How Do Mushrooms Grow?
The first thing you should know about how a mushroom grows is that a mushroom does not actually grow on soil. A mushroom grows on something that gives the mushroom spores nutrients, and these substances are called substrates. A few examples of substrates are grain, woodchips, sawdust, and straw. In natural, outdoor environments, the wind scatters the mushroom's spores onto these substrates, and the spores mix with the substrates to create spawn. Spawn is a good growing environment for the mushroom.
After the spawn is created, white, tiny structures that look like webs will start appearing on the substrate. These tiny structures are known as mycelium and function as essentially the 'roots' of the mushroom. The next step is the mushroom pinheads beginning to show up.
The amount of time between the mycelium appearing and the pinheads appearing can vary between several days to a few weeks depending on the species of mushroom. Covering the mushroom bed with a peat moss casing helps the mushrooms grow. After the pinheads show up, primordia, or baby mushrooms, will start to appear. You'll see full-sized mushrooms appear as the baby mushrooms fully mature.
Growing Mushrooms in Good Outdoor Environments
One important thing to know about growing mushrooms is that some mushrooms grow best outdoors. If you're growing one of these mushrooms, you should prepare the ground or logs so these outdoor mushrooms can grow optimally. In the event you're growing mushrooms that grow optimally in outdoor environments, you should know that this process takes a considerable amount of time. Growing mushrooms outdoors takes much longer than growing them inside in a controlled environment. Depending on the type of mushroom, growing them outside could take anywhere between six months up to a maximum of three years.
Can You Grow Mushrooms Indoors?
Yes, you can absolutely grow mushrooms indoors if you so wish. Generally speaking, mushrooms prefer to grow in environments that are cool, humid, and dark. If you happen to have a home with a basement, the basement is a great environment for growing mushrooms indoors. However, you can also grow mushrooms indoors in a place like in an area underneath your sink.
It's crucial you check the temperature of any indoor area in which you plan to grow mushrooms. The majority of mushroom species typically grow optimally in areas with temperatures of 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. You should also make sure that the mushroom growing area is not near a draft or in an area that's directly heated.
You should know that Enoki mushrooms prefer even colder temperatures, roughly a 45-degree Fahrenheit environment. You can grow mushrooms in any season, but if you're using your basement to grow mushrooms, you'll probably want to do so in the winter. Quite a few basements become too hot in the summertime, and this means the growing conditions aren't ideal for the mushrooms. You should ensure that your mushrooms are growing in either dark areas or areas with lowlights.
