The Easy Way To Make Mushroom Grain Spawn At Home.

Making grain spawn at home has become the new norm in the mushroom cultivation industry. Mycologists revealed that it helps individuals to grow mushrooms with intentionality and ease. That is, you can quickly increase the species of your choice to control pests and diseases at the comfort of your home.

This procedure is beneficial because it requires little space and money to start it. Though, it would help if you had some equipment as a beginner, most notably a pressure cooker. Subsequently, you can get a laminar flow hood, which contributes to the procedure's success by making the culture free of germs.

This article will reveal the easiest do-it-yourself (DIY) techniques for cultivating spawn without stress. Preparing mushroom grain spawn at home should always come with ease. That is why we've provided you with these step-by-step practices.

Below are the 6 DIY procedures that any beginner can adopt when making grain spawn.

HYDRATE THE GRAIN

It is the first and most engaging step in making grain spawn. The sole aim of this step is to soak the grain in water for 12-24 hours maximum. It is important to note that the grains will grow after 24 hours of soaking. Thus, it must not exceed 24 hours in water.

How then will I soak the grain? It is simple; after choosing a specific grain, you want to measure it in a sizable bowl, then pour water on it. Hence, these grains must be submerged in the water.

You can then further ask, how will I know the proper water measurement? Depending on your chosen grain, the general proportion is 1:3 in the ratio of grain to water. You can choose from brown rice, rye berries, and wheat berries.

Also, there will be an increase in the sizes of the grains after soaking is completed. A close example of that is a pot of boiled rice, which increases in quantity after cooking. However, this increase in amount is also determined by the type of grain you use. Some increase two times the original quantity while some can be triple.

Moreover, if you want to make 5 liters of grain spawn, all you need to do is soak about 2 liters of grains.

MAKING THE LIDS

This procedure is essential for beginners because it will allow you to inoculate the grain without using a laminar flow hood, which is quite expensive. In the process of soaking your grain, you need to create lids. How?

You start by drilling two holes with different diameters at the top of the lid with the following specifications; ¼ diameter should be prepared at the center, and a ⅛ diameter hole should be drilled at the edge of the cap.

Immediately the first hole is drilled, cover it with high-temperature silicone sealant and leave it to dry. It is essential to use the high-temperature silicone sealant because the regular silicone sealant melts at high temperatures (pressure cooker). The drilled hole serves as the "self-healing injection port, " making injecting liquid culture easy.

The silicone sealant is essential because it permits the injection of liquid culture directly without tampering with the lids. Once the needle is sterile, you can easily inject through the holes, and the space will seal up even after the needle withdrawer. And it helps to guide air getting into the spawn, which can bring contamination. It explains why it is called a "self-healing injection port" and why it helps eliminate using a laminar flow hood.

The last procedure for making jar lids is pulling the slab through the pillow filler. It allows the easy penetration of mycelium through the grains.

STEAM, DRAIN, AND DRY

One of the most asked questions about spawn grain is how and why should I steam my hydrated grains? It would be best to steam the hydrated grains by placing them on a heat that will soften the grain for about 15 minutes. Guess you don't want a mushy grain sawn, so avoid over steaming the hydrated grains. And it is essential to steam it because it will allow the fungi (mushroom mycelium) to eat up the soaked grains quickly.

Draining and drying are the next steps after steaming. This process works simultaneously; pour the heated hydrated grain into a basket to drain it properly for about 1hour and fill the jar up to ⅔ of the pot.

STERILIZE

This is the most critical grain spawn procedure because it helps exempt the mushroom culture from external microorganism invasion.

However, grain spawn culture does not need sterilization because of a pressure cooker, which will help heat the culture and keep germs away. Hence, sterilization is introduced because of its effectiveness; it helps keep the culture 100% free from contaminants.

Also, to further prevent contamination, there is a need to cover the lids with tinfoil, which will stop the dripping of water into the prepared lid. 

INOCULATE

It is the act of introducing growth materials into the culture via the "self-healing injection port" without opening the jar. Since you are using a high-temperature silicone sealant, immediate closure of the injection opening will always happen. It creates no need for a laminar flow hood (a closed area void of germs).

Notably, the injection syringes must remain sterile as they will aid the easy injection of liquid culture into the grain spawn without germs. An alcohol-based sterilizer/ sanitizer helps disinfect the needle to avoid germs.

COLONIZE

After inoculation, you can keep the culture safe from direct sunlight and allow penetration of mycelium all through the culture body. This is the last stage; all you need to do is to constantly check the growth of this fungus and always confirm the absence of bacteria or mold on it. When you notice a brown sludge, that means bacteria is present, and if you see the presence of green color instead, it means molds are present. Both colors show a lack of adequate sterilization, which has led to contamination.

To speed up the colonization rate, you can shake the jar once ⅓ of the total area is colonized. This will speed up the rate at which the fungi will spread to all the regions. It only takes 7 to 14 days for total colonization to be achieved.

Conclusion,

Sterilization must prioritize because this is the only way to prevent germs from getting into the culture. Tho, new liquid syringes come sterile on demand, but after use or exposure to air, they become contaminated. The only way to keep it hygienic is to clean the jar lid with alcohol swabs.

Also, the use of a self-healing injection port can't be overemphasized for a beginner grower because this is the only way to make grain spawn without a laminar flow hood. The materials and tools needed for mushroom grain spawn are grain, jars, high-temperature silicon, and a pressure cooker.

As a Canadian brand based in Vancouver, Canada, we understand how to grow grain spawn for beginners. We've decided to bridge the gap in equipment availability. So, we ensure these tools are always available to our customers at all times.

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