Coral Tooth (Hericium coralloides) is a striking gourmet mushroom that grows as a cascade of branching, coral-like fronds tipped with soft white spines. It is a genuinely rewarding grow in a Flush, where steady humidity and gentle airflow help it fan out into its full, delicate form.
What to expect
Rather than a cap and stem, Coral Tooth forms tiered, branching fronds draped with fine cascading teeth that stay a clean creamy white as they mature. The flavour is mild, sweet and subtly seafood-like, often compared to crab or lobster, with a tender, stringy texture that pulls apart much like crab meat. It shines torn into pieces and pan-fried in butter until the edges turn golden, and works beautifully in mock crab cakes, folded through pasta, or added to soups and stir-fries. It is considered an intermediate grow, so it rewards a little attention.
Growing in your Flush
In Basic mode, choose the Coral Tooth preset and the cabinet holds 19°C, 88% humidity and around 750 ppm CO₂ for you. In Advanced mode, set those same targets from Set targets on the Home screen.
Coral Tooth pins as small white nubs that develop into branching fronds rather than caps, so fresh air is what shapes them. Good air exchange around 750 ppm CO₂ encourages dense, well-branched growth, while stale, high-CO₂ air draws out sparse, antler-like fingers. Give it indirect light, and expect your first flush roughly two weeks after the block starts fruiting. Harvest once the spines are well formed and hanging but still bright white, before they begin to yellow.
Harvest & beyond
Harvest the whole cluster in one go by cutting or gently twisting it free at the base while the spines are still white and firm. Cook it fresh for the best sweet, seafood-like flavour, as it does not keep long once picked. Give the rested block another week or two of the same conditions and it will often reward you with a smaller second flush.