Shrooly Review 2023: Fully automated mushroom growing machine

You may have heard of mushroom growing kits, but how about a machine that grows the mushroom for you! An innovative new product has hit the shelves – online. Shrooly is the next best thing guaranteed to have you growing fresh mushrooms, right on your kitchen bench. Imagine having access to Lions Mane, Reishi, Cordyceps, Pink Oyster and more! Not sure what mushrooms these are?

Keep reading to find out how these rare and functional mushrooms can be harvested right in the comfort of your own home.

Please note that this post may contain affiliate links and we may earn a small commission through qualified purchases which help to keep our site running. Run Greener does not accept money for editorial reviews.

How to grow mushrooms at home

Before I found out about Shrooly, I didn’t know mushroom growing kits even existed, let alone the expansive range that was widely available online. In this case, you might find yourself wondering, well why on earth would I want to grow mushrooms at home when I can just buy them from the shops?

I would hope that the number one reason would be that a) you’re a mushroom lover and b) whilst there are some mushrooms that you can buy in the shops, there are so many more species that you just can’t.

Growing mushrooms at home are easy with mushroom growing kits that can be easily purchased online. The hard part however is choosing which kit will successfully produce an edible harvest. Yes that’s right, not all kits are created equally and not all locations in the home create a suitable and stable environment to guarantee a bountiful supply of mushrooms.

To make mushroom growing at home a breeze, Shrooly was invented to grow mushrooms for you by automatically creating the perfect environment for the first and subsequent harvests.

How do mushroom growing kits work?

Each brand of mushroom growing kits will differ with its set of instructions and of course the price range can vary. But generally speaking, most mushroom species will need water (submerging and misting), time (days to weeks, even months) and should be grown in a relatively cool and low-lit area that is not drafty.

For example, the Gold Oyster Mushroom Kit by Little Acre Gourmet Mushrooms have the set of following instructions:

1. Prep

Keep the kit between 18°C and 30°C. Prepare the growing medium according to the detailed instructions in the box. The kit also comes with a spray bottle for misting.

2. Water

Mist the scored area regularly to create a humid environment. The kit will fruit between 7-14 days on average.

3. Harvest

After a week or so, harvest the mushrooms (twist the bottom gently off the growing medium).

4. Soak

Soak the bag overnight to rehydrate the substrate for multiple harvests.

The top 5 most popular mushroom growing kits

When choosing a kit, it’s important to consider the type of mushroom you want to grow, the level of experience required, and any additional materials or equipment needed. Here are the 5 most popular mushroom growing kits available online:

Back to the Roots Organic Mushroom Farm: This kit comes with everything you need to grow your own organic oyster mushrooms at home, including a reusable kit, mushroom spawn, and a misting bottle.
Root Mushroom Farm Shiitake Mushroom Growing Kit: This kit includes shiitake mushroom spawn and a growing substrate, as well as instructions for growing your own mushrooms at home.
North Spore Mushroom Grow Kit: This kit offers a variety of different mushroom species to choose from, including oyster, shiitake, lion’s mane, and more. Each kit comes with a substrate block and mushroom spawn.
Midwest Grow Kits: This company offers a range of mushroom growing kits for both beginners and experienced growers. Kits include a substrate block, mushroom spawn, and instructions.
Fungaea Oyster Mushroom Growing Kit: This kit includes a sterilized sawdust block and oyster mushroom spawn, as well as instructions for growing your own mushrooms.

Why grow mushrooms at home?

There are plenty of reasons to grow mushrooms at home and whilst I am not a mushroom enthusiast, I do love mushrooms enough to explore different species that aren’t widely available commercially.

Unknown origin

As much as a store label may state the place of origin, you really don’t know what conditions your mushrooms were grown in. In addition to enjoying the beauty of watching your harvest develop, you’ll know that what you get on your plate will come from a hygienic, stable and safe environment.

Grow unique mushrooms

Did you know that there are more than 1000 varieties of edible mushrooms? Along with their unique tastes, textures, funky colours and added health benefits, Shrooly offers the experience of being able to grow and try uncommon mushroom selections that you just can’t find in store.

Fresh organic produce in your own home

Say no to additives, when growing your mushroom with Shrooly you only need to add water. The fully automated design creates the perfect growing conditions in an enclosed tightly sealed compartment.

In-store mushrooms are often exposed to chemicals, pesticides and other harmful substances to generate mass produced quantities.

Shroolys clever design creates a suitable and controlled environment to naturally eliminate the need for unnecessary additives.

With a growing harvest right at your fingertips, you’ll get to experience the taste produce at optimal freshness. With store bought mushrooms, there is no certainty when they were harvested or stored, potentially reducing their shelf life when purchased.

What is Shrooly?

Shrooly is a new smart device designed to effortlessly grow mushrooms, including uncommon species not readily available in conventional supermarkets.

Founded by David, working with his team of engineers, Shrooly is soon to hit our shores. The best part? having farm fresh produce in your home without lifting a finger.

Why choose a Shrooly?

Similar to a mushroom growing kit, you can start growing your own mushrooms in the comfort of your own home in just 3 easy steps. This is where it gets even easier with a Shrooly.

Because Shrooly is a fully automated smart device, it simplifies the “watering” step in the mushroom growing process at the touch of a button.

It takes on the automated growing principles of something like Mr Fothergill’s HydroGarden All in One Grow Kit.

However, because mushroom growing is a bit more precise with its watering needs and humidity levels, a tad more engineering is required. Especially when it comes to adjusting variables like humidity levels, that can slightly differ amongst unique mushroom species.

That being said, the 3 simple steps include:

Select your mushroom pod and place it in Shrooly.
Press start.
Harvest!

Compact design

Shrooly fits one pod which is the standard size of other mushroom-growing kits on the market. This means that it is small enough to neatly fit on your kitchen countertop.

Harvest in just 7 days

Most of the Shrooly pods grow in 7-10 days, with some other varieties taking a bit longer.

You can expect to harvest 2-3 flushes per pod.

No experience needed with the growing pods and AnyMush™ pod

As an add-on, you can purchase Shrooly Growing Pods which are available online in 12 different mushroom species. Just cut a hole in the growing block, place it in Shrooly and press start, easy as!

Shrooly offers a ready-to-grow selection including: Pink Oyster, King Oyster, Yellow Oyster, Honey Fungus, Maitake, Shimeji, Shiitake, Enoki, Lion’s Mane, Turkey Tail, Cordyceps, and Reishi.

You’re also able to grow your very own species with the AnyMush™ pod. The AnyMush™ pod is a plain (contains no mushroom culture) growing medium that can be inoculated with your choice of mushroom – just add your own liquid culture.

The accompanying free Shrooly app can be customised to individual settings, tailored to the species you want to cultivate. Making it a stress free experience every time!

Just set and forget with the fully automated design

It really is as easy as pressing one button and leaving it for at least 7 days! You can even check on the device, to monitor your mushrooms growth, by using Shroolys free app.

How does Shrooly work?

Shrooly is engineered to be fully automated to guarantee optimum growing conditions for a successful harvest. This includes automatically stabilising the compartment environment up to 7 times per second.

To remove mushroom spores that are released during the growing process, Shrooly is fitted with an advanced microfilter to keep the spores contained and the strong scent of mushrooms inside the compartment.

The watering process is controlled by a humidifier that is designed to hold enough water for at least 1 full growing cycle. This also minimises the need to interrupt the stable environment during the growing phase when continuously filling up the water tank.

As the water needs and humidity levels can vary amongst different species of mushrooms, there is also a built-in water sensor that alerts you in case a refill is needed.

Shrooly app

More to come in this space! As Shrooly is still being finalised, the app is currently in Beta mode.

Shrooly comes with a free app that allows the user to easily access advanced settings and features. This is required when growing different mushroom species as their growing conditions may vary.

It also comes with a really cool feature that allows the user to check in on the device, even when you’re away from home!

How do I store the pods?

Shrooly sells growing pods in packs of 6 or 12. Pods should be stored in the fridge for up to 2 months.

Is Shrooly safe?

Unlike other conventional growing mushroom kits that only require any suitable location indoors, Shrooly is self-contained and offers an in-built microfilter.

The filter picks up floating spores that are released during the growing phase and minimises the risk of accidentally inhaling any spores.

The compartment features two magnetic plexiglass windows on either side of Shrooly to allow easy access during harvesting and obstruction-free viewing during the growing process.

The magnetic closures keep the glass securely in place and the seam-free design makes cleaning all surfaces inside and outside Shrooly an easy task.

How is Shrooly different to a mushroom growing kit?

Mushroom growing kits in Australia can range in price from $33.00 to upwards of $55.00 for larger kits. You might be wondering why you would want to pay this price for the amount of labour and a handful of mushrooms.

In comparison, it might seem that you’re being extorted for what you can buy at the shops, but in reality, the kit price is inclusive of multiple and subsequent harvests.

But what they don’t tell you, is unfortunately these multiple harvests don’t always play out. This can happen for a variety of reasons including an unstable environment, poor quality substrate, minimal nutrients or worse case the growth medium starts getting overtaken by mould shortly after the first harvest.

Many of these variables can be controlled by creating a stable and enclosed environment thanks to an automated device like Shrooly. This is where you truly see the difference with multiple successful harvests.

In summary, thanks to its advanced technology, Shrooly can offer the convenience and an enhanced growing process that mushroom growing kits just can’t.

Air quality

This is a scary thought but when it comes to growing mushrooms, floating spores (during the growing process) are a very real thing!

Even if the growing kit is placed in a small confined area, like a cardboard box, mushroom spores can be released into the air and easily inhaled.

Just like mould, inhaling mushroom spores can be a health hazard or a throat irritant to some people, especially in an area that is not well ventilated indoors.

However, with adequate precautions, these health risks can be minimised and will generally not be harmful.

With Shrooly, air-borne spores are not an issue due to the self-contained compartment and built-in microfilter that traps any released spores.

Pros and cons of Shrooly

Pros

Grow mushrooms you can't easily find in store
No experience required
Harvest in just 7 days
Organic & fresh produce in the comfort of your own home
12 species to choose from
Grow your own cultivate with AnyMush™ pod
Sleek and compact design
One button start up, then harvest

Cons

Hefty price tag
Requires ongoing use of growing pods
Warehouses located in EU & USA, longer shipping times for AU customers

Shrooly: Product review

I optimistically placed an order for a Shrooly in February 2023 this year and am anticipating delivery to Australia in July 2023, so stay tuned for a product review in late 2023!

Shrooly ships worldwide and is still currently taking reservations for estimated shipping in July 2023.

Whilst you can still make early reservations for deliveries in 2023, it is still being finalised and not yet released to the public. However, Shrooly has been tried and tested by @thejunglebadger, @benjiplant and @thefoodietakesflight with some very positive reviews!

This will not be a sponsored review so I hope to give you my honest and transparent thoughts of Shrooly! Excited to get your hands on a Shrooly? Keep reading to find out where to buy one and be sure to follow their inspirational journey on Instagram to grow your own #superfood.

How much is a Shrooly?

With a hefty price tag, a Shrooly can set you back a cool $448 AUD, this price also includes one pod.

Extra growing pods can be purchased at a subscription fee with prices starting from $135 AUD for 6 pods, making it a little over $20 AUD for each pod and approximately $7.50 AUD per cluster.

It is true that more generic mushrooms like yellow oyster, shiitake or enoki mushrooms can range anywhere from $5.50 AUD to $7.50 AUD, however in saying that, the real value of Shrooly is in the ability to grow rare species of mushrooms like Cordyceps which can start from $135 AUD per 25g as a dried product.

Whether you’re growing functional or gourmet mushrooms with Shrooly, just the ease of being able to grow extensive varieties at home pays off in itself.

Where can I buy a Shrooly?

Shrooly can be reserved online now via the main site at Shrooly. Pre-orders are being accepted with worldwide delivery expected to commence in July 2023.

Which country does Shrooly ship to?

Shrooly offers worldwide shipping.

Please note that this is not a sponsored review and I do not receive any financial reward nor have an affiliate for this post. All products in this review have been purchased and fully paid for. This is an unbiased and honest review of all products mentioned and not influenced by any paid advertising or sponsorship.

Everything You Need to Know about Shrooly