You guys gave me mushroom envy and I caved and got a kit.
You guys gave me mushroom envy and I caved and got a kit.
Will it be ok on the bottom shelf of my indoor greenhouse? Tropical plants have been happy there.
Check the preferred ambient conditions of whatever youre growing :) High moisture is usually good though
Welcome to the mushroom growing family!!
It depends on a few things:
-
What is the species? Most species will handle the 18 - 22 °C range fine, but the optimum is different for different species. Freshcap has many guides on different mushrooms which state the acceptable ranges: https://learn.freshcap.com/growing/how-to-grow-oyster-mushrooms/
-
In your kit, do you get the block already colonized, or do you need to wait for the mycelium to grow? The "colonization" step and the "fruiting" step require different conditions. Generally, the "colonization" step occurs in a closed container that you can place somewhere - usually in a dark place at around room temperature - and forget it for a few weeks. The fruiting stage is a bit more tricky because at this point you need to keep making sure the exposed mycelium doesn't dry up and the mushrooms benefit from some amount of fresh air exchange (reduction of CO2 levels). The optimum is also species dependent.
Bottom shelf of an indoor greenhouse is probably good for colonizing, but for fruiting it is a bit difficult to tell without seeing it. If it is optimized for tropical plants (around 27 °C) it it is on the hot side for many species. When fruiting, you might want to spray the exposed mycelium with a mist spray bottle a few times a day.
Ok this is all good to keep in mind! I have to look at the kit and see, but it will be a nice little trial before maybe investing in a proper kit.
-
Depending on what you picked up, they can be incredibly easy. We got an oyster mushroom kit that was happy on the kitchen counter. We just had to mist it with water and it did surprisingly well for how simple it was to care for.
It's a set-it-and-forget-it kit, can't wait to try! :)
I'm excited for you! Ours said to expect one to two harvests from it, but it kept going for several rounds.
Yay grow mushrooms!
What kind of mushrooms? Oysters seem to be one of the more tolerant for temperature ranges, while others may require conditions within a 5°F (or only a couple degrees C) window. You definitely want to find out what's right before your kit starts fruiting or the results could be disappointing.