Emma Wilson
Mushroom mycelium is the thread-like body of a fungus, often hidden underground or inside rotting logs and stumps. It is the longest-living part of a fungus and can remain dormant for years, producing mushrooms and reproducing when the conditions are right. Mycelium is a fast-growing organism with the ability to decompose organic compounds, making it useful for reducing toxic waste and pollutants. To sustain mushroom mycelium, it is important to provide the right conditions and nutrients. This includes preparing a suitable substrate, maintaining optimal moisture levels, and ensuring a humid environment for the mycelium to grow and fruit.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Mushroom mycelium growth time | Anywhere from two weeks to two months |
| Substrate | Any material that is a food source for mushroom mycelium, e.g. logs, stumps, woodchips, straw, sawdust, coffee grounds, grain hulls, and other carbon-rich materials |
| Substrate preparation | Optimal moisture content, clean of contaminants, mixing substrates, and sometimes placing the substrate into a bag |
| Incubation time | Different for each mushroom species |
| Mycelium growth factors | Influenced by the strain, including the speed of growth, colour of the fruiting body, shelf life of the fruiting body, fruiting temperature, size and quantity of fruiting bodies (yield) |
| Mycelium growth conditions | Damp, dark, with temperatures of 65 to 75 degrees F (18-23 C) |
| Mycelium growth medium | Cardboard, paper bags, plastic bins, straw, or any moistened cellulose material |
| Mycelium growth process | Cut mushroom stems into small pieces and spread them on the growth medium, repeating until the container is full |
| Mycelium fruiting time | About two to four weeks after the mycelium has been established |
| Mycelium harvesting time | About 19 days after fruiting |
| Mycelium stopping process | Heat the block to prevent further growth |
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What You'll Learn
Use corrugated cardboard to provide space for mycelium growth
Growing mycelium from mushrooms is a fun experiment to try at home. To start, you'll need to use corrugated cardboard to provide space for mycelium growth. Here's a step-by-step guide:
- Prepare the Cardboard: Start by cutting corrugated cardboard into sheets that fit snugly into your chosen container. You'll need enough sheets to fill the container with a few inches of space at the top. Sanitize your gloves, work surface, container, and cardboard with a sterilizing agent. This step is crucial to prevent mould growth.
- Prepare the Mushrooms: Using a scalpel, cut thin slices from the base of your chosen mushrooms. The mushroom base is the reproductive part, so it's essential for stimulating mycelium growth. Make sure the pieces are small and evenly sized.
- Layering: Place a corrugated cardboard sheet at the bottom of your container. On top of this, spread a layer of mushroom pieces, placing them fairly close together. Cover this layer with another sheet of cardboard. Continue creating layers of cardboard and mushrooms until you've filled the container.
- Incubation: Close the container's lid and store it in a dark, room-temperature location. Each day, open the container briefly to allow air circulation and prevent carbon dioxide buildup, which can stunt mycelium growth.
- Monitoring: Keep an eye on the moisture levels within the cardboard. Mycelium needs oxygen, so ensure the cardboard is moist but not dripping wet. Excess water can create an environment conducive to mould and bacteria growth, hindering mycelium development.
- Heat Treatment: Once your mycelium has reached the desired level of growth, you can apply heat to stop it from growing further. This process involves heating the block, but the specifics may vary depending on the mushroom species and your setup.
Growing mycelium on corrugated cardboard is an accessible way to experiment with mushroom cultivation and learn about the fascinating world of fungi. Remember that the growth rate may vary depending on your environment and conditions, so patience is key!
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Prepare the substrate by ensuring optimal moisture and no contaminants
The substrate is the material that acts as a food source for mushroom mycelium. Common substrates include logs, stumps, woodchips, straw, sawdust, coffee grounds, grain hulls, and other carbon-rich materials. The substrate preparation method will depend on the type of substrate and the equipment available.
To prepare the substrate, it is important to ensure optimal moisture content. For example, if using straw as the substrate, it should be soaked for a couple of days before pulling it out of the container. The straw should then be layered with mushroom end pieces, with another layer of straw on top, and so on, until the container is full. The idea is to keep the substrate and mycelium damp, in a humid environment, and at a temperature between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit (18-23 degrees Celsius). This can be achieved by covering the box with a layer of plastic with holes poked in it.
It is also crucial to ensure that the substrate is free from contaminants. The surface, container, knife, cutting board, and gloves should all be sterilized before use. If using cardboard as the substrate, it is important to sterilize this as well. This sterilization step is critical, as any contaminants can result in the growth of mould instead of mycelium.
Additionally, some substrates may require mixing. For example, sawdust or wood pellets can be mixed with wheat bran or soybean hulls to create a high-nutrient and cost-effective food source for the mycelium. However, this mixture requires steam sterilization and lab conditions for inoculation.
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Maintain a temperature of 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit
Maintaining a temperature of 65-75 °F is crucial for successful mushroom cultivation. This temperature range is ideal for most mushroom cultivars, and deviations can impact growth rate and quality. To achieve this, cultivators can employ heating and cooling methods, such as heating pads and cooling fans.
During the incubation stage, which typically lasts two to three weeks, the temperature should be maintained within this range to facilitate the formation of the mycelium, the vegetative part of the mushroom. A consistent temperature is vital during this stage, as fluctuations can affect the development of the mycelium.
Once the mycelium has formed, the temperature can be lowered slightly to around 60-65 °F during the fruiting stage to encourage the growth of the fruiting bodies. Maintaining the right temperature during this stage is crucial, as higher temperatures may inhibit mycelial growth and potentially harm the fruiting capacity of the hyphae.
To ensure temperature control, cultivators should use thermometers or temperature sensors to monitor levels and make adjustments as needed. Creating a microclimate can also help maintain the desired temperature range. For instance, identifying a shady location, using agricultural shade cloth, or growing mushrooms indoors can help regulate temperature.
By carefully managing the temperature within the ideal range, growers can provide the optimal conditions for mushroom development and yield.
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Heat the block to stop mycelium from growing further
Mycelium is the thread-like body of a fungus that is often hidden underground or inside rotting logs and stumps. It is the main part of the fungus, and the visible mushrooms are the fruiting bodies that form to assist with reproduction. Mycelium is a fast-growing organism and can be grown using mushroom grain spawn.
To grow mycelium, you can use a mushroom and a scalpel to cut tiny slices of the base, as this is the reproduction part that will grow. You can then add a layer of cardboard to the bottom of a container, and spread the mushroom pieces evenly, covering them with another sheet of cardboard. This process can be repeated until the container is filled.
Once the mycelium has reached the desired level, you can heat the block to stop it from growing any further. This process involves heating the mycelium-infused cardboard to prevent further growth. However, it is important to note that temperature swings can cause the mycelium to crack, decay, and become infested by other organisms, so caution must be exercised when applying heat.
While the process of heating the block to stop mycelium growth is conceptually straightforward, it requires careful execution to avoid undesirable outcomes. It is a crucial step in the process of cultivating and managing mycelium growth for specific applications.
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Use oyster mushrooms as they grow fast and are beginner-friendly
Oyster mushrooms are a great choice for beginners interested in growing their own mushrooms. They are resilient, fast-growing, and can grow almost anywhere on just about anything. Some species of oyster mushrooms, like the pink oyster mushroom, are known to be one of the fastest-growing strains, producing fruits in as little as 3-4 weeks. They prefer warmer temperatures of 64-86°F (18-30°C). The blue oyster mushroom, on the other hand, is one of the fastest colonizers and prefers cooler temperatures of 45-65°F (12-18°C).
Oyster mushrooms can be grown on a variety of substrates, including hardwood sawdust, soy hulls, wheat straw, sugarcane, coffee grounds, banana leaves, cardboard, coco coir, and even straight motor oil! The most widely used substrate for oyster mushrooms is straw, which is also a very forgiving substrate to grow on. If you're just starting, you can also buy ready-to-fruit oyster mushroom blocks that come fully colonized and ready to grow.
To get started, you'll need to prepare your oyster mushroom substrate. This involves choosing a substrate material, such as straw or sawdust, and following the instructions to prepare it for inoculation. Once your substrate is ready, you can purchase oyster mushroom spawn online or from a local supplier. Grain spawn is generally recommended over sawdust spawn as it produces bigger yields.
After inoculating your substrate, you'll need to incubate your oyster mushrooms. During this time, you'll want to maintain a proper environment, including the preferred temperature range for your specific oyster mushroom variety. Once your mushrooms have emerged, continue to maintain the proper environment and mist them with water a few sprays a day.
When your oyster mushrooms are ready to harvest, you'll notice that they have stopped growing and the caps have started to flatten out. You can harvest them by twisting them off with your hands or cutting the cluster with a knife. After harvesting, you can reuse the substrate to grow more mushrooms by submerging it in water overnight and then following the same fruiting instructions.
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Frequently asked questions
Mushroom mycelium is the thread-like body of a fungus that is often hidden underground or inside rotting logs and stumps. The mycelium is the main part or body of the fungus, and the visible mushrooms are the fruiting bodies that form to assist with reproduction.
It takes anywhere from two weeks to two months to grow mushroom mycelium. The timeline varies depending on the mushroom species.
Common substrates include logs, stumps, woodchips, straw, sawdust, coffee grounds, grain hulls, and other carbon-rich materials. Oyster mushrooms grow very well on straw.
After about two to four weeks, the mycelium should be ready to fruit. Tent plastic over the medium to preserve moisture and allow the fungi to form.
