Question 1

What is First Flush?

Accepted Answer

First Flush is a web-first mushroom cultivation tracker and community platform. It helps you track your grows from inoculation to harvest, manage your culture library, log environmental data, and connect with other growers through our built-in forum.

Question 2

Do I need an account to use First Flush?

Accepted Answer

You can browse the forum without an account. To access the species database, contamination reference guide, and track your own grows, cultures, and spore inventory, you'll need to create a free account.

Question 3

Is First Flush free?

Accepted Answer

Yes! The free plan includes up to 3 active grows, 5 cultures, 10 spore inventory items, the full species database, contamination reference guide, and full forum access. If you need unlimited tracking, label printing, and advanced features, you can upgrade to Pro.

Question 4

Can I use First Flush on my phone?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. First Flush is a Progressive Web App (PWA), which means it works in any modern browser and can be installed to your home screen on both iOS and Android for an app-like experience. You'll even get offline access to species pages.

Question 5

How do I start a new grow?

Accepted Answer

Go to My Grows from the sidebar and click "New Grow." Select your species, give it a name, choose your cultivation technique (monotub, shotgun fruiting chamber, martha tent, etc.), and optionally link a culture or set an inoculation date. Your grow will start in the Planning stage.

Question 6

How do I advance my grow through stages?

Accepted Answer

On your grow's detail page, you'll see a stage timeline. Click the "Advance Stage" button to move through the pipeline: Planning → Inoculation → Colonizing → Fruiting → Harvesting → Complete. You can also mark a grow as Contaminated or Archive it at any stage.

Question 7

How do I log a harvest?

Accepted Answer

When your grow is in the Harvesting stage, you'll see a harvest section on the detail page. Click "Log Harvest" to record the flush number, fresh weight, and date. First Flush automatically calculates your cumulative yield and biological efficiency (BE).

Question 8

What is biological efficiency (BE)?

Accepted Answer

Biological efficiency is calculated as (fresh mushroom weight / dry substrate weight) × 100. It's the standard measure of how productive a grow is. A BE of 100% means you harvested the same weight in fresh mushrooms as your dry substrate. Oyster mushrooms commonly exceed 100% BE.

Question 9

Can I add photos to my grows?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can attach a photo to any log entry on a grow. Photos are displayed in a chronological gallery on the grow detail page, so you can see your progress over time. Images are automatically compressed to keep things fast.

Question 10

How do I add a log entry?

Accepted Answer

On your grow's detail page, scroll to the Log Entries section and click "Add Entry." You can write notes, attach a photo, and optionally record environmental readings (temperature, humidity, CO2) with each entry.

Question 11

What types of cultures can I track?

Accepted Answer

First Flush supports three culture types: Agar Plates, Liquid Cultures (LC), and Grain Spawn. Each type has its own specific fields — media type for agar, recipe and volume for LC, and grain type and jar count for grain spawn.

Question 12

How does the generation counter work?

Accepted Answer

Each time you transfer a culture (e.g., agar to agar, agar to grain), the generation counter increments automatically. Your original isolation is T1, the first transfer is T2, and so on. This helps you track genetic drift and know when it's time to go back to a fresh culture.

Question 13

How do I record a culture transfer?

Accepted Answer

On a culture's detail page, click "Transfer" to create a new culture from it. Select the destination type (agar, LC, or grain), and First Flush will automatically link the parent and child cultures, increment the generation counter, and display the lineage breadcrumb.

Question 14

How do I add spores to my inventory?

Accepted Answer

Go to Spore Inventory from the sidebar and click "Add Spore." Choose the type (syringe, print, or swab), enter a name, select the species, and optionally add vendor info, quantity, and volume. You can then link spores to new grows when you start them.

Question 15

What spore statuses are available?

Accepted Answer

Spores can be marked as Available, Low (running out), Depleted (used up), Contaminated, or Archived. This helps you keep track of what's ready to use at a glance.

Question 16

What species does First Flush cover?

Accepted Answer

We currently have detailed growing parameters for 16 species including Oyster varieties (Blue, Pink, King, Pearl, Golden, Phoenix), Lion's Mane, Shiitake, Reishi, Maitake, Chestnut, Pioppino, Wine Cap, Enoki, Chicken of the Woods, and Turkey Tail. Each species page includes temperature ranges, humidity requirements, colonization timelines, and expected biological efficiency.

Question 17

How do I identify contamination?

Accepted Answer

Visit the Contamination Reference Guide from the sidebar. It covers 10 common contaminants including Trichoderma, Cobweb Mold, Black Pin Mold, and more. Each entry includes visual identification tips, severity level, and recommended actions.

Question 18

How do I print labels for my cultures and grows?

Accepted Answer

Label printing is a Pro feature. On any grow, culture, or spore detail page, click the printer icon to generate a QR code or barcode label. You can choose between 1"×1" square or 2"×1" rectangular formats, then print or save as PNG.

Question 19

Can I print labels in bulk?

Accepted Answer

Yes! On any list page (My Grows, Cultures, or Spore Inventory), click "Print Labels" to enter selection mode. Select individual items or click "Select All," then choose your code type and layout — either all labels on one sheet or one label per page.

Question 20

Can I scan QR code labels?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Use the scanner feature (available from the sidebar) to scan any First Flush QR code or barcode label. It will take you directly to that grow, culture, or spore's detail page.

Question 21

Do I need an account to read the forum?

Accepted Answer

No. Forum posts are publicly readable so they can be indexed by search engines and help the wider community. You'll need to sign in to create posts, reply, like, or bookmark.

Question 22

What forum categories are available?

Accepted Answer

The forum has six categories: Cultivation Techniques, Species Help, Contamination & Troubleshooting, Show Your Grows, Marketplace/Trading, and General Discussion.

Question 23

How do I report inappropriate content?

Accepted Answer

Click the flag icon on any post or reply to report it. You'll be asked to select a reason (spam, harassment, misinformation, inappropriate, or other). Our moderation team reviews all flags.

Question 24

What's included in the Pro plan?

Accepted Answer

Pro gives you unlimited active grows, cultures, and spore inventory items, 5 GB of photo storage, QR/barcode label printing and scanning, CSV data export, advanced analytics, and priority support — all for $7/month.

Question 25

How do I upgrade to Pro?

Accepted Answer

Go to Settings from the sidebar, or visit the Pricing page. Click "Upgrade to Pro" and complete the checkout through Stripe. Your Pro features activate immediately.

Question 26

How do I cancel my subscription?

Accepted Answer

Go to Settings → Subscription and click "Manage Subscription." This will open your Stripe billing portal where you can cancel anytime. You'll keep Pro access until the end of your current billing period.

Question 27

What happens to my data if I downgrade?

Accepted Answer

Your data is never deleted. If you exceed the free plan limits after downgrading, you'll still be able to view all your existing grows and cultures, but you won't be able to create new ones until you're back within the free plan limits.

Question 28

Can I get a refund?

Accepted Answer

If you're not satisfied, contact us within 7 days of your first payment and we'll issue a full refund. After that, you can cancel anytime but refunds are not provided for partial billing periods.

Question 29

How do I export my data?

Accepted Answer

Go to Settings → Data & Privacy and click "Export My Data." This will generate a JSON file containing all your grows, cultures, harvests, log entries, and environmental readings.

Question 30

How do I delete my account?

Accepted Answer

Go to Settings → Data & Privacy and click "Delete Account." This permanently deletes your account and all associated data including grows, cultures, photos, and forum posts. This action cannot be undone.

Question 31

Can I change my email or password?

Accepted Answer

Go to Settings → Profile to update your display name and preferences. To change your email or reset your password, use the options on the login page or contact support.

Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started

Grow Tracking

Culture Tracking

Spore Inventory

Species & Contamination

Label Printing

Forum & Community

Subscription & Billing

Account & Data