How to plant mushrooms

how to plant mushrooms

Mushrooms are widely consumed throughout the world and there are many dishes that are delicious thanks to their presence. The scientific name of the common mushroom is Agaricus bisporus, it is a fungus (Kingdom Fungi) of the Agaricaceae family, very popular for its multiple culinary uses in all kinds of dishes. In order to get the most out of the flavor of these mushrooms, you must learn how to plant mushrooms.

For this reason, we are going to dedicate this article to telling you how to plant mushrooms and what you should take into account for it.

How to plant mushrooms

cultivated mushrooms

Before explaining how to plant mushrooms, we must remember that if we want to grow mushrooms ourselves, we will need the following materials:

  • Styrofoam containers or boxes used as greenhouses.
  • The top of the box.
  • boiled straw.
  • Mulch or peat.
  • Mycelium in grains, that is, "seeds" or spores of fungi. We recommend regular mushrooms or portobello mushrooms.

All these material lists have been prepared keeping in mind that we will assemble the greenhouse box ourselves. If we want to simplify the task, we can acquire the Alpaca Mushroom Grow Kit, which has the mycelium and mushroom substrate ready, guaranteeing the first production and extending it for another year.

How to plant mushrooms at home

how to plant mushrooms at home

First, we must emphasize how important it is to have very clean and disinfected hands and prepare all surfaces, containers and tools for mushroom cultivation. We must bear in mind that without realizing it we can generate harmful microbes with our hands, when we sneeze or cough nearby, which can favor the growth of the desired fungi. To grow mushrooms at home from scratch, follow these steps:

  • Put the straw in the bucket with the compost.
  • Add a little water to moisten the ingredients and mix well.
  • If you usually drink coffee at home, it's best to leave the coffee grounds in the mix at this point, as they are very nutritious for fungus and can lead to more fungal growth.
  • Once it's well mixed, transfer it to a Styrofoam box. Don't be afraid to fill it up, especially if the lid is tall enough to allow fungus to grow. Remember that this mixture will be food for the fungus, and the more substrate it has, the more mushrooms there will be.
  • Sprinkle the powdered mycelium, which is the fungus itself.
  • Cover the surface with 1 cm to 2 cm of peat or mulch previously moistened, on which more water should be sprayed to provide the moisture necessary for fungal growth.
  • Cover the box at a temperature between 22 ºC and 37 ºC, protected from light.
  • It is important to keep the box moist, always use a spray bottle to apply a small amount of moisture.
  • After about 7 days you should be able to distinguish gray hair from overgrown mycelium. Then it is useful to have an opening in the lid to let in some light. Make a hole and cover with cling film.
  • From now on, it will be convenient to place the box in direct sunlight, but not completely in the dark, and periodically mist the earth, but not the mushrooms, to maintain a good level of humidity, around 80%. You should see your first mushrooms grow in about 12 days, and you should be able to harvest your first mushrooms in about 20 days.

hydroponic mushrooms

mushroom cultivation

Hydroponics is a technique that can greatly optimize the resources of the crop, since all the nutrients are administered in the water in the form of nutritive solutions, normally in constant circulation, the plants or in this case it is the fungi that take only what what they need at all times.

However, compared to conventional crops, hydroponic crops require larger installations on the ground or substrate, so its implementation is more expensive and complex, and it is often relegated to the industrial field as one of its many variants. If you want to start growing at home, it is best to start with simpler techniques.

Some Tips

Here are some basic and important tips:

  • Wash your hands and sanitize all tools before preparing boxes and mixing.
  • Some say mushrooms grow best in the dark, but a little light will promote further development. Don't expose them to direct light, but don't leave them in the dark either.
  • If the lid is a little sweaty, spray water on the lid, or directly on the ground, but not on the mushrooms, which will rot.
  • Gather the mushrooms and remove them carefully without cutting them to prevent them from rotting.

Reproduction, pests and diseases

Mushrooms reproduce by the mycelium, the vegetative mechanism of the thallus or fungus, which consists of a set of filaments or hyphae. The fertile part of the mushroom is found in the so-called hymenium, formed by a plate located in the lower part of the hat.

The mycelium contains spores (in fungi they are called conidia) from which new fungi emerge once cultivated. It is a block purchase in a specialized store for your application, it is quite simple. An interesting curiosity: The field mushroom pickers use mesh bags to introduce the specimens, thus, while walking and looking for mushrooms, the residues attached to the mushrooms are released to the ground and thus dispersed for later use as mycelium for crop production.

As has already been said, mushrooms are very affected by excess moisture, which can lead to the formation of molds that are difficult to attack with fungicides, the only way to solve this problem is through prevention. After each harvest, it is recommended to sterilize the box before using it again.

When it comes to growing mushrooms in your home garden, you should know that the best known pests are certain mites, some nematodes and various insects:

  • Whitish spiders: They produce irregular cavities in the legs and hat.
  • blonde spider: causes fungal roots to develop.
  • Diptera: a pest whose larvae destroy the mycelium of the fungus, causing fruit failure and destroying the already formed fungi.
  • Red spider: Encourage the worker.
  • Beetles: Make small oval holes in the hat.
  • Nematodes: destroy the fungal mycelium.

I hope that with this information you can learn more about how to plant mushrooms and what are the best tips.


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