Ways to make mushroom spawn using mushroom spores

Mushroom farming is a very satisfying if done with proper care. needs to be revised Here are different ways to make mushroom spawn by using mushroom spores.

What is mushroom spawn?

Unlike plants, which reproduce through seeds, mushrooms reproduce through mushroom spores. These spores are used to produce mushroom spawn. When the mycelium in this spawn gets a sufficient amount of water, it expands and gives us mushrooms. There are different ways in which this spawn can be used in mushroom farming.

Making mushroom spawn with cardboard

This is the easiest and cheapest way to make mushroom spawn. The process involves the soaking of cardboard in water and then layering it with mycelium or with mushroom spores and allowing them to colonize. The method is as simple as that.

The advantages of using cardboard for making spawn is that it retains moisture well, and, as the cardboard is a wood-based material, the mycelium finds it easier to colonize.

Making spawn in Petri dishes

This is more or less similar to making spawn in laboratory conditions. A small closed room is the ideal place to prepare the spawn in Petri dishes. Before starting off, clean the area using a bleach-water solution. All the materials that are required for spawn preparation are then to be sterilized.

For making spawn, a small piece of mushroom must be kept on agar medium in Petri dishes and left it in the appropriate temperature until the mycelium grows to cover the whole dish. After about two weeks, transfer the mycelium to the jars containing sterilized grains and allow it to colonize for two to four weeks by maintaining appropriate conditions. When these jars are filled with white filaments, they are ready to be inoculated.

Preparing grain jars

The grain used can be rye. In order to prepare the grain jars the following method has to be respected:

In a 250 ml flask, 60 ml of warm water is added. Then, a 50ml beaker full of rye grains is added and mixed well. In this, ½ teaspoon calcium carbonate powder and ¼ teaspoon calcium sulfate are added and the resultant mixture has to be sterilized at 121 degrees Celsius for about 35 minutes. Now, the grain jar mycelium transfer is ready.

Making spawn from stem butts

Mushroom spawn can be made by utilizing the stem butts, (which are the bottom portions of the mushroom stem where the stem connects to the mycelium). However, only some mushroom types can be produced using the stem butts. Some examples are:

Oyster mushrooms

Morel mushrooms

Garden Giants

Wood lovers

To get the spawn, take a plastic container and make holes for drainage. Now, gently cut off the bottom of the stem. Then, cut cardboard into pieces and soak in warm water for about an hour. Now, put the stem butts above the corrugations and stack the cardboard layers in the plastic container. It is now ready.

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