growing edible mushrooms

[immanuel]

im looking to grow some edible mushrooms and was wondering if anyone could tell me where i could find some sporeprints?

thanks

[chilli]

im looking to grow some edible mushrooms and was wondering if anyone could tell me where i could find some sporeprints?

thanks

Edible mushrooms are usually grown from spawn or plugs in the case of shitake mushrooms, so I would suggest googling in Australia for "mushroom spawn."

I think there are restrictions on the kind of mushroom spawn that can be purchased in Australia, in which case you might try tracking down a spore print from overseas if you are interested in starting some more rare kinds.

Maybe start with some oyster mushroom spawn first, that should be relatively easy to source and grow.

If you get some and start growing, be sure to start a thread here documenting your process!

Edited September 8, 2007 by IllegalBrain

[watertrade]

im looking to grow some edible mushrooms and was wondering if anyone could tell me where i could find some sporeprints?

thanks

Hi mardybum,

What kind of edibles do you want to grow? I would recommend oysters to start with. They are easy to grow and can taste pretty good too.

In my experience edibles are not usualy grown from spores but from agar and than onto spawn and then substrate. But this could just be me

Let me know what species you want to grow and I will send you plates to get started or maybe grain spawn.

Check out my trade list below for a list of species. I have a few more in addition to the list but just haven’t updated the list.

Cheers

Jim

[Hyphal]

Jim your're a good soul...

[immanuel]

ive grown shrooms before so im semi-experienced with casings and spawn etc. so i sort of know what im doing.

the reason i want prints is so when ive finished my grow i can print the shrooms and grow again. i dont want to have to buy spawn or agar everytime i want to grow them. will i be able to do this with edibles?

i bought some oysters, shimeji and enoki fresh from the supermarket and tried printing them.

the enoki layed there spores down so i got a few prints of them. can i grow them with a syringe on brf cakes? do they love horse poo and casings etc? im planning on trying to grow them the same way i'd grow cubes, will this work?

not sure whether the other two will drop any spores but ill wait i might get lucky.

so can most edibles be printed? i only really want to grow edibles which can be printed so i can continue growing them. i got no idea on how to clone or anything like that, but am willing to learn if its easy.

thanks for the help so far

oh btw jim you have a nice collection. unfortunately i dont have anything much in thw way of trading except money? i need to get more info before i start growing them though.

Edited September 9, 2007 by mardybum

[watertrade]

the reason i want prints is so when ive finished my grow i can print the shrooms and grow again. i dont want to have to buy spawn or agar everytime i want to grow them. will i be able to do this with edibles?

The good thing about agar is that you can make hundreds of agar plates and keep going back to them and make more so once you have the culture on agar you should never have to buy the culture again. that does mean you have to learn to use agar though.

i bought some oysters, shimeji and enoki fresh from the supermarket and tried printing them.

the enoki layed there spores down so i got a few prints of them. can i grow them with a syringe on brf cakes? do they love horse poo and casings etc? im planning on trying to grow them the same way i'd grow cubes, will this work?

The brf tek isn't the best for most edibles. you would be better off finding a pasteorised straw tek and starting with the shimeji. Enoki can be a pain to grow.

so can most edibles be printed?

I think they all can but as I said before I think agar is easier than spores and more reliable - its not too hard to learn either

unfortunately i dont have anything much in thw way of trading except money? i need to get more info before i start growing them though.

I was just going to give them to you! although if you have oysters and shimeji - these are pretty good ones to get started.

let me know if I can help

[Hyphal]

Jim your're a good soul...

 

[watertrade]

Jim your're a good soul...

this offer is open to anyone... you just have to ask

[chilli]

this offer is open to anyone... you just have to ask

Hehe, I think that's why he keeps saying you're a good soul!

[Hyphal]

Yeah seriously man, you are a true champion. Very generous...

[obtuse]

Hey watertrade,

I'd love a culture of both some shiitake and oyster.

some great info, and very generous offer mate.

Cheers, Obtuse

[immanuel]

Ahh ok, looks like i'll have to learn how to work with agar.

Thanks alot for the offer!

Turns out none of the mushrooms dropped spores, the enoki just made a white puddle of liquid underneath it, I thought they were spores when I first looked.

[watertrade]

Hi,

I will make up all the plates on the weekend and then send them out mid /late next week when i know they are growing ok.

I will message everyone to confirm what they want.

cheers

[watertrade]

I didn't get a chance to do the plates on the weekend but don't worry i will be doing them in the next few days !

cheers

[obtuse]

No Worries Watertrade.

Sounds good :D

cheers, Obtuse

[trucha]

Corrugated cardboard is a great aid for growing. (Soak it until it separates)

Lining a wooden crate or wooden box with several layers, adding some stean sterilized woodchips, then your agar dish and more woodchips and top coating with cardboard is a really simple approach to creating spawn for a bed to be.

Once you've got spawn is easy to increase it by adding more woodchips.

Same with hardwood plugs, just add more steam sterilized hardwood plugs and let them get colonized.

Plug spawn works nicely for creating serious scale production but there are other approaches such as a woodchip bed or a buried log bed.

Stamet's Mycelium Running has some nice bits on establishing spawn beds, creating ricks and doing other approaches to outdoor cultivation.

Its really easy. Oysters and shitakes are insanely easy and an effective way to convert wood into food.

I did a number of logs with shitake lug spawn around two years ago and have seen them flush repeatedly. Last two flushes had around 300 carpophores each flush. Even in summer all I have to do is turn a sprinkler on them to cause another flush. I do leave them rest in between flushes though.

[watertrade]

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Edited September 19, 2007 by watertrade

[Mycot]

General purpose woods recommended for mushrooms are often of European or USA origin.(Alder,Aspen etc)

Which wood species would be recommended for Aussies who dont have access to Alder forests?

For aussies interested in growing woodlovers what are the best options?(Availability and wood species)

[Hyphal]

Good question, and I have been wandering the same thing - but I think eucalypt and jarrah would be fine.

[occidentalis]

Eucalyptus is OK for some mushrooms

I've had success with P ostreatus and Hipsyzigus, and poor results with Agrocybe (although I suspect contamination was the problem there)

However in all cases I've found an equivalent volume of straw to yield better - and it's less work.

I reckon Acacia is a good candidate although I haven't tried. Others have and reported good results.

If you live in an urban area, go to your nearest highway reserve/vacant lot/wasteland site and check out the woody weeds. You might find some useful things.