Rye Berry Grains are one of the best spawn choices to inoculate and grow mycelium in. It is actually what we use for our All in One Grow Bags. But why is it such an economically great choice for growing mushrooms? It is because you require very little rye berry grains when transferring it to substrate (such as coco coir).
How Efficient is Using Grain Spawn?
It is no exaggeration to say you only need a few grams of grain for a pound of substrate. The more grains you put in, the more areas of growth the mycelium has a chance to grow in. Naturally, the more you insert the faster your overall growth. However, even if you do decide to be liberal and use a generous amount of grain, the amount spent to mushrooms yielded ratio just cannot be beat. Putting in more grain will save you a few days in terms of waiting for mycelium growth but you are still guaranteed growth!
Is Grain Spawn Right for Me?
Short answer depends on level of experience. We know mushroom cultivation is daunting for those just getting into it. There are many avenues when getting into mushroom growing. Do you want to start with a straightforward grow bag? Go straight to a still air box? Invest in a laminar flow hood? Work with agar? Grain spawn would sit approximately in the middle of the mushroom cultivation experience.
For the full experience into mushroom cultivation you can leave it to us. For starters, you can look into our All in One Mushroom Grow Bags. Then, once you are comfortable with the mushroom growing process, try out using Agar Petri Dishes. After agar you will want to invest in Grain Spawn and Substrate. If you are in the market for Mushroom Grow Bags we got you covered as well. We hope cultivators of all levels will be able to gain great usage out of our products!
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Anatomy and Physiology
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At Evviva Sciences, we sell a wide variety of agar petri dishes. We sell over ten different types of agar petri dishes and many science kits that include agar petri dishes. You can trust us when we say we know agar.
I would like to talk about the relevance of agar petri dishes in the world of mushrooms, the benefits of agar, the usage, and why all growers should utilize them!
Agar Petri Dishes and Mushrooms?
Simply put, agar petri dishes are used to culture a variety of microorganisms such as bacteria, mold, and fungus. Since mushrooms are fungi, you can bet that they will grow on agar. A common usage of agar as it relates to mushrooms is the cloning of cultures to exponentially increase the stock of your mycelium.
Make An Insane Amount of Culture Using Agar With Drops of Liquid Mycelium!
The process is simple, you only require a few things: liquid mycelium, agar petri dishes, a fire source, an extremely sharp knife or scalpel, and of course a clean environment (such as a still air box, or flow hood.)
STERILIZE AND SANITIZE YOURSELF! Sterilization is extremely important when growing mushrooms, as contamination is both the easiest and worst thing that can happen. We go in-depth in a separate post talking about the importance of sterile technique.
Drop a tiny amount of liquid mycelium onto an agar petri dish, we suggest either malt extract agar or potato dextrose agar.
Wait for the mycelium to develop and spread across the agar surface (this may take a week or two to complete, depending on strain and conditions.) Make sure to research ideal temperatures and conditions for your particular strain!
Once the mycelium has covered the surface of the agar, sterilize your blade with a fire source and prepare to cut.
Flame sterilize the blade, let it get red hot. Then, cut a small piece of the agar (1 centimeter in diameter is good)
Transfer the cut piece onto another agar plate.
Repeat this process as many times as possible (just make sure the transferred piece has mycelium on it.)
Now you have several agar dishes with a small piece of mycelium-covered agar, the mycelium will spread across the new agar surface and then you may repeat the above process once the new dish is filled with mycelium. Using these pieces of agar you can transfer it directly onto substrate and start growing. Agar to agar transfer gives you an insane amount of value compared to repeatedly having to buy liquid culture syringes.
Contamination. It is arguably the most infuriating aspect when it comes to growing mushrooms. Mushroom growing is an extremely delicate process because it is so easy to fail in the early stages, and not know about the failure until the later stages. Just a small amount of contamination can completely ruin the grow process. This is where flow hoods, and still air boxes, also known as SABs, are useful. While both very different, they are attempting to fulfill the same goal. That goal is to keep the chance of contamination as low as possible.
Sterile Technique
Sterilization is absolutely crucial when you are preparing to grow mushrooms. Examples include spraying your workplace and your hands (use gloves!) with alcohol, to using a fire source to heat sterilize injection needles. There are many countermeasures one can make to prevent contamination. In the next section, we will discuss tools you can use for better sterile technique.
Scientist working with a laminar flow hood. It is crucial in order to prevent contamination.
3. Flow Hoods
First up, flow hoods. There are a few variations, such as laminar flow hoods. However, laminar flow hoods are generally very expensive so hobbyists often make do with simple HEPA filters that honestly get the job done well (often times they are DIY projects.) Flow hoods are great because the flow of constant, clean air ensures that your workspace is as clean as possible. Frankly, flow hoods are the most reliable and best choice if you have a high budget, but generally not recommended for casual hobbyists because of their high price tag. Our lab utilizes several flow hoods for our products, ranging from our mushroom products to our agar petri dishes. Ultimately, if you have the funds for a flow hood then it would be our #1 recommendation. However, this blog is a more general recommendation list.
A HEPA filter.
2. HEPA Filters
Utilizing HEPA filters are a popular choice because they are affordable and fairly easy to implement into a DIY project. HEPA filters are simple but ingenious, they are filled with fibers that particles hit on their way through the filter, this makes it difficult for the particles to reach the end of the filter. Imagine you are baking and sieving flour, the same concept applies to HEPA filters, except they remove nearly all particles. They may not be perfect, and there is room for error, but they do a very good job.
An example of a still air box. This one in particular is the Mushyluv SAB Mini Still Air Box.
1. Still Air Box
The Still Air Box, our top recommendation for most casual mycologists. While it is true that the two previously mentioned recommendations are more effective, they are much more expensive, and this list is more towards the casual hobbyist. The concept of the still air box seems weird since we have been talking about airflow being of upmost importance. However, still air boxes want zero airflow. The goal is the keep the clean air inside the SAB for as long as possible. Before using a SAB it is crucial to sterilize the area within the SAB, as well as sterilizing your hands (make sure to use gloves!) SABs are great because they are inexpensive and portable. Similar to many fruiting chambers, they are generally DIY projects that utilize simple, easily obtainable objects such as plastic bins. There are many tutorials that show the process of creating one, but often times simply purchasing a premade SAB is recommended for those without the tools for a DIY project.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, there are a number of options mycologists have when deciding on a choice for what kind of sanitary air boxes they wish to use. It all really depends on one’s budget. If you are a grower and are not utilizing a SAB, we highly encourage you to use one. It is basically guaranteed that you will experience less contamination and more consistent growth. This also leads to more beautiful and healthy mushrooms! Thank you for reading this far, if you are interested in some of our mushroom products please check out the following products! Our All in One Mushroom Grow Bag,Coco Coir Substrate, and Grain Bags are our most popular mushroom-related products and are sure to be helpful in your mushroom growing adventure!
Fruiting chambers are extremely useful and a great investment for growing mushrooms. They may massively increase the chance for more beautiful mushrooms, as well as their quality. Because why wouldn’t they? They mimic the environment that mushrooms thrive in. They take into consideration humidity, temperature, airflow, and CO2 levels. They are generally portable and require very few components to make. The biggest disadvantage fruiting chambers may have are price of producing one and maintaining it. We will also discuss some of the most popular fruiting chambers on the market, their advantages, and disadvantages.
The Disadvantages of Fruiting Chambers
As previously mentioned, the biggest disadvantage fruiting chambers have are the cost of producing (or buying) one, and the maintenance of it. Fruiting chambers generally range from $40-150 depending on their quality, and any accessories it may come with. This is quite a discrepancy, and for good reason. There is not just one type of fruiting chamber so you will find various prices when searching for them.
The next disadvantage of fruiting chambers are the maintenance of them, such as maintaining proper humidity, temperature, and airflow. This is an argument you may find while browsing mushroom growing forums, but personally one I do not agree with. I, as well as many other mushroom growers, find the labor of growing mushrooms one of the best things about mushroom growing. Although a very slow process, which can take months, it is a fulfilling and satisfying feeling when your flush finally comes to fruition. It really makes you feel your time and effort was worth it all. Maintaining fruiting chambers is fun because we can see quite literally the fruits of our labor.
The Advantages of Fruiting Chambers
Although there are many reasons as to why utilizing fruiting chambers are advantageous, I will focus on the main ones I believe to be the most compelling.
Firstly, you are able to mimic the natural surroundings that mushrooms thrive in. These conditions include controlling light, airflow, humidity, temperature, and CO2. All of the aforementioned factors weigh heavily on the final result of your flush. With a good balance, you may be able to produce beautiful, healthy mushrooms. However, with a poor balance of these factors, your mushrooms may come out to look, and taste, disappointing.
Furthermore, portability. Fruiting chambers are generally the size of your average plastic bin (which are actually a very popular DIY medium choice for fruiting chamber containers.) Therefore, it is both portable and compact. This means that even with a smaller living space, utilizing a fruiting chamber does not take a lot of room and is doable for pretty much anyone.
Next, we will look into popular fruiting chambers available for purchase.
Max Yield Bin
While visually simple in design, the Max Yield Bin is popular for its effectiveness. Simple is not a negative at all, it is straightforward and does its job well. Many DIY fruiting chambers are similar to the Max Yield Bin design – A plastic container with holes on the side to provide proper airflow. A simple but effective design.
Inflatable Monotubs
Next, we have inflatable fruiting chambers. These are monotubs that are inflatable, rather than a solid bin. There are arguments for using inflatable tubs, such as better portability. Ultimately, it is preference. Our suggestion is to try to a variety of techniques and products to determine the most comfortable and best results for you. An exciting aspect of growing mushrooms is both the success and failures you run into!
Bucket Fruiting
Mushroom growing from a bucket is both easy and effective. They are easily obtainable and cheap to buy. Quite an unexpected medium, but it has a great following within the mushroom growing community and something many swear by. While it not may be your first choice, it is definitely worth trying sometime. We personally suggest using bins as fruiting chambers before buckets, but don’t sleep on these buckets!
Conclusion
Thank you for reading up to here! We hope this short article helped you learn more about fruiting chambers. If you are interested in mushroom products, please feel free to check out our All in One Grow Kit and our Coco Coir Substrate. We are positive they will help in your mushroom growing adventure! Good luck!
This list is in no particular order of importance because keeping sterile in every step of mushroom growing is as crucial as the next! Aside from properly prepared substrate and effective culture to start colonization, sterile technique is arguably one of the most important things to consider when growing mushrooms. We will look into some of the most common mistakes and ways to prevent them. As well as good practices to start doing if you do not already do so.
Tip 1: Heat Sterilize Your Injection Needles
Injection of liquid culture is a popular way to start colonizing your substrate. While most needles are already pre-sterilized, it is good practice to sterilize using a heat source. Simply hold a lighter or other fire source to the tip of the needle and wait for it to become red hot. This will kill off any bacteria and will also make the injection process feel more smooth. Extra tip: Move the needle around and try to spread the liquid to as much substrate as possible for better results.
Tip 2: Always Sanitize Yourself Before Starting Your Work
For maximum sanitization we recommend to wash your hands and arms with soap first. Then, put on gloves (nitrile gloves work). Lastly, spray your hands with 70% isopropyl alcohol. Do not spray the alcohol directly on your skin! Make sure you have gloves on when spraying.
Tip 3: Protect Yourself
This tip is more towards protecting yourself from the precautions you take to protect your mushrooms. When using alcohol for sanitizing, as mentioned in tip 2, we suggest wearing both goggles and a mask. This will protect your eyes from vapor, and prevent you from inhaling the fumes of the alcohol. Additionally, it prevents any contamination to the mushrooms from your mouth. The mouth is one of the most bacteria-infested areas…a very disturbing truth. It is entirely possible that bacteria from your mouth could reach your mushrooms and cause contamination. If you are feeling a sneeze coming, make sure to look away from your work area!
Tip 4: Utilize Flow Hoods and Still Air Boxes
Flow hoods and still air boxes serve the same purpose, although in completely opposite ways. Flow hoods are meant to provide constant airflow that prevents contaminated air from getting to your work area. They use HEPA filters to keep nasty airborne bacteria away. Still air boxes, also known as SABs, attempt to keep a clean work area by having absolutely no airflow. The idea is to sanitize the area within the SAB and keep it sanitized by preventing any new and dirty particles from entering. If you can manage to get your hands on either a flow hood or SAB, we highly recommend using one.
Tip 5: Keep Yourself Clean
Air is filthy, and that filth sticks to us. It is entirely possible that the filth stuck on us gets stuck on our mushrooms as well. Working with dirty clothes and unwashed hair could be a liability and cause the contamination of your mushrooms. This is why lab and health workers use lab coats or scrubs. So, keep yourself clean before working. Consider showering and washing your hair before doing mycology work. Take that extra 10-15 minutes to prevent the potential contamination of your mushrooms.
Conclusion
The process of growing mushrooms can last months, and the realization of contamination could take weeks to appear. Save yourself the trouble and take every possible precaution you can think of. Our top 5 tips here are a good start but more research is always good! If interested, please take a look at our mushroom products that include the All in One Mushroom Grow Bag and Coco Coir Substrate.
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