There’s a lot to know when it’s about growing mushrooms. You have to invest in knowledge if you want to know in a short period of time what others that score the internet learn in months or years. The mushroom cultivation training may get pricy and depends on what mentor are you going to pick. Starting a mushroom farm is not rocket science and the cost of starting a mushroom farm may be low when you think low-tech. The good news is that mushrooms don’t need fancy equipment to grow!
Briefly on mushroom cultivation history
Fungi have existed on earth since ancient times About 286-320 million years ago, ascomycetes and basidiomycetes had appeared. Early Greeks, Romans and Egyptians used them for food, ceremonies and medicine.
In the middle of 17th century there were set up the primitive methods of cultivating shiitake mushrooms in Japan. At that time, growers gathered logs with shiitake and placed them near fresh logs allowing airborne spores to infect the new logs.
In 1943, Dr. Kisaku Mori invented a new inoculation method using wooden dowels or plugs of colonized mycelia that were inserted into drilled log holes. Nameko (Pholiota nameko) and Hiratake (Pleurotus ustreatus) was also based on log cultivation in the 50’s and bottle cultivation in the 60’s.
Hikosaburo Murimoto, invented the first Flamullina velutipes production method based on a sawdust substrate contained in glass bottles (1928). The production of Hypsizygus marmoreus started in the early 70’s using sawdust substrate in bottles. King Oyster production began in 1993 using bottle cultivation.
For the production of shiitake, people used logs of different species. The biological efficiency on log cultivation is 30 to 35%. Enokitake (Flamullina velutipes) was initially grown in 700 ml bottles with an opening of 52 mm in diameter.
Up to the mid-1980s, enokitake growers used “brown color” cultivars whose fruit bodies turned a light shade of brown when illuminated which was an undesirable trait because market demanded white colored fruit bodies. Therefore, growers were obliged to cultivate them under dark conditions to prevent discolorations. Nameko production initially began by shade log culture using log sections of hardwoods or long logs (beech, birch, cherry), placed under forest trees.
The earliest record of cultivation in Europe dates from the 17th century when an agronomist retrieved wild specimens and implanted mushroom mycelium in prepared substrates. In those early times, mushroom growing was a small activity practiced by the rural population. Materials in which fungi grew naturally were gathered and concentrated in prepared beds. The beds were then cropped and used to start new beds.
In Asia, during the time of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Tang Ying-chuan stated: “Put the steamed bran on logs, then covered with straw, Wood ear (Auricularia auricula-judae) will grow”. Concerning the early development of the growth of Agaricus bisporus there is information that somewhere between 1678 and 1707, someone discovered and practiced a technique of spawning stable manure beds by the insertion of small masses of infected manure from naturally infected beds.
The growth of the straw mushroom in its primitive form must have begun somewhere in China or vicinities. In Shaochou Fu Chih (annals from Kwangtung province) there is a phrase reporting mushrooms grown on piled and watered paddy straw.
In another paper published in 1930 it is stated that the paddy mushroom was produced by using fermented straws and occasionally on rotten glass straw. In 1875 villagers of Hsitou adopted a method of growing straw mushroom that implied a heap of straw mixed with cow manure and split beans built first in the center of the field and surrounded with a ditched that could be flooded and used as a source of water for the head.
After a couple of days, the straws needed to be tied up in little bundles laid in a straight line, five-six layers thick and finally covered up entirely with other straws that offered them protection. Volvariella spp. mushrooms were the only ones grown on paddy straw substrate in China.
In the Republican period, two kinds of methods used to keep spawn were developed. The first method involved dryness preservation. According to this, combined fungal mycelium and growth substrate were kept dry for inoculation in early winter, while the rest was kept as fertilizer. The other technique was related to wetness preservation.
Mycelium with straw from furrows could be used as spawn. After harvesting the fruiting bodies, mycelium with wroth substrate had to be thickened to 6 or 7 inches with straw to make it unable to grow again.
Nowadays, modern techniques are primarily based on the primitive technique with various improvements.
Article by Malina Puia
The mushroom growing stages
Starter mushroom growers – I met people wanting to start growing for their first time mushrooms that most people wouldn’t grow (for example turkey tail (Trametes versicolor). Now, this explains that we have our own interests and not everyone wants to start growing oyster mushrooms just because they are easy to grow. Anyways, if you want to grow mushrooms for food then i would recommend you to start with what’s easy to grow so you can familiarize yourself with what means to grow mushrooms.
Once you have a general idea on what this means try some other ones and see how the growing process or fungus behavior differs from the previous one. Start by growing the common oyster. This comes in different varieties which is reflected in differences regarding shape, colors, consistency, taste, etc. Try growing the blue oyster (var. columbinus), the white oyster, the brown oyster, the olive-brown, the pearl, gray and so on.
All of these oyster mushroom types belong to the common oyster which is actually a complex [Level 1 -probably the easiest to grow and therefore I recommend you to start your mushroom adventure as grower by trying these ones out]. The Low-tech Mushroom Cultivation Training was especially designed for total beginners wanting to grow mushrooms.
LEVEL #1
- Oyster Mushrooms –Pleurotus spp. Common oyster (P. ostreatus, var. columbinus, P. pulmonarius, P. florida n.n., etc)
- Yellow oysters (P. citrinopileatus)
- Pink oysters (P. djamor & allies)
- Abalone oyster (P. cystidiosus)
LEVEL #2
- King Oyster (P. eryngii)
- Milky (Calocybe indica)
- Stropharia (Stropharia rugosoannulata)
- Paddy Straw (Volvariella volvacea)
Levels 1 & 2 are easy to grow. For Level 2 -King oysters and Milky: you will notice that growing these two has some advantages over the first level especially because of the prolonged shelf life, edible stem, taste or consistency but using the same grow methods as for those from Level #1 provides fewer mushrooms. Some changes in growth procedure are needed in this case.
So, play around with different strains of these particular mushrooms, take notes and learn what are their requirements in terms of conditions and what their characteristics are. Once you gain experience in growing these mushroom types you may take your mushroom adventure to the next level.
The amateur mushroom grower – Amateur mushroom enthusiasts are already familiar with mushroom growing but wanting to take their mushroom adventure further and optimize what they know and want to learn some more. I believe that mushroom growing is fun, rewarding, positive easy to do (in most cases) but also addicting: when you drive on a straight road and see a straw pile on the side of the road, then you realize how addicted you are to this -you start to think that mycelium took over your brain and spreads everywhere..
Optimize!
Every grower has its own way of growing mushrooms which is adapted to what he or she thinks is best and so there isn’t a standard grow method that applies to everyone. With that said, it’s important to find your own way, implement what you learn, explore, take notes and get more experience in time.
At this stage, probably you would want to find out ways of learning different mushroom grow methods and use which one is best for the mushroom types you already grew or explore for great strains and of course thinking to try growing some other mushroom types. A good point at this stage is to learn from others as much as you can.
Try something different
This is when you want to know more about mushroom growing and explore methods on how to grow the Level #3 mushrooms. By now, you realized that the Level 3 mushrooms are grown successfully only with equipment. I personally believe that these mushrooms may be grown without any equipment if you know how. Most farms in Asia grow some of these without autoclaves for centuries. Probably they don’t get the highest yields but it’s still doable.
LEVEL #3
- Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus)
- Black Poplar (Agrocybe aegerita)
- Shiitake (Lentinula edodes)
- Shimenji (Hypsizygus sp.)
- Ear Mushroom (Auricularia auricula)
- Enoki (Flammulina velutipes)
- Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum)
- Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor)
- Nameko (Pholiota nameko)
- Maitake (Grifola frondosa)
The above have different requirements and it’s a satisfying adventure to try growing these different mushroom types -each one of them unique in what regards shape, color, texture or taste. Some of these are sold in the markets as gourmet or medicine. The mushrooms belonging to this category in the US are grown differently compared to Level 1&2 -you’ll find detailed instructions in the Low-tech Small-scale Mushroom Farm Setup Training for startups. Once you know how to grow these you’re good to learn and try some of the Level #4 mushrooms.
Should you make your own spawn?
I’ve noticed many amateur growers at this stage being also interested in making mushroom spawn which I believe it’s fair to explore.
Btw 70% of the growers out there make their own spawn, so this remains another challenge which is more likely to happen sooner or later in your mushroom adventure. So, why do these farms make their own and not buy it? Well, I guess they all want to cut costs (mainly spawn cost plus shipping).
Most startup mushroom farmers purchase their spawn which I highly recommend. I also recommend farmers to purchase their spawn if they don’t have time or don’t want to get into the spawn making challenges -let the experts do what they know best. However, if you’re a farmer on a low budget and already have an autoclave because you grow Level 3 mushrooms or want to explore this side of the industry, then go for it.
The good news is that with proper guidance even a 15 year old can do it. Besides, you need to invest in this as much as you like. You may start with low-tech equipment which requires only few hundreds $.
It all gets to quality spawn which you can get through low tech or high tech (it doesn’t matter how -mycelium doesn’t care about that). Spawn making is not for everyone but for those with skills required to get that quality final product. DIY spawn seems to be easy, rewarding and fun, but there are many hidden aspects that only experienced people are able to cover. To keep a high standard quality when you produce spawn is the most important task which in many cases cannot be achieved without proper training.
Growing mushrooms for profit
At this point many mushroom enthusiasts are thinking to make a living out of growing mushrooms. It’s ideal as a side job if you want to keep it that way or if you turn that into a full time job you’ll get loads of satisfaction. Some even think to pay their rent in mushrooms ?? Find out more about the business potential of mushrooms here.
There are plenty of positive examples out there which clearly show that growing mushrooms for profit has a huge potential. You can go for what’s on the market already or you may start a new trend throwing out there something unbelievable -you pick. Taste, texture and shelf-life are very important but also the look.
Oyster mushrooms and shiitake are leaders among specialty mushrooms but there are some other ones like: beech & black poplar mushrooms, enoki, maitake or nameko which people out there know about. So what should you grow first? what’s easier for you or what has the highest demand?
I think you need to keep a balance in between these two. Yield/block is what could lift you higher or drag you down. Every mushroom block has a maximum potential and if not squeezed well you loose time, effort and funds. In such a case the cost could get higher than what you’ve expected that’s why you need to know how to. Make sure you get to that info before you even start your business.
The experienced mushroom grower
What does ‘Experienced’ mean? You don’t need to pass all these levels that I’ve set to be experienced. You may grow one mushroom know lots about it and be considered an expert in growing that particular mushroom. This is rather rare among mushroom enthusiasts but I must confess that I’ve met such people. Every expert has challenges even if he or she got to the top of his thing but an expert will constructively think what must be done to improve methodology or other areas to get to best results when growing mushrooms. One rule applies here: two heads are always better than one. Different people -different point of views. Working to improve things in a group seems to be more efficient than working alone to solve any challenges that might arise.
Obsessed with yield?
How to cut costs and still get a great yield or how to get that contamination under 2% are just two of the constant expert thoughts that swirl in the head.
New candidates
At this stage experienced people in most cases are interested in how to grow the weird mushrooms like the ones of the Level 4. A bit challenging to grow these ones but not impossible, I guess it builds more personal experience because none out there grows these for profit. At the end they remain a nice try or a sweet success.
LEVEL #4
- Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus)
- Steak Fungus (Fistulina hepatica)
- Blewit (Lepista nuda)
- Cauliflower Fungus (Sparassis crispa)
How about wild mushrooms?
Wild mushrooms are highly appreciated. You may see them from time to time at Whole-foods and guess what? many people are ready to give away big bucks for em. Restaurants want them! Why not grab a slice of this business too? Why give people only what can be grown? What seems to be important is again: look, freshness, taste, consistency, color, shelf-life and availability. Unfortunately they’re not always available unless you want to put a new candidate on the Level 5 list. At this level probably the famous morel mushroom remains a priority.
LEVEL #5
- Morel Mushroom (Morchella sp.)
The good news is that it can be grown, even though very few out there got to actually grow them and I failed miserably at this but that’s another story. Well, they can be easily grown in your own yard or in the woods which is great. I would encourage everyone to try grow them and share their stories, maybe as a group we’ll do a better job.
5 Mushroom Growing Challenges
1 – Competitor issues
Competitors include organisms like molds, bacteria, viruses, mites, nematodes, flies, or other mushrooms which compete for the same food as the mushroom that we want to grow. Competitor issues appear even if you clean up every day your grow room and the causes of their presence in the grow room may be multiple. Every experienced mushroom grower knows what’s like to deal with molds or mites in the grow space. Some are so paranoiac about them that wouldn’t let visitors get in.
What’s interesting is that some growers saw them less often than others and this is simply because some of them have better experience on pest control, better grow methods, better strains or better habits. As you may see mushroom growing has it’s challenges and is not for perfectionists because there will always be losses due to competitors. Under 2% loss is fine but if you loose about 10% or more of your crop that’s alarming and you should reflect on why this is happening.
Imagine what’s like to put a tone of work into it, spend funds on materials and also wait and after 7-10 days to get what you see in the picture on the right. That’s why when you’re a startup you need a mentor, an experienced grower able to help you get all the way through so you can avoid losses. When I’ve started with this I had nobody to give me advice and I must admit that I passed through a lot of ‘moldy’ experiences. When your goal is to sell mushrooms there’s no room for this because it’s time consuming.
Spawn Quality Related Concerns
The spawn making process has its challenges. In most cases when you start with spawn making you’ll face the presence of random competitor organisms in your freshly inoculated grain bags. Sometimes to identify these organisms in incipient stages is very hard.
2 – Mushroom production technique related concerns
There are several mushroom growing techniques that you could follow. The question is what’s best for you. You’ll need to take into consideration aspects like:
– substrate ingredients cost
– substrate disinfection method : whether if you go for pasteurization, sterilization or substrate soaking in lime or something else
– whether if your going to grow em in beds, blocks or trays
– how are you going to provide them the climate conditions they need to grow for optimal development
– what your farm location will be
– what mushrooms should you grow
Best is definitely to try them all and see what works best for you or to get the advice of an expert -this way you’ll cut costs on materials, time and effort. One thing is for sure every grower has it’s own technique. Professional growers have settled techniques that work while amateur growers still play around with different options and do their best to find a way that works.
3 – Effort, material and energy cost related concerns
Everything that you would do in your mushroom growing process has its positive part. Even if you spent a lot on trying to get your first crop and 90% got contaminated because of competitor organisms -it is a lesson.You can learn from your own mistakes. But you need to be really motivated to fail over and over again. Only those who stand up and go further will succeed. In some cases, depending on the method you pick to grow mushrooms, it could get to be an expensive adventure -many growers in their first stages start to feel that especially because they don’t have a system that works and are rather lost in grow trials. The method also reflects some of the grow equipment that they use and the energy that binds to that. Therefore a great method also means to cut energy, material and equipment costs.
4 – Mushroom strain related concerns
Many startup growers are looking for the best strain to use. There is no best strain because what works for others might not work for you at the same rate, but definitely what works for most growers has a high possibility to work work for you too. Keep this in mind when you want to pick a strain. The more famous the cultivated species the more strains can be found out there (Compare the common oyster and the blewit mushroom) and you’ll see what I mean. Strain has a major impact on the mushroom crop yield and of course it is positively related to the profit that you’ll get by growing that mushroom. So if you pick a great strain you might cut energy costs and get higher profits match this with a great method and you’ll get an even better advantage
5 – Mushroom crop yield related concerns
While visiting farms I realized that 90% of them were using only the first flush just because it’s the highest (about 70% of the total crop cycle) the rest of 30% is usually tossed just because the grower needs to wait more, doesn’t have enough grow space or want’s to keep the growroom free of competitors. It totally makes sense. How about getting a second and a third consistent flush? wouldn’t that spare some time (two month of incubation -e.g. shiitake), energy, material, time, effort? With a quick fix this is possible but the problem is that most growers don’t know how to do it and is more convenient for them to start all over again. This is a poor way to grow mushrooms.
The bigger your farm the more benefit you’ll have when you increase your overall crop production even with 5%. So when you have 5000 shiitake blocks that produce about 1 lbs of mushrooms ea an increase of 5% will get you an additional 250 lbs of mushrooms. That’s why having a general idea on what’s going on with your mushroom production area is essential so you can evaluate yield and implement a strategy to get out the most of your blocks.
Many times such challenges requires the assistance of a consultant which may be pricy but welcomed because of the effects on the long run. And guess what? if your business feels good then you feel good too.
Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) cultivation
- competitor organisms taking over the inoculated substrate
- matching the wrong strain with the wrong climate conditions
- picking low yielding strains
- post harvest procedures not ensuring a consistent second flush
- post harvest moldy blocks
As you may notice is easy to get discouraged when starting out with growing shiitake mushrooms. With proper guidance you’ll be able to avoid these complications. Scoring the internet for answers is another option; however, the information out there in most cases is erratic and requires you to spend time to figure it out by yourself. Details on how to grow this wonderful mushroom you’ll find in the Low-tech Small Scale Mushroom Farm Setup Training Program.
Requirements
In order to grow shiitake following the standard method you’ll need a pressure cooker or an autoclave, a clean air flowhood and fungus tissue transfer knowledge. However, this is not a rule because there are alternative methods to this fungus. The knowledge required to build a flowhood and how to transfer fungus tissue is available here on MC- please check for DIY Flowhood.