Mushroom Substrate such as aged sawdust are beneficial for the following mushroom strains:
- Lion’s mane
- Shiitaki
- Maitake
- King oyster
To successfully grow mushrooms, you’ll need to make sure that you’re using the correct substrate.
Using substrate to grow mushrooms is the equivalent of using soil to grow plants. It’s where the mushrooms will get all of their nutrients while growing.
Just like plants require soil with different properties, different kinds of mushrooms prefer specific types of substrates.
There are a variety of different mushroom substrate that growers use. Different species of mushrooms have their own preferences. So it’s important to match your mushrooms with the correct substrate to have the best chance of success.
A good substrate is dense in woody, fibrous materials like lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose. (These contain a lot of carbon, which is the main food source for your mycelium.)
Mushroom substrate can be placed in a variety of containers. For commercial growers, it’s most common to pack substrate into large clear plastic bags. Home growers may prepare mushroom substrate jars from mason jars or other small containers.
Once your substrate is pasteurised or sterilised and in its final container, then it’s time to inoculate with mushroom spawn or spores to start the growing process.
Most growers supplement their hardwood sawdust with bran. Wood alone may not have the nutrients needed to grow some types of mushrooms.
