B+ Spore Print

Meet the easy-going all-rounder — the strain that seems almost impossible to offend. B+ has built its considerable reputation on sheer good nature: it's famously tolerant of a wide temperature range, shrugs off conditions that would sulk other strains into stalling, and generally carries on regardless. If Golden Teacher is the patient classroom favourite, B+ is the one that's simply unbothered by anything.

The looks are generous in every sense. Caps come through in warm golden to caramel brown, often paling towards the rim, and they have a habit of getting genuinely large — B+ is well known for producing some of the broadest caps you'll see on a standard cube, sitting on thick, sturdy stems. It's also a reliably heavy spore producer, dropping a dense purple-black print, which makes it a sensible choice when you actually want something substantial to work with under the scope.

A lovely bit of pedantry for you: you'll still find people claiming B+ is a cross between Psilocybe cubensis and Psilocybe azurescens, usually offered as an explanation for its hardiness. It's a great story and it's comprehensively untrue — those are separate species and don't hybridise. B+ is cubensis through and through. Its resilience is just good genetics, honestly earned.

Something to keep in mind: it's not the quickest off the mark. B+ takes its time colonising and can be a little unhurried in general, but that patience is precisely what makes it so forgiving. It's the strain that would rather do things properly than quickly.

A little history: B+ surfaced in the mid-1990s and is generally credited to a Florida cultivator known only as Mr G — the same name attached to a good number of the strains that shaped the modern hobby, and a man who left remarkably little in the way of a paper trail. What the "B" stands for has never been satisfactorily explained; the plus sign, at least, seems fair enough. Definitive records are elusive, as ever, but B+ spread through hobbyist circles on reputation alone and has stayed near the top of the popularity charts for thirty years — which tells you most of what you need to know. Mr G had a VERY positive experience with this strain and named it as such. So positive, not plus, is how you pronounce its name.

Storage: Keep your spores refrigerated, not frozen, from the moment you receive them. Pop them in the fridge straight away, and they’ll happily keep for a couple of months and in perfect conditions, even for years.

Remember: All our products are sold for microscopy purposes ONLY; do not try to grow mushrooms with any of our products; that would be illegal and very naughty. While I have your attention on this matter, it is very surprising to learn how many naughty people there are out there. No judging, but I cannot answer any questions about growing mushrooms. It doesn’t matter if you live somewhere where growing is legal; I still won’t answer any questions – please don’t ask. However, if you do ask me naughty questions, I will unfortunately have to add you to my banned list, and you will be unable to enjoy any of my lovely products. I will also inform Santa about your naughty behaviour and ask him to put you on his naughty list – that’s now Christmas stuffed. So please, no naughty questions.

Don’t Forget:

• Keep them in a cool, dark place; about 5’c is nice

• Keep the product in a clean and tidy place

• Don’t let the product get hot

• Don’t let them freeze

• Don’t let them become dusty or dirty