Lykyn is a $300 automated mushroom fruiting chamber designed to make growing mushrooms easier by controlling humidity, airflow, and lighting through a smartphone app. Its transparent enclosure, colorful LEDs, and misting system give it a striking science-fiction appearance. After using one for a month, I found that it worked well as a legitimate fruiting chamber, though its high price may be difficult to justify for a growing process that lasts only a week or two.
Photo: Kat Melk
Assembly, shipping, and setup
Although Lykyn is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, its fruiting chambers are manufactured in Turkey and shipped directly from Istanbul at no additional charge. The unit arrived in 11 days without customs duties or other special fees, despite the international shipment. Delivery was especially quick considering that I added a custom wood handle engraving add-on ($15) so the handle would display my name instead of “Lykyn.”
The 13-by-13-by-15-inch unit is available in white or black plastic and arrives mostly disassembled. Assembly involves removing the protective film from both sides of each acrylic panel, sliding the panels into the plastic tracks on the base, installing the corner posts, and filling the unit with distilled water.
One acrylic panel serves as a sliding door. It was difficult to install on my unit: I had to open and close it repeatedly to loosen it, and it still requires both hands to open. The Lykyn must connect to a 2.5-GHz Wi-Fi network and to power through a 5-volt USB-C cable; a power brick is not included. The small LED light pad on top connects to the base.
The only troubleshooting issue I encountered involved the ultrasonic humidifier. The humidifier occasionally produces an audible cloud of mist, while a fan removes excess moisture. Although I followed the instructions, the sprayer initially produced no mist, and the Lykyn app repeatedly warned that the unit was out of water even though the reservoir was visibly full.
To fix the problem, I pushed the preinstalled wick fully into its slot and primed the top membrane with a small amount of water. I later compared the app’s humidity readings with a hygrometer and found that they were within a few percentage points of one another. Other than refilling the water tank, the Lykyn requires no regular maintenance.
Controlled conditions for fast growth
Lykyn is a “smart” fruiting chamber, meaning that the app controls humidity, airflow, and lighting schedules using settings tailored to different mushroom species. Users can also adjust those variables manually. The app displays the temperature, but the Lykyn cannot heat or cool the chamber.
The unit accepts fruiting blocks from any brand, provided they weigh no more than 6 pounds. For testing, I used the company’s own 5-pound blocks, including shiitake mushroom and pink oyster blocks. Fruiting blocks are sold separately and are not included with Lykyn purchases.
The blocks also do not include instructions, so buyers should look online for preparation guidance. Some varieties, such as shiitake, need to be removed entirely from their packaging. Others require only an X-shaped cut in the side of the bag.
Whether the blocks remained in their bags had a major effect on the appearance of the Lykyn, which sat prominently in the dining room during testing. The unwrapped shiitake block looked like a moon rock or an unusual scientific specimen under the colorful lights. The lighting is customizable, though the default setting displays the mushroom’s supposed “emotions,” with green indicating “happy and thriving” and red indicating “stressed and anxious.” By contrast, the oyster mushroom block remained inside a black bag and looked much like a black plastic bag.
Both blocks began producing mushrooms within days when the chamber precisely controlled their lighting and humidity. Other growing methods I have tried took weeks to produce fruit, particularly with shiitake mushrooms, which are notoriously demanding.
Source: www.wired.com