Get a Second Flush
Most people harvest once and toss the block. They assume the substrate is spent. It is not. A full second flush is sitting there waiting, and it comes out of the same cut you already made. Do not flip the block. A fresh cut on the bottom lets the block's digestive enzymes leak into the box and it turns stinky. Same spot, both times.
- 01
Clean the block completely
As soon as you finish your first harvest, pick off every bit of leftover mushroom, every small aborted pin, and any stub at the base. Leftover fruiting-body material rots on the block and invites contamination, so get it all off.
- 02
Soak the block in cold water for 12 to 24 hours
Take it out of the box, submerge it fully in cold water, and weigh it down so it stays under. Rehydrating this way gives the best second-flush results by far.
- 03
Drain it completely
Let all the excess water run off so the block is damp, not dripping.
- 04
Back in the box, roof shape, mist again
Put it back in the box, fold the lid into the roof triangle over the same cut, and mist 2 to 3 times a day with fresh air exchange, exactly like the first flush. Do not cut a new side.
- 05
Be patient
The second flush is slower than the first. Where the first flush came in about 10 to 14 days, the block often takes 2 to 3 weeks to start pushing new mushrooms the second time. It will look like nothing is happening for a while. That is normal. Keep misting, keep giving it fresh air, and it will pin again.
A second harvest from the same block, from the same cut, for the price of a soak in the sink. After this second indoor flush, move the block to a bucket or outdoors, that is where the real expansion begins.
Nothing here requires buying anything. But if you want more material to expand from, a fresh kit or refill is the fastest way to stack another cycle on top of this one.