Mushrooms are a nutritious way to add a little bit of extra flavor to some of your favorite recipes. Did you know that you can easily grow mushrooms at home? Here are some tips for growing mushrooms in your backyard.
Pick The Right Wood
When it comes to growing mushrooms, the first thing you need to do is select the correct type of wood. Mushrooms grow best in certain types of wood. This is why it’s imperative that you choose the right wood for the particular type of mushroom that you want to grow. Shitake, turkey tail, and oyster mushrooms can be grown in oak, beech, or ash wood. Lion’s mane and reishi prefer elm or maple.
Drill Holes That Are The Right Depth
When growing mushrooms, you will need to place your mushroom spawns in the wood in order to give them the best environment to grow in. You should drill a one-inch hole into the wood for every mushroom spawn you want to grow. It’s important that you don’t drill the hole too deep so that the spawn fits snugly inside. Make sure you leave about an inch of space in between each hole you drill.
Tap Each Plug Into Their Designated Hole
Before putting each spawn plug into the hole, you need to remove the mycelium as this is what you’ll actually be growing. To do this, open up each plug to remove the mycelium. It may have a fuzzy appearance. You will place the tip of it into the hole, and tap it in. Make sure you are gentle so that you don’t damage it. It’s important that you are able to tap the entire plug into the hole so that it will start to grow properly.
Protect Each Plug With Wax
When growing mushrooms, keep in mind that spawns can become damaged if not protected. You can efficiently keep your mushroom spawns safe by covering them with wax. Soy wax is a great option, and you can heat it on the stove or the microwave. Spoon the wax into each hole carefully as the wax will be very hot. Inspect each hole to make sure that there aren’t any gaps.
Keep The Spawns Moist For The First Weeks
Mushrooms thrive on moisture. When you are in the beginning stages of growing mushrooms, you will need to water the spawns at least once a week. Since the spawns will be covered with wax, you’ll actually be watering the wood that they are in and not the spawns themselves. If you live in a hot climate, you should continue to water the spawns on a weekly basis until the mushrooms are ready to be harvested.
Growing mushrooms in your backyard is a very slow process, and it will take at least six months for them to get to a point where they are ready to be picked. However, the wait will be worth it. By growing your own mushrooms, you can just go to your backyard whenever you want to chow down on a tasty mushroom.