# mushrooms



## jafl

Has anyone ever used a kit to grow button mushrooms? I know the kits that you can buy from the seed catalogs use a mixture of straw and horse manure, but do these kits ever produce enough mushrooms to pay for themselves, or is there any way to replenish the growing media so you can prolong the harvest?


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## Canadian

I think you can harvest the same mushrooms three times as they start to re-grow as soon as you cut the heads off.


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## jafl

Canadian said:


> I think you can harvest the same mushrooms three times as they start to re-grow as soon as you cut the heads off.


I don't think I have ever seen mushrooms being sold except either chopped or whole, i.e., head and stem. Are you saying you can cut the head off of a mushroom and leave the stem growing to make a new head? I never would have thought this would be possible.


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## Canadian

Apparently you get three crops but each new one grows slower than the last. I think it only works with normal white cap mushrooms. It has to be a very clean cut. I saw a documentary on mushroom farming once.


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## JCfans

jafl said:


> Has anyone ever used a kit to grow button mushrooms? I know the kits that you can buy from the seed catalogs use a mixture of straw and horse manure, but do these kits ever produce enough mushrooms to pay for themselves, or is there any way to replenish the growing media so you can prolong the harvest?


I used to grow several different types of mushrooms. You would probably never make up your investment on a button mushroom kit because they are so cheaply available. On most of the kits you can get several flushes but they usually have to go through a dormant phase. If you want to continue to fruit these mushrooms you have to either propagate them through spores or tissue culture. To do that you need to have a pressure cooker or autoclave, test tube or petri dishes and agar. If you are interested in mushroom tissue culture I can point you in the right direction. Shiitake, Oyster, and Lions Mane are the gourmet mushrooms I used to grow. I once grew Reshi mushrooms for a kit as well. Let me know if you are interested and i will go into more detail.


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## FutureFriendly

JCfans said:


> I used to grow several different types of mushrooms. You would probably never make up your investment on a button mushroom kit because they are so cheaply available. On most of the kits you can get several flushes but they usually have to go through a dormant phase. If you want to continue to fruit these mushrooms you have to either propagate them through spores or tissue culture. To do that you need to have a pressure cooker or autoclave, test tube or petri dishes and agar. If you are interested in mushroom tissue culture I can point you in the right direction. Shiitake, Oyster, and Lions Mane are the gourmet mushrooms I used to grow. I once grew Reshi mushrooms for a kit as well. Let me know if you are interested and i will go into more detail.


I'm interested. I've been reading about mushrooms for about a year and never had a successful flush indoors, outdoors I try to encourage them by spreading spores.

Now is a good time to try again, wont have to work so hard to keep the humidity and heat up. I need to find a good way to do clean work? Most of my prints are probably not very good. I tried to start from print to liquid culture. Thinking about getting a colonized jar but, I'd like to be able to get decent prints if I go that way. Have a hepa filter and been trying the cheep and cheery, fish tank glove box. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.


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## FutureFriendly

jafl said:


> Has anyone ever used a kit to grow button mushrooms? I know the kits that you can buy from the seed catalogs use a mixture of straw and horse manure, but do these kits ever produce enough mushrooms to pay for themselves, or is there any way to replenish the growing media so you can prolong the harvest?


I don't know much about button mushroom, each mushroom is very different. They feed off of different things. Morel's and Chanterelles need a host tree to fruit, like a truffle, only above ground.

Substrate, growing material can be purchased sterilized online but, you want to be able make your own. I'm thinking canning skill and experience would be a real asset here because, clean work is very important in the process.


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## Grimm

Any new thoughts?


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## *Andi

I did try a kit to grow button mushrooms but for the price I paid for the kit (then add shipping) and the return I got in mushrooms ... It was just not worth it to me.

I buy usa grown mushrooms and can them myself.


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## Grimm

*Andi said:


> I did try a kit to grow button mushrooms but for the price I paid for the kit (then add shipping) and the return I got in mushrooms ... It was just not worth it to me.
> 
> I buy usa grown mushrooms and can them myself.


I have been thinking of buying some of the kits to grow mushrooms. I hate canned mushrooms in the tins so I was thinking to dehydrate them for longer storage.

I have been hearing that the button mushroom kits are not worth the money but was curious about the oyster kits.


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## ContinualHarvest

Grimm said:


> I have been thinking of buying some of the kits to grow mushrooms. I hate canned mushrooms in the tins so I was thinking to dehydrate them for longer storage.
> 
> I have been hearing that the button mushroom kits are not worth the money but was curious about the oyster kits.


Oysters and shiitake are worth it. Tasty and easy to grow.


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## *Andi

Grimm said:


> I have been thinking of buying some of the kits to grow mushrooms. I hate canned mushrooms in the tins so I was thinking to dehydrate them for longer storage.
> 
> I have been hearing that the button mushroom kits are not worth the money but was curious about the oyster kits.


I did dehydrate some but didn't care for them ... what can I say. After the button kit I didn't try any more.

Best of luck.


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## sallyjoseph

For mushroom grow kits you will find different ways I tried to grow mushrooms in a normal way because mushrooms don't need more space and sunlight at all because not being plants (they are fungi) they do not perform photosynthesis. What they do need is decomposing organic material for food, humidity, and most important need some spores to start them.


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## JustCliff

*Andi said:


> I did dehydrate some but didn't care for them ... what can I say. After the button kit I didn't try any more.
> 
> Best of luck.


Shitaki mushrooms grow well here. They like sweetgum trees. I know a guy that started the shitaki mushrooms here in NC. For a long time I thought he was full of compost, then went to his house one day. He had pics of himself with 2 presidents and governors and all grades of folks. Haven't talked with him in a couple years. Might be a good time.


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