Beginners Guide To Growing Mushrooms

For those new to the concept, the idea of cultivating mushrooms may seem complex. You might wonder, what is this unique and seemingly mysterious process?

In reality, mushroom cultivation is much more straightforward than it appears, and the benefits of growing your own mushrooms are numerous and significant.

In this guide, we'll skip the complex science and focus on providing you with a straightforward, practical approach to growing mushrooms on your own.

How Do Mushrooms Grow?

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Growing mushrooms might sound tricky at first, like a big mystery. You might be thinking, "How do I even do that?"

But don't worry! Growing mushrooms is actually pretty simple, and it’s really fun to do. Plus, you get to enjoy lots of tasty mushrooms that you grew yourself.

In this guide, we’re going to make it super easy for you, skipping the confusing stuff and showing you exactly how to grow mushrooms at home.

Where Do I Start?

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To get started with growing mushrooms, you'll need either a spore syringe, liquid culture, or spawn, and some substrate.

Spore Syringe

Most people start with a spore syringe. A spore syringe contains millions of tiny mushroom spores that can grow into mycelium when given the right conditions. Spore syringes are popular with beginners because they’re easy to use and widely available.

Liquid Culture

Another option is a liquid culture syringe, which already has mycelium growing in it, so it’s a bit further along in the process.

Spawn

Mushroom spawn is when the mycelium has grown through sterilized grains, ready to be mixed with your chosen substrate.

Substrate

To grow mushrooms, we need to give the mycelium a nutritious food source called substrate. The substrate is what the mycelium eats to grow strong and eventually produce mushrooms.

Bulk Substrate

This is used to further expand your spawn.

What Now?

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1. Inoculation

In this step, we introduce our spores or liquid culture to our substrate. This involves taking our spore or liquid culture syringe and injecting it into our chosen substrate. You can start with our all-in-one kits, inject & forget kits, or grain. This needs to be done in a sanitary environment to avoid contamination (we’ll get to this later).

2. Incubation & Colonisation

After inoculating the substrate, the mycelium will spread throughout it and begin consuming it in a process known as colonisation. This generally takes around 4-6 weeks depending on the species. All we need to do here is keep the substrate at the correct temperature, which also depends on the species.

If you are using one of our all-in-one or inject and forget kits, you can skip the Spawn To Bulk step as this isn't necessary, and go to Step 5. If you are starting with one of our grain bags, please read on.

3. Spawn to Bulk

Once your grains have fully colonised, you now have what is known as Spawn. This is ready to be mixed with your chosen bulk substrate.

The type of bulk substrate we use depends on the kind of mushrooms we want to grow, but the most common options include coco coir, coffee grounds, manure, straw, or hardwood sawdust. These materials have all the nutrients the mycelium needs to grow.

Spawning to Bulk can be done in many ways, most commonly by mixing the spawn and bulk substrate in a monotub or a grow bag.

4. Incubation & Colonisation: Round 2

If you have started with a grain bag, you’ll need to repeat the colonisation step and wait until the surface of your substrate is fully colonised and looks completely white. Once your substrate is fully colonised, you can move on to the fruiting phase.

5. Fruiting

Now for the fun part!

To grow mushrooms successfully, we need to create the right conditions for the mycelium, just like it would have in its natural habitat. Fungi, like all living things, need a steady supply of food, water, and air.

When growing mushrooms, we mimic the conditions that fungi experience in the wild. This helps signal to the mycelium that it's time to produce mushrooms, a process known as fruiting. Some mushroom species are easygoing and will start fruiting with minimal changes, while others need very specific conditions at different stages of growth.

Humidity

Mushrooms are about 90% water, so they need a lot of humidity. To keep them from drying out, place them away from strong drafts and mist them with a spray bottle several times a day.

Air Exchange

Once the mycelium has fully colonised the substrate, it's time to introduce fresh air to start mushroom formation. While the mycelium is growing (colonisation), higher levels of carbon dioxide are okay. But for the mushrooms to grow (fruiting), they need more oxygen.

Temperature

During colonisation, the mycelium grows best at warmer temperatures between 21-26°C. When it’s time for fruiting, you should lower the temperature slightly to help the mushrooms develop.

Light

It’s a common myth that mushrooms need complete darkness. In reality, they need some low-level light to trigger the growth of mushroom fruit bodies. Natural light from a window or a basic room light is usually enough.

6. Harvest

All you needto do now is harvest your fresh mushrooms!

Contamination

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Mushrooms need a sterilised substrate to grow. In simple terms, the substrate is the organic material mushrooms use for food, providing the carbon and nitrogen they need. In the wild, mushrooms share their food with other organisms like bacteria and fungi, but these unwanted guests can interfere with your home mushroom cultivation. They can even produce toxins that might make you sick, so it’s crucial to avoid them.

The main challenge for mushroom growers is preventing these contaminants from taking over. To do this, the substrate must be sterilised, which involves heating it to a very high temperature under pressure for at least an hour to kill off any harmful microorganisms. Some less nutrient-rich substrates, such as coco coir, can be pasteurised instead. Pasteurisation heats the substrate to a lower temperature to kill most of the unwanted organisms without completely sterilising it.

If this sounds a bit tricky, don’t worry. We sell premade substrates that have already been sterilised or pasteurised, making it much easier to get started.

If you have more questions or need assistance, feel free to get in touch!