Although it tends to vary, high quality psychedelic mushroom spores can go bad in a matter of days if they’re not properly protected and kept in a safe, cold and dark place. Psilocybin spores are no exception, and most of them will attempt to germinate within 5 to 20 days, depending on the strain. Fortunately, thanks to modern technology, you don’t have to limit yourself to a single mushroom syringe or throw away all your expensive laboratory-grade syringes containing mushroom spores, if that time passes.
A typical mushroom spore syringe left at room temperature in a lab can already extend the time of survival to about 30 days. Storing the syringe in a common refrigerator can further extend it to 4-12 months, and keeping it in complete darkness will bring that number up even further. Scientists have even found a mycelium spore that survived for over 200 years, so under the right conditions a lot of things could be possible.
It’s important, of course, to avoid going too far with your attempts at extending the life of your psychedelic mushroom spores. Some believe that freezing the spores could extend their life a lot more than keeping them refrigerated. However, because ice crystals form that can greatly disrupt the structure and growing ability of the spores, such practices are greatly discouraged by most experts.