Michael Davis
Mushrooms are a fun and nutritious food to cook with and can be grown at home. Mushroom spawn is a substance that has been treated with mycelium to grow mushrooms. The spawn acts as a starter for the growth of mushrooms, supporting the development of their tiny, white, thread-like bodies. While growing your own mushroom spawn can be a rewarding experience, it is a complex process that requires precision and a significant time investment. It may be more feasible for beginners to purchase spawn from a supplier and focus on cultivating mushrooms rather than spawn. This introduction will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of cultivating mushroom spawn, provide an overview of the process, and offer suggestions for those interested in growing mushrooms at home.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Simplest way for beginners | Stem butt method |
| Materials needed | Oyster mushroom stems, damp cardboard, preserving jars, cotton wool, spoon, knife, fork, aluminium foil, drill, seed or grain, bowls, sieve, ladle, pressure cooker, scalpel, alcohol burner, petri dishes, nutrient agar, young mushrooms, mushroom spores, syringe, sterilised water, wood, plastic, silicon sealer, nails, staples, bleach, duct tape, workbench, storage shelves, HEPA filter |
| Steps | 1. Put oyster mushroom stems in a container with damp cardboard. 2. After a couple of weeks, transfer to preserving jars with grain. 3. Drill an 8mm hole in each jar lid. 4. Soak the grain for 24 hours in a bowl of water. 5. Rinse and drain the grain thoroughly. 6. Clean hands with antibacterial soap or wear sterile gloves. 7. Open spawn bag or jar and break up the grains with a sterile utensil. 8. Remove the aluminium foil and lid of the jar. 9. Transfer 1-2 dessert spoons of spawn into the jar of sterile grain. 10. Push cotton wool through the lid's breathing hole. 11. Shake the jar vigorously to disperse the grain spawn. 12. Place on a shaded shelf within the clean room to incubate. |
| Disadvantages | Time-consuming, requires a lot of equipment, sterile space, and precision, prone to mould contamination, unreliable yields |
| Tips | Construct a clean room with wood, plastic sheeting, sealant, duct tape, and bleach solution. Use horse manure compost. Maintain an even, warm temperature and provide moisture. |
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What You'll Learn
The stem butt method
To start, collect oyster mushrooms with the stem butt intact. The stem butt is the base of the stem where the mushroom attaches to the ground. A good stem butt will have some substrate and mycelium still attached. If you don't have access to wild oyster mushrooms, you can buy fresh ones from the grocery store. Ensure that the stems are fresh enough for the stem to still be alive after you cut it off.
Once you have your oyster mushrooms, place the stems in a container with some damp, corrugated cardboard. The cardboard should be brown and without any print on it. You can also boil the cardboard in water before use, as suggested by some sources. This method can also be done on wood chips or pasteurized cardboard, although some have reported difficulties with transferring the spawn to sawdust and chips.
Within a couple of weeks, your mushroom spawn should be ready. You can then use this spawn to inoculate a substrate such as logs, cardboard, straw, or wood chips.
While the stem butt method is a cheap and easy technique, it is less reliable and has lower yields compared to other methods. It is also important to note that growing mushroom spawn can be a challenging and time-consuming process, requiring precision and a sterile environment to avoid contamination.
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Using a full lab setup
A lab setup is ideal for cultivating mushroom spawn, especially if you want to scale up production beyond a hobby. It provides the capacity to produce large quantities of spawn while maintaining multiple mushroom cultures and minimising contamination problems. A well-equipped lab also provides the necessary equipment and environment to carry out tasks safely and demonstrates professionalism and a commitment to quality.
When designing your lab, it should be a separate, dedicated room away from areas with high moisture or dust and as far away as possible from the fruiting room air output. Ideally, you want your steriliser in the lab or, if there's not enough space, placed directly next to the lab to minimise contaminant exposure when moving the substrate from the steriliser to the lab. To save time, it's beneficial to have the lab close to the incubation area for fast movement of inoculated bags.
You can start with a basic clean room and add features to make it more sterile as you gain experience. Many small-scale growers set up a laminar flow hood in a room where other activities happen, such as an incubation space near their substrate bags or a utility room or garage. However, a dedicated mushroom lab is advantageous if you're serious about mushroom cultivation.
A lab allows you to experiment with different mushroom species, develop new strains, and produce high-quality mushroom mycelium. It also enables you to increase the rate of spawn to substrate, which generally has a favourable effect on yield and spawn run time. Additionally, having a lab opens up possibilities beyond just spawn production, such as cloning or even breeding strains and other mycology work.
With a lab setup, you can make your own spawn, which offers several advantages. You can use as much spawn as you want in your mushroom substrate recipes, giving you 10-20% more mushrooms and, therefore, more profit. When you make your own spawn, you become independent from the market price per pound of spawn set by random companies.
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Preparing mushroom spawn
Once you've selected your grain, it's time to prepare it. Start by rinsing and cleaning the grains, then soak them in water for 12 to 24 hours. This soaking process ensures the grains are thoroughly hydrated, making it easier for the mushroom mycelium to consume them. After soaking, cook the grains on the stove for 15 to 20 minutes. Be careful not to overcook them, as this can result in mushy grain spawn. Aim for a low boil, and then drain the grains in a sink with a drain cover. It will take about an hour for the grains to fully drain.
The next step is to fill your jars with the prepared grains. Fill the jars about two-thirds to three-quarters full. This filling level allows for easier shaking during the colonisation process, helping to speed up mycelium growth. Once the jars are filled, it's time to sterilise them. Sterilisation is crucial, as it kills any contaminants in the grain that might outcompete your desired mushroom culture. Place the lids on the jars and pressure cook at 15 PSI for 90 minutes.
After sterilisation, let the jars cool for several hours before handling. Check the grains to ensure there are minimal broken pieces and that they aren't clumped together. At this stage, your grain spawn should be white and fluffy, indicating a healthy spawn ready for inoculation with your chosen mushroom culture.
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Pasteurising the substrate
Pasteurisation is the process of reducing the number of harmful competitor organisms in a mushroom substrate before inoculating it with mushroom spawn. Mushroom mycelium thrives in moist, nutritious organic material, but so do competitor organisms like mould and bacteria. By pasteurising the substrate, you give the mushroom mycelium a head start, allowing it to spread throughout before contaminants can take over.
Benefits of Pasteurisation
Pasteurisation is a more forgiving method than sterilisation, making it ideal for beginners. It is also cheaper and easier than sterilisation, as you don't need a sterile space for spawning. Pasteurisation is less time-consuming and less expensive, and it leaves behind beneficial heat-tolerant bacteria that can help protect the substrate from competing organisms.
Drawbacks of Pasteurisation
A pasteurised substrate is more susceptible to contamination when using substrates with more nutrients. It also requires a higher spawn rate when inoculating.
Methods of Pasteurisation
There are several methods of pasteurisation, including low-tech approaches suitable for beginners:
- Fermentation: Large-scale farms often use fermentation to pasteurise substrates. This involves chopping and wetting the substrate, turning it regularly for several days during phase one composting. In phase two, the substrate is loaded into an insulated chamber to heat up and pasteurise. This method is challenging to execute on a small scale.
- Cold Water Hydrated Lime Pasteurisation: This method is effective for preparing bulk substrates. It uses hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide) to raise the pH of the water used to hydrate the substrate, creating an uninhabitable environment for competitors of mycelium.
- Hot Water Pasteurisation: This method involves soaking the substrate in hot water for 1-2 hours.
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Harvesting and pinning
Harvesting
Harvesting mushrooms involves several steps. First, it is important to ensure that the mushroom grow room is steamed after the substrate is removed and the beds are washed down. The temperature should be maintained at no less than 150°F for at least 12 hours to prevent pathogens from surviving post-crop pasteurization.
The mushroom harvest begins 15 to 21 days after casing, which is 7 to 8 weeks after composting starts. Mushrooms are picked over a period of 2 to 4 days in a 7- to 10-day cropping cycle, also known as a flush or break. Once the mature mushrooms are picked, the next batch moves towards maturity. Flush timing can be managed through water, CO2, and temperature control.
When harvesting, it is important to remove all mushroom material to prevent contamination. Additionally, prior to removal, the spent mushroom substrate should be "pasteurized" with steam to ensure that there are no pests or disease-causing pathogens that can contaminate neighbouring or subsequent crops.
Pinning
Pinning is the process that occurs in the initial stages of mushroom formation. When a fungus has sufficient nutrients, specific environmental conditions will trigger the production of fruiting bodies that we recognize as mushrooms. During this stage, creating optimal environmental conditions is crucial, as baby mushroom pins can stop growing if they dry out or get too hot.
During pinning, mushrooms use cell division to form all the cells necessary for the production of the final mature mushroom. Once pinning is complete, they no longer rely on cell division for growth. Instead, they flood the existing cells with water and nutrients, allowing them to expand rapidly. The fungus selects the healthiest and most viable pins for expansion into mature mushrooms.
To initiate pinning, you can refrigerate shiitake blocks for 12-24 hours to induce a strong pinset to form. Then, place the blocks in a walk-in cooler for 12 hours before removing the plastic bags to encourage fruiting. For other species, such as lion's mane, chestnut, oyster, and king oyster, the bags are cut to expose small areas to an oxygen-rich environment, triggering fruiting.
The first visible sign of pinning is the formation of tiny bumps on the surface of the mycelium covering the mushroom substrate. These bumps, known as hyphal knots, develop into primordia or baby mushrooms, commonly called mushroom pins due to their resemblance to pinheads. Humidity plays a crucial role during pinning, especially during the first four days, when baby mushroom pins are beginning to fruit. Maintaining humidity above 85% during this period is essential for successful pinning.
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Frequently asked questions
The simplest way to grow mushroom spawn for beginners is by using the stem butt method. Cut the stems of oyster mushrooms and place them in a container with damp cardboard. In a couple of weeks, you will have your own spawn.
Oyster, button, and shiitake mushrooms are the easiest types of mushrooms for beginners to grow.
You will need a mushroom growing kit, mushroom spawn, a growing substrate (such as compost, straw, sawdust, or coffee grounds), a damp towel, and a spray bottle.
Mushrooms grow best in a dark, cool, and moist environment. They can be grown indoors in a basement, or outdoors in a garden.
Growing mushrooms typically takes around 14 weeks. However, the time may vary depending on the type of mushroom and the growing method used.
