Mycelium and Mushroom Cultivation in Bread Pans

Mushroom Growing Kits

• Two mushroom spores come together to create children called mycelium. Mycelium filaments resemble a root system that produces new mushrooms. The mycelium fertile root system is referred to as spawn. Mycelium is most effective when it has substrate, or dead material such as sawdust, to feed on. Mushroom-growing kits typically supply the spawn and substrate to grow mushrooms effortlessly. Purchasing a kit eases mushroom cultivating in simple containers such as bread pans.

Constructing a Mycelium Womb

• Mist the inside of the bread pan with 10-percent bleach solution for sterilization purposes. Before adding materials, repeat the spray each time the top is opened. Cut at least two air holes in the cover. Bread pans have less airflow than larger containers, and this helps to keep contaminents to a minimum. With a mushroom-growing kit, a couple of days of refrigeration may be necessary for the spores. Instructions may require soaking in water after chilling.

Importance of Timely Harvests

• Mycelium is so prolific that it is imperative to harvest mushrooms frequently. Uncollected mushrooms will mature and may spew white powder spores over an entire room. Whole counters, cookbooks, dishes and cabinets may be buried in a thick, white layer of spores. Eye or nose allergic reactions might develop in sensitive people. With such fertility, it is easy to see how one kit is capable of multiple mushroom crops for six weeks and up to six months.

Bread Pans, Mushrooms and Water

• As an excellent alternative to indoor growing, mycelium can also be cultivated in bread pans to develop outdoor mushroom crops. Soak morel mushrooms in a bread pan full of water, and cover with a plate. Place in the refrigerator. After three to four hours, pour the water outside around a substrate such as a tree base or compost pile. The water contains microscopic mushroom spores that will soon populate the back yard or even the neighborhood with healthy mycelium