How to Grow Self-Sustaining Mushroom Crops

Starting a Culture

• 1

  Sterilize a scalpel in hydrogen peroxide.

• 2

  Break a fresh oyster mushroom in half. Do not cut it, as the knife can increase the chance of contamination.

• 3

  Take a small tissue sample from the inside of the mushroom and transfer it into a vial with substrate as quickly as possible to avoid excessive contamination. The substrate is a type of agar in the form of a hard gel that provides the necessary nutrients for the mushrooms to cultivate and grow. It can be purchased from mushroom growing suppliers. Close the cap to the vial.

• 4

  Place the vial in a dark environment with a moderate temperature. Growth will be evident in less than a week. This will be the culture from which you start all of your mushroom crops.

Developing the Fruiting Bodies

• 5

  Spread the substrate over a large pan so that it is at least 1/2 inch thick.

• 6

  Sterilize an inoculation loop in hydrogen peroxide. Dip it into the vial of culture and spread the culture evenly over the substrate in the pan.

• 7

  Place the pan in a low light room with a temperature between 68 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Leave it there for three to four weeks.

• 8

  Lower the temperature to 54 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly sprinkle the pan with about a half of an inch of potting soil.

• 9

  Place a cloth over the pan and spray it continually with a water bottle to keep it moist. Mushrooms should appear in about four weeks. Harvest them by cutting their stems with scissors. Mushrooms should continue to appear for three to six months, after which time you will need to start a new batch from your culture.