How do you grow magic truffles is a mystery to most people. Although there are a few “growing magic truffles” tutorials around. However many of them skip out on a lot of steps and make it easier than it actually is. (Add “seeds” to straw and poof! Mushrooms!)
This leaves a lot of people in the dark. Admittedly, shroom cultivation is quite different from growing garden plants; but the process can be simplified all the same.
There’s no way a complete guide to growing shrooms could be described in one single post. Whereas, I hope to provide a basic outline for people who want to learn more.
So – although there is an endless array of specific cultivation techniques in use around the world. Growing shrooms generally consists of the same 7 steps.
STEP 1: GROWING OUT A CHOSEN MUSHROOM CULTURE ON AN AGAR FILLED PETRI DISH
This involves placing mushroom spores or a viable tissue sample of shroom on a nutrient rich media. This needs to be done in an extremely clean environment. So that bacteria and molds don’t land on your petri dish and out-compete the mushroom culture
STEP 2: TRANSFERRING THE MUSHROOM CULTURE (KNOWN AS MYCELIUM) ONTO STERILIZED GRAIN
Again, in an extremely clean environment, cut a sample of mycelium and transfer it into a jar of sterilized grains. The shroom mycelium will start to grow out, running across and devouring the grain, eventually taking over the whole jar.
STEP 3: EXPANDING THE GRAIN JAR EXPONENTIALLY TO CREATE GRAIN SPAWN
Bits of grain, now called spawn, can be used to inoculate numerous other sterilized grain jars. Moreover the exponentially increasing the volume of available spawn. One jar can typically be used to spawn ten more jars of similar size.
STEP 4: SPAWNING THE GRAIN INTO A SUITABLE SUBSTRATE AND FRUITING CONTAINER
Once you have a satisfactory amount of grain spawn, it can be used to inoculate a substrate. On which the mushrooms will eventually grow. The type of substrate used is dependent on the species of shroom you are growing.
Typical substrates include straw, wood chips, or compost. Depending on the type of substrate used, it will also have to be pasteurized or sterilized prior to inoculation.
STEP 5: ALLOWING THE MYCELIUM TO OVERTAKE THE SUBSTRATE
Once the substrate is inoculated, the shroom mycelium will continue running, consuming nutrients and engulfing the substrate. Once the entire substrate is engulfed in mycelium, you can attempt to induce pinning.
STEP 6: INDUCING PINNING OF THE MYCELIUM BY ALTERING THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
When the environmental conditions are suddenly changed, usually by dropping. The temperature and increasing the humidity, the mycelium will start to form little knots which eventually turn into pins. Check out this article to learn about the mushroom fruiting environment.
STEP 7: ALLOWING THE MUSHROOMS TO FRUIT. HARVEST YOUR MUSHROOMS IN SUBSEQUENT FLUSHES
Finally, many of these pins -if given the right conditions. Will continue to grow, drawing up water and nutrients from the substrate and rapidly turning into full sized shrooms. If a proper environment is maintained, a healthy substrate can produce numerous “flushes” of shrooms. Further allowing the cultivator to harvest the mushrooms 2 or 3 times.
One incredible aspect of mushroom cultivation is the ability of the shroom mycelium to grow out exponentially. Thus achieving mass thousands of times its original size. For example, a fingernail size slice of culture from a petri dish will grow to fill a quart size jar. That grain jar, in turn, can be used to spawn ten more jars. Those jars can be used to spawn another 100 grain jars. Which in turn can be used to spawn 1000 jars!
Eventually, the mycelium will lose vigor and become exhausted. However, it is incredible that a tiny piece of mycelium can go on to produce thousands of pounds of shrooms.
This is no comprehensive guide to learn how to grow mushrooms – but simply a basic outline of the process. I plan to write more about these steps and many other mushroom topics, with great articles.
In the meantime, interested readers should consult the book “Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms” by Paul Stamets. This book provides an incredible overview of mushroom cultivation, and is a must read for anyone interested in growing shrooms.
