Can You Grow Mushrooms From Dried Spores?

Spores

• Spores are the seeds of the mushroom world, but you don't plant them they same way you would a seed. You have to introduce the spores into a growth medium, which differs depending on the types of mushroom you're looking to cultivate. When ordered online, many spores arrive in a syringe mixed with a sterile solution. You use the syringe to inoculate the growth medium, thus spreading the spores into it. However, if you've harvested your own spores or ordered dried spores, they can simply be spread over the moist -- not soggy -- growth medium.

Different Mushrooms

• Mushrooms often have very specific needs that differ from variety to variety. Button mushrooms, for instance, need to be kept at a temperature between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit for the first two or three weeks after they've been set. However, the best place for morels is in partial shade, and on a slope, if they're going to grow at all. Oyster mushrooms require straw as a growth medium, but some require wood. All of these factors will affect what kind of crop you get from your spores and the way in which you'll need to cultivate them.

Growing Mushrooms

• Some mushrooms are harder to grow than others. While button mushrooms are fairly straightforward, for instance, morels are notoriously difficult, which is why morel hunting is still such a popular past time. You also need different conditions for the different species that you're growing. Some may require a different temperature than others, while some need a particular growth medium. Ensure the best growth from your spores by meeting as many of your mushrooms' needs as you can.

Spawn

• Another method of propagating mushrooms is through the use of spawn. Spawn does not, necessarily, contain spores, but rather is the main part of the fungus, the mycelium, chopped up and mixed with the mushroom's growth medium. It may contain spores, but it also may not. There are many places to get mushroom spawn for a variety of mushrooms, and if you have trouble getting the spores to grow, you may have more luck with spawn.