Sarah Brown
Chestnut mushrooms (Pholiota adiposa) are a relatively new species of gourmet, edible mushrooms being cultivated in the US. They are known for their nutty flavour and unique texture. Chestnut mushrooms can be grown at home and are considered to be of medium difficulty to cultivate. They require a clean, temperature-controlled environment to fruit properly, with a temperature between 15-22°C (59-72°F) and humidity levels of 85-95%. They can be grown in a fruiting chamber or tent, and the process of fruiting involves several stages, including primordia formation, pinning, and fruit body formation.
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What You'll Learn
Chestnut mushrooms like to fruit in one large cluster
Chestnut mushrooms are a relatively new species of gourmet, edible mushrooms being cultivated in the US. They are also known as cinnamon cap mushrooms, brick tops, and kuritake. They are clustering, wood-loving mushrooms that form dense clusters of dark orange-gilled mushrooms with a slightly shaggy cap. The caps are yellow to orange-brown and convex, measuring 2-10 cm across, and are covered in darker scales. The gills are pale yellow, turning rusty brown with age. The stems are 3-12 cm long, slender, and scaly below a faint ring zone.
To grow chestnut mushrooms, you'll need to create the right environmental conditions in your fruiting room, including temperature, humidity, light, and oxygen and CO2 levels. Chestnut mushrooms require a clean, temperature-controlled environment to fruit properly. A spare room, basement, or garage can work well, as long as you can control the temperature, humidity, and light. You'll want to maintain a temperature between 60-70°F (15-21°C), humidity between 85-95%, and indirect light exposure.
The ideal fruiting temperature for chestnut mushrooms is generally between 18-22°C (64-72°F), though they can tolerate a slightly broader range depending on their stage of development and environmental conditions. Primordia formation (the pinning stage) occurs at 15-18°C (59-64°F) with high humidity (around 95%) to encourage the formation of baby mushrooms. Once pins develop into mushrooms, the ideal temperature increases slightly to 17-21°C (63-70°F), with the sweet spot being around 18-19°C (64-66°F). Maintaining this range ensures robust growth and prevents stress on the developing mushrooms.
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The ideal fruiting temperature is between 18-22°C
Chestnut mushrooms require a temperature-controlled environment to fruit properly. The ideal fruiting temperature is between 18-22°C (64-72°F). At this temperature, the mushrooms will grow well without any stress. Maintaining this temperature range is crucial for chestnut mushroom cultivation. If the temperature goes below the recommended range, the growth of the mushrooms will slow down significantly, delaying fruiting and reducing yield. On the other hand, excessive heat can dry out the fruiting bodies, leading to poor-quality mushrooms and an increased susceptibility to pests or diseases.
Chestnut mushrooms prefer cooler temperatures than some other mushrooms. They typically take 2-3 weeks to mature once they start to fruit from baby primordia. They are prone to drying out or stopping their growth if humidity is not maintained when the mushrooms are still in their early stages. Therefore, it is important to control not only the temperature but also the humidity and light in the growing environment.
A spare room, basement, or garage can be used to grow chestnut mushrooms as long as the temperature, humidity, and light can be controlled. The temperature should be maintained between 60-70°F (15-21°C), with a humidity level of 85-95% and indirect light exposure. For the primordia formation stage, the optimal temperature is 59-64°F (15-18°C), with a humidity level of 95%. Once the pins start to develop into mushrooms, the temperature can be increased slightly to 63-70°F (17-21°C), with the ideal temperature being 64-66°F (18-19°C).
If you are using a chestnut mushroom growing kit, the ideal incubation temperature is 72°F (22°C). The bag should be completely consumed by mycelium and ready for fruiting conditions in about four weeks.
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Chestnut mushrooms require a clean, temperature-controlled environment
Chestnut mushrooms also prefer cooler temperatures than some other mushrooms and are prone to drying out if humidity is not maintained when the mushrooms are still in their early stages. The desired humidity level is between 85-95%, and they require indirect light exposure. Primordia formation takes 1-2 weeks after full colonization, with an optimal temperature of 59-64°F (15-18°C) and high humidity of around 95% to encourage the formation of baby mushrooms. Once pins develop into mushrooms, the temperature is slightly increased, and humidity is lowered.
The entire process, from Primordia formation to mature mushrooms ready for harvest, takes about 2-3 weeks. Chestnut mushrooms fruit in the fall from August to October when cultivated in the wild, but they can fruit year-round when grown indoors. They typically grow in clusters, making them easy to harvest. Each bag can produce 2-3 flushes of mushrooms, spaced about 2 weeks apart.
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They can be top or side-fruited
Chestnut mushrooms can be top or side-fruited. If you're fruiting them from a bag, you have two options: cut off the top of the bag and top fruit them, or slice a 4-inch diagonal incision across the wide part of the bag and side fruit them. The top fruit approach is often preferred as it allows for reusing the bag.
Chestnut mushrooms typically take 2-3 weeks to mature once they start to fruit from baby primordia. They require a clean, temperature-controlled environment to fruit properly. A spare room, basement, or garage can work well, provided you can control the temperature, humidity, and light. Maintaining a temperature between 60-70°F (15-21°C) and humidity between 85-95% is essential.
The ideal fruiting temperature for chestnut mushrooms is generally between 18-22°C (64-72°F). However, they can tolerate slight deviations depending on their development stage and environmental conditions. During the primordia formation or pinning stage, an optimal temperature of 15-18°C (59-64°F) encourages the formation of baby mushrooms.
Once the pins develop into mushrooms, the temperature should be slightly increased to 17-21°C (63-70°F), with the ideal range being 18-19°C (64-66°F). Maintaining consistent temperatures is crucial for chestnut mushroom cultivation. Lower temperatures significantly slow down growth and delay fruiting, while excessive heat can dry out the mushrooms, affecting their quality and making them more susceptible to pests or diseases.
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Chestnut mushrooms take 10-14 days to mature
Chestnut mushrooms are a relatively new species of gourmet, edible mushrooms being cultivated in the US. They are native to China and are typically found growing on beech trees, though they have also been found on oaks and poplars. They are closely related to the Nameko mushroom, but unlike the Nameko, Chestnut mushrooms do not have a slime layer. Instead, they have a scaly texture and a greasy surface. The caps of the mushrooms are yellow with brownish scales, and the stems are yellow, becoming rust-brown closer to the base.
Chestnut mushrooms are characterised by their preference for cooler temperatures and typically take 2-3 weeks to mature once they start to fruit from baby primordia. They can be grown at home using hardwood logs, stumps, or enriched sawdust substrate inoculated with spawn. Optimal conditions are 55-70°F (13-21°C) and moderate humidity. When growing chestnut mushrooms, it is important to maintain high humidity. This can be achieved by cutting a large "X" on each broad side of your growing kit and spraying water on the cut areas.
To create an ideal growing medium, you can prepare a hardwood-based substrate. A common recipe includes 78% hardwood sawdust (preferably beech, oak, or maple) mixed with other ingredients, such as millet, wheat, and rye, until evenly distributed. Water should be slowly added while mixing until the substrate reaches approximately 60-65% moisture content.
Chestnut mushrooms typically take 10-14 days to mature after pinning begins, depending on environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity. The ideal time to harvest is when the mushroom caps are fully opened but still slightly curved downward. The edges of the caps should not have started to curl or flatten, as this indicates over-ripeness and the potential release of spores. The gills underneath the caps should be visible but not overly darkened or releasing spores.
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Frequently asked questions
Chestnut mushrooms require cooler temperatures to fruit than some other mushrooms. The ideal temperature range is between 60-70°F (15-21°C), with the optimal range being 64-66°F (18-19°C).
Chestnut mushrooms require high humidity levels of around 85-95% during the fruiting process.
Chestnut mushrooms take between 10 and 14 days to mature. They can be harvested about two weeks after the primordia formation stage.
