The PES Amazonian 1200cc kit is soaked for 9 to 12 hours, then set up in its filter bag at 22 to 25 °C in indirect light; the first pins appear after 2 to 4 weeks and are ready to harvest 1 to 2 weeks later, and the kit gives about three flushes on average. The 2100 g Amazonian grow bag skips the soaking: it stays closed at 23 to 27 °C until pins appear. Both sets of figures come from the manuals that Dutch-Smart supplies with the products. Growing the mushrooms is illegal in the Netherlands and most other countries; read the law first.
General grow-kit technique is the same for every cubensis kit and is covered in detail elsewhere, for example in the Dutch Trimbos Institute's information on mushrooms. This page sticks to what the manuals and product pages say about these two Amazonian products.
The kit forecast, phase by phase
| Phase | Days, counted from arrival | Temperature | Air | What you do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soak | 0 | cold, in the fridge | lid closed | fill the box with cold tap water, soak about 12 hours |
| Set up | 1 | 22 to 25 °C | bag closed | drain, 150 ml water in the filter bag, spray the inside, fold twice, clip |
| Wait | 1 to about 15 | 22 to 25 °C | bag closed | leave it, check colours from outside |
| Pins | about 15 to 29 | 22 to 25 °C | open 1 to 3 times a day | let fresh air in each time |
| Harvest | about 22 to 43 | 22 to 25 °C | as above | pick each mushroom just before the veil under the cap tears |
| Next flush | after the harvest | as above | as above | start again at the soak |
The day numbers follow from the manual's ranges: "2 to 4 weeks" from setup to pins and "1 to 2 weeks" from pins to harvest. A fast kit can be harvested in its fourth week; a slow one only in its sixth. The manual gives no separate timing for later flushes.
Temperature
The kit's product page gives two temperatures: 28 to 30 °C during colonisation and 22 to 25 °C during growth. The kit arrives already colonised, so only the second figure applies to you; the first matters for growers who start from spores. The manual repeats 22 to 25 °C and adds "never direct sunlight". The manual suggests a spot at 150 to 200 cm height, such as a bookshelf.
The grow bag has its own range: a constant 23 to 27 °C, "never exceed 27°C", and the manual warns that too much heat dries out and kills the mycelium.
Humidity
Neither manual gives a humidity figure; both rely on the closed bag. After the kit's soak, the 150 ml of water in the filter bag and the misted walls keep the air around the substrate very humid, which is why you see droplets on the inside of the bag. Laboratory work on P. cubensis found that mushrooms grow best at a relative humidity above about 90% and that growth slows in drier air (Badham, 1985, in Mycologia, as summarised by Kurzbaum et al., 2025). The same study found that light made no measurable difference to the growth of the mushrooms themselves.
Fresh air
The kit stays closed until the first tiny mushrooms appear. From then on the manual says to open the bag one to three times a day and close it "with lots of fresh air trapped inside". The grow bag stays sealed until pins appear; then you cut a slit at the top, and if the mushrooms grow slowly or run out of room, you cut off a strip of 2 to 4 cm. Mondo's troubleshooting list links misshapen mushrooms to too little air exchange or too much humidity, and pins that do not mature to too little light, too little fresh air or the wrong temperature.
Because PES Amazonian is described as a tall mushroom, up to 30 cm in the shop's spore text, the grow bag's option to cut off the top is relevant for this line in particular.
When nothing happens
The kit manual sets a deadline: if no mushrooms appear after four weeks, go back to step 1 and soak again, because the mycelium may not have been activated properly. If mould appears within a few days, the kit was contaminated during handling. The grow bag manual lists white and yellowish-white as healthy colours and green, black, red and pink as contamination, and says a contaminated bag cannot be saved. Wash your hands and arms before every step, and open the bag no more often than the forecast asks.
Kit or grow bag
| PES Amazonian 1200cc kit | Amazonian Grow Bag 2100g | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Dutch-Smart kit | Mondo, item GB-AMA-13 |
| Substrate | 1200 ml box; compost, grain, pasteurised manure and straw | 2100 g inoculated substrate |
| First step | soak 9 to 12 hours | none, ready to fruit |
| Temperature | 22 to 25 °C | 23 to 27 °C |
| Opening | daily once pins appear | a slit when pins appear |
| Flushes | about 3 on average | at most 2, Mondo advises |
| Storage before use | soak at once on arrival | unopened at 6 to 8 °C, never frozen |
| Yield given by the shop | 400 to 600 g | not stated |
Choose the kit if you want the classic routine with several flushes and are happy to soak and re-soak. Choose the grow bag if you want the fewest steps: the shop describes it as the option with "fewer steps" and "less room for error" for beginners.
PES Amazonian - 1200cc Mushroom Grow Kit
View at Dutch-Smart
Amazonian Grow Bag 2100g
View at Dutch-Smart
Useful extras
A small grow light helps in a dim room where the kit cannot stand near a window; keep it as indirect as daylight. A monotub offers more room for tall mushrooms than the filter bag. Alcohol wipes make the hygiene steps easier. A scale reading to 0.1 gram tells you what a harvest weighs.
Mondo Grow Light for Mushroom Grow Kits
View at Dutch-Smart
Monotub Growing Box for Magic Mushroom Grow Kits
View at Dutch-Smart
Alcohol Wipes - Prep Pads | 100 count
View at Dutch-Smart
Texas 300 x 0.1g | Digital Precision Scale
View at Dutch-Smart
Next: what growers report about the line, potency data and the law by country.