The 3 Levels Of Mushroom Growing

The mushroom is a fungus and is relatively selective of its substrate. Mushrooms did not have the proficiency of growing under direct sunlight because they lacked chlorophyll. Hence, they are not green plants; they obtain nutrients from decayed materials and organic- matter vegetation.

The process of growing mushrooms as a beginner seems so overwhelming, but with time and interest, it turned out to be fun and easy. Hence, there are many things to discover about mushroom cultivation. 

However, there are three (3) primary levels of mushroom growing; these levels enable simplicity and easy production of mushrooms; they include;

The Mushroom Starter Kits.

If you've never grown mushrooms before, starting with a kit is the best way to get started. It is the simplest way to start mushroom growing without purchasing expensive equipment like a pressure cooker or a sophisticated fruiting chamber. However, using this kit will avoid getting into many failed experiments.

Furthermore, these Mushroom growing kits are already made for easy access and essentially fruits blocks that have been inoculated and colonized; all you have to do is grow the mushrooms in a conducive environment.

SIGNIFICANT ASPECT OF MUSHROOM GROWING

  • HUMIDITY

Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air. If there is a lot of water vapor in the air, the humidity is high. Hence, a highly humid environment is needed for maximum mushroom productivity. That is, without appropriate humidity, we will not develop pins. Eventually, the block will dry out and die.

The mushroom requires a relative humidity of around 80-100% to grow into substantial fruit bodies and produce fresh mushrooms.

As the mushrooms grow, make sure to keep the kit away from solid drafts that could make them dry out and die. You should also sprinkle your mushrooms with a spray bottle several times every day to allow the mushroom to grow. However, it might fail to grow into large fruit bodies if the mushroom is not adequately managed.

Furthermore, you can create a humid environment by building a simple "Shot Gun Fruiting Chamber" as the most straightforward and cheapest means to ensure proper humidity for your grow kit.

  • LIGHT

Light is another crucial element in mushroom growing. To grow fresh and long-lasting mushrooms requires a lot of light.

One of the errors beginners make is growing mushrooms in the dark. Although some mushrooms, such as Button mushrooms, can grow in a dark place, most gourmet species need a lot of light to grow to large fruit bodies properly.

Light is an important "pinning trigger," signaling to the mushroom mycelium that it can start forming and allows the mushroom body.

Mushrooms use light for functions other than photosynthesis. The indirect light from a window is ideal good ideal for mushroom development. If you don't have a window that lets in enough light, you can use a simple rope light LED or simply leave a light on in the room with the mushroom block.

  • Temperature

Mushrooms prefer a relaxed environment with temperatures around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Wild mushrooms are less selective in temperatures, as they can form mycelia, which are the threads of the following management 40 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The mushrooms begin the fruit or visible parts when temperatures reach between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR STARTING FROM A KIT 

  • A Mushroom Growing Kit
  • Spray Bottle
  • Build a Shotgun Fruiting Chamber (SGFC)
  • Plastic Sheeting for Humidity Tent

The  Spawn

This level allows you to experiment with various methods and substrates. Cultivating mushrooms for fun or profit and experimenting with multiple species will give the first-hand experience.

The options are nearly endless; with pre-made spawn, you don't have to worry about culture management or dealing with agar dishes when you use pre-made spawn. Just add the spawn to your substrate, colonize, and fruit.

  • GROWING MUSHROOMS ON LOW-NUTRIENT SUBSTRATES

Growing on straw or other low-nutrition substrates is better than using pre-made spawn.

A pressure cooker, autoclave, or laminar flow hood is not needed. Simply pasteurize the substrate so that the mycelium from the grain spawn has an advantage in colonizing the substrate before contamination.

Pasteurizing your substrate in a large tote or more excellent is easy to do at home. You start by filling the substrate with hot water and leaving it overnight. Once it has cooled, you can then add the spawn.  

Straws, coco-coir, and hardwood fuel pellets are suitable substrates for pasteurization, and all these materials are naturally low in nutrition. Yet, they are ideal for a wide range of mushrooms, particularly oysters.

  • GROWING MUSHROOMS ON HIGHER NUTRIENT SUBSTRATES

Mushrooms, such as Shiitake, will not grow on straw or coco-coir. They required more adequate substrates like sawdust supplemented mixed with bran to increase effectively. Bran-supplemented substrates are more nutritious, but they must be sterilized before inoculating with spawn.

At this stage, a pressure cooker or autoclave will be needed. You'll also find it very difficult to inoculate them without a laminar flow hood.

Equipment Needed For Starting From Spawn

  • Pre-Made Spawn
  • Low-Nutrient Substrates, like coco-coir or straw
  • Mushroom growing containers side grow bags, totes, or poly tubing
  • Pressure Cooker
  • Hydrated lime (for cold pasteurization)

Agar Work

Perfecting your agar work allows you to make grain spawn, store cultures for lengthy periods of term, clone wild mushrooms, and even develop new strains from spore.

This is the perfect time to get yourself into the laboratory after mastering the substrates and methods for substrate preparation for mushroom growing.

  • MAKING YOUR PLATES

Doing agar work starts with making your plates. The process generally involves pouring sterilized agar into Petri dishes in front of a laminar flow hood.

There are many different recipes for this, but a simple Malt Extract Agar recipe is a good one to start.

Plates can store culture, propagate and expand the collection and even save new strains for future use. The cultures can last for so many years if it is stored properly.

  • MAKING GRAIN SPAWN

A grain spawn can be created from tch once you have a viable culture on an agar plate; with these, you don't need to purchase a grain spawn again.

  • MAKING LIQUID CULTURES

Cultures can be used on agar dishes to start your own Liquid Cultures (LC).

LCs are advantageous because they can be propagated without using a flow hood or even a SAB. If stored in mason jars with "self-healing" injection ports, a syringe can extract the culture from the pot and inject it into a jar of grain spawn or even a fruiting block. Liquid cultures in needles are also a considerable means to send cultures in the mail.

  • CLONING MUSHROOMS

Ever see a beautiful-looking species in the woods and think how cool it would be to grow it at home? You can do that with agar dishes! (depending on the species, of course)

Mastering sterile technique with agar dishes allows you to clone mushrooms at home so that you find wild strains, make genetic copies of grocery store mushrooms, or even clone some of the more exciting fruits that you've managed to grow yourself.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR LEVEL 3

  • A Laminar Flow Hood
  • Lab Equipment
  • Cultures

CONCLUSION,

Mushroom cultivation requires dedication and time cause it is a never-ending pursuit of learning, trying, failing, and perfecting your cultivation skills.

Mastering and following the aforementioned do-it-yourself guidelines will ease your mushrooms cultivation.

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