Spore to Ship: A 7-Day Mycelium Production Timeline
A transparent look inside the Cerda Mycelium grow facility in Reno — day by day, from inoculation to a finished pallet ready for your loading dock.
The whole timeline, no fluff
Mycelium packaging gets called "magic" by marketing teams. From inside the grow room, it's a tightly choreographed seven-day production cycle. Here's exactly what happens at Cerda Mycelium in Reno.
Day 0: Substrate prep
Hemp hurd (sourced from a Nevada hemp processor 90 miles away) is sterilized in a pressurized chamber at 250°F for 4 hours. Sterilization eliminates competing molds.
Day 1: Inoculation
The cooled substrate is inoculated with Ganoderma lucidum mycelium and packed into client-specific molds. Each mold is sealed and stamped with a batch ID.
Days 2–5: Colonization
Molds sit in a humidity-controlled grow room at 78°F and 95% RH. The mycelium spreads through the substrate, binding it into a solid block. This is the only step we can't accelerate — it's biology.
Day 6: Demolding and finishing
The colonized blocks are removed from the molds, surface-finished, and inspected for dimensional accuracy.
Day 7: Heat-kill and ship
A 200°F oven cycle for 2 hours kills the mycelium permanently — the finished part will never sprout mushrooms or continue growing. Parts are then palletized, sealed, and loaded for delivery.
What changes the timeline
- Custom tooling: adds 5 days upfront, then 7-day repeat cycle
- Volumes above 5,000 units: add 1–2 days for batching
- Cold-chain coating: adds 1 day for application and cure
See it yourself
Cerda hosts in-person grow facility tours for new clients in Reno. Request a sample first, then book a visit when the order ships.
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