John Miller
Oyster mushrooms are one of the easiest types of mushrooms to grow at home. They are a high-yield, fast-growing crop and are highly tolerant of variations in temperature, humidity, light levels and carbon dioxide levels. They are also delicious to eat and healthy, with medicinal properties. You can grow oyster mushrooms both indoors and outdoors, and there are several different types of oyster mushrooms to choose from, including pearl, blue, golden, pink, phoenix, and king oyster. This guide will teach you how to grow oyster mushrooms outdoors.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Types | Pearl oyster, blue oyster, golden oyster, pink oyster, phoenix oyster, and king oyster |
| Growing conditions | Oyster mushrooms require a specific combination of temperature, humidity, and nutrition. |
| Substrate | Compost, manure, straw, or sawdust |
| Temperature | Blue oyster mushrooms grow in cooler temperatures of 45-65 F (12-18 C) |
| Humidity | 85-90% is recommended |
| Lighting | Indirect or shaded light is needed for the fruitbodies to form properly. |
| Harvesting | Mushrooms can be harvested at any size. |
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What You'll Learn
- Choosing a location: Indoors or outdoors
- Selecting a substrate: Straw, compost, manure, or sawdust
- Oyster mushroom varieties: Pearl, blue, pink, golden, or king
- Preparing the substrate: Mixing spawn, ensuring humidity, and providing oxygen
- Harvesting and reusing: When and how to harvest, and what to do with leftovers
Choosing a location: Indoors or outdoors?
Oyster mushrooms are one of the easiest varieties of mushrooms to grow and can be cultivated both indoors and outdoors.
If you're growing oyster mushrooms outdoors, you can simply mix the spawn with straw and spread it over an area of ground, wetting it. You can also make straw logs or inoculate old tree stumps or logs with mushroom spores. To make straw logs, stuff pasteurized straw and spawn into poly tubing, perforate, and allow it to colonize for 10-14 days. Alternatively, sprinkle some oyster spawn between straw bales and cover them with plastic sheeting to keep the moisture in. You can also grow oyster mushrooms in a garden bed, but the results may not be as predictable as growing them indoors, and there may be some contamination.
When growing outdoors, choose an area that doesn't receive too much direct sunlight, as this can dry out the mycelium. A good area will have lots of shade and be surrounded by tall grass or trees to help maintain moisture in the bed.
Growing oyster mushrooms indoors can be done using a ready-made growing kit or by purchasing mushroom spawn to inoculate your chosen growing material. You can use a substrate such as compost, manure, straw, or sawdust. Growing kits typically come with spawn and a growing medium, and some even include spores. When growing indoors, maintain a humidity level of 85-90% and ensure a constant source of fresh air.
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Selecting a substrate: Straw, compost, manure, or sawdust?
Oyster mushrooms are one of the easiest varieties of mushrooms to grow. They are tolerant of most conditions and can be grown both indoors and outdoors.
When selecting a substrate for oyster mushrooms, you can choose from straw, compost, manure, or sawdust. Straw is a common choice for mushroom substrates due to its availability, affordability, and ability to hold moisture. Wheat, rice, or oat straw are all suitable for growing oyster mushrooms. To prepare straw for oyster mushroom growth, you will need to pasteurize it by heating it above 145 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours. This process ensures high yields but requires a significant amount of fuel. After pasteurization, the straw should be adequately hydrated for optimal mycelium growth.
Sawdust is another effective substrate for oyster mushrooms, particularly when mixed with wheat bran. Sawdust provides a balanced mix of carbon and nitrogen for oyster mushrooms. Additionally, the porous nature of sawdust facilitates mycelium colonization and efficient nutrient absorption. Hardwood sawdust is especially beneficial due to its rich blend of nutrients.
Compost is a nutrient-rich substrate that is favored by button mushrooms. It is made from decomposed organic materials such as kitchen scraps, yard waste, straw, and manure. To prepare compost for mushroom growth, create a mix of these materials, ensuring it is rich in nitrogen and other nutrients. Then, pile the mixture and turn it regularly to promote aerobic decomposition. Maintain moisture and monitor temperature during this process. Pasteurize the compost by heating it to 160°F (70°C) for several hours to eliminate pathogens.
Manure is another substrate option for oyster mushrooms. However, it is important to note that different types of animal dung feed specific fungi. For example, horse droppings support different fungi than cow droppings. Additionally, some mushrooms that are said to grow on manure actually thrive on compost mixes made with dung and other ingredients.
You can also mix different substrates to create unique combinations that cater to the specific needs of your oyster mushrooms. For instance, a blend of straw and sawdust is popular due to its availability and ease of preparation. Straw provides a carbon-rich base, while sawdust contributes a source of nutrients for mushroom growth. Similarly, a mixture of straw and coffee grounds creates a substrate rich in nitrogen and carbon, benefiting various mushroom species.
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Oyster mushroom varieties: Pearl, blue, pink, golden, or king?
Oyster mushrooms are a tasty and nutritious food with several health benefits. They are also one of the easiest varieties of mushrooms to grow at home. Here is a guide to some of the most popular varieties:
Pearl Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus)
The pearl oyster mushroom is one of the most commonly available varieties. They are widespread in many temperate and subtropical forests around the world and are often found growing on dying hardwood trees. They are white to grey or brown in colour, with a broad, fan-shaped cap. They have a mild taste with a slight anise-like odour and are best picked young, as the flesh becomes tough and the flavour acrid as the mushroom ages.
Blue Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus var. columbinus)
The blue oyster mushroom is a subspecies of the common oyster mushroom and is native to the northern hemisphere. It is one of the fastest-growing varieties and prefers cooler temperatures of 45-65 F (12-18 C).
Pink Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus djamor)
The pink oyster mushroom is native to tropical and subtropical regions, growing as far north as Japan and as far south as New Zealand. They have a pink colour, though there are also white forms. They have a fan-shaped, broadly convex to plane cap, with gills ranging from light pink to cream. They have a meaty and fishy flavour and are widely cultivated.
Golden Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus citrinopileatus)
Golden oyster mushrooms are native to the hardwood forests of eastern Russia, northern China, and Japan. They are a popular edible mushroom and are widely cultivated. They are decomposers, consuming dead trees, particularly elms, whole.
King Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus eryngii)
The king oyster mushroom is native to the Mediterranean regions of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, though it is also grown in parts of Asia. It is the largest species in the oyster mushroom genus and has a thick, meaty white stem and a small tan cap. It has a good shelf life and little flavour or aroma when raw, but when cooked, it develops a rich umami flavour and a meaty texture.
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Preparing the substrate: Mixing spawn, ensuring humidity, and providing oxygen
Oyster mushrooms are easy to grow and highly adaptable to different conditions. To prepare the substrate, you'll need to mix spawn with a growing medium such as straw, wood chips, compost, manure, or sawdust. You can purchase spawn from retailers, and it usually comes as a mix of spores and nutrients.
For outdoor growing, mix the spawn with straw and spread it over an area of ground, wetting it to initiate growth. You can also make straw logs or inoculate old tree stumps or logs with mushroom spores. To keep the mixture moist, cover it with plastic sheeting or perforated poly sheeting. During the colonisation period, check the bed regularly to ensure it doesn't dry out.
For indoor growing, you can use a container that retains moisture while still breathing, such as a laundry basket or a bucket with holes drilled in it. Fill the container with pasteurised straw and spawn, and perforate the container to allow for colonisation.
Maintain high humidity (85-90%) as the mushrooms begin fruiting, and ensure a constant source of fresh air by allowing air to flush through the growing area. Oyster mushrooms require oxygen-rich air, similar to their natural environment of growing out of a stump or log in the wild.
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Harvesting and reusing: When and how to harvest, and what to do with leftovers
Harvesting and Reusing
Harvesting oyster mushrooms is a rewarding process. Once the mushrooms have fully colonized their growing medium, you can provide the optimal conditions for them to develop into fruit bodies. While direct sunlight is not suitable, some indirect or shaded light is needed for the fruit bodies to form properly. Oyster mushrooms are accustomed to growing out of a stump or log in fresh, oxygen-rich air. Creating a 5 cm slit or hole in your growing bag will signal to the mycelium that it is time to grow out.
When harvesting, you can remove the mushrooms at any size, but it is recommended to harvest them relatively early to avoid bugs. To remove the mushroom, twist it firmly at its base. After harvesting a few crops, stacking the mounds of straw can help increase the yield.
After you've harvested your mushrooms, you can cook a delicious mushroom meal. If you have leftovers, you can reuse the mushroom substrate. Submerge it in water overnight to rehydrate, and then follow the same instructions from the fruiting stage. Spray the substrate twice a day in the same hole you cut out earlier, and within one to two weeks, you'll have another batch of mushrooms.
You can repeat this process for a third crop before the substrate runs out of nutrients. Then, break up the substrate and add it to your compost or use it as mulch or a top layer dressing for your garden. Alternatively, if you grew your mushrooms in straw, you can feed the straw to livestock or compost it after it ceases to produce mushrooms.
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Frequently asked questions
The pearl oyster, blue oyster, pink oyster, and king oyster are all easy to grow at home. Pink oyster mushrooms are one of the easiest species to grow, as they are fast to colonize, produce a lot of fruits, and are resilient to imperfect conditions.
Oyster mushrooms can be grown from a ready-made kit or with mushroom spawn. Mushroom spawn can be bought online and applied to compost, manure, straw, or sawdust.
Oyster mushrooms are highly tolerant of variations in temperature, humidity, light levels, and carbon dioxide levels. However, direct sunlight should be avoided, as it can dry out the mycelium. Oyster mushrooms require a consistent source of fresh air.
Oyster mushrooms can be harvested at any size, but once they reach full size, they will begin to dry out and turn yellowish. You can expect three or more crops, each taking around a week to mature.
After harvesting, the straw can be fed to livestock, composted, or used as mulch or top layer dressing for the soil in your garden.
