements on muShrooms.com. Did you know hackers pay to have malicious banners put on websites? It's referred to as a drive by. You visit a website and unknowingly the malicious code in that banner gets into your browser.  Websites that are littered with banners will take money from anyone it appears. It's good practice to clear the cache and browsing history from your devices several times a week.

We have taken a lot of measures to secure your data and your information, and we are always looking for new innovation in security to add to Mushrooms.com. Also to remember, psilocybe mushroom spores do not contain any scheduled drugs and they are legal. Johnny Law is not going to come knocking on your door for ordering spores. In our 22+ years of doing business none of our customers have ever been harassed by the police. That in itself would be illegal. We also ship through the post office and they can not search packages without a search warrant and probable cause to get that warrant. UPS and FEDEX are private companies so they can search packages whenever they please. 

I can't get past your reCAPTCHA at check out help! 

reCAPTCHA looks for normal human interaction with this web site such as mouse movements, scrolling, reading, button clicks etc. If you go straight to a check out page or straight to create an account like a bot would, it will probably stop you. Try to scroll a little first first like a human. We have the protection set very low but if you still can't get past it let us know. The owner even got flagged once but he went straight to making a test order instead of scrolling around first. reCAPTCHA is there to protect us and you from malicious interaction with bots trying to steal data. We found about 50 fake bot reviews trying to post strange code in the reviews section but none since adding that recaptcha ver.3 . I had no idea it was there since I hadn't read and approved the reviews in years...ooops. fukbots= if you agree try using that c0de for 12% during your departure with spores. Yes I know that is misspelled, the bots should miss that one. But you're smart enough to figure out why I'm doing that. If not you just missed a chance to save some money. There is a limited number of those so don't post it in social media like a bot would to sucker you into looking at ads ;) 

Can you help me identify a wild mushroom? 

NO. There is no way we could properly ID a mushroom through email. Please check out our book section for some awesome books written by professionals at identifying wild mushrooms. There is also some good forums in the online mushroom community for this. Such as the Shroomery Mushroom Hunting and Identification forum and Mushroom Observer.

Who do I make the money order payable to?

Please leave it blank. It's important you don't write your name on the Pay To line or any scribble or chicken scratch. We can not deposit those and we will have to return it to you. This is why we request it blank so we know it gets filled in correctly. 

Do you accept personal checks? 

NO. We will return it to you because too many customers sent us bad checks in the past. Over a 2 year period we got burned for about $2,000 in bad checks. This also goes for bill pay sent through your bank. These are no different then a check and causes us a lot of extra time having to make special trips to the bank to deposit them and then watch to make sure they clear. Please no bill pay checks!

What is the business name on packages you send?

T M T  It says nothing about mushrooms or spores on the outside of your package.

Can I mail in my order and not use your cart system?

Yes but we prefer you do not. Mailing in orders not in our cart system brings on a new set of problems. 

  • We sort of use a live inventory system. 
  • We use coupon codes and specials that change weekly and some of those coupons are for limited supply items. 
  • It's difficult to read some customers writing then the wrong address might get input. 
  • Too many times customers like to make up there own prices or they don't understand our specials and discounts. 
  • Or they forget to include shipping
  • We will happily delete your order from the database after you receive it if you email and ask for that.

It still puzzles us why some customers don't want to use our nice easy shopping cart. If you really feel the need to bypass our cart system then understand;

  • If we run out of your first choice before your letter arrives, we will inlclude similar strains as replacements (It's best to include alternate choices)
  • We will honor the buy x get y free discounts. 

Place all your items in the cart, fill in your information etc, then take a screenshot and print that out and mail it in. Don't forget shipping :)

Thanks for understanding, now please use our cart and make life easy on both of us.  

What is General Delivery?

General delivery is a service the US Post Office offers to people who are in between addresses. Every city has at least one post office who accepts general delivery, usually the main post office. Not all post offices accept general delivery, read below our link to find which ones in your area do. Basically a package is sent to that post office address in care of your name. You then show and ID at the post office to pick up your package. Example;

Care of Mark Adams (your name here)

General Delivery (is the street address)

Chandler AZ. 85225

General Delivery is also a great option in the summer if you live in a hot climate as spores can not sustain hot temperatures for long periods of time. It?s best to have them wait in the cool air conditioned post office. This is also a good idea during periods of freezing temperatures during winter. 

To find out which U.S. Post Offices offers General Delivery services use this link and check the General Delivery service option under filters.  

Are mushroom spores and cultures sensitive to high heat or freezing?

YES! We have covered this more extensively in our delivery information FAQ.

Does mushrooms.com have an affiliate program?

NO. Although there is an affiliate link at the footer of this web site that is built into the shopping cart system. We do not use it at this time. 

Can I call you to place an order OR ask questions? 

Not at this time.  Sorry we are not a phone order company. We can not accept debit cards over the phone. Use the CONTACT US form at the bottom of the web site or if on a mobile phone it's under UTILITY PAGES > CONTACT US.  

How do I screw the needle on to the syringe? How do I break up the spore mass in the syringes?

There is a small plastic nipple screwed into the end of the syringe barrel to hold the spore or culture solution in the syringe. Remove that first, then the needle will screw on. If you want to break up the spore mass first, remove the nipple, suck some air into the syringe, tighten the nipple, shake hard. The air bubbles will break up that spore mass good. Make sure you do this with very clean hands or better yet sterile gloves, a face mask, and in a draft free clean area, otherwise you might contaminate the spore solution and blame us :( In front of a flow hood or in clean air box is best but not everyone has that option. We use a high quality 10CC syringe, usually filled too 11cc's. They come with a 1.5" 16 gauge needle. The needles come factory wrapped and sterile. Technically the syringes are disposable (not to reused on humans and animals), but for mycology they can be sterilized and reused again.


DO YOU SHIP SPORES OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES? 

YES! We do ship spore PRINTS to select countries. We do NOT ship spore syringes outside the USA. You can find more information about this in our DELIVERY INFORMATION FAQ.

If you did not find the answer to your question in this FAQ there is a lot more questions answered in our DELIVERY INFORMATION FAQ. Please read that before emailing us. Thank You.

Do you ship Psilocybe Mushroom Spores to California, Georgia or Idaho? 

No.