You Can Grow Mushrooms At Home
Believe it or not, it is quite easy to grow mushrooms at home. Best of all, you can pick them and eat them and they will always grow back. To get started, though, it will help to review a few things.
First, remember that mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) are a type of edible fungus. In fact, both the trunk and the hat are used. Fungi are different from plants because they do not have roots, stems or leaves. They do not contain chlorophyll, so they are fed from the outside instead.
Mushrooms also have no seeds. Instead, they grow from spores. When the spores find the right, moist conditions, they can germinate and produce hyphae. Next, these can protrude and form a mass called mycelium.
The benefits of growing mushrooms at home
There are countless benefits to growing mushrooms at home. Here are just a few:
- You will get the satisfaction of producing your own food at home.
- It is a great learning opportunity for children as it gives them the experience of watching mushrooms grow.
- It is an efficient production. From just a single track you can get a whole harvest.
- It is easy to harvest mushrooms, so its value increases when compared to buying them at the supermarket or at the greengrocer.
- You want security by knowing that you are eating something that has not been processed and that is genuinely natural.
How to grow mushrooms at home
To grow mushrooms at home, make sure you have room for it. If you have space in your garden, you can use an area to grow mushrooms.
On the other hand, if you live in an apartment, it is best to choose an elongated flower box, and put it in a dark place. Keep in mind that mushrooms are mushrooms and they do not need sunlight.
It is easier to grow mushrooms than it might seem, and you can continue to grow them in the same soil until it no longer has any substrate.
Materials
- Straw
- Water
- Compost
- Mycelium grains (you can also buy mushroom onions that are already pre-cultivated)
- A box (preferably made of polystyrene as it does not rot or dissolve and it helps maintain humidity and temperature). You also need to make sure that you have a lid for this box.
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Step
- Before you start, we recommend that you boil the straw. You should do this to eradicate any kind of bacteria and fungi that may be on it.
- Mix the compost with the straw while you moisten it a bit. If you want, you can add coffee because it will nourish the compost and promote the growth and development of your mushrooms.
- Put the mixture in the box. Keep in mind that the more substrate there is, the more mushrooms you will be able to produce, so add as much as you can.
- Distribute the mycelium grains evenly and cover them with some wet soil. Add some water.
- Put the lid on the box to prevent sunlight from entering the box. Next, leave it covered for 5-8 days. It is important that you keep the box moist during this time until you see a whitish carpet on the ground. This means that the mycelium has colonized the soil.
- Now, make a new lid for the box which will give the mushrooms room to grow. Make a hole in the center of the lid so that you let a little light penetrate, but always indirectly. Cover this lid with transparent film to prevent the fungus from losing moisture or heat.
- It is important that you only harvest after about 20 days when the top of the fungus has a diameter of about 2-3 centimeters.
- When the area under the top is pink, remove them from the ground. To do this, gently rotate the body until you can pull the sponge out of the ground.
- If you have followed the steps correctly, you should have a new harvest every week. Now, you can enjoy your own, organic mushrooms, and prepare your favorite recipes!
Some recommendations for growing mushrooms at home
As you can see, growing mushrooms is easy. However, it does require a bit of patience and dedication. Keep the following advice in mind when preparing your crops:
- You must ensure that the space you choose to grow your crops in has good ventilation. That way, you will prevent bad smells or other problems.
- Use a nutrient-rich compost, as this is where your fungi will get the nutrients they need to grow.
- The optimum temperature is between 21 and 27 degrees. If the temperature is higher than this, it can ruin your crops. If the temperature exceeds 35 degrees, you should stop growing them.
- You can use a steam engine to irrigate your crops.
- Wash your utensils before and after you use them. That way, you will prevent contaminating your fungi.
- A dark room or a garage are ideal places to grow your mushrooms.
