Sarah Brown
Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of fungi, and they produce and release spores into the environment, which then germinate and form new fungi. Growing mushrooms from spores can be a lot of work, as it requires a sterile environment and specialised equipment. The spores are placed on an agar plate and left to colonise. Once colonised, the non-contaminated areas are transferred to clean agar and the process is repeated until clean samples are obtained. The colonisation process can take 10-20 days, and the ideal temperature for this phase is between 72°F and 80°F. Once the substrate is fully colonised, the mushrooms will begin to fruit.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Time taken for mycelium to jump off the spawn into the substrate | 4 days to 10 days |
| Time taken for spawn to grow through the substrate | Depends on the density of the substrate and species of mushroom |
| Time taken for colonization | 10-20 days or 3-6 weeks |
| Temperature during colonization | 72 F – 80 F |
| Time taken for incubation | 2-4 weeks |
| Temperature during incubation | As close to ideal as possible |
| Humidity during incubation | High |
| Gas exchange during incubation | Small amount |
| Time taken for pinning | 1-2 weeks |
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Sterilise equipment and growing area
Sterilising equipment and the growing area is an essential step in the mushroom growing process. Without it, your mushroom growing project may be contaminated by unwanted bacteria and fungi.
Sterilising equipment
To sterilise your equipment, you will need a pressure cooker, jars or bags of prepared substrate, a wire rack or jar lids, water, and a heat source such as a Bunsen burner. You will also need 70% Isopropyl alcohol, alcohol wipes, disposable gloves, and a facemask.
First, check your pressure cooker for any signs of damage, paying particular attention to the seals, cooker lid, vent pipe, and screws. Then, cover any jar filters with foil and fold your bags to prevent steam from entering through the filter patch. Next, place the jars or bags in the pressure cooker, stacked above the water, not in it. You can use rolled-up chunks of tin foil to lift the stack above the water.
To sterilise your equipment, you will need to achieve a temperature of at least 250°F (121°C) for a minimum of 2 hours. This temperature is required to kill all bacteria and pathogens.
Sterilising the growing area
To sterilise your growing area, you will need to spray and wipe all surfaces with 70% Isopropyl alcohol. This method is not 100% effective, but it is the best option available to those outside of a pharmaceutical lab. You should wear disposable gloves and a facemask during this process.
Alternative sterilisation methods
In addition to sterilisation, you may also choose to pasteurise your substrate. Pasteurisation involves heating the substrate to temperatures between 65°C and 85°C for 1.5 to 2 hours. This will not kill all bacteria but will reduce the number of competing organisms within the substrate.
Another alternative method is fermentation, which is a natural and low-tech technique that requires only water. Simply submerge the substrate in water for at least a week, allowing the growth of anaerobic bacteria.
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Prepare substrate
Preparing a substrate for mushrooms is a crucial step in the growing process. A substrate is essentially the "soil" for your fungi, providing the nutrients and environment for mushrooms to grow and thrive. Different species of mushrooms prefer different substrates, so it's important to understand how mushroom mycelium develops to achieve the best results.
To prepare a substrate, you'll need to choose the right materials, ensure proper hydration, and sterilise or pasteurise the substrate to prevent contamination. Here are the steps to prepare a substrate for growing mushrooms:
- Choose the Right Materials: Common materials for mushroom substrates include straw, sawdust, coffee grounds, manure, and agricultural waste. For example, straw is commonly used for Oyster Mushroom cultivation, while manure is preferred for common button mushrooms and portobella mushrooms.
- Prepare the Materials: Cut straw into 3-4 inch lengths. If using coffee grounds, ensure they are used, fully cooled, and slightly dried to prevent mould growth. For sawdust, soak hardwood sawdust pellets in water until they expand and break apart.
- Mix the Materials: Combine the chosen materials with additional supplements for improved yields. For example, you can mix straw with sawdust, compost, or manure. Coffee grounds can be mixed with vegetable scraps in a 3:1 ratio, and a small portion of gypsum can be added to improve structure.
- Hydrate the Substrate: Add water to the substrate to ensure proper hydration. For straw, this occurs during pasteurisation when it is soaked in hot water. For supplemented sawdust fruiting blocks, mix an appropriate amount of water into the sawdust before sterilisation.
- Pasteurise or Sterilise: This step kills microbial life, spores, and unwanted bacteria. Pasteurisation is sufficient for most substrates and can be done by soaking the substrate in 70°C water for one hour. Sterilisation is more intense and can be achieved by using an oven, pressure cooker, or autoclave, but it may dry out the substrate, requiring rehydration with distilled water.
- Inoculate the Substrate: Once the substrate is in its final container, inoculate it with mushroom spawn or spores to start the growing process. You will know it's successful when you see signs of colonisation, with the mushroom's mycelium growing and spreading throughout the substrate.
Remember, a high-quality substrate is nutrient-rich, well-aerated, and free from contaminants. The preparation process will vary depending on the specific materials used and the species of mushroom you are cultivating.
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Inoculation
To prepare the substrate, it is important to ensure optimal moisture content and cleanliness. This includes sterilizing the substrate to avoid contamination by other organisms, which can be done through methods such as pasteurization or pressure cooking. The chosen growing substrate should be pasteurized at a temperature of at least 167°F for two hours.
The process of inoculation depends on the nutrient level of the substrate. For low-nitrogen, carbon-rich materials like logs, woodchips, and straw, inoculation can be done outdoors with little concern for introducing contaminants. However, for nitrogen-rich substrates that are more prone to contamination, indoor inoculation in a sterile space is recommended.
After inoculation, the spawn goes through a process called incubation, where it grows through the substrate. This typically occurs around four days after inoculation, and full colonization of the substrate can take a few weeks, depending on the type of mushroom and the substrate used. During this time, it is important to maintain the right conditions for growth, including humidity, temperature, and light.
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Incubation
The rate at which spawn run happens will vary given the density of the substrate and species of mushroom. The colonization process will take roughly 10–20 days, but this period can last between 3 to 6 weeks depending on the strain and environmental conditions. During this time, it is important to be wary of contamination and keep environmental conditions as consistent as possible. The ideal conditions for this phase are in a dark place with a temperature between 72 °F–80 °F. Humidity must remain high throughout the process. A small amount of gas exchange is vital since the mycelium needs oxygen to grow. Mushrooms also exhale CO2, so you need to provide a way for them to breathe.
There are several options for substrate preparation depending on the grower’s goals, available resources, and infrastructure on the farm or growing site. Each technique carries a set of pros and cons. In general, lower-tech methods focus on using low-nitrogen, high-carbon materials like oyster mushrooms on straw or shiitake on logs. The higher-tech methods generally use higher-nutrient materials to increase the speed of colonization and yield.
To grow mushrooms from spores, you need to put them on an agar plate and wait for it to colonize. Then, you take the non-contaminated areas and transfer them to clean agar and repeat until you have clean samples. This can be like 5 transfers or so. Then, you use that clean sample and make a liquid culture or add the sample to grain to colonize.
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Fruiting
There are several factors that will impact the overall yield of your mushrooms, such as the species of mushroom, the strength and resilience of the strain, whether you are growing indoors or outdoors, the temperature, humidity, and oxygen levels, and whether you are starting with spores or spawn.
It is much easier to grow mushrooms if you start with spawn instead of spores. Spawn will always grow faster, and it can be cloned, so you know the exact qualities of the mushrooms you will get. Mushroom spores, on the other hand, are genetically distinct, so it's harder to predict the outcome. If you want to grow mushrooms quickly, choose spawn over spores.
If you are growing your mushrooms from spores, it can take 3 to 5 years from when you spread spores in an area until a colony of mushrooms appears. However, this timeline will vary depending on the type of mushroom you are growing. For example, shiitake mushrooms are one of the slowest-growing varieties, taking between 8 and 12 weeks for incubation and another 1 to 2 weeks of fruiting time before they are ready to harvest. On the other hand, oyster mushrooms are among the easiest to grow.
Once your substrate is fully colonized, you will need to decide how you want to fruit it. This can be achieved by leaving the substrate in the bag to fruit or moving it to an external location like a plastic tote, terrarium, or monotub. Fruiting the substrate in a tote will typically result in a larger yield because the substrate will have more surface area and headroom to produce fruit bodies. However, this method requires additional steps and equipment, as well as a clean and sterile growing environment. If you plan on fruiting the kit in the bag, open the bag to give the substrate some fresh air once it is fully colonized.
The three factors that will take the substrate from a vegetative stage to a fruiting stage are temperature, oxygen level, and humidity. Controlling all of these at the right time will cause the substrate to fruit. The ideal fruiting temperature is around 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit, but this will vary depending on the specific species of mushroom you are cultivating. Mushrooms require light, but not for the same reasons as plants. They only need 4 to 6 hours of indirect light per day, and this light does not need to be within a particular light spectrum as the mushrooms are not converting light into energy. Instead, it seems that mushrooms use light to measure how far to extend their stems. Low-light environments will create skinny mushrooms with long stems.
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