Category: Tips
45 Results
Working With Mushroom Cultures on Agar
Growing mushrooms from scratch requires being able to store and properly propagate mushroom cultures (think mycelium) on nutrient rich agar. For the mushroom cultivator, it is an essential skill. Properly transferring cultures allows you to “grow out” mushroom different species for the purpose of making grain spawn. It also allows for the ability to “clean” a
The Yellow Oyster Mushroom
The Yellow Oyster Mushroom, sometimes called the Golden Oyster, is both stunningly beautiful and easy to grow, making it a popular choice among home cultivators. This mushroom grows fast and fruits heavily in vibrantly bright “bouquets”, although the small and relatively thin fruiting bodies usually make for a smaller overall yield. For the most part,
A Mushroom Growers Guide To Preventing Contamination
Growing mushrooms from scratch require a sterile environment, and sterile processes for repeated success. The hard work of transferring cultures on agar, inoculating grain jars, and making fruiting blocks can be ruined from a single mold spore. So how do you minimize the risk of pesky contaminates destroying your grow? You gotta keep it clean.
How To Use Mushroom Grain Spawn
Growing mushrooms starting from ready-made grain spawn is one of the most accessible and beginner friendly ways to get into the hobby of mushroom cultivation. It is slightly more complicated than growing mushrooms from a kit, but the results are totally worth it! You’ll get way bigger yields, a deeper understanding of the process, and the
Mushroom Yield and Biological Efficiency
Mushroom yield and biological efficiency are important parameters that need to be understood and optimized by the mushroom cultivator. When you first start out growing mushrooms, you might not be all that concerned about how many mushrooms you get. At first, just getting some nice looking fruits is a huge success! But as you get more proficient at growing
Understanding Mushroom Substrates
Finding the perfect mushroom substrate for your grow- and getting the right substrate recipe– is one of the most important aspects of mushroom cultivation. New growers will quickly realize that growing mushrooms is significantly different than growing plants. Although the concept of a mushroom substrate can be thought of as somewhat analogous to the soil for
How To Build A Shotgun Fruiting Chamber (SGFC) in 5 Easy Steps
We like to pick mushrooms. Unfortunately, mushrooms themselves are picky – and getting mushrooms to fruit properly requires that we present them with ideal growing conditions. Building a Shotgun Fruiting Chamber (commonly referred to as an SGFC) is a quick and easy way to provide the perfect balance of fresh air and humidity that mushrooms
The Best Books on Mushroom Cultivation
To see further, we stand on the shoulders of giants. Knowledge is power. Why try to reinvent the wheel when we can learn from the failures, successes, and triumphs of others? This applies to mushroom cultivation just the same. Every grower needs a few good mushroom books on their shelf. Growing mushrooms is a complex and intricate process, and
The Complete Guide To Starting A Mushroom Farm
You want to be a mushroom farmer, and I totally understand why. Learning how to grow mushrooms for any reason can be extremely rewarding and engaging. They’re just so interesting! The more you practice growing mushrooms, the more there is to learn. Your journey will be long, because there’s an endless variety of new techniques
Best Humidifier for Growing Mushrooms
One of the main paths to success for mushroom cultivation is maintaining the proper humidity at the right time of the mushroom growing cycle. Mushrooms can be up to 90% water, and require high levels of humidity in order to initiate pinning and promote healthy development. Too dry and your substrate will crack and be hesitant
What’s the difference growing mushrooms indoors vs outdoors?
Mushrooms are affected by their growing environment in a big way. The most important elements for a mushroom growing environment are light, humidity and the ambient level of CO2 – less specifically, the amount of fresh air. Different mushrooms seem to react to changes in these elements in different ways. For example, common button mushrooms
Candidates For Cultivation: The Blue Oyster Mushroom
Few mushrooms are more satisfying to watch grow as the Blue Oyster Mushroom. It is very forgiving and easy to grow making it the ideal choice for a beginner. The fruits grow rapidly, sometimes doubling in size everyday. The mushroom starts out strikingly blue and turns grey as it matures. These mushrooms are ideal candidates
