How to Spawn Mushrooms

Mushrooms are not as commonly grown at home as fruits or vegetables, but that does not mean that it is impossible to grow them. There are two common methods for propagating mushrooms: from spore prints and from spawn. To get mushrooms to spawn you will need some specialized equipment and a sterile space to work in. The advantages to growing mushrooms from spawn, however, is that it is a simple process and once you have started, you can quickly grow as much spawn as you need.

Mushroom
Pressure cooker
Petri dishes
Jars
Big-sized tweezers
Agar
Bleach
2 spray bottles
Clean rag or paper towels
Mushroom spawning medium
Knife

Instructions

- 1
  Set up and clean the designated workspace. A small closet is ideal, but any space that has a closing door and can be cleaned and disinfected, is suitable.
- 2
  Disinfect the area. Use a solution of 1 part bleach and 9 parts water. Put the mix in a spray container, spray all surfaces and wipe down with a clean cloth or paper towels.
- 3
  Sterilize the jars, petri dishes, spawn mix and tweezers in the pressure cooker by cooking at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes. Place the spawning mix in the jars, leaving the cap on.
- 4
  Place a small piece of mushroom on a petri dish containing an agar medium. Be sure to keep it moistened by spraying it down with water from a clean sprayer periodically. Find out what temperature your particular mushroom variety needs to spawn and maintain that temperature in the room.
- 5
  Wait for around two weeks until you can see the thin white strands of mycelium growing out and filling the dishes.
- 6
  Transfer the mycelium to the jars once it has grown long and healthy strands. Use the sterilized knife to pick the mycelium up out of the petri dish and place it into the jars with the growing medium. Place the lids back on the jars when finished.
- 7
  Wait for two weeks, shaking the jars every two days.
- 8
  Observe the jars. Look for white filaments. Those are your grain spawns. The mushrooms will grow out of them, or they can be used to inoculate up to 10 more spawn jars.

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