Mushroom is a reproductive structure that is produced by Fungi. It is a little bit like the fruit of a plant. It produces millions of microscopic pores under the Mushroom’s cap. Mushrooms don’t have seeds.
The Mushroom Cultivator: A Practical Guide to Growing Mushrooms at Home.
The Mushrooms cultivator is a practical guide written by Paul Stamets and J.S Chilton. It is an easy and best source of information for growing mushrooms at home. It was originally published in 1983. This book is the best way if you want any information and knowledge about mushrooms.
Paul Stamets.
Paul Stamets is an American mycologist, entrepreneur, and author as well. He’s an advocate of Medicinal Fungi and Mycoremediation. He sells various products of Mushrooms through his company. He was born on July 17, 1955.
Jeff Chilton.
He studied Ethno-mycology at the University of Washington. Ethno-mycology is the study of Human and fungal interactions. He established the first company that supplies medicinal Mushroom extracts to US Supplement Industry. His company is known as Nammex. Jeff established it in 1989.
Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms:
Growing gourmet and medicinal mushrooms is a fully advanced book by Paul Stamets. After some years of publishing The Mushrooms Cultivator, he thought there should be more advanced techniques to growing mushrooms, and these techniques should be simple and easy. In 1993 he published the advanced version of the mushrooms cultivator.
- The techniques in this book are simple and easy
- Some new and better methods were introduced for growing mushroom
- Easy guide for beginners
- Information about more species of Mushrooms
- There are a total of 574 pages in the book and more than 500 colorful diagrams and photographs in the book
- All information about Edible and Medicinal mushrooms
- A very detailed and comprehensive book for growing all types of edible and medicinal mushrooms
Types of Mushrooms:
There are two types of Mushrooms:
- Edible Mushrooms.
- Non-edible mushrooms.
Edible Mushrooms:
These are the mushrooms that can be eaten. They are non-poisonous mushrooms. Edible mushrooms, with good taste and pleasant odor, are good for human health.
Non-edible mushrooms:
Non-edible mushrooms, with bad odor, are poisonous and they can’t be eaten. The consumption of non-edible mushrooms can cause death.
Seven Most Poisonous Mushrooms:
The following mushrooms are considered as the most poisonous.
- Autumn skullcap.
- Amanita phalloides.
- Web caps.
- Lepiota Brunneoincarnata.
- Destroying Angels.
- Conocy Bettilaris.
- Podostron a cornu damae.
Some common Edible Mushrooms:
- Oyster
- Morel
- Portobello
- Cremini
- White button mushroom
- Enoki snow puff
- Shiitake
- Porcini
- Chaga mushroom
- Lion’s mane mushroom
- Reishi mushroom
- Cordyceps mushroom
- Meshima mushroom
The Life cycle of Mushrooms:
The life cycle of the mushrooms varies on different conditions of their environment. Their life cycle could be from 1-2 days to many years. The fungal species of Mycelial can exist for hundreds and thousands of years.
Mushroom’s Reproduction:
A medium size mushroom can release up to 20 billion spores in 4 to 6 days. So the per-hour spores release rate is 100 million.
Sunlight for Mushrooms:
Mushrooms do not need sunlight to grow. They do not contain Chlorophyll. They are different from plants.
Best Place to Grow Mushrooms:
The best place to grow mushrooms could be a basement. They grow in dark, cool, and humid environments. So the basement is the ideal place to grow mushrooms at home, but before growing the mushrooms you should check the temperature.
An ideal condition for Mushrooms:
The best and ideal conditions for mushrooms are around 70 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity should be greater than 90%.
Soil for Mushrooms:
As Fungi mushrooms can grow Hydroponically. Hydroponically growing mushrooms means that you’re using water or growing mediums in place of soil. The growth of hydroponically cultivated mushrooms is faster than others and they are tastier than others.
Profitable Mushrooms:
A type of Gourmet mushroom is the Oyster mushroom. This type of mushroom is easy to grow and they are very profitable because of their high demand.
Time-consuming:
Mushroom farming is a little bit time-consuming. You have to be patient if you are growing mushrooms at home.
Water Requirement:
Compared to others plants, mushrooms do not require a lot of water and energy. They can grow in very little water and they also do not need a lot of land to grow.
Advantages of Growing Mushrooms:
The mushrooms are advantageous in the following ways.
- Mushrooms are easy to store.
- They are tasty.
- Good for health.
- Can be used in many medicines.
- They are healthy to eat.
- Mushrooms are viable.
- You can start a business with mushrooms.
- They do not need sunlight to grow.
- A lot of water is not needed.
- The growth rate of mushrooms is high.
- Mushrooms are therapeutic.
- They can grow without soil.
- They do not need a lot of land for growing.
- They are eco-friendly.
- They are the best sources of macronutrients.
- Mushrooms provide Sodium, Calcium, Potassium, Phosphorus, and Magnesium.
- Mushrooms boost the immune system.
- They are cancer preventives.
- Mushrooms support human brain health.
- They are easy to produce.
Disadvantages:
There are also some disadvantages of mushrooms.
- Mushrooms need a consistent temperature to grow.
- They will not grow old in low temperatures.
- As the environment is hot, excessive heat will kill them.
- Consumption of some mushrooms can cause vomiting, cramping, nausea, or diarrhea, headache, and anxiety.
- They may cause some skin allergies.
- Mushrooms should be avoided during pregnancy.
- Some people may feel fatigued after eating mushrooms.
- Mistakenly consumption of any poisonous mushroom can lead to death.
- The perfect environment for the mushrooms to grow properly is needed.
- They can be expensive.
- The odor of the mushrooms is not very enjoyable and it could be unbearable.
Conclusion:
Mushrooms growing at home is not too hard but following the practical guide, it can be possible. The mushrooms have advantages and disadvantages as well that totally depend on their types.
READ MORE ARTICLES: