How to grow mushrooms – A Comprehensive Guidelines
It is not wise to have no idea about how to grow mushrooms. These delicious members of the fungal world are fat-free, full of vitamins and antioxidants and low in calories. They are consumed in substantial quantities, all over the world, mainly due to their myriad health benefits and rich earthy taste. The way to grow mushrooms in your backyard is very simple; you just need the right growing conditions and mushroom spawn.
How to grow mushrooms
Keep in mind, mushrooms originate from spores and not seeds. These spores are so tiny that they fail to get captured by the naked eye. You won’t find chlorophyll in the spores, like seeds, so here you have to rely on materials like grain, wood chips, sawdust, straw, wooden plugs or liquid to derive nourishment. A mixture of the spores along with these nutrients is widely known as spawns. These spawn act as a starter before having the entire dish.
Tiny, white coloured threadlike roots, known as mycelium, are formed with the support of spawns. This mycelium in turn gives place to mushrooms to push out through the growing medium.
The spawn also has power to grow mushrooms alone, but when it is better to add it with some growing medium, to yield better quality harvest. For mushroom cultivation, the growing medium can be anything, such as logs, straw, wood chips or compost with a mixture of gypsum, corncobs, nitrogen supplements, and cotton seed hulls and cocoa seed hulls, depending on the type of mushroom you want to grow.
Where to grow mushrooms
Mushrooms are preferably grown in dark, moist and cool environment. If you are planning to cultivate it in your home, the basement will be the best place to grow it or you can also think about the spot just below the sink.
Check the temperature of the location. The best temperature to grow mushrooms is between 55 to 60 degrees F and keep in mind, this location must be away from direct heat and drying. Some of the basements may appear to be too hot during the summer months, in such cases, it is better to grow in winter months.
Although they can withstand light, it is better to place them under low lighting conditions.
The procedure
At a temperature of about 70 degree F, put the substrate in a pan and start heating. Now, place the spawn on the substrate. It will need 3 weeks to get ‘rooted’. As soon as this happens, lower the temp to 55 and 60 degree F. this is the perfect temperature to grow mushrooms. Now, cover up the spawn with potting soil and cover this soil along with the pan with a damp cloth and time to time, spray it with water, whenever it dries. Within 3-4 weeks you would see mushrooms growing and they will be entirely ready when their cap will bloom and get distanced away from their stem.
In need to have proper guidelines on how to grow mushrooms? We can provide you with details of mushroom cultivation.