A Guide To Growing Medicinal Mushrooms

Growing Medicinal Mushrooms Is Easy and Fun to do.

Foraging for mushrooms is fun, but it can also be frustrating– there’s no guarantee you’ll find what you’re looking for. And buying mushrooms at the grocery store is certainly easier, but who knows where they came from? Fortunately, there’s a third option– one that’s just right. You can grow your own mushrooms at home.

By growing your own mushrooms, you can control not only the conditions but also the varieties. There’s no need to scour the forest looking for woodsy morels when you have some in your backyard. And you’ll never have to worry if that Chanterelle is actually a Jack O’Lantern because you grew it yourself. Growing your own mushrooms allows you access to some of the top medicinal mushrooms, not to mention the tastiest to cook with.

So, where to begin?

Which Medicinal Mushroom to Grow? 

The type of easy to grow mushroom you choose depends to some extent on what you like to eat. Some of the more commonly cultivated species of mushroom are Lion’s Mane, Shiitake, Reishi, and Wine Cap. Most beginners, however, start with Oyster mushrooms. This is because Oyster mushrooms are fairly easy to grow, making them a great mushroom to learn on. Once you have the process down, you can start to tackle more challenging varieties.

Obtain The Mushroom Spawn

Next, you need to obtain the mushroom spawn. This can be done a couple of different ways. The easiest way to find spores is to purchase them from a retailer. There are several online options, and some plant stores also sell mushroom spawn. Most beginners start with this option.
More advanced growers may opt to grow their own spawn, starting from a spore. This is much more difficult and involves taking a spore print from an existing mushroom. If you’re new to mushroom cultivation, consider starting with oyster mushroom spawn.

Choose Your Substrate 

Once you have obtained the mushroom spawn, you’ll need to choose the substrate that you want to grow it in. Substrate is simply a word that means the material you are growing the mushrooms on. This depends largely on the type of mushroom that you are growing. If you are starting with the Oyster mushroom as recommended, they can grow on almost anything. People have successfully cultivated Oyster mushrooms on cardboard, wood pellets, wood shavings, corn cobs, and paper bags.
Whatever substrate you choose, you will need to treat it prior to cultivation. Options for treating substrate include stovetop pasteurization, lime baths, and cold fermentation.

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“Plant” Your Spawn

Once you’ve chosen and prepared your substrate, it’s time to start growing your mushrooms– technically called inoculating the spawn. Inoculation is a somewhat complex process, involving the use of a heated syringe to implant the spawn into the substrate.
Fortunately, Oyster mushrooms are a little easier to innoculate. Simply mix your substrate (which should be moist, but not dripping wet,) and spawn, scoop into bags, and spread them out on your growing surface. Incubate the substrate mix until the bag it’s contained in has turned completely white.

Fruit The Mushrooms

Finally, it’s time to fruit and harvest the mushrooms. Cut a small slit in the bag to allow for airflow, and find a source of indirect light. Oysters can thrive in any temperature in the 50 to 80-degree Fahrenheit range. Within a week, your mushrooms should begin to fruit. When the caps of the Oyster mushrooms start to flatten out, it’s time to harvest.

Wrap Up

Growing your own mushrooms can be challenging, but by starting slowly and with the right variety, you can work your way up to more difficult species. Buying a mushroom grow kit will help shorten the learning curve and get you growing your own mushrooms quickly.