Learn To Grow Mushrooms At Home

Growing mushrooms at home is quite easy. Best of all, you can eat them once and it will always grow back. Now, it is convenient to review some preliminary aspects.

First of all, let’s remember that mushrooms ( Agaricus bisporus ) are a type of mushroom widely used in cooking.  In fact, both the stem and the hat are used.

The fungus is an organism that differs from plants by not having a root, stem, or leaves. It does not contain chlorophyll, so they feed on organic matter from outside. In the case of the mushroom, this is an edible mushroom.

Being seedless, mushrooms grow from spores. When the spores find the right humidity conditions, they germinate and produce hyphae, which branch and form a mass called mycelium.

Advantages of growing mushrooms at home

• You have the satisfaction of producing your own food at home.
• It is an excellent educational opportunity since it offers the little ones the experience of seeing these mushrooms grow, something that is not possible to see in an uncontrolled environment.
• It is a very effective production, since an entire crop can be obtained from a single bullet.
• Harvesting mushrooms is very easy, so its value increases when compared to buying it at the supermarket or grocery store.
• The security of knowing that what you consume has not been processed and is genuinely natural.

How to grow mushrooms at home?

To grow mushrooms at home it is necessary to have a space for it. If we have a patio with soil, we can have a section for cultivation.

On the other hand, if we live in an apartment, it is best to opt for an elongated pot and place it in a dark place. At this point, remember that mushrooms, given their mushroom status, do not need sunlight.

Now, growing mushrooms is easier than it seems and their production can continue until the soil does not find any more substrate.

Materials

• Straw.
• Water.
• Compost.
• Mycelium in grain (you can also buy the pre-grown mushroom bales).
• 1 box (preferably polystyrene as it does not rot or decompose, apart from helping to contain humidity and temperature). This box will need a lid so make sure you get one.

Process

Before starting, we recommend boiling the straw. This should be done to prevent it from germinating and to eliminate any traces of fungus that it already carries.

• Mix the compost into the straw evenly while you moisten it a bit. If you like, you can add coffee as it can nourish the compost and favor the growth and development of the mushrooms.
• Place this mixture in the box. Keep in mind that the more substrate there is, the higher your mushroom production will be, so add as much as you can.

• Spread the grain mycelium evenly and cover this with a finger of moistened mulch. Water with water.
• Cover the box with a lid to keep out light. You should leave it covered for 5 to 8 days. It is important that you keep the box moist during this time until you see a whitish blanket on the substrate. This means that the mycelia have colonized the substrate.
• Now, prepare another lid for the box that will allow room for the mushrooms to grow. Make a central hole in this lid so that a little light enters, but always indirectly. Cover this lid with a transparent film so as not to lose moisture or heat.
• It is important that you keep the humidity at 80% but without exceeding it.  If you like, you can water the inside of the lid instead of pouring water directly on the mushrooms. When this water has evaporated, you’ll know it’s time to spray again.
• You will get your first shoot in 20 days (approximately), when the hats have a diameter between 5 and 8 cm.

• Separate them from the substrate when the sheets under the hat are pink. Twist the body slightly until the body separates from the substrate.

If you have followed the steps correctly, you should have a new crop every week. So you can enjoy your own organic mushrooms and prepare your favorite recipes.

Some recommendations for growing mushrooms

As you can see, growing mushrooms is easy but requires a bit of patience and dedication. Keep the following tips in mind when preparing your crop:

• Make sure that the space where you place your crop has good ventilation. In this way you will avoid bad smells and other annoyances.
• Use a nutritious compost since this is where the mushrooms get nutrients to grow.
• The optimum temperature should be between 22 and 27º C. A temperature higher than these can be a disadvantage. If the temperature goes above 35º C, you stop its growth.

• Use a diffuser to water the crop.
• Wash your tools before and after using them to avoid contaminating the environment.
• An ideal place to grow mushrooms is a dark room or garage.