Sarah Brown
Mushrooms are a fun and low-maintenance crop to grow at home. To incubate mushroom spores, you'll need a spore syringe, a substrate, and an incubator. The most common method is to use a multi-spore syringe, which contains mushroom spores mixed with water and is ready for injection into the substrate. You can purchase these online. The substrate is the growing medium for your mushrooms and should be pre-sterilised. Compost substrate bags are a good option, as they allow spores to take hold faster. Once you've inoculated the substrate, it needs to be incubated in a warm, dark environment until it is fully colonised by the spores, which can take 1-3 weeks, depending on the species of mushroom and environmental conditions. You can build a simple incubator at home using two plastic totes, water, and bricks to create the necessary humid environment for your mushrooms.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Mushroom type | Specialty mushrooms like oyster and shiitake mushrooms |
| Incubation time | 1-8 weeks |
| Incubation chamber | Can be built at home in a closet, garage or basement |
| Incubation temperature | 65-82°F |
| Incubation environment | Dark, calm, and wet |
| Substrate | Pre-sterilized compost, vermiculite or perlite |
| Substrate moisture | Spray 2-3 times a day, not soaking wet |
| Mycelium | Appears as tiny white threads |
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What You'll Learn
Building an incubator
Building a mushroom incubator, also known as a mushroom incubation chamber, is a great way to provide the right conditions for mushrooms in their first few weeks of life. It's a good option if you're short on space or money, and you can build one in any room, such as a closet, garage, or basement.
To build a simple mushroom incubator, you'll need two plastic totes, one larger than the other, and some bricks. Fill the larger tote with water and place the bricks inside so they're fully submerged. Then, place the smaller tote on top of the bricks and add water to it until it's about two-thirds full. This setup helps maintain the humidity needed for mushroom growth without soaking the substrate.
Next, add your mushroom substrate or medium to the smaller tote. The substrate should be pre-sterilized and suitable for the type of mushroom you want to grow. Compost substrate bags are a good option, as they provide a patch of rye grain berries for spores to take hold of and colonize quickly. Add 4 to 8 dry quarts of the substrate to the tote and add water until it is moist but not soggy.
Place a thermometer in the upper tote to monitor the temperature, which should be maintained between 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit for most mushrooms. You can use a fan to circulate air and a heater to adjust the temperature as needed, especially during colder months. Remember to wear gloves when handling the mushroom culture. Place it in the damp substrate and cover the tote with a lid.
Keep the incubator in a dark, calm, and wet environment, as mushrooms thrive in such conditions. Spray the substrate with water 2 to 3 times a day to maintain moisture, and ensure it doesn't dry out. After a few days, you should start to see mycelium, which looks like tiny white threads, forming on the substrate. At this point, move the setup to a cooler place, preferably below 30 degrees Fahrenheit, for the final fruiting stage.
It's important to clean all materials with a solution of 10 parts water to 1 part bleach before use to avoid contaminating your mushroom spores. With this setup, you can expect to keep your mushrooms in the incubator for about 4 to 8 weeks, depending on the species and environmental conditions.
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Preparing the substrate
Once you have chosen the appropriate substrate for your mushrooms, you need to prepare it correctly. The substrate should be damp, but not soaking wet. To achieve the right level of moisture, you can add water to the substrate and mix until it is well-combined but not soggy. Another method is to spray the substrate with water 2 to 3 times a day, ensuring it doesn't get too wet. To help maintain the moisture level, you can cover the substrate with a plastic bag or box.
It is important to monitor the substrate closely during the incubation period. Mycelium, which looks like tiny white threads, should begin to appear on the substrate within 10 days of inoculation. The mycelium will continue to spread and consume the substrate, eventually forming a solid mass. This process can take between 1 to 3 weeks, or sometimes longer, depending on the mushroom species and environmental conditions.
To create the ideal environment for the substrate, you should maintain a temperature range specific to the type of mushroom you are growing. Most mushrooms require temperatures between 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit for inoculation. During the incubation period, the environment should be warm, dark, and moist. Consistency in these conditions is crucial for successful mushroom incubation.
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Incubation temperature
The ideal temperature range for incubating most types of mushrooms is between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. However, this can vary slightly depending on the specific type of mushroom being grown. For example, some sources recommend maintaining temperatures between 79 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit during incubation.
To ensure the substrate remains moist, it is necessary to spray it with water at least twice a day, but it should not be soaked. Covering the substrate with a plastic bag or box can help maintain moisture. It is also important to keep the incubation chamber dark, as mushrooms thrive in dark and calm environments.
A thermometer can be placed in the incubation chamber to monitor the temperature. In colder months, a heater can be used to maintain the desired temperature range. Consistency in temperature is crucial for successful mushroom incubation.
During the incubation process, mycelium will begin to form and spread throughout the substrate. This process can take between 1 to 3 weeks, sometimes longer, depending on the mushroom species and environmental conditions. It is important to regularly check the incubation status to observe the growth of the mycelium. Once the mycelium has fully colonized the substrate, the mushrooms can be fruited directly inside the bag or by using a casing layer to grow larger mushrooms and achieve multiple flushes.
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Incubation duration
The incubation duration for mushroom spores varies depending on the species of mushroom and environmental conditions. On average, the process takes between 1 to 3 weeks, but it can sometimes take longer. During this time, it is important to maintain the ideal temperature, humidity, lighting, and sanitation for your mushrooms to grow.
The ideal temperature range for most mushrooms is between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (30 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit for certain species), and the environment should be warm, dark, and moist. To achieve this, you can use a mushroom incubator or build your own incubation chamber. A mushroom incubator allows you to control variables such as temperature, airflow, humidity, lighting, and sanitation. It is important to maintain consistency in these conditions throughout the incubation period.
To build your own incubation chamber, you can use a plastic tote or a similar container. Fill the bottom of the container with a substrate or growing medium that works with the mushroom you want to grow. Pre-sterilized substrates are necessary when working with spores. Add water to the substrate until it is wet but not sodden. Place a thermometer in the container to monitor the temperature and cover it with a lid to maintain humidity.
During the incubation period, you should regularly check the progress of your mushrooms. Within 10 days of inoculation, you should start to see areas of white forming around the injection points. This is the mycelium, which will continue to spread and consume the substrate. Once the mycelium has fully colonized the substrate, you can move on to the next step of fruiting the mushrooms.
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Harvesting mushrooms
The ideal stage to harvest shiitake mushrooms is when the edges of the caps are still curled under, and 80% of the gills are exposed. Shiitake mushrooms can be harvested at any time during their growth, regardless of size. You can check if they are ready to be harvested by looking for a broken partial veil, exposing the gills.
For wild mushrooms, it is recommended to use the cutting method when picking easily identifiable species as it minimises disturbance. For species that rely on minute identification features, it may be necessary to uproot the entire specimen before covering up the exposed mycelium to prevent it from drying out. It is important to leave younger mushrooms to grow as they have a higher chance of being eaten, whereas older mushrooms have a better chance of releasing spores.
The pinning stage, which occurs when mushroom pins develop once rhizomorphs (thick mushroom mycelia) have formed in the casing, is an important part of the mushroom production process that can affect crop quality and yield. Mushroom harvest typically begins 15 to 21 days after casing, and mushrooms are picked over a period of 2 to 4 days in a 7- to 10-day cropping cycle.
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Frequently asked questions
You will need a spore syringe, a substrate that works with your chosen mushroom type, and an incubator. You can build an incubator at home or buy a mushroom growing kit.
You can build an incubator in any room, such as a closet, garage, or basement. You will need two plastic totes, one smaller than the other, bricks, water, a thermometer, and gloves. Fill the larger tote with water and place the smaller tote on top of the bricks. Add water to the smaller tote until it is two-thirds full. Add your substrate to the bottom of the container and add water until it is wet but not sodden. Put a thermometer in the upper tote and place a lid on top.
Once you have inoculated the substrate, you need to incubate it until it is fully colonized by the mycelium. This can take between 1-3 weeks or longer, depending on the mushroom species and environmental conditions. Keep the incubator warm, dark, and moist, maintaining the required temperature for the mushroom species.
You should check the incubation status often and look for areas of white forming around the injection points. After about 10 days, it will spread consistently and gather speed as it gets larger. Soon it will connect with itself and form a solid mass of mycelium.
