Earlier this year, Julian Mattucci, also known as “God Emperor Myco,” was creating new generations of spores from some Psilocybe subtropicalis mushrooms that he had procured online from a popular supplier. He claims to have not been “working them for potency” but rather to arrive at a cleaner, more robust genetic structure to fix issues caused by sustained inbreeding—common in a field that has long been run by amateurs. Interbreed too much, and mushrooms can lack general health, produce lesser yields, and sometimes be lower strength.
After three cultivation cycles, the self-taught mycologist—who is based in Atlanta and runs the mushroom-development company Imperial Labs—decided it was time to try what