Included in the package:
- Bag with mushroom substrate
What you need:
- About 5 minutes a day
1. Introduction:
Gourmet mushrooms are becoming increasingly popular, with their delicious umami taste and health benefits taking center stage.
However, finding fresh gourmet mushrooms is not always easy, and many stores only carry common button mushrooms and portobello.
Mushroom growing kits are a great solution because they are easy to use and allow even inexperienced growers to produce fresh gourmet mushrooms all year round. But not all mushroom growing kits are the same, so it's a good idea to do your research. We only stock biologically active cultures.
2. What is a mushroom growing kit?
A mushroom growing kit usually consists of a medium or mushroom substrate and is a fun and hassle-free way to grow mushrooms. Ready-made substrate kits are the easiest to use. With these kits, much of the mushroom growing process is already done for you, including sterilization, inoculation and incubation.
All that’s left now is the fun part of the mushroom growing process, fruiting.
How to start a mushroom growing kit?
If your substrate block does not show any signs of fungi or the surface is still white, wait until the color changes to brown. Store the culture in the dark.
After opening, important factors are: air supply, humidity and temperature.
To ensure air circulation, you must remove the substrate bag.
(One cut, about 4 cm high around the bottom of the bag)
The bottom can remain covered with the bag, remove the top rest.
During the entire cultivation period, especially while mushrooms are forming, it is important to ensure that the ball does not dry out. Water the mushroom culture regularly with fresh, cold tap water. This is easy and gentle, using a shower head or a similar shower function in your sink.
A place not directly next to a heat source generally offers the required temperatures (~ 10 - 20°C) and lighting conditions (no direct sunlight): basement, bathroom.
During the entire cultivation period, especially while mushrooms are forming, it is important to ensure that the substrate does not dry out. Water the mushroom culture regularly with fresh, cold tap water.
timing
Do not start a mushroom growing kit if you will not be home for the next two weeks, as the mushrooms need to be moistened regularly.
harvest
When the majority of the mushrooms still have the edge of the cap slightly curved inwards, all mushrooms should be harvested (it is better to harvest too early than too late).
When harvesting the mushrooms, carefully cut them off at the substrate surface with a sharp knife.
After harvesting, thoroughly remove all stem remains, as germs can form on them, and completely submerge the mushroom culture in fresh, cold tap water for 4-5 hours.
Do mushroom growing kits grow back?
Most mushroom growing kits produce more than one burst of mushrooms, meaning you can get multiple harvests from one block before it stops producing.
After harvesting, the substrate needs a 2-week break. During this period, the crop should be kept in a well-ventilated place.
Even during the rest period, the culture should be watered every 2-3 days using a shower head.
To encourage a new harvest after the recovery phase, completely submerge the mushroom culture in fresh, cold tap water for about 4-5 hours. Then place it back at 10-20 °C.
Do mushroom kits last forever?
No, they don't. Depending on the type of mushroom, there are usually 3 to 4 harvest waves, and then the block produces very few mushrooms.
Mushroom kits also do not last forever if stored in the refrigerator before they bear fruit, as the dormant mycelium in the substrate loses strength over time.
If you store your kit for more than 3 months, there is no guarantee that it will still produce mushrooms.
After removing the film, used mushroom cultures can be composted as valuable organic fertilizer or disposed of as organic waste.
An alternative is to bury the block 1/3 deep in your raised bed, greenhouse or garden and hope for more mushrooms.