Guides
Practical guides to growing gourmet and medicinal-cultivation mushrooms: kits, spawn, substrate, logs and the conditions each stage needs
GuideGrowing Mushrooms on Logs: Timing, Spawn and Fruiting
Growing mushrooms on logs: which trees work, when to cut, log size, inoculating with plug or sawdust spawn, and the 6 to 18 month wait to first fruiting.
GuideHow to Grow Mushrooms at Home: 4 Stages, 3 Routes
How to grow mushrooms at home: the four stages from spawn to fruit, three beginner routes (kit, straw bucket, logs) and which species suit each.
GuideMushroom Contamination: Signs, Causes and Clean Technique
Mushroom contamination explained: the colored spots that signal it, why it happens, and clean technique from extension sources: ethanol, flame, pressure cooker.
GuideMushroom Grow Kits: How They Work and What to Expect
How a mushroom grow kit works: what is inside, how to set one up, how many flushes to expect and what to do about contamination, from extension sources.
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Mushroom Spawn: Grain, Sawdust and Plug Spawn Explained
What mushroom spawn is, how grain, sawdust and plug spawn differ, how it is made, what rate to use (5 to 10% is oyster-only) and how to store it.
GuideMushroom Substrate: Straw, Sawdust, Pasteurizing and More
Mushroom substrate explained: what each species grows on, pasteurizing versus sterilizing straw (UF 165°F for 1 to 2 hours), and where Cornell sources disagree.