John Miller
Oyster mushrooms are a great choice for beginner growers due to their resilience, fast growth, and ability to grow almost anywhere. They are also highly nutritious, containing fibre, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, while being low in carbohydrates and fat. With the right setup and equipment, you can grow oyster mushrooms for the same cost as a few supermarket portions. In this guide, we will cover everything you need to know to successfully grow oyster mushrooms, from preparing the substrate to harvesting your mushrooms.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Difficulty level | Beginner-friendly |
| Yield | Up to 750g per small kit |
| Cost | Around $20 per kit |
| Containers | Buckets, plastic bags, jars, shoeboxes, logs, etc. |
| Substrates | Straw, sawdust, wood pellets, coffee grounds, cardboard, etc. |
| Moisture level | At least 50% |
| Temperature | 45-86°F (12-30°C) depending on variety |
| Maintenance | Simple misting routine |
| Health benefits | Fibre, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc. |
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What You'll Learn
Oyster mushrooms are a great beginner's choice
Oyster mushrooms are a great choice for beginners. They are resilient, fast-growing, and can grow almost anywhere on just about anything. They are also nutritious, delicious, and have a wide range of health benefits.
Oyster mushrooms are easy to grow and have a high chance of success when compared to other species of mushrooms. They can be grown indoors or outdoors, in buckets, containers, or bags, and on a variety of substrates such as straw, wood chips, cardboard, sawdust, coffee grounds, and more.
One popular method for growing oyster mushrooms is the bucket tek or technique, which is a beginner-friendly and reliable method that can be easily scaled up. This method involves using a 5-gallon bucket with a lid, drilling holes in a diamond pattern for the mushrooms to fruit from, and using straw as the substrate. The substrate should be pasteurized by soaking in hot water or a lime bath and then allowed to drip dry before inoculation.
Another method for growing oyster mushrooms is to use store-bought mushrooms. This involves finding fresh oyster mushrooms with the white fuzzy mycelium near the base and cutting the stem butts to be placed in a jar with used coffee grounds. After a few weeks, when the mycelium has taken over the coffee grounds, the jar can be added to pasteurized straw and kept in a high humidity chamber.
Oyster mushrooms are a great choice for beginners because they are easy to find, effortless to work with, and have a high success rate. With proper setup and equipment, you can grow flush after flush of delicious and healthy oyster mushrooms at a low cost.
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Choosing a substrate
Oyster mushrooms can be grown in a variety of containers, including buckets, plastic bags, and logs. The substrate, or food source, for oyster mushrooms can also vary. The most commonly used substrate is straw, which is inexpensive, easy to source, and contains essential nutrients. Straw should be pasteurised by soaking in hot water (65-80°C/149-176°F) for 1-2 hours, or in a cold-water high-pH lime bath for 12-18 hours. It can then be mixed with grain or sawdust spawn.
Other easy-to-use substrates for growing oyster mushrooms include cardboard, sawdust pellets, and coffee grounds. Coffee grounds are a readily available resource and can be obtained from coffee shops. Sawdust pellets come already pasteurised, so you only need to add water. Cardboard is another option but may be more difficult to break down.
Wood chips are another possible substrate for oyster mushrooms. They can be heat-treated to grow a wider range of mushrooms. Wheat straw and hardwood pellets can also be used as a substrate, as can coir/verm with added nitrogen from coffee.
When preparing your substrate, it is important to ensure it is sufficiently hydrated and pasteurised. The substrate should be soaked overnight or longer and then allowed to drip dry for 12 to 24 hours. Oyster mushrooms prefer their substrates to have a moisture level of at least 50%. If the substrate is too wet, anaerobic bacteria may grow, and if it is too dry, the mushrooms will not thrive.
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Preparing the substrate
The substrate is the growing medium in which oyster mushrooms will grow. It provides the nutrients necessary for the mycelium (the fungal structure) to thrive and eventually produce fruiting bodies (the mushrooms). Common substrates for oyster mushrooms are straw, wood chips, coffee grounds, cardboard, sawdust, and even agricultural waste like corn stalks.
The substrate must be pasteurised or sterilised to kill unwanted microorganisms. Pasteurisation can be done by soaking the substrate in hot water (65-80°C/149-176°F) for 1-2 hours, or in a cold-water high-pH lime bath for 12-18 hours. Straw, in particular, should be cut into 3-4 inch lengths and soaked in water heated to 160-170°F for an hour. After pasteurisation, the substrate should be drained and cooled to room temperature.
If you're using sawdust, it must be fully sterilised using a pressure cooker, as it is prone to developing moulds. A good ratio is to combine 5 cups of hardwood pellets with 1.5 litres of warm water and 1.25 cups of wheat bran for added nutrition. Coconut coir, mixed with vermiculite, is another option for a growing medium. You can mix these at a 1:1 ratio and add some pasteurised coffee for extra nitrogen.
Once the substrate is ready, it can be mixed with the oyster mushroom spawn, ensuring even distribution. Use sterile gloves to prevent contamination.
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Incubation and inoculation
Incubation
Incubation is the process of creating the optimal conditions for your oyster mushrooms to grow and develop. This stage is simple to set up at home. Choose a warm space, ideally with a temperature between 20-24°C, such as a cupboard or boiler room. The area should be dark to prevent early pinning, but it is not essential. You can also use a grow tent with an AC unit and a humidifier to maintain the ideal temperature and humidity levels.
During incubation, the mushroom spawn will come to life and begin to feed on the substrate (the food source) you provide. This substrate can be straw, wood chips, or even coffee grounds. Straw is a popular choice as it is inexpensive and easily available from farm supply and home improvement stores. To prepare the straw, shred or chop it and then pasteurize it to kill any contamination. You can pasteurize by soaking the straw overnight or longer, and then allowing it to drip dry for 12-24 hours. The substrate should have a moisture level of at least 50%; too wet, and you may get bacterial growth, too dry, and the mushrooms won't grow well.
Inoculation
Inoculation is the act of introducing the mushroom spawn to the substrate. The spawn rate refers to the amount of spawn you should add to maximize yield. For a 5-gallon bucket of chopped straw, a single 5-pound bag of grain or sawdust spawn is sufficient. Simply combine the spawn with the substrate in your chosen container.
After inoculation, the spawn will begin to feed on the substrate, and you will soon see the white mycelium spreading. Keep the environment humid, and within a few weeks, you will see tiny mushrooms forming.
Oyster mushrooms are resilient and fast-growing, making them a great choice for beginners. With the right conditions and care, you will soon be able to harvest your own delicious crop of oyster mushrooms.
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Harvesting your mushrooms
Oyster mushrooms are one of the easiest varieties of mushrooms to grow, and they are delicious and healthy. They are also incredibly fast-growing, so you could have your first flush just weeks after inoculation.
Once your mushrooms are out of incubation, you will need to keep them well-maintained by misting them and their growing environment with a water bottle. When it comes to harvesting, the process will depend on the type of oyster mushroom you have chosen to grow.
For pink oyster mushrooms, you will need to cut the whole cluster off instead of picking individual mushrooms if you want additional flushes.
For blue oyster mushrooms, you can grow them in plastic log bags using wheat straw and hardwood pellets as a substrate.
For golden oyster mushrooms, you will need to provide warmer temperatures of 64-86F (18C-30C) for them to grow well.
For phoenix oyster mushrooms, also known as summer oyster mushrooms, they will grow well in warmer climates.
The exact timing of your harvest will depend on the variety of oyster mushrooms you are growing, but generally, you will see tiny mushrooms forming around day 19, and you can start harvesting around day 26.
Remember to provide good airflow to your mushrooms during the growing process, or you will end up with big stems and small caps. Indirect moisture is also important—you don't want constant dripping or flowing water over the mushrooms.
Lastly, be mindful of spores during the harvesting process. If you leave mature mushrooms for too long, they will release spores, which can be a problem if you are allergic to them.
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Frequently asked questions
Oyster mushroom growing kits are a great way to start your journey into fungi culture. They provide you with everything you need to get started, including a detailed set of instructions specifically for the strain you are growing. Oyster mushrooms are also one of the easiest varieties of mushrooms to grow, making them a beginner's favourite.
Straw is the most commonly used substrate for oyster mushroom cultivation. It is usually cheap, contains essential nutrients, and oyster mushrooms thrive on it. Sawdust, cardboard, coffee grounds, and other byproducts of agriculture such as sugarcane bagasse, coco coir, and cotton waste can also be used. Choose whichever substrate is easiest for you to source.
Oyster mushrooms require good airflow, light, and indirect moisture. Optimal conditions would include optimal temperature, optimal humidity, and optimal airflow. They grow well indoors and can be grown in all shapes and sizes of containers.
