Description
About This Mushroom Liquid Culture
Our Puffball 5 Pack is a premium mushroom liquid culture: live, lab-verified mycelium suspended in sterile nutrient broth and ready to inoculate your grow medium. Each set ships with sterile needles for clean, reliable transfers.
Puffball Liquid Culture 5 Pack — Product Summary
- Five 10–12cc liquid culture syringes
- Includes: Giant Puffball (Calvatia gigantea), Brain Puffball (Calvatia craniiformis), Gem Studded Puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum), Paltry Puffball (Bovista plumbea), Pear Shaped Puffball (Apioperdon pyriforme)
- Each syringe contains viable mycelium in sterile nutrient broth
- Store liquid culture syringes at normal room temperature in the original packaging for 6 or more months.
- Ships with sterile needles
Puffball Liquid Culture 5 Pack — Pack Overview
The Puffball Mushroom Cultures 5 Pack brings together five puffball species that together cover the full range of what this fungal growth form looks like, from the volleyball-sized Giant Puffball of open meadows to the thumbnail-sized Paltry Puffball that rolls across dry fields in wind. Puffballs are all defined by the same basic character: a round, spore-containing fruiting body without a cap-and-stem structure, edible when the flesh is pure white throughout and past eating once any color develops. The five species in this pack are five genuinely different organisms with different ecologies, substrates, and scales.
Puffball Liquid Culture 5 Pack — Included Species
Giant Puffball (Calvatia gigantea) Liquid Culture
Giant Puffball is the flagship species of this pack, the white sphere the size of a soccer ball or larger that sits in open meadows and has been startling people who mistake it for a lost football since there were footballs to lose. Calvatia gigantea is genuinely one of the most immediately recognizable edible fungi in the world. It establishes in garden beds and outdoor growing areas, returns each season, and produces on a scale that makes it one of the more rewarding outdoor cultivation targets we offer.
Giant Puffball — Out-Grow Lab Notes
| Parameter | Out-Grow Notes |
| Culture medium | LME + dextrose, 2% + 2% in distilled water |
| Scale | Volleyball to soccer ball sized — unmistakable |
| Establishment | Returns each season once established in outdoor beds |
| Edible window | Edible only while flesh is pure white throughout |
| Inoculation rate | 2 to 3cc per quart of sterilized grain or hardwood substrate |
| Storage life | 6 or more months at normal room temperature |
Giant Puffball Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Fungi
- Division: Basidiomycota
- Class: Agaricomycetes
- Order: Agaricales
- Family: Agaricaceae
- Genus: Calvatia
- Species: Calvatia gigantea
Brain Puffball (Calvatia craniiformis) Liquid Culture
Brain Puffball earns its name from the wrinkled, brain-like surface texture of the mature fruiting body, a genuinely unusual-looking puffball that is larger than Lycoperdon species but smaller than the Giant Puffball. Calvatia craniiformis grows in hardwood forest habitats and the wrinkled brownish surface when mature is unlike the smooth white exterior of the giant puffball at any stage. It is edible young and an interesting comparison species for cultivators working with Calvatia.
Brain Puffball — Out-Grow Lab Notes
| Parameter | Out-Grow Notes |
| Culture medium | LME + dextrose, 2% + 2% in distilled water |
| Visual | Wrinkled brain-like surface texture at maturity — distinct from other puffballs |
| Habitat | Hardwood forest floor habitats |
| Size | Larger than Lycoperdon species; smaller than C. gigantea |
| Inoculation rate | 2 to 3cc per quart of sterilized grain or hardwood substrate |
| Storage life | 6 or more months at normal room temperature |
Brain Puffball Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Fungi
- Division: Basidiomycota
- Class: Agaricomycetes
- Order: Agaricales
- Family: Agaricaceae
- Genus: Calvatia
- Species: Calvatia craniiformis
Gem Studded Puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum) Liquid Culture
Gem Studded Puffball is the most common small puffball in temperate forests, the golf ball to tennis ball sized white sphere covered in small spines and warts that give it its name and make it distinctive in the field. Lycoperdon perlatum grows on forest soil and rotting wood, and the spines brush off as it matures, leaving a net-like pattern on the surface. It is edible when young and white throughout.
Gem Studded Puffball — Out-Grow Lab Notes
| Parameter | Out-Grow Notes |
| Culture medium | LME + dextrose, 2% + 2% in distilled water |
| Visual | Covered in small spines and warts that brush off as it matures |
| Scale | Golf ball to tennis ball sized |
| Habitat | Forest soil and rotting wood |
| Inoculation rate | 2 to 3cc per quart of sterilized grain or hardwood substrate |
| Storage life | 6 or more months at normal room temperature |
Gem Studded Puffball Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Fungi
- Division: Basidiomycota
- Class: Agaricomycetes
- Order: Agaricales
- Family: Agaricaceae
- Genus: Lycoperdon
- Species: Lycoperdon perlatum
Paltry Puffball (Bovista plumbea) Liquid Culture
Paltry Puffball is the small, smooth, grey puffball of open grasslands and meadows that becomes detached from the ground at maturity and rolls in the wind, distributing spores across the landscape. Bovista plumbea is genuinely tiny compared to the other species in this pack, marble to golf ball sized at most, and its detachment at maturity gives it a dispersal strategy completely different from the other puffballs. We carry it for the complete range of puffball morphology it represents.
Paltry Puffball — Out-Grow Lab Notes
| Parameter | Out-Grow Notes |
| Culture medium | LME + dextrose, 2% + 2% in distilled water |
| Scale | Marble to golf ball sized — smallest puffball in this pack |
| Unique character | Detaches at maturity and rolls in wind for spore dispersal |
| Habitat | Open grasslands and dry meadows |
| Inoculation rate | 2 to 3cc per quart of sterilized grain or hardwood substrate |
| Storage life | 6 or more months at normal room temperature |
Paltry Puffball Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Fungi
- Division: Basidiomycota
- Class: Agaricomycetes
- Order: Agaricales
- Family: Agaricaceae
- Genus: Bovista
- Species: Bovista plumbea
Pear Shaped Puffball (Apioperdon pyriforme) Liquid Culture
Pear Shaped Puffball is the cluster-forming puffball that grows directly on decaying hardwood logs and stumps, often in dense colonies of dozens of fruiting bodies. Apioperdon pyriforme is the only puffball in this pack that is strongly wood-associated and cluster-forming, which makes it one of the more accessible cultivation targets in the pack for standard substrate approaches. The pear-shaped silhouette with the tapered base is distinctive.
Pear Shaped Puffball — Out-Grow Lab Notes
| Parameter | Out-Grow Notes |
| Culture medium | LME + dextrose, 2% + 2% in distilled water |
| Substrate | Decaying hardwood logs and stumps — directly wood-associated, unlike most puffballs |
| Growth habit | Cluster-forming; often dozens of fruiting bodies together |
| Cultivation | Most accessible puffball in this pack for substrate cultivation |
| Inoculation rate | 2 to 3cc per quart of sterilized grain or hardwood substrate |
| Storage life | 6 or more months at normal room temperature |
Pear Shaped Puffball Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Fungi
- Division: Basidiomycota
- Class: Agaricomycetes
- Order: Agaricales
- Family: Agaricaceae
- Genus: Apioperdon
- Species: Apioperdon pyriforme
Puffball Liquid Culture 5 Pack — Cultivation Overview
The Puffball pack covers species from different genera with different ecologies and substrates. Pear Shaped Puffball is the most accessible for substrate cultivation. Giant Puffball and Brain Puffball establish well in outdoor beds. Gem Studded and Paltry Puffball are forest floor and grassland species best suited to outdoor site establishment. All syringes ship from our McConnell, Illinois lab ready to inoculate.
Related Liquid Cultures & Collections
Puffball Liquid Culture 5 Pack | Mushroom Liquid Culture
Description
About This Mushroom Liquid Culture
Our Puffball 5 Pack is a premium mushroom liquid culture: live, lab-verified mycelium suspended in sterile nutrient broth and ready to inoculate your grow medium. Each set ships with sterile needles for clean, reliable transfers.
Puffball Liquid Culture 5 Pack — Product Summary
- Five 10–12cc liquid culture syringes
- Includes: Giant Puffball (Calvatia gigantea), Brain Puffball (Calvatia craniiformis), Gem Studded Puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum), Paltry Puffball (Bovista plumbea), Pear Shaped Puffball (Apioperdon pyriforme)
- Each syringe contains viable mycelium in sterile nutrient broth
- Store liquid culture syringes at normal room temperature in the original packaging for 6 or more months.
- Ships with sterile needles
Puffball Liquid Culture 5 Pack — Pack Overview
The Puffball Mushroom Cultures 5 Pack brings together five puffball species that together cover the full range of what this fungal growth form looks like, from the volleyball-sized Giant Puffball of open meadows to the thumbnail-sized Paltry Puffball that rolls across dry fields in wind. Puffballs are all defined by the same basic character: a round, spore-containing fruiting body without a cap-and-stem structure, edible when the flesh is pure white throughout and past eating once any color develops. The five species in this pack are five genuinely different organisms with different ecologies, substrates, and scales.
Puffball Liquid Culture 5 Pack — Included Species
Giant Puffball (Calvatia gigantea) Liquid Culture
Giant Puffball is the flagship species of this pack, the white sphere the size of a soccer ball or larger that sits in open meadows and has been startling people who mistake it for a lost football since there were footballs to lose. Calvatia gigantea is genuinely one of the most immediately recognizable edible fungi in the world. It establishes in garden beds and outdoor growing areas, returns each season, and produces on a scale that makes it one of the more rewarding outdoor cultivation targets we offer.
Giant Puffball — Out-Grow Lab Notes
| Parameter | Out-Grow Notes |
| Culture medium | LME + dextrose, 2% + 2% in distilled water |
| Scale | Volleyball to soccer ball sized — unmistakable |
| Establishment | Returns each season once established in outdoor beds |
| Edible window | Edible only while flesh is pure white throughout |
| Inoculation rate | 2 to 3cc per quart of sterilized grain or hardwood substrate |
| Storage life | 6 or more months at normal room temperature |
Giant Puffball Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Fungi
- Division: Basidiomycota
- Class: Agaricomycetes
- Order: Agaricales
- Family: Agaricaceae
- Genus: Calvatia
- Species: Calvatia gigantea
Brain Puffball (Calvatia craniiformis) Liquid Culture
Brain Puffball earns its name from the wrinkled, brain-like surface texture of the mature fruiting body, a genuinely unusual-looking puffball that is larger than Lycoperdon species but smaller than the Giant Puffball. Calvatia craniiformis grows in hardwood forest habitats and the wrinkled brownish surface when mature is unlike the smooth white exterior of the giant puffball at any stage. It is edible young and an interesting comparison species for cultivators working with Calvatia.
Brain Puffball — Out-Grow Lab Notes
| Parameter | Out-Grow Notes |
| Culture medium | LME + dextrose, 2% + 2% in distilled water |
| Visual | Wrinkled brain-like surface texture at maturity — distinct from other puffballs |
| Habitat | Hardwood forest floor habitats |
| Size | Larger than Lycoperdon species; smaller than C. gigantea |
| Inoculation rate | 2 to 3cc per quart of sterilized grain or hardwood substrate |
| Storage life | 6 or more months at normal room temperature |
Brain Puffball Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Fungi
- Division: Basidiomycota
- Class: Agaricomycetes
- Order: Agaricales
- Family: Agaricaceae
- Genus: Calvatia
- Species: Calvatia craniiformis
Gem Studded Puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum) Liquid Culture
Gem Studded Puffball is the most common small puffball in temperate forests, the golf ball to tennis ball sized white sphere covered in small spines and warts that give it its name and make it distinctive in the field. Lycoperdon perlatum grows on forest soil and rotting wood, and the spines brush off as it matures, leaving a net-like pattern on the surface. It is edible when young and white throughout.
Gem Studded Puffball — Out-Grow Lab Notes
| Parameter | Out-Grow Notes |
| Culture medium | LME + dextrose, 2% + 2% in distilled water |
| Visual | Covered in small spines and warts that brush off as it matures |
| Scale | Golf ball to tennis ball sized |
| Habitat | Forest soil and rotting wood |
| Inoculation rate | 2 to 3cc per quart of sterilized grain or hardwood substrate |
| Storage life | 6 or more months at normal room temperature |
Gem Studded Puffball Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Fungi
- Division: Basidiomycota
- Class: Agaricomycetes
- Order: Agaricales
- Family: Agaricaceae
- Genus: Lycoperdon
- Species: Lycoperdon perlatum
Paltry Puffball (Bovista plumbea) Liquid Culture
Paltry Puffball is the small, smooth, grey puffball of open grasslands and meadows that becomes detached from the ground at maturity and rolls in the wind, distributing spores across the landscape. Bovista plumbea is genuinely tiny compared to the other species in this pack, marble to golf ball sized at most, and its detachment at maturity gives it a dispersal strategy completely different from the other puffballs. We carry it for the complete range of puffball morphology it represents.
Paltry Puffball — Out-Grow Lab Notes
| Parameter | Out-Grow Notes |
| Culture medium | LME + dextrose, 2% + 2% in distilled water |
| Scale | Marble to golf ball sized — smallest puffball in this pack |
| Unique character | Detaches at maturity and rolls in wind for spore dispersal |
| Habitat | Open grasslands and dry meadows |
| Inoculation rate | 2 to 3cc per quart of sterilized grain or hardwood substrate |
| Storage life | 6 or more months at normal room temperature |
Paltry Puffball Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Fungi
- Division: Basidiomycota
- Class: Agaricomycetes
- Order: Agaricales
- Family: Agaricaceae
- Genus: Bovista
- Species: Bovista plumbea
Pear Shaped Puffball (Apioperdon pyriforme) Liquid Culture
Pear Shaped Puffball is the cluster-forming puffball that grows directly on decaying hardwood logs and stumps, often in dense colonies of dozens of fruiting bodies. Apioperdon pyriforme is the only puffball in this pack that is strongly wood-associated and cluster-forming, which makes it one of the more accessible cultivation targets in the pack for standard substrate approaches. The pear-shaped silhouette with the tapered base is distinctive.
Pear Shaped Puffball — Out-Grow Lab Notes
| Parameter | Out-Grow Notes |
| Culture medium | LME + dextrose, 2% + 2% in distilled water |
| Substrate | Decaying hardwood logs and stumps — directly wood-associated, unlike most puffballs |
| Growth habit | Cluster-forming; often dozens of fruiting bodies together |
| Cultivation | Most accessible puffball in this pack for substrate cultivation |
| Inoculation rate | 2 to 3cc per quart of sterilized grain or hardwood substrate |
| Storage life | 6 or more months at normal room temperature |
Pear Shaped Puffball Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Fungi
- Division: Basidiomycota
- Class: Agaricomycetes
- Order: Agaricales
- Family: Agaricaceae
- Genus: Apioperdon
- Species: Apioperdon pyriforme
Puffball Liquid Culture 5 Pack — Cultivation Overview
The Puffball pack covers species from different genera with different ecologies and substrates. Pear Shaped Puffball is the most accessible for substrate cultivation. Giant Puffball and Brain Puffball establish well in outdoor beds. Gem Studded and Paltry Puffball are forest floor and grassland species best suited to outdoor site establishment. All syringes ship from our McConnell, Illinois lab ready to inoculate.