Emily Johnson
Mushrooms have been cultivated for thousands of years, and there is still much to learn about them. Mushroom farming is a unique form of agriculture that has gained popularity in recent years due to its sustainability and profitability. It is a challenging process that requires specific knowledge and skills, and a controlled environment with the right temperature and humidity level. The two main components of mushroom cultivation are spawn and substrate. The spawn refers to any material with mycelium on it, such as sterilized sawdust or grains, which will be used to transfer mycelia into a substrate. The substrate, or growing medium, is what the mushrooms will grow on and can be straw, sawdust, or soil compost. This guide will take you through the process of becoming a successful mushroom farmer, from creating the ideal growing environment to harvesting your crop.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Mushroom farming industry | Environmentally friendly, sustainable, efficient with space usage, low labor costs, and profitable for small-scale operations |
| Mushroom cultivation components | Spawn (any material with mycelium on it) and substrate (what the mycelium will grow on) |
| Types of spawn | Plug spawn, sawdust spawn, grain spawn, ready-to-fruit blocks |
| Substrate treatment | Pasteurization, sterilization, lime bath, peroxide bath, and cold fermentation |
| Substrate examples | Straw, sawdust, coffee grounds, supplemented hardwood sawdust or logs |
| Mushroom growth requirements | Water, right temperature, good airflow, and oxygen |
| Harvesting period | 2 to 4 days in a 7- to 10-day cropping cycle (flush or break) |
| Post-harvest process | Proper storage until ready for sale or consumption |
| Mushroom farming challenges | Labor-intensive, risk of contamination, delicate process requiring careful monitoring and attention to detail |
| Mushroom farming advantages | High-value crop, nutritious, can be grown quickly and in a small space, low start-up costs |
| Mushroom cultivation space | Indoor or outdoor, with ventilation systems and controlled temperature and humidity |
| Mushroom cultivation equipment | Laminar flow hood, pressure cooker, steam sterilizer, growing containers |
| Mushroom cultivation tips | Purchase pre-made spawn, focus on growing and selling, collaborate with partners |
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What You'll Learn
- Choose a substrate: pasteurized straw, sawdust, or coffee grounds
- Sterilize the substrate: use a pressure cooker or steam sterilizer
- Prepare a laboratory: create a contaminant-free space with smooth surfaces and good airflow
- Prepare spawn: buy pre-made spawn or make your own by growing mycelium on sawdust or grains
- Harvest: begin harvesting 15-21 days after casing
Choose a substrate: pasteurized straw, sawdust, or coffee grounds
The substrate you choose for your mushrooms is crucial. It's where your mushroom mycelium will obtain all the nutrients it needs to develop and produce mushrooms. Different species of mushrooms have different substrate preferences, so it's important to match your mushrooms with the correct substrate.
Pasteurized straw
Straw is a common substrate for mushroom cultivation, especially for Oyster mushrooms. It is a good option because of its nutritional value and ease of decomposition, which provides a rapid turnover. Straw can be pasteurized through hot water treatment, steam, or lime water solution. To pasteurize straw through hot water treatment, cut the straw into three or four-inch sections and place them in a heat-resistant bag. Fill the bag with boiling water and submerge the straw for up to eight hours or until completely cooled. Then, drain the water and proceed with inoculating the straw with spawn.
Sawdust
Sawdust is another traditional substrate for mushroom cultivation. It is often sourced from hardwoods, and the species of tree matters. Sawdust can be pasteurized or sterilized, depending on the nutrient content. Pasteurization is suitable for less nutritious substrates, while sterilization is required for nutrient-rich substrates.
Coffee grounds
Coffee grounds are an innovative and experimental substrate for mushroom cultivation. They are a good option because they are easily accessible from local coffee shops and already pasteurized due to the brewing process, allowing you to skip the pasteurization step. To use coffee grounds as a substrate, combine a kilogram of coffee grounds with 100 grams of mushroom spawn. You can add 20% pasteurized straw or sawdust to your mix for better air exchange and faster colonization.
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Sterilize the substrate: use a pressure cooker or steam sterilizer
Sterilization of mushroom substrates is a method of preparing substrates using a combination of steam, time, temperature, and pressure to kill living organisms and spores. To achieve sterilization, a temperature of at least 250°F (121°C) must be maintained for a minimum of 2 hours. This temperature cannot be achieved by boiling water or steam alone, as the boiling point of water is 212°F (100°C) at sea level, and adding more heat will not increase the temperature any further. Therefore, pressure is required to raise the temperature to 250°F (121°C) or above to effectively kill bacteria and fungal spores. Typically, a pressure of 15 PSI is needed to reach this temperature.
Before using a pressure cooker for sterilizing mushroom substrates, it is crucial to inspect it thoroughly to ensure all components are in good working order. Look for any signs of damage, such as dents, bulges, or cracks. Some pressure cookers have rubber seals that may degrade over time, leading to leaks. Thus, it is important to carefully check the seals for any damage. Additionally, examine the cooker lid to ensure that nothing is blocking the vent pipe, and confirm that all screws are tightly secured. To prevent excess moisture from entering the substrate, fold mushroom grow bags to prevent steam from entering through the filter patch, and cover any jar filters with foil. Placing a metal rack or jar lids at the bottom of the pressure cooker can help prevent melting or cracking from direct contact with the cooker's base.
After preparing your pressure cooker, you can proceed with the sterilization process. First, adjust the heat until the steam has sufficient pressure to cause the weight to move gently up and down. Once you've achieved the right pressure, set a timer to track your sterilization time. The sterilization time will depend on the amount of substrate and the temperature used. Generally, sterilizing substrate blocks in a pressure cooker at 250°F (121°C) takes anywhere from 1 to 4 hours. For small blocks of substrate, the minimum sterilization time is one hour, while for larger blocks, 3 to 4 hours is sufficient. Over-sterilization can occur if the blocks are left for too long, so it's important to monitor the timing carefully.
Once the sterilization process is complete, turn off the heat and allow the substrate to cool inside the pressure cooker. It is recommended to leave the substrate to cool for at least 8 hours before proceeding to the next step. This cooling period is crucial to ensure that the substrate reaches an appropriate temperature for the subsequent steps. Once the substrate is completely cool, it is ready to be inoculated with mushroom spawn. It is best to perform this step in front of a laminar flow hood to minimize the risk of contamination.
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Prepare a laboratory: create a contaminant-free space with smooth surfaces and good airflow
To prepare a laboratory for mushroom growing, it is important to create a contaminant-free space with smooth surfaces and good airflow. This space should be sealed off from the rest of the operation and have smooth, easily cleanable surfaces. The lab table and shelves should also be smooth and washable.
Good hygiene is imperative when entering the laboratory. The cultivator should only enter the lab with clean clothes, shoes, hands, and hair. Anything that enters the laboratory should be scrutinized. It is easier to prevent contaminants from entering the lab than it is to remove them once they have taken hold.
A well-made laminar flow hood is essential for providing a clean airflow. This is a box with a blower fan forcing air through a HEPA filter, creating a sterile environment for inoculations, transfers, and other mycological work. If converting an entire room into a laboratory is not feasible, a temporary clean space can be set up by placing a laminar flow hood on a clean table in a bedroom or bathroom.
Additionally, it is crucial to maintain the right temperature and humidity levels to ensure optimal mushroom growth. The growing medium should be kept moist at all times, and fresh air should be introduced into the growing room, with a carbon dioxide content of 0.08% or lower, depending on the cultivar.
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Prepare spawn: buy pre-made spawn or make your own by growing mycelium on sawdust or grains
Prepare spawn by buying pre-made or making your own
You can buy pre-made spawn or make your own by growing mycelium on sawdust or grains. The latter is more cost-effective and widely available.
Using sawdust
Sawdust spawn is sterilized sawdust that has been inoculated with mycelium, often using grain spawn. The sawdust is usually made from some type of hardwood with pieces a few millimetres in diameter. It can be used to inoculate logs, outdoor mushroom beds, pasteurized straw, cardboard, and a variety of other substrates. Sawdust spawn is also used to inoculate wooden dowels to create plug spawn.
The main advantage of sawdust spawn is the size of the particles. Their small size and large number provide many more inoculation points for the mycelium to grow into the substrate, resulting in faster mycelium colonisation and less time for contamination. However, sawdust spawn is not very nutritious, which may lead to lower yields.
Using grains
Grain spawn is sterilized grain treated with spores or a sterile culture of mycelium. It is a good nutrient source and inoculum. Each colonized kernel acts as an inoculation point, helping to evenly distribute the mycelium. Grain spawn can be used to create more grain spawn, sawdust spawn, or inoculate pasteurized substrates such as straw.
Common grains used include rye, millet, brown rice, corn, wheat, and other cereal grains. Millet is a great option because it has a very small grain size, resulting in more inoculation points.
Steps for preparing grain spawn
To prepare grain spawn, sterilize the grain for at least 2.5 hours at 15 psi. Keep it at a temperature between 68-75 degrees Fahrenheit (20-24 Celsius). Leave the grain spawn undisturbed for 5-10 days. After this period, check the spawn for healthy growth and confirm no contamination is present. Leave the grain undisturbed for a few more days until the mycelium has a good hold on the grain. When the mycelium is established, break it up and distribute the colonized grains with the uncolonized grains. Keep the grain spawn at the same temperature until it is fully colonized and white with mycelium.
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Harvest: begin harvesting 15-21 days after casing
Harvesting Mushrooms
Harvesting is a critical part of mushroom farming, and it begins 15-21 days after casing. This is approximately 7-8 weeks after composting starts. The harvesting period lasts 2-4 days within a 7-10 day cropping cycle, also known as a flush or break.
Preparation
Before harvesting, it is important to ensure that your grow room is sterile to prevent contamination. Contamination can occur if the grow room is not properly sterilized or if the mushrooms are not handled correctly. The cultivator should also ensure that they are only handling the mushrooms with clean hands, clothes, shoes, and hair.
Picking
When harvesting, pick only the mature mushrooms. Leaving the immature mushrooms will allow them to reach maturity in the next flush. The mushrooms should be picked just before the spores are released.
Post-Harvest
After harvesting, it is important to store the mushrooms properly until they are ready for sale or consumption. Additionally, the spent mushroom substrate should be "pasteurized" with steam to prevent pests or disease-causing pathogens from contaminating neighboring or subsequent crops.
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Frequently asked questions
Mushroom farming involves two main components: spawn and substrate. The spawn refers to any material with mycelium on it, such as sterilized sawdust or grains, which will be used to transfer mycelia into a substrate. The substrate is what the mycelium will grow on and eventually produce mushrooms. Common substrates include straw, sawdust, and coffee grounds.
Mushrooms are typically grown in a controlled, dark, and humid environment. The temperature and humidity levels must be maintained at specific levels to ensure optimal growth. Additionally, fresh air should be introduced into the growing room, with a carbon dioxide content of 0.08% or lower.
Essential equipment includes a substrate, a way to sterilize it (such as a pressure cooker or steam sterilizer) and a growing container. If you're growing mushrooms on a larger scale, you may also need a laboratory or "clean space" with smooth, easily cleaned surfaces to handle and propagate mushroom cultures. This space should have a laminar flow hood, which provides a clean stream of air for inoculations and other mycological work.
Mushroom farming requires specific knowledge and skills, as well as careful monitoring and attention to detail. It can be labour-intensive, especially during the initial setup and harvest periods. It's important to maintain sterile conditions to prevent contamination and ensure proper post-harvest storage. Additionally, consider partnering with someone to share the workload and make the process more enjoyable.
