You can grow your mushrooms in several different mediums. So what’s the best possible way for you? There are three primary options: grow buckets, substrate bags, and substrate jars. Cultivators have used these three options for hundreds of years, but what’s ideal for your needs? Between glass and plastic, which is best forgrowing your mushrooms? Learn more here.
Mushroom Grow Buckets
For most purposes, using a budget container is ideal. They have .75 inches of holes throughout their sides that let fresh air come in. These holes also work to let mushrooms fruit outward from the holes. However, you should cover the outside with micro filters when it’s time for the mycelium to fruit. That keeps the possibility of contamination down.
Unlike some other methods, you can repeatedly use these hardy plastic buckets, which are convenient for transport. This means you can carry them into your growing area relatively easily. They also tend to be sturdier than your average growing medium.
Glass can shatter, and grown bags can tear, but buckets have greater longevity, making them perfect for containing your precious fungal assets. They’re typically used in growing greenhouses, sheds, or warehouses.
Mushroom Grow Bags
Growing mushrooms in plastic bags is classic, and mushroom grow bags are special in many ways. Since they’re specifically used to grow mushrooms, they come with injection ports and filters. They also tend to be hardy and capable of accommodating your mushrooms with stretchy material. Growing your mushrooms inside plastic bags makes it easy for them to resist contamination.
It’s also low maintenance since you can inject your spores with a sterilized medium and, from there, wait for it to colonize. When it’s fruiting time, your mushrooms can open gaps in the plastic to grow out of. In examining the differences between glass and plastic and deciding which is best for growing mushrooms, grow bags come in at a clean second place.
Mushroom Grow Jars
Mushroom cultivation bottles are incredibly effective because they can stand in the intense temperature of the pressure cooker when it’s time to sterilize. Pressure cookers sterilize your growing medium at extremely high temperatures, so you’ll need the right medium to withstand the heat. Jars are a great small-scale way to grow your mushrooms that are perfect for beginners, but if you want to expand your operation, you need to start using buckets or grow bags. Overall, all of these options are good, but each has drawbacks. It’s up to you to decide what’s ideal for your needs.
No matter what you choose, we’re here to help you at Midwest Organics. We have mushroom grow kits and other accessories for everything you might need. Shop Midwest Organics today!