Growing mushrooms can be a delicate process. There's so much to keep track of, from cleanliness to temperature to humidity. This is true for people growing any type of mushroom, including those attempting to grow oyster mushrooms for themselves. If you're reading this, it's safe to say that you likely need a few tips for growing oyster mushrooms at home. You've certainly come to the right place.
Forage Correctly
You can certainly use all-in-one mushroom grow bags that contain everything you need to grow your mushrooms. In fact, we'd encourage it. However, if you'd like to get out in nature, it’s important that you know how to forage your mushrooms correctly. Make sure you carry your pocketknife—although you shouldn't use it to extract your mushroom from the ground—a small shovel for extraction, and a basket. Use the pocket knife to clean off the mushrooms, a shovel to pull them from the ground, and a basket to store them on your way home. Also, ensure you have a permit if you get stopped for foraging. It's not legal to forage everywhere, even though oyster mushrooms are relatively common.
Use the Right Substrate
The mushroom substrate is key when attempting to grow your own mushrooms. A substrate is a medium you use to grow the mushroom's mycelium. It can be any material, but coffee grounds, fertilizer, and straw are relatively common. Vermiculite is also the perfect addition to most grow kits, so remember to include that in your grow bag. This is an important tip for growing your oyster mushrooms.
Place Them in a Good Environment for Growth
As you start to grow your mushrooms, store them in a dry room at around 65 degrees. Mushrooms aren't meant to grow solely in the dark. For 12 hours every day, they should have light shining on them. While you can put them in the sun on a window ledge, it might be wise to get an LED light that turns on and off on a schedule. That way, you won’t have to worry about constantly checking in on them or adjusting them when the lighting needs to be exact.
Harvest Them Correctly
The right time to harvest your mushrooms depends on conditions and mushroom type. But when it finally is time to harvest, how do you do it properly? We recommend using the same shovel you used when foraging, though it might be easier to use a knife since grow bags and jars are so small. You can also extract by pulling if you want to keep most of the mushroom intact.
Store Properly
After harvest, store your fresh mushrooms in storage bags and put them in the refrigerator. You'll find that they stay ripe longer if you put them in a fridge. They’ll last even longer if you do this while using a vacuum bag machine, so it might be wise to invest in that if you grow mushrooms a lot. Overall, these tips will help you tremendously in growing your oyster mushrooms. These tips should help you during each stage of the growth process. If you follow these guidelines, you can enjoy the best possible batch of oyster mushrooms.