Get Hardwood Substrate Blocks Here
Welcome to our informative guide on how to grow mushrooms in autoclavable supplemented hardwood substrate bags. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced cultivator, this method offers a reliable and efficient way to cultivate mushrooms. By following these steps, you can maximize your yield and throughput.
Decide How You Will Inoculate
Before you begin, you must decide if you will be doing inoculations by a syringe, or by transferring spawn from another container. How you decide to inoculate may vary based upon the equipment you have available and your intended purpose of growing. For example, if you have a laminar flow hood available to you, you can safely open bags and do transfers without worry of contamination. If you do not have one, a syringe injection will likely be more successful by minimizing the exposure area and localizing the risk. This is fine for people just getting started, however, it will take longer for the bags to develop because less culture weight is being introduced (a smaller colony). If you are doing more than a few bags, you will probably want to look at performing grain to grain transfers in a flow hood and resealing the bags using an impulse or constant heat sealer. Grain transfers are quicker to perform and result in faster incubation times, which is why it is the choice methodology by most commercial mushroom growers.
Prepare & Sterilize the Substrate Bags
If you purchase our pre-sterilized Supplemented Hardwood Substrate Blocks, you can skip this section about how to create them. Creating and sterilizing substrate can be time consuming and requires some special equipment. You will need a plan for sealing the bags post inoculation. The preferred method is a heat sealer, however some mushroom growers use clips or even heavy duty shipping tape. Being able to properly seal the bags post-inoculation is very important, and probably the cause of most contamination and bag failures.
You will need a way to sterilize the prepared mushroom substrate bags. This process ensures a clean environment for mushroom growth and prevents contamination. Most people start out using a pressure cooker, and scale up the equipment if they become serious about mushroom growing. Large scale bulk substrate sterilization equipment such as atmospheric steam sterilizers and large autoclaves can be costly to purchase, build, and operate.
Inoculating the Bags
After the substrate has cooled down, it's time to inoculate the bags with mushroom spawn or liquid culture. Make sure the substrate is completely cool, because if it is even warm to the touch it will kill the mycelium (under 90F). Follow the instructions below for your specific needs:
Incubation
Once the bags are inoculated, mix them well without compromising the seals. This can be hard to detect, so just be careful and gentle. Place the mixed blocks in a clean and dark area at the recommended incubation temperature for the target species. Most mushroom species do well with a temperature between 70-75°F (21-24°C), however some have special needs, so be sure to research your mushroom species. If you are loading a space with bags, make sure you have adequate ventilation and fresh air exchange. I would strongly suggest getting an air quality monitor to maintain C02 levels, and installing an exhaust fan that clears the room at least 8 times a day.
Fruiting
After a two weeks, the mycelium should be done incubating, and encompassing the substrate. The bags should look homogenously white. At this point the bags are then ready to fruit. Fruiting chambers can vary in construction, from a simple tote with holes drilled in it, to a fully automated sealed wet room. However, in order to trigger proper fruiting, there are a few key concepts you should remember:
- Most species need a drop in temperature, usually at least 10 degrees Fahrenheit. This means your fruiting room needs to be at least 10 degrees cooler than your incubation room.
- Most species require maintaining a high humidity in the fruiting chamber of around 85-95% RH. However, they do not like standing water, or droplets gathering on their surface. Finding this balance can be tricky.
- Once again, make sure you have adequate ventilation and fresh air exchange. Clear the room at least 8 times a day.
- Balancing temperature, humidity, and fresh air is the real juggle. Focus on tuning your equipment to minimize usage but get the best results.
Harvesting
As the mushrooms mature, they will develop caps and stems. Harvest them when the caps are fully open but before the spores start to drop. Use clean scissors or a knife to cut the mushrooms close to the substrate. Harvesting at the right time ensures the best flavor and texture.
Enjoy Your Homegrown Mushrooms
Congratulations! You have successfully grown mushrooms in autoclavable supplemented hardwood substrate bags. Now it's time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Cook them in your favorite recipes or share them with friends and family!
For any further questions or assistance, feel free to contact us at Liquid Fungi. Happy mushroom growing!