Michael Davis
Mushrooms are all the rage right now, and it's no wonder that many of us are keen to grow our own at home. While it's not easy to grow mushrooms from scraps, it's certainly possible. You can use store-bought mushrooms to propagate new ones, and the best type for home growing is oyster mushrooms. You'll need a good fruiting medium, moisture, and the right growing environment. You can use straw as a bedding, soaked for a couple of days, and then cut the ends of the mushrooms into small pieces. Place the pieces into a container with holes for airflow, such as a plastic gardening pot, and keep the medium and mycelium damp and in the dark at temperatures of 65 to 75 degrees F. In a couple of weeks, you should be able to harvest your very own mushrooms.
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What You'll Learn
Growing mushrooms from store-bought stems
Step 1: Choosing the Mushrooms
When selecting mushrooms from the store, look for those with a fuzzy, white, cottony lump at the bottom of the stem. This is the mycelium, which will grow into new mushrooms. Oyster mushrooms are a great choice for beginners as they are widely cultivated and easy to grow.
Step 2: Preparing the Substrate
The substrate is the material in which the mushrooms will grow. Straw, coffee grounds, cardboard, paper, and even hamster shavings are commonly used. The substrate must contain cellulose-based material and be sanitized to prevent contamination. To sanitize, you can use methods such as boiling, microwaving, or oven-baking the substrate.
Step 3: Cutting the Stems
Using a sanitized knife or scissors, cut the mushroom stems from the caps, ensuring each stem is at least 1 cm long. The bottom 2 inches of an oyster mushroom stem are only usable for a day or two after harvest, so it's best to start the process as soon as possible.
Step 4: Layering the Substrate and Stems
Place a layer of damp substrate at the bottom of your chosen container (a cardboard box, plastic tub, or even a plastic bag). Then, add a layer of stem pieces, followed by another layer of damp substrate. Repeat this process until your container is full.
Step 5: Creating the Right Environment
Mushrooms thrive in a damp, moist, and dark environment with temperatures between 65-75°F (18-23°C). Cover your container with plastic wrap or a large plastic bag, poking holes to allow airflow and ventilation. Mist the substrate if it starts to dry out.
Step 6: Harvesting
After about two to four weeks, the mycelium should be ready to fruit. Keep the environment moist, and within 19 days, you should be able to harvest your very own mushrooms!
Tips:
- While spores can be purchased, the mycelium in store-bought mushroom stems can be cultivated to clone the parent mushroom.
- For sterilization, boiling works, but it may dissolve the glue in cardboard. Hydrogen peroxide is a good alternative as it destroys fungal spores but does not harm the mycelium.
- Coffee grounds and manure provide an excellent balance of nutrients and water for mushroom growth.
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Using a Spray & Grow Kit
To set up your Spray & Grow Kit, carefully remove the front panel of the box along the perforated lines. Check that the kit inside is intact. If it has broken apart in transit, gently press it together and let it sit for a few extra days to recover before opening the bag. You'll soon see the mycelium. Then, cut an X into the exposed plastic. This will direct the mushrooms to form there and provide enough oxygen to the block. Leave the plastic flaps of the X on the bag to keep moisture in.
Once activated, your kit should start pinning within 6-10 days. Mushrooms require moisture, oxygen, and natural light to grow well and develop their rich hues. Keep them out of the cupboard or closet. Spray the kit regularly and add a humidity tent if they could use some extra moisture. Kits will need spraying at least 2-3 times a day, 5-10 sprays per visit, to maintain humidity levels. Spray more often if in a dry environment.
After your first harvest, continue spraying your kit as you were. If it's looking a bit dry, you can cover it with a humidity tent. It may take a little longer for mushrooms to appear every subsequent fruiting. In around 2-3 weeks, you should start to see baby mushrooms (pins) forming again. If there's no progress, you can soak your block. Take your block out of the box and set it cut side down in a bowl of water. Most species only need to soak for 20 minutes.
If you're feeling creative, you can use your Spray & Grow Kit like spawn and inoculate some containers. This process works best with oyster mushroom kits that are well-hydrated or have recently fruited. You'll need something for the fungi to grow on and eat, known as a substrate. You can also try planting your Spray & Grow kit outdoors. Burying the mushroom block helps protect it from the elements, and the fungi can wick moisture from the nearby soil. With any luck, your block will fruit in a couple of weeks!
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Reusing a Spray & Grow Kit
Revitalising the Kit:
Firstly, assess if your kit needs revitalising. Sometimes, all it needs is some fresh air and water. You can also try moving your kit outdoors, as a change in environment or temperature shift can encourage the fungi to produce more mushrooms.
Reusing the Kit:
If your kit has already been hydrated and fruited, you can reuse it by providing additional nutrition for the mycelium to feed on. This process works best with oyster mushroom kits. Start by removing the substrate block with the plastic from the cardboard box. Then, either soak the block in water for about 5-6 hours or continue spraying the block with water, just like you did during the first flush. Make sure to keep the plastic on to prevent the block from drying out. Place the block in a well-lit area, but avoid direct sunlight. Mist the block with water once or twice a day to maintain moisture. Within a few days, you should start seeing tiny mushrooms forming, and they will be ready for picking in about five days.
Using the Kit as Spawn:
You can also reuse your Spray & Grow Kit as spawn by inoculating some containers. This process works best with well-hydrated oyster mushroom kits. First, you will need a substrate for the fungi to grow on and feed on. Chopped straw or wood chips are great options. Once you have your substrate, you can either layer it with the crumbled-up mushroom block or mix it with your hands and cover it with a layer of mulch. This method may take 1-3 months, depending on temperature, moisture, and volume.
Burying the Kit:
Another option is to bury the mushroom block to protect it from the elements. Burying it in the soil will help the fungi wick moisture from the surrounding soil, and adding mulch or soil on top will shield it from direct sunlight. You can even bury different types of blocks together to create a unique landscape.
Composting the Kit:
If your kit has reached the end of its life, you can still use the mushroom substrate block as compost for your garden. Simply crumble up the block and mix it into the top few inches of soil to provide extra nutrients for your plants.
Remember, the key to reusing your Spray & Grow Kit is to provide the right conditions for mushroom growth and be patient as it may take a few weeks or months for your kit to fruit again.
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Burying the mushroom block
Burying mushroom blocks in your garden is a great way to recycle them and give them a new life outdoors. However, it is important to note that this method may not always be successful due to the high risk of contamination from bacteria and moulds. Nevertheless, with the right conditions, you can increase your chances of success.
Firstly, choose a suitable location in your garden. A completely or partially shaded area is ideal, as mushrooms need protection from direct sunlight. If you have hardwood in your garden, that could be a good spot, as some mushrooms grow well on oak wood. Additionally, look for a spot where no walls or overhangs block precipitation, as mushrooms need adequate water to thrive.
Before burying your mushroom block, prepare the area by placing a layer of cardboard on the ground. This step is crucial because it helps prevent native fungus from taking over your mushrooms. You can then add a layer of fresh wood chips and water them well.
Next, break up the mushroom block into smaller pieces. Crumbling the block into golf ball-sized pieces will increase the surface area for the mycelium to grow. Layer the broken-up mushroom block pieces evenly on the wood chips. You can also mix in some woody yard waste or chopped straw to provide additional nutrients for the mushrooms. The straw should be soaked for a few days before use to ensure adequate moisture.
Repeat the process of adding layers of wood chips and mushroom block pieces until you've used up all the spawn block. It is recommended to spawn at a rate of approximately 1:5 (spawn block weight to wood weight). End with a final layer of wood chips.
With proper care and patience, your buried mushroom block may reward you with a new harvest of mushrooms. Enjoy the fruits of your labour, and remember that outdoor grow kits can be a great investment, providing seasonal regrowth for years to come!
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Growing mushrooms from spores
To grow mushrooms from spores, you will need spores, a substrate, and a moist, humid environment. The conventional method is to inoculate sterile grains to make mushroom grain spawn. Once the grain spawn is colonized and free of contamination, you can mix it with the substrate. This method requires some equipment and a bit of knowledge.
First, you need to obtain spores. Spores are microscopic, but they contain the blueprint for new mushroom growth. You can collect spores from a mushroom by removing the stem and placing the mushroom gill-side down on a piece of paper. Cover it with a glass and leave it for 24 hours. When you return, gently lift the mushroom, and you will see that the spores have fallen from the cap and created a print on the paper. Alternatively, you can place the mushroom stem through a hole in a piece of cardboard that fits over a glass of water. The mushroom will stay wet without being submerged in water. After 24 hours, you should see a pattern of spores on the cardboard.
Once you have collected spores, you need to provide the right environment for growth. Spores become mycelium, which is a cottony structure that you may have seen in overly moist compost beds or when digging up soil. Mycelium can be grown on various surfaces, such as cardboard or grain spawn, as long as it is kept moist and humid. The hard part is ensuring that only the desired spores are growing, as unwanted spores can easily contaminate your mycelium.
After you have successfully grown mycelium, you can mix it with a substrate. However, substrates generally do not have enough nutrients to support mushroom growth. One low-tech method for growing mushrooms is to mix the spores with water and spray them around your yard and planter beds where there is compost material. With a bit of luck, your spores will fruit in a couple of weeks!
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Frequently asked questions
The easiest way to regrow mushrooms is to use a Spray & Grow Kit. You can reuse the kit by moving it outdoors, as a change in environment or temperature shift can encourage more fruitings.
Oyster mushrooms are the best variety for home growing, but you can use any type.
Coffee grounds and manure provide a great balance of nutrients and water for mushrooms to grow quickly and efficiently.
