The 3 Do's and Don'ts of Growing Mushrooms

Posted by ding pan on May 29th, 2018

Do you want to have delicious, nutritious mushrooms available whenever you want them? Does your local grocery store only carry bland polypropylene spawn bags white button mushrooms? Why not grow your own? With a small investment in equipment, time and study, you can grow exotic gourmet mushrooms right from your home!

Growing your own mushrooms can range from easy to difficult, depending on what species you are trying to grow, the amount of mushrooms you are trying to grow, and how much of the process you want to do on your own. Basically, growing mushrooms as a hobby can be the equivalent of dating or the equivalent of marriage, depending on how much of a commitment you want to make.

So before you put on your mushroom hat, here are the 3 Do's & Don'ts that you should keep in mind before you start rolling your sleeves...

DON'T skip important sanitation procedures such as washing your hands, pasteurizing/sterilizing substrate, etc.

DON'T assume that what worked for one species will work for another. Each species is different and has different growth requirements.

DON'T feel pressured to invest a lot of money in specialty equipment unless you want to. You can get a kit, or do it yourself mushroom oyster bag but start small. By all means, if you want to start out with a huge grow room and all the amenities, go ahead-but if the idea of doing so intimidates you, remember that it's not a necessity.

DO research the species you are growing so that you can provide the mushrooms with everything they need to grow.

DO look online-there are many online communities that include mushroom growers of varying levels of involvement, and their experience can be an awesome resource.

DO have fun with it! Unless you are starting a commercial mushroom farm, this is hobby, not a job.

Growing your own mushrooms can be a mushroom filter bag fascinating and satisfying hobby. Remember, growing mushrooms is what you make of it. It can be a fun side project, or a serious enterprise that requires a major investment.