How to Grow Mushrooms at Home

If you’re wondering how to grow mushrooms at home but you’ve never gone past the thinking stage, and you’ve never been quite sure how to go about this, what it entails, how long it’s going to take and what the exact steps are, then you’re probably looking for more information. The good news about this is that this is all information that we have to share with you.

Growing mushrooms is a dedication, and not a task that you should undertake lightly. In fact, we strongly encourage anyone who is looking to get involved with this to complete extensive research on mushroom types, how to grow, and other important factors before you even attempt it, otherwise there is a high chance that you’re going to end up disappointed.

In this article, we’re going to be discussing a range of ways to grow mushrooms at home, and the key considerations that you’re going to need to make to get this right. Everyone ends up with their own personal preference in the end, but you need to know the basics before you can start tweaking anything, right? So, how do you grow mushrooms?

How to Grow Mushrooms with Grow Kits

Choosing to use a mushroom grow kit is pretty much the simplest way to grow mushrooms. These are particularly fantastic if you are new to mushroom growing, or if you’re just into lazy mushroom growing. Don’t take that last part to offence as it’s not intended to be. There’s nothing wrong with doing things the easy way, especially if it works!

Mushroom grow kits are super easy to use as they only have a few steps and then all you have to do is wait. To start with, you need to purchase the correct mushroom grow kit for the type of mushroom that you are hoping to grow. You will find that there are a lot of these on the market, but you need to be searching for quality from a trusted supplier, rather than just the cheapest you can find.

Once you’ve got your grow kit, you’re going to need to find a nice, temperature specific place to put the bag so that it is in the ideal conditions for growth. Don’t worry if you don’t know what those conditions are just yet, as that’s something we’re going to explore a little later on.

It’s important that you manage to keep this moist throughout the process, as humidity must be maintained if you want to end up with tiny little mushrooms starting to appear. You should mist the kit daily to make this happen, and then you just need to wait for the mushrooms to appear. When they do start, they will start to sprout up more rapidly over the next few days.

In order to make this process quicker and easier, you can use liquid cultures that can be injected directly into the grow bag. These syringes are filled with mycelium, and  good quality mycelium makes all of the difference in the world when you’re looking to grow your own mushrooms at home.

How to Grow Mushrooms from Spawn

If you’re a more seasoned grower, or you’re just ambitious, then you can go for the more traditional method which is growing from spawn. This one is more difficult as you’re doing a lot more work, so we’re going to go through the steps with you now.

1. First, you need to prepare the substrate that you have decided to use. Common examples include wood chips, coffee grounds, manure, sawdust and even straw. Ensure that you are preparing this in the correct way, and find a guide if you need a little more advice on how to do this.
   
2. When the substrate is correct, you should then add the spawn on the surface, mixing it in but not too far. You should not be mixing further than around 8cm down, otherwise the mushrooms won’t be able to grow properly.
   
3. Moisture is extremely important when growing mushrooms, so you’re going to need to add a damp layer over the top of this to ensure that it remains moist.
   
4. After a few weeks, you should notice that colonisation has started and that white mycelium becomes visible.
   
5. When you notice this happening, you need to remove the damp material that you placed over the top of the substrate and cover the mycelium with a layer of compost/soil.
   
6. Ensure that you are keeping this moist and humid by misting the surface, and in a few weeks you should begin to see your mushrooms grow.

Key Considerations for Growth 

There are a number of considerations that you’re going to need to make to ensure that your mushrooms grow well. Of course, there are some varieties of mushrooms that will differ slightly, but a large number of mushroom types need similar conditions in the UK.

Temperature

Temperature is one of the most important elements of growing mushrooms. The environment that you place your mushrooms in should be a consistent temperature, ideally around 15 degrees celsius for most types of mushrooms during the fruiting stage. However, this can be up to 21 for certain types. 

If you’re going through the incubation period at home, which is where the mycelium grows, then you should try to keep the environment between 18 and 24 degrees celsius to encourage growth, depending on what type of mushroom you’re growing. 

It’s important to know here that maintaining a consistent temperature is more important than an actual temperature as long as it’s within the right range. 

Humidity

You should be consistently misting the environment and the top layer of your mushroom growth to ensure that a humid environment is maintained. This is where mushrooms thrive best.

Shade

Direct sunlight does not promote mushroom growth, and as such if you place your mushrooms in a light area they are not going to grow. They need to be in the dark, or at least somewhere that is partially shaded for any success to be seen.

Easiest And Hardest Mushrooms to Grow at Home

If you’re looking for some of the easiest mushrooms to grow, then you’re going to need pretty forgiving mushrooms. These are types that are able to grow in conditions that are less than ideal, and perhaps not kept as well as you should be. Mushrooms that fit this description are button mushrooms, and oyster mushrooms. These tend to be pretty simple and straightforward, so even those who are not that great with keeping things alive should be able to get them to grow.

The hardest mushrooms, no surprise, are the ones that need more specific and controlled environments in order to thrive. For example, shiitake mushrooms are a pain in the behind to grow, and if you get something even the slightest bit wrong there’s a chance they won’t grow at all. The same can be said for the Lions Mane mushroom.

Most Popular Mushrooms to Grow at Home

Unsurprisingly, the most popular type of mushroom to grow at home is one of the easiest – it’s the oyster mushroom. The reason for this is because it is simple, meaning that it’s a great choice for pretty much anyone, but also the fact that it’s quite fast to grow also helps. On top of that, Oyster mushrooms are known for being able to thrive in a variety of different substrates, with Blue Oyster mushrooms taking the top spot for most popular overall.

However, Black Pearl seems to be rising in popularity at the moment, with more people choosing to grow this specific type of mushroom, as well as pearl oyster mushrooms, and more so it’s worth looking deeper into this.

Is it Legal to Grow Mushrooms in the UK?

It is legal to grow mushrooms in the UK, and it’s becoming more and more popular as people learn of the far-reaching health benefits that many mushroom strains offer when consumed.

Growing Magic Mushrooms in the UK

You can not legally grow magic mushrooms in the United Kingdom.

Growing magic mushrooms became illegal in the UK with the passing of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. This act, which received Royal Assent on May 27, 1971, makes psilocybin-containing mushrooms a controlled substance, thereby prohibiting their cultivation. 

We do sell magic mushroom spores here at Supreme Spores, and these magical spores are legal to buy and possess because they don’t contain psilocybin or psilocin, the psychoactive compounds that make magic mushrooms illegal. But, as soon as spores germinate and begin growing into mycelium, they start producing psilocybin (the controlled substance) and this is when they become illegal.

To be clear – germinating, cultivating, or attempting to grow psilocybin-containing mushrooms is a criminal offence in the United Kingdom. But they can be legally purchased to study under the microscope (mycology), a hobby that seems to be growing in popularity in the UK.

Growing Magic Mushrooms Around the World

But, if you live in a country where you can grow magic mushrooms and you want to know how to grow magic mushrooms, then you should know it’s very different. Magic mushrooms require specialised substrates, sterile conditions, and they also thrive in very controlled conditions. The point with these sterile conditions and substrates is that you’re trying to cultivate mushrooms that contain psilocybin which is difficult at the best of times, let alone if you’re new to the mushroom world. 

Hopefully, you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the different ways that you can grow mushrooms at home. You can use this guide to help assist you through the different stages of growing, and refer back to it if things don’t go quite right for you, providing you with another option to try. We strongly encourage you to check out grow kits and liquid cultures whether you’re new to mushroom growing or not, as we strongly believe that they are some of the best ways to grow mushrooms, with their higher success rate and their ease.