Psilocybe Azurescens

In the genus of Psilocybe fungi, we can count the species Cubensis, well known and popular for its easy cultivation. Nevertheless, there are other species that can be grown at home, which can be different but also more powerful and just as pretty, such as Psilocybe Azurescens. 

How to recognize Psilocybe Azurescens from other species? 

The hat of a Psilocybe Azurescens overhangs a thin stem. The latter, which tends to flatten over time, has a gelatinous texture that can be surprising. He usually dresses in an orange tone going towards browns. The edges of his hat unfold gradually and gradually pull towards white.

Its stem is more or less thin and ranges from a light gray to creamy white. Like all mushrooms containing psilocin, the mushroom may begin to turn blue or black when damaged. These spores are dark, turning brown and black.  

How does Psilocybe Azurescens work and what does it contain?

Psilocybe Azurescens is a magic mushroom: it is considered a psychedelic. Like all psychedelics, it interacts with our brains in different ways. 

Psilocybin and psilocin, contained in Psilocybe Azurescens, are the two main active substances in the fungus. Once ingested and metabolized, they will act on 5-HT2A receptors, as LSD can do. Thus, several effects can be felt by the consumer. 

Containing the same substances, Psilocybe Azurescens produces the same effects as other mushrooms: hallucinations (auditory, visual…) with color saturation, sedation effect, increased flow of thought, nausea and hot or cold sensations. 

Where is it? 

This fungus is what is called a “woodlover”: like the P.Cyanescens, he loves wood for its cultivation. Instead, it will be found on wood debris and in forests or near the coasts of some parts of the world.  

Psilocybe Azurescens has already been cultivated in different parts of the world, but it is often found in New Zealand and some states of the United States, especially in the state of Oregon (that’s good, mushrooms are legal there!) and Washington. 

When and how to find Psilocybe Azurescens in its natural environment? 

Mushrooms can start growing at the end of the year, starting in September. They can continue to be found until December and January. Picking Psilocybe Azurescens , however, remains illegal in the majority of countries and states around the world.Psilocybe Azurescens is especially sought when the temperature drops to around 4°C after a shower.

Why choose the Psilocybe Azurescens culture? 

The reasons depend on why you like mushrooms. 

If you are tired of growing Cubensis and want to learn new cultivation methods, Psilocybe Azurescens may be a good choice. 

But the main reason people want to try growing these mushrooms is that they are stronger than Cubensis. Indeed, Psilocybe Azurescens contains , on average, almost 3 times more psilocybin! This is why it is recommended to be careful when dosing, and not to apply the same as with the classic Cubensis. In dry mushrooms, for a low trip, 0.4g is recommended, for an average trip, 1.1g and for a powerful trip, 2.4g.

How to grow the magic mushroom Psilocybe Azurescens: the usefulness of wood chips

There are several ways to grow Psilocybe Azurescens, with the difference that it is most often grown outdoors. On the net, we can therefore obtain spawnkits, that is to say kits that are already colonized and ready to grow. Several sites offer these items, at higher or lower prices.

You should know that Psilocybe Azurescens need freshness. This is why it is necessary to start by placing the spawnkit outside, most often in its garden.However, it is possible to grow Psilocybe Azurescens indoors, by putting the culture in a refrigerator.

The outdoor cultivation of Psilocybe Azurescens

For a spawnkit of Psilocybe Azurescens of about 388g like the one sold, it is advisable to have 3.5L of wood chips, 3.5L of coarse sawdust, 2.4L of fine sawdust and 2.4L of water.

It is necessary to start by choosing a piece of land of about 20x20cm and 7cm deep, in the shade of bushes and trees.Place a cardboard box in the bottom of the hole. Arrange the wood chips evenly and water them with a watering can for 10min.

Shake the spawnkit of Psilocybe Azurescens in order to break the mycelium aggregates in the chips. Open the Psilocybe Azurescens kit and crumble it in your hands to add it to the bed of wood chips, then water afterwards.

For moisture, cover with a layer of a few centimeters of fine mixture of bark, straw or soil, which can be taken in a forest and then water everything again.

The indoor cultivation of Psilocybe Azurescens

It is possible to grow Psilocybe Azurescens indoors. You must start by first choosing a container where you can grow your mushrooms: this container must be able to fit in your refrigerator. Take wood chips, moisten them and add your Psilocybe Azurescens spawn kit, breaking the aggregates well.

It is then necessary to add a layer on top, which can be made of soil taken from the forest (with leaves, needles, sticks …). Make sure you have a homogeneous layer. Leave everything at 23/25°C, until the colonization of the mycelium of Psilocybe Azurescens appears on the top layer. Then add a layer of wet vermiculite and place the container at 6 or 8 ° C in a refrigerator.

Twice a day, remember to ventilate and once every other day, moisten everything. It will take some time, about 1 to 2 months, for fruiting to begin and see the first magic mushroom appear. Between this time and the time of harvest of Psilocybe Azurescens, count about 1 month, as soon as the hats open.

You can shorten the colonization time and have your fruiting faster by slightly increasing the temperature by 3 or 4 ° C. Regarding light, it is advisable to have artificial light in your refrigerator and use it to mimic daylight. As you can see, indoor cultivation of Psilocybe Azurescens is possible but requires more maintenance than outdoor cultivation.

The time of growth and colonization of Psilocybe Azurescens

Psilocybe Azurescens take longer to grow than Cubensis. So you have to be very patient but it’s worth it! You can keep this mushroom spawn from one year to the next, and with a little luck, it can even spread in your garden the following year.

For this, before the first frosts outdoors, you must add a layer of a few centimeters of wood chips, which you also moisturize. This will protect your Psilocybe Azurescens from the cold and provide them with other nutrients again. So, as soon as the weather softens in the year to the spring after, check the wood chips to know if they are still wet. If not, water them.

During the growing time, it is advisable to monitor the hydration of your Psilocybe Azurescens. If they are not wet at a depth of 3cm, water it.

The harvest of Psilocybe Azurescens

At the appearance of the first magic mushroom and throughout the fruiting period, water the Psilocybe Azurescens daily. When you harvest a magic mushroom from your culture, or any type of mushroom, it is advisable not to cut it at its foot, but to turn it and pull it towards you, in order to also take its base, to avoid contamination. You just need to clean it from the soil before consuming it.

Psilocybe Azurescens is harvested during a certain period of the year: from September to December, or even mid-January. Following the harvest of the year, it is quite possible to make a spore impression, in order to keep a strain and to be able to make some again in the future.

Beware of snails for your Azurescens mushroom culture!

Snails are very fond of mushrooms (yes, even magic mushrooms), which is why, if you grow outdoors, you will need to protect your Psilocybe Azurescens crop from them. For this, you can add an anti-snail barrier around your crop. This step adds work and time, but it would be a shame to lose your harvest and Azurescens mushroom crop because of it. In addition, this installation can be kept from one year to the next.

It is not advisable to use chemicals, as they could end up contaminating your Psilocybe Azurescens crop.