Laura Smith
Oyster mushrooms are a great choice for beginners looking to grow their own mushrooms at home. They are resilient, fast-growing, and can grow almost anywhere. Blue oyster mushrooms, in particular, are a beginner-friendly variety that can be grown indoors or outdoors using inexpensive materials. They are also highly nutritious, making them a popular choice for home cultivators and commercial growers alike. With the right tools or a countertop kit, you can easily grow your own oyster mushrooms and enjoy the many culinary and health benefits they offer.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Ease of cultivation | Oyster mushrooms are easy to cultivate for beginners. |
| Taste | Oyster mushrooms are juicy, meaty, savory, and have an umami-rich flavor. |
| Culinary uses | Oyster mushrooms can be sautéed, pan-fried, or stir-fried. They can be incorporated into soups, pasta dishes, and roasts. |
| Nutrition | Oyster mushrooms are rich in B vitamins, vitamin D, protein, and antioxidants. |
| Growing mediums | Oyster mushrooms can be grown on straw, wood pellets, gerbil food, or cardboard. |
| Containers | Oyster mushrooms can be grown in buckets, laundry baskets, ice cream tubs, trash bags, wooden barrels, woven baskets, or food-grade plastic containers. |
| Lighting | Oyster mushrooms require moderate lighting but should be avoided from direct sunlight. |
| Temperature | Depending on the variety, the temperature can range from 10-25°C. |
| Oxygen | Oyster mushrooms require oxygen-rich fresh air. |
| Humidity | Oyster mushrooms require consistent humidity and moisture. |
| Spawn | Mushroom spawn is required for cultivation and can be purchased from suppliers. |
| Yield | Oyster mushrooms are known for their vigorous growth and high yield. |
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What You'll Learn
Oyster mushroom growing equipment
Oyster mushrooms are a beginner's favourite for their resilience, fast growth, and ability to grow almost anywhere. They are forgiving, colonize quickly, and produce impressive yields even for beginners.
- A pre-made kit with a pre-inoculated growing medium, which you can buy from Amazon, Walmart, Ace Hardware, or Nuvedo. These kits are easy to fruit and will give you a good harvest.
- Oyster mushroom spawn, which is the living mycelium, the vegetative network of the mushroom, ready to colonize your substrate and eventually sprout. You can buy this from Urban Farm-It or Field & Forest Products.
- A pressure cooker, which is an important tool for the intermediate mushroom grower.
- A laminar flow hood, which creates a sterile workspace for agar work, grain transfers, and other procedures requiring high sterility.
- A spray water bottle to mist your growing environment twice a day.
- A hoop screen to help prevent bugs and critters from getting to your mushrooms if you are growing them outdoors.
- Sterile sawdust blocks and a humidity tent or bucket.
- Pasteurized straw or wood chips.
- Garden beds or potting soil.
- Trays filled with a nutritious bulk substrate.
- Hardwood sawdust or pellets and mushroom grow bags.
- Wheat or rice bran.
- A plastic bucket or tote.
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Optimal temperature and humidity
Oyster mushrooms are a great choice for beginners due to their resilience, fast growth, and ability to grow almost anywhere. They are composed of around 95% water, and even slight changes in humidity can cause issues. Therefore, maintaining proper humidity and temperature is crucial for successfully growing oyster mushrooms.
Oyster mushrooms thrive in temperatures between 15°C and 25°C, which ensures the rapid and healthy growth of the mycelium and fruiting bodies. They can tolerate temperatures as low as 5-7°C, but their growth will be slower, and it will be harder to maintain good humidity and air exchange. At higher temperatures, the clusters tend to be lighter, with thinner caps and paler colours.
The humidity level should be maintained between 85% and 90% for optimal growth. A range of 82% to 89% is generally considered suitable for normal mushroom development, depending on the strain and temperature. High-pressure atomizing misters are ideal for creating the right humidity conditions. Alternatively, you can use a simple water mister or a spray bottle to mist the growing environment at least twice a day, without spraying the mushrooms directly.
To monitor the humidity and temperature, you can use a hygrometer and a thermometer, respectively. If growing indoors, ensure that the growing environment has good ventilation and access to light and oxygen-rich fresh air. Exchange all the air in the room at least every 10 minutes to prevent a build-up of CO2, which can inhibit fruiting.
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Containers and substrates
Oyster mushrooms are easy to grow at home because they can grow almost anywhere and on just about anything. The substrate is the growing medium that provides the nutrients necessary for the mycelium (the fungal structure) to thrive and eventually produce fruiting bodies (the mushrooms).
Common substrates for oyster mushrooms include straw, wood chips, coffee grounds, and cardboard. Straw is the most widely used substrate, and it is recommended for beginners. Wheat or oat straw should be cut into 1-3 inch pieces to increase the surface area for mycelial growth. Straw should be pasteurized by boiling in water for about an hour to kill mould spores and other unwanted microorganisms. Other pasteurization methods include the hydrated lime method and cold fermentation. After pasteurization, the straw should be drained and cooled to room temperature.
Wood chips should also be boiled for at least an hour to sterilize and then allowed to drain and cool. Wood pellets are a good option for beginners as they come already pasteurized, and you just need to add water to hydrate them. Coffee grounds provide a rich nutrient medium ideal for mycelium growth.
The substrate must be pasteurized or sterilized to kill unwanted microorganisms. Then, the substrate is mixed with oyster mushroom spawn and placed in a sterile environment for incubation. It is important to wear sterile gloves to prevent contamination. The spawn will come to life in warm, humid conditions and eat its way across the food. The mixture should be placed in a plastic bag or bucket, sealing tightly to minimize air exposure. The bag or bucket should be stored in a warm, dark place with a temperature between 20-25°C. Spray the substrate regularly with water to keep it moist but not soaked.
After about two weeks, white mycelium should appear. Once the entire substrate is white, the incubation phase is complete, and it is time to start fruiting. Move the bags to a location with indirect light and higher humidity to encourage fruit formation. Ensure sufficient air circulation by providing a small slit or hole in your bag, which signals to the mycelium that there is a space to grow out from. Spray the growing environment with water twice a day to keep the substrate hydrated and humid, which will encourage the mushrooms to form and stop them from drying out.
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Incubation and fruiting
Incubation
Oyster mushrooms can be grown at home using straw or hardwood logs as a substrate. The incubation period is the first phase of the growing process, during which the mycelium develops and colonizes the substrate. This phase requires warm, humid, and dark conditions.
To incubate oyster mushrooms using straw, soak chopped straw in water for several days, then drain and mix with mushroom spawn. Pack the mixture into a large plastic bag, poking holes to allow air exchange and the escape of excess water. Place the bag in a warm, sheltered environment above 70°F (21°C) and maintain high humidity by spraying with water daily. The straw should become covered in white mycelium within a few days.
Alternatively, when using hardwood logs, drill one-inch holes every six inches along the log and insert spawn plugs or inject spawn using a specialist tool. Seal the holes with melted wax. Wrap the log in a plastic bag, leaving a gap for air exchange, and store it in a warm place (60-80°F or 15-27°C) to incubate.
Fruiting
Once the substrate is completely colonized by the mycelium, it's time to initiate the fruiting phase. This requires a lower temperature of around 20°C (68°F) and some indirect light. The substrate should remain humid, and fresh air exchange is important to prevent excessive CO2 levels.
For straw-based cultivation, move the bag to a location with indirect light and maintain humidity by spraying at least once a day. For log-based cultivation, move the wrapped log to a damp and shady spot, such as under a tree in your backyard.
Within about a week, you should see tiny mushroom pins forming. Over the next 5-7 days, these baby mushrooms will double in size daily. Harvest the mushrooms by twisting and pulling or cutting them at the base when they reach the desired size.
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Harvesting and storage
Oyster mushrooms are easy to grow at home and can be harvested and stored in several ways.
Harvesting
The best time to harvest oyster mushrooms is when their caps are fully formed but still slightly curved. Cut the mushrooms at the base of the stem, leaving about an inch of the stem attached to the growing medium. You can use a sharp knife or scissors to cut the mushrooms, and it is best to harvest them in the morning when they are most plump and firm.
Storage
Oyster mushrooms can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week if they are properly prepared and stored. After harvesting, gently clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel, kitchen towel, or mushroom brush to remove any dirt or debris. Do not rinse the mushrooms, as this can make them waterlogged. Then, cut off the tough bottom portion of the stems and slice the mushrooms into your desired size. Place the sliced mushrooms in a paper bag or cloth bag, and store them in the refrigerator.
Another option for storing oyster mushrooms is to dehydrate them. Spread the sliced mushrooms on a tray and place them in a dehydrator, oven, or sunny spot until they are completely dry. This process can take several hours or days, depending on the method and environment. Once dehydrated, the mushrooms can be stored in airtight containers for several months.
Additionally, oyster mushrooms can be frozen for long-term storage. To do this, blanch the mushrooms in boiling water for one minute, then plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain the mushrooms and place them in freezer bags or containers. Frozen oyster mushrooms can be stored for up to six months.
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Frequently asked questions
Oyster mushrooms are one of the easiest types of mushrooms to grow at home, and they can grow and fruit in a wide range of conditions. You can grow as many as you like, but you will need to create the right environment and use the right substrate.
Oyster mushrooms can be cultivated on a variety of different substrates, including straw, coffee grounds, cardboard, logs, compost, hardwood sawdust, and paper.
Oyster mushrooms will grow in temperatures between 10-30°C (50-86°F), but the ideal temperature range is 20-24°C.
Oyster mushrooms grow quickly and can be ready to harvest in as little as three weeks.
Oyster mushrooms are a great choice for beginners as they don't require any special equipment. You will need a substrate, a container, and a spray bottle to maintain humidity. You can also buy mushroom kits that include everything you need.
