Growing mushrooms is a highly rewarding venture, but the mushrooms themselves can be finicky about where they want to grow. By providing your spores with top-tier growing conditions, you can encourage the fruiting bodies to flourish with minimal contamination. Ready to build your own mushroom fruiting chamber? Midwest Grow Kits has a few top tips for you.
The Shotgun Fruiting Chamber: An Introduction
One of the most common and effective types of chambers is a shotgun fruiting chamber. It’s easy to get started—all you need is a clear plastic tote with holes drilled in all sides and a thin layer of damp perlite to spread across the bottom. This setup provides a greenhouse-like setting with the ideal balance of fresh airflow and humidity.
Drilling Holes
Once you’ve acquired a clear plastic tote, grab a measuring tape, a drill, and a marker. You’ll want to space the holes two inches apart in a grid formation, so measure and mark where they will go before drilling.
Drill these evenly spaced holes into all six sides of the tote—that includes the bottom. Use a ¼ inch drill bit to gently drill your holes.
Spreading Perlite
Perlite is a natural mineral that encourages proper aeration and retains a great deal of water. You’ll need one or two gallons of coarse perlite for your fruiting chamber; if it’s too fine, it’ll fall through the holes you just drilled.
Spread the perlite across the bottom of your tote and use a spray bottle to mist it thoroughly. The perlite layer should be two or three inches deep. Once the perlite is sufficiently damp, use a wooden spoon to fluff and mix it.
Fruiting Chamber Upkeep
You can grow mushrooms in your shotgun fruiting chamber using a couple of techniques. Fruiting blocks are common, but you can also use a mushroom spore kit from Midwest Grow Kits in your new chamber.
While the holes in your chamber do provide decent airflow, you should remove the lid and fan the chamber once or twice a day. Mist your perlite regularly with water to maintain proper humidity levels. Don’t forget to spray down the sides of the chamber! Just take care to avoid misting your fruiting mushrooms, as doing so can disrupt their growing process.
Building a mushroom fruiting chamber is an easy and inexpensive process; you may even have some of the necessary tools already lying around the house! Use these top tips from Midwest Grow Kits to build a highly effective terrarium environment for the mushrooms you want to grow.