Laura Smith
Growing mushrooms in bags is a popular and easy way to cultivate your own mushrooms at home. The process involves preparing a growing medium, such as straw or sawdust pellets, and hydrating it with water to create the ideal environment for mushrooms to thrive. The hydration rate is crucial, as too much water can slow down growth and create conditions for contaminants to take over. Once the growing medium is prepared, it is mixed with mushroom spores or spawn and sealed in a bag. To promote mushroom growth, the bag is then misted with water or cut open to allow for air exchange. With proper care and maintenance, a single bag can produce multiple flushes of mushrooms.
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What You'll Learn
Preparing the bag
Sterilize the Bag
Before you begin, it is important to ensure your growing environment is sterile to prevent contamination. Start by sanitizing your workspace, scissors, gloves, and the mushroom bag itself. You can use isopropyl alcohol or an alcohol wipe/spray to sterilize the surfaces and equipment. This step helps eliminate any bacteria that could ruin your mushroom bag.
Prepare the Substrate
The substrate is the growing medium for your mushrooms. You can use straw or sawdust pellets, which are already pasteurized due to the high pressure and heat during manufacturing. Add cold water to your chosen substrate, aiming for a hydration rate of around 60%. For example, use 720 grams of straw pellets with 1080 milliliters of water. Let the mixture sit for about 30 minutes to ensure the pellets are fully hydrated. If you use hot water, wait until it cools down to room temperature before proceeding.
Mix the Substrate with Spawn
Once your substrate is hydrated, it's time to mix it with the spawn (mushroom spores or live culture). For example, you can add 180 grams of oyster mushroom grain spawn to your hydrated pellets. Mix everything well to ensure an even distribution of spawn throughout the substrate.
Load the Bag and Seal It
Now, it's time to load your plastic bag with the substrate-spawn mixture. If using straw or sawdust pellets, leave the top third of the bag empty to allow for air exchange through the filter. However, if you're using chopped straw, you can fill the bag completely. After filling the bag, seal it securely. You can twist the top of the bag and secure it with a zip tie or wire, or use an impulse sealer if you have one.
Store the Bag
Place the sealed bag in a suitable storage area, maintaining the same conditions as before. Allow the mycelium to colonize the substrate. Depending on the mushroom variety and conditions, this process can take one to two weeks or longer. During this time, you can shake the bag gently to speed up growth and evenly distribute the mycelium.
Prepare for Fruiting
Once the bag is fully colonized, it's time to prepare it for mushroom growth. Wipe down your workstation and scissors with alcohol again. Cut a small cross or hole in the front of the bag, about 5 cm or 2 inches in size. Pull down the flaps where you cut, and mist the mycelium with water a couple of times per day to maintain moisture. This will encourage mushroom fruiting.
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Watering techniques
Sterilizing and Soaking the Grain or Substrate
Before adding water to your growing substrate, it is important to sterilize the grains or substrate to prevent contamination. Soak the grains in water for 8-12 hours, depending on the type of grain. Drain and rinse the grains, then simmer in fresh water for 10 minutes with 1 teaspoon of gypsum per quart of water. Drain the grains again and spread them out on a towel or screen to dry for 30-60 minutes. This process ensures proper hydration and sterilization of the grains before mixing them with the growing substrate.
Hydrating the Substrate
The substrate, such as straw or sawdust pellets, needs to be hydrated before adding the mushroom spawn. For a 5-pound fruiting block, use about 1.5 liters of water. The straw or sawdust pellets should be moist but not dripping wet. You can also use a hydration rate of 60% as a guideline. For example, mix 720 grams of straw pellets with 1080 milliliters of water. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes until fully hydrated. If using hot water, allow it to cool before proceeding to the next step.
Mixing the Substrate with Spawn
After hydrating the substrate, it's time to mix it with the mushroom spawn. For oyster mushrooms, add 180 grams of grain spawn to the hydrated straw or sawdust pellets. Mix everything well to ensure an even distribution of the spawn throughout the substrate.
Sealing the Bag
Once the substrate and spawn are mixed, load the mixture into a plastic bag. Leave the top third of the bag empty if using straw or sawdust pellets to allow for air exchange through the filter. If using chopped straw, you can fill the bag to the top. Seal the bag by twisting the top and securing it with a zip tie or wire.
Misting the Bag
After cutting a hole in the bag for mushroom growth, it is important to mist the mycelium with water a couple of times per day. This helps maintain the necessary humidity for mushroom growth. Use distilled or RO water, and mist slowly to allow the water to absorb into the growing medium instead of pooling at the bottom of the bag.
It is important to note that overhydration can slow down mushroom growth and create opportunities for contamination. Always ensure that your growing medium is moist but not soaking wet.
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Dealing with excess water
Firstly, it is essential to understand the ideal hydration levels for grain spawn bags. The grains should be moderately hydrated, with an ideal hydration level of around 40%. This can be calculated by weighing the grains before and after soaking, aiming for a weight increase of 30-40%.
If you notice excess water at the bottom of your bag, it is important to act promptly. One method is to dump the contents of the bag onto a towel, allowing it to dry for several hours. Subsequently, you can re-bag the contents and proceed with sterilization. This method is particularly useful if you have overhydrated your spawn media, as it helps prevent the growth of contaminants.
Another approach to dealing with excess water is to use vermiculite. Adding vermiculite to your spawn bags can help absorb extra liquid. This natural mineral is highly absorbent and can help regulate moisture levels within the bag.
Additionally, when hydrating your grains, it is crucial to follow proper hydration practices. Soak your grains for 8-12 hours, depending on the type of grain. After soaking, drain and rinse the grains, then simmer them in fresh water for 10 minutes with 1 teaspoon of gypsum per quart of spawn media. Don't forget to drain and spread out the grains on a towel or screen to dry for 30-60 minutes before proceeding.
Furthermore, when injecting liquid culture (LC), it is easy to get carried away and overdo it. Ensure you inject the appropriate amount of LC, as excess water can hinder mycelium growth.
Finally, if you notice a significant amount of excess water in your spawn bag, you can try a syringe method. Apply some silicone glue to a spot on the bag, poke a syringe through, and carefully extract the excess water. This technique can help remove excess water without disturbing the contents of the bag.
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Misting and spraying
When misting or spraying mushroom bags, it is important to use cooled, boiled water to ensure it is disinfected. The misting process should be done gently, with a focus on creating a fine mist rather than using a heavy spray, as larger water droplets can pool around the mushrooms, causing a lack of fresh air exchange and potentially leading to rot and contamination.
It is recommended to mist the inside surfaces of the container or bag, as well as the mycelium and mushrooms themselves, but this should be done with caution. Some sources suggest that misting the walls and avoiding direct spraying of the mycelium and mushrooms is sufficient, as direct spraying can cause bruising and harm the mushrooms. However, others suggest that a light mist on the mycelium and fruits is acceptable, especially during the final days of fruiting to accelerate growth.
The frequency of misting depends on the specific needs of the mushrooms and the growing environment. Some sources recommend misting every other day, while others suggest misting a couple of times per day. It is important to monitor the humidity levels and adjust the misting frequency accordingly to maintain optimal growing conditions.
Overall, misting and spraying are important techniques in mushroom bag cultivation, but they should be approached with care to avoid overwatering and potential contamination. By using fine misters and focusing on the growing environment, growers can create the ideal conditions for healthy mushroom growth.
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Maintaining humidity
To achieve the desired humidity levels, it is important to start with the right amount of water when preparing the substrate. When using straw or sawdust pellets, a hydration rate of around 60% is recommended. For a 5-pound fruiting block, this typically translates to about 1.5 liters of water. It is important to ensure that the substrate is moist but not dripping wet. Overhydration can slow down the growth process and create opportunities for contaminants to take over. Therefore, it is advisable to aim for moderate hydration, with some sources suggesting that a range of 30-40% hydration is ideal for the grains.
Once the substrate is prepared, it is important to monitor humidity levels during the mushroom growth process. This can be done by regularly misting the mycelium with water once or twice a day. Creating holes in the bag can also help regulate humidity. It is recommended to cut a small 2-inch hole on the side of the bag, as cutting the top of the bag can cause the substrate to dry out faster and result in the growth of smaller mushrooms.
To manage excess water in the bag, some growers suggest using vermiculite, which helps absorb any extra liquid. Additionally, techniques such as rotating the bag can help distribute water evenly and prevent puddling. If there is still excess water, one can carefully use a syringe to extract the water through a small hole in the bag.
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Frequently asked questions
The easiest way to start is to buy a pre-sterilized mushroom grow kit. These kits come with everything you need to get started, including a growing medium that you hydrate with water. Simply inject your spores or live culture into the bag, wait for the mycelium to colonize, and then add water to hydrate the growing medium.
The amount of water you add will depend on the type of growing medium you are using. For straw or sawdust pellets, a common ratio is 720 grams of pellets to 1080 milliliters of water, which is a 60% hydration rate. For a 5-pound fruiting block, you may use about 1.5 liters of water. The growing medium should be moist but not dripping wet.
Excess water in your mushroom grow bag can be an issue as it can slow down the mycelium and provide an opportunity for contaminants to take over. You can use vermiculite to soak up any extra water, or you can dump the contents of the bag onto a towel, let it dry, and then re-bag it.
