John Miller
Mushrooms are a fun and nutritious food to grow at home. They are not photosynthetic, so they must obtain their food from the substrate they grow in. This substrate must be rich in organic material and provide the right mix of nutrients, including sugar, starch, lignin, fats, protein, and nitrogen. Mushrooms also require adequate moisture, proper temperature, and limited light. There are several methods for growing mushrooms, including using compost, straw, sawdust, or even coffee grounds. The easiest mushrooms to grow for beginners are oyster, button, and shiitake mushrooms.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Mushroom type | Oyster, button, shiitake |
| Where to grow | Indoors, outdoors |
| Mushroom substrate | Compost, straw, sawdust, coffee grounds |
| Mushroom spawn | Seedings purchased from a supplier |
| Environmental conditions | Dark, cool, humid, limited light |
| Spawn temperature | 70° F |
| Mycelium temperature | 55-60° F |
| Mushroom harvest | Before spores are released |
| Mushroom growth time | 3 weeks to 2 years |
| Mushroom growth method | Popcorn tek, log method, raised beds |
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What You'll Learn
- Choosing the right substrate: compost, straw, sawdust, coffee grounds, etc
- Preparing the substrate: pasteurisation, sterilisation, lime bath, etc
- Mushroom spawn: seeding the substrate with spores or mycelium
- Environmental controls: temperature, light, humidity, airflow
- Harvesting: collecting mature mushrooms before spores are released
Choosing the right substrate: compost, straw, sawdust, coffee grounds, etc
Choosing the right substrate is crucial for successfully growing mushrooms. Here are some popular substrate options and instructions for preparing them:
Compost
Spent mushroom substrate, or compost, is the soil-like material remaining after a crop of mushrooms. It is high in organic matter and can be used as a soil amendment or soil conditioner. This substrate typically contains wheat straw bedding, horse manure, hay, corn cobs, cottonseed hulls, poultry manure, brewer's grain, cottonseed meal, cocoa bean hulls, and gypsum. Ground soybeans or seed meal supplements can be added later. A "casing" layer of peat moss and ground limestone is often applied on top. Before reusing spent compost, pasteurize it with steam to eliminate pests and pathogens.
Straw
Straw is the most common substrate for oyster mushrooms. To prepare straw for mushroom cultivation, cut straw into 3-4 inch lengths. Pasteurize the straw by submerging it in water and heating it to 160-170°F for an hour. Alternatively, pasteurize a whole bale outdoors using a 55-gallon drum, wire mesh basket, and butane burner. After draining the pasteurized straw, spread it on a clean surface and inoculate it with spawn. The exposure of wet straw to air creates an anaerobic environment, making it ready for inoculation.
Sawdust
The sawdust method involves inoculating hardwood sawdust, such as oak, beech, or maple, with mushroom spawn. Supplements like wheat or rice bran can be added to the sawdust to enhance nutrition and boost mushroom growth. Use autoclavable bags or containers with filter patches to hold the substrate and allow for gas exchange. Sterilize the sawdust mixture using a pressure cooker or autoclave to ensure a contaminant-free environment. Maintain the moisture content of the substrate at around 60-65%, where it is moist but not dripping. Incubate the inoculated substrate in a dark, clean space with a stable temperature suitable for your mushroom variety.
Coffee Grounds
Coffee grounds are an effective and eco-friendly substrate for growing mushrooms, particularly oyster mushrooms. Use fresh coffee grounds, allowing them to drain and cool for about 4 hours. Avoid coffee grounds older than 24 hours to prevent mould and bacterial growth. Spoon the grounds into a glass jar, leaving a gap at the top. Close the lid and place the jar in a warm, dark place. When the jar is covered in white fuzz, move it to a bright and cool location and cover with a damp kitchen roll. Spray the cover daily to maintain humidity, and your mushrooms will soon begin to grow.
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Preparing the substrate: pasteurisation, sterilisation, lime bath, etc
The substrate is the material that mushrooms grow on. It must be rich in organic material and provide the right mix of nutrients, including sugar, starch, lignin, fats, protein, and nitrogen. Common substrates for home-growing mushrooms include compost, straw, sawdust, and even coffee grounds.
Before introducing mushroom spawn or spores to the substrate, it must be treated to kill any contaminants. This can be done through pasteurisation, sterilisation, a lime bath, a peroxide bath, or cold fermentation. Pasteurisation involves heating the substrate to a high temperature, typically around 70 degrees Celsius, to kill off any unwanted organisms. Sterilisation, on the other hand, is a more intense process that completely eliminates all microorganisms, including spores and bacteria. This is usually done by steaming the substrate or using a pressure cooker.
Lime baths are also an effective way to treat the substrate. This process involves soaking the substrate in a lime solution, which changes the pH and makes it less favourable for unwanted organisms to grow. Peroxide baths are similar, but instead of lime, a hydrogen peroxide solution is used. Cold fermentation, as the name suggests, is a cold process where the substrate is treated with a cold solution to slow down the growth of contaminants without killing them.
After treating the substrate, it is important to ensure it is properly colonised by the mushroom mycelium. This is known as the spawn run. The substrate should be placed in an environment with the recommended conditions for colonisation, such as temperature and humidity, to allow the mycelium to fully permeate the substrate.
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Mushroom spawn: seeding the substrate with spores or mycelium
Mushroom spawn is the living fungal culture, called mycelium, grown onto a substrate. It is the backbone of any mushroom-growing operation. It is similar to the seeds used for a mushroom farm. Unlike seeds, mushroom spawn is grown from selected genetics and cloned for consistent production of a particular mushroom cultivar.
The first step in growing mushrooms is to select the substrate. The substrate is the growing medium that provides the mushrooms with the nutrients they need to develop. Different species of mushrooms prefer different substrates. Examples of substrates include compost, straw, sawdust, coffee grounds, and even hardwood logs. It is important to ensure that the substrate is free from contaminants and pollutants that may hinder the growth of mushrooms. This can be done by pasteurising the substrate or soaking it in a hydrogen peroxide water bath.
Once the substrate is ready, it is time to introduce the spawn. This process is called inoculation. There are different types of spawn, such as grain spawn, plug spawn, and flake spawn, each with its own benefits and trade-offs. Grain spawn, for example, is commonly used for commercial indoor mushroom grows and is not suitable for outdoor logs. Plug spawn, on the other hand, is simple to use and requires no tools other than a hand drill, making it a great introduction to outdoor mushroom cultivation.
After introducing the spawn to the substrate, the mycelium begins to permeate the substrate. This process is called colonisation. The mycelium slowly engulfs the substrate and decomposes the organic material, obtaining the nutrients it needs to develop. During this stage, it is important to maintain the proper temperature and moisture levels to encourage the growth of the mycelium.
Once the mycelium has fully colonised the substrate, the next step is to trigger mushroom development through environmental adjustments. This stage is called fruiting. By replicating the natural habitat of the mushrooms, such as providing cool, humid conditions, mushroom growth can be successfully achieved. With patience and attention to detail, you can cultivate various mushroom species successfully.
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Environmental controls: temperature, light, humidity, airflow
Mushrooms require specific environmental conditions to grow, and each species has unique requirements. Mushrooms thrive in cool, humid, and dark conditions. Here are some detailed instructions for controlling temperature, light, humidity, and airflow:
Temperature
Maintain a temperature of around 23°C/73°F during the first few weeks of the mushroom life cycle. For the Pleurotus ostreatus species, the recommended temperature is 75°F (23.8°C). After the mycelium has developed, drop the temperature to 55-60°F (12.7-15.5°C).
Light
Mushrooms do not require sunlight and do not create food from light. They are often grown in dark places such as basements, crawl spaces, drawers, or cabinets. However, some light is needed, and a completely dark environment should be avoided.
Humidity
High humidity levels are crucial for mushroom growth. Routinely spray the substrate with water to maintain high humidity. Avoid standing water, as this can contaminate the mushrooms.
Airflow
Fresh air is essential for mushroom growth. Carbon dioxide levels should be kept at 0.08% or lower. Ensure proper ventilation in the growing area.
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Harvesting: collecting mature mushrooms before spores are released
Harvesting mushrooms at the right time is crucial to maximising future growth and getting the most out of your crop. The process of harvesting involves collecting mature mushrooms before the spores are released. This is because, if the spores are released onto the mycelium, it will produce far fewer mushrooms in the subsequent flushes, if any at all.
To know when to harvest, you must observe the veil, a thin membrane on the underside of the mushroom cap that keeps the spores inside. When the mushroom is mature, the veil tears, and the spores are released, ready to grow the next generation of mushrooms. Therefore, you must harvest the mushrooms before the veil tears. The veil is usually grey-white on juvenile mushrooms, and darkens and begins to sag when it is ready to tear. It is important to treat each mushroom as an individual and take your cues from each mushroom alone. As a general rule, it is better to harvest too soon than too late.
To collect spores from a mature mushroom, you must first identify the right mushroom. Choose a mushroom with a fully opened cap, indicating that it is ready to release its spores. Then, using a sharp knife or scalpel, carefully cut the stem from the mushroom cap. If the mushroom has a skirt (a thin layer of tissue connecting the stem to the cap's edge), this should also be gently removed to ensure that the gills or pores of the mushroom are fully exposed, allowing for optimal spore release.
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Frequently asked questions
Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of fungi and require adequate moisture, temperature, and limited light to grow. The process of growing mushrooms can be broken down into four steps: inoculation, colonisation, fruiting, and harvesting.
You will need mushroom spawn (seedlings), a growing substrate (compost, straw, sawdust, or coffee grounds), a damp towel, a spray bottle, and a cultivation container (a monotub, bag, or outdoor bed).
First, place your chosen substrate into your tub or pan and mix in the spawn. Raise the temperature to 70 degrees. After 2-4 weeks, the spawn will have taken root in the substrate, forming white fuzz called mycelium. Drop the temperature to 55-60 degrees, cover the mixture with potting soil, and spray with water. Keep the mixture moist and cool, and mushrooms should grow in about three weeks.
Mushrooms grow best in cool, humid conditions. If growing mushrooms outdoors, keep your local climate in mind and be aware that it may take longer. Choose the right substrate for your mushrooms, providing the right mix of nutrients, including sugar, starch, lignin, fats, protein, and nitrogen. Maintain a clean environment to prevent contamination.
