The process of growing mushrooms involves few steps. The first one is acquiring and maintaining tissue cultures of the species one wants to grow. Spores can be used as an alternative but they do not do well when they interact with hydrogen peroxide. Tissue cultures are then used to begin a spawn. Mycelium is introduced into organic material and finally the end product forms and grows.

One can start with a kit. This is a culture which is already prepared to form the end product. The only task that the buyer has to do is providing the right environment which should be cool and moist. Some species are easy to grow while others are not.

Instead of acquiring a kit, one could get spawn. Appropriate substrate is prepared at home or bought and the spawn is introduced into it. Homemade substrate is made from materials such as old newspaper and tissue paper. The choice of the material to use in making the substrate will depend on the strain one will grow.

Today, the most commonly used types of substrata are compost and woody material. The type one chooses to use is dictated by the strain a person wants to grow. A strain like button does well when grown on compost while oyster will flourish on woody material.

Compost must be treated with heat to destroy harmful microbes from it. These microbes utilize the same nutrients as mushrooms and thus decrease productivity. However, there are microorganisms which increase nutrients in the substrates. To preserve such, the heat treatment should be regulated so as not to overheat the substrate. Compost is then cooled, mixed with calcium sulfate and spawn is introduced into it.

In case woody material is the substrate of choice, hydrogen peroxide can be used instead of heat to kill harmful microbes. It also prevents air borne contamination with mold and bacteria. Use of peroxide makes it easier to prepare the substrate and takes less time compared to use of heat.

To get the mushrooms to grow, a soil layer is placed on top of the culture if compost was used. This layer helps to conserve moisture. When using a woody material as substrate, certain conditions will differ depending on the species being grown. These conditions are temperature, air circulation and light exposure.

These are some few facts that are important to know when one is growing mushrooms. One needs to understand them so as to be successful in this project. Failure to do so might lead to poor results.

If you need more information about the art of growing mushrooms, check out my latest e-book on the topic.