Shiitake mushrooms are the easiest mushrooms to grow, especially for beginners. They are easy to maintain.…
Growing Shiitake Mushrooms At Home
Shiitake mushrooms are edible mushrooms, typically grown in East Asia. This mushroom is commonly cultivated and consumed in Asia. Many traditional remedies and medicines call for shiitake mushrooms as well.
Shitake mushrooms are easy to grow. They are the best choice if you want to start cultivating mushrooms at home. Also, they are best for beginners. These mushrooms have a high demand, which means you can also earn from growing these mushrooms.
Shiitake mushrooms are costly if you buy them from the store. Hence, growing them at home can pay off quickly. You also need less of an investment to grow them.
Initially, you may face some difficulty in growing them. They require longer incubation times because their mycelium is not aggressive enough to start the process on its own. But if you can do some extra work, it will pay off in the long run. You can harvest more flushes of shiitake mushrooms than any other type of mushroom.
Why Should You Grow Shiitake Mushrooms Indoors?
Mushrooms have many benefits. Firstly, it contains nutrients that better heart health, boost your immune system, and can help you fight off tumors. They are rich in B vitamins, fiber, and minerals. Shiitake mushrooms contain lower sodium levels and are low in calories.
Secondly, they grow faster, and you can harvest them for many years based on the method you use. They can grow three to five times a year on average with grain or sawdust. If you use logs, you can produce shiitake every five weeks for four to six years.
And the last and most important benefit is that you get inexpensive fresh mushrooms. The number of mushrooms you grow will pay off the cost of your investment and time. Plus, they are less costly compared to what you get at the store and fresh.
Growing mushrooms is a great hobby that you can also teach your children. Growing mushrooms can serve you as a way to earn some extra money and add flavor to your meals.
Choosing Shiitake Mushroom Spawn
Spawn is the substrate used to colonize mushroom mycelium. Usually, mushroom growers use sawdust spawn or plug spawn to grow shiitake mushrooms.
Plug spawn is easy to use and requires few tools to inject into the logs. On the other hand, sawdust spawn is cheaper but requires a little more effort and many tools. It is also commonly used.
Shiitake Plug Spawn Starter Kit - Grown Your Own Mushrooms
Methods of Growing Shiitake Mushrooms
You can rely on multiple methods to grow shiitake mushrooms indoors. All of them will provide you with a flush of mushrooms. The following methods can help you grow mushrooms indoors.
Growing Shiitake Mushrooms with Straw
Growing shiitake mushrooms indoors is ideal because it gives a higher yield. It also acts as a faster substrate compared to other methods. This method is economical if you continuously grow mushrooms.
You can use mushrooms commercially or sell them at your local farmer’s market. This method is not as effective to cultivate mushrooms, but it is great for starters.
The following is the procedure to cultivate mushrooms with the help of straws.
- Expose the substrate to heat or lime.
- Inject the straw into the plastic tube and pack it because mushrooms will fruit from the tube.
- Wait for three weeks, and after that, put the tube into the fruiting condition.
- The mushrooms start growing. Then, harvest them.
- Let the beg rest and harvest again after three weeks.
Growing Shiitake Mushrooms with Sawdust Spawn
People often think that growing mushrooms on log and totem is only possible outdoor. But it is also possible to grow them indoors. It is easy to grow shiitakes on totems and logs. Take a one-foot long log. Put sawdust spawn at the bottom of the log. Then take another one-foot log. Place sawdust spawns between them and attaches both logs with nails.
After that, put spawn top of them. Place a two-inch round and thin wood as a cap for the totem. Fit the wood with nails. It takes two months for incubation. In this period, place a paper bag to cover the totem. This way, mycelium gets a chance to grow on the log. The totem method is best and easy. You don’t have to make a lot of holes like in the log for cultivation.
If you want to grow mushrooms on a log, use hardware logs such as sugar maple, beech, and oak. The log should have a diameter of between three to eight inches. Drill one-inch holes in it and keep a distance of six inches between each. Inject sawdust spawn in each hole. Then, close the holes with beeswax. The wax will prevent the mycelium from drying out and stop the growth of any type of fungi on log.
For northeast areas, the best time to cultivate shiitake mushrooms on logs outdoors starts from June to October. You can build the same conditions indoors to grow shiitake on logs and totems.
Growing Shiitake Mushrooms with Shitake Kit
Shiitake growing kits are best to cultivate mushrooms indoors. This method is very fast. Shitake kits have the ability to grow fruits in 10 days. But you can only use it for about three months.
The procedure starts by soaking the kit in water. Soak it for four to five hours. After this, place it outside under the sunlight. You can also place it inside under the indirect sun.
Spray the kit with a hose two or three times a day. Your Shiitake mushrooms will be ready to harvest in ten days.
The Bottom Line
Growing things in your home is always a great way to get fresh fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, and other things. It gives you a hobby and adds flavor to your food. Growing things in your garden or indoors are great ways to earn some extra money.
You can grow mushrooms with little effort and enjoy them for longer periods. If you are new to farming, it is best to start by growing shiitake mushrooms. They are easy to grow and can thrive indoors. Not to mention, you will get flushes of mushrooms in lesser time.
Shiitake Plug Spawn Starter Kit - Grown Your Own Mushrooms
Like This Article? Pin it on Pinterest
More to Explore
