How to grow Your Own Mushrooms at Home

HDCL 1

3 months ago

Transcript

00:00I think learning to propagate, however you do it, whether you do it with a guide and a mentor,

00:11or you just practice on your own, is incredibly empowering. It frees you up in so many ways to

00:18do lots of things, so that's a brilliant project. Now, since we are in the mushroom season,

00:24I've decided to grow some mushrooms. And if you've got young children or grandchildren,

00:29I think this is something that they will love. Now, you can buy kits, but they're available in many

00:34different guises. As long as you follow the instructions, they will work. But the principle

00:38is all the same. Fungus, of course, lives most of its life either underground or in rotting wood,

00:45and fruits occasionally. And the fruits are what we see.

00:50What I've got here is a kit to grow oyster mushrooms. And I've got a bag here that is

00:54filled with chalked-up straw, which is the growing medium. And I've also got a bag of

01:02the spores mixed in with grain and with bran. This one, you do need to pasteurise the growing medium.

01:11And basically, that means getting rid of any pathogens or bacteria that may be there,

01:15which will compete with the fungus spores as they grow. And the easiest way to do that

01:22is simply boil a kettle, pour the hot water onto the growing medium, leave it for eight hours,

01:27then you cut a little hole in the bottom, drain the water out, so you have damp, pasteurised straw.

01:32But here's one I prepared earlier. So this now is pasteurised. So I need to mix it up.

01:41And by the way, before doing this, I wash my hands thoroughly, not to protect my hands,

01:45but to make sure that I'm not introducing any extra fungi or bacteria that may have been in my soil.

01:58So we cut that, take a handful of the mixture, and add it in.

02:05And mix it up thoroughly.

02:12Now, I have to say, this is not exactly designed for an ancient bloke with rather large hands.

02:21But I think my six-year-old grandson would love this.

02:27And another one.

02:28Now, you might think the obvious way to do this would be to pour it into a sort of washing-up bowl

02:33and mix it like that.

02:35But if you do that, you'll have the danger of introducing fungi and bacteria from the washing-up bowl.

02:41So do it inside the bag.

02:52Now I know how a vet feels up to the elbow and cow.

02:56OK.

02:57Once you've done that, fold it over and put it in a mild, dark place.

03:06It shouldn't be hot, shouldn't be cold.

03:0820 degrees.

03:09Anywhere in the house will do.

03:11Check it after three weeks.

03:13If you see a mass of white threads, the mycelium, spreading,

03:17then you know that it's ready to fruit.

03:19And it should be somewhere between three and four weeks.

03:21Once you think it's ready, cut across with a knife, put it somewhere light,

03:25spray it every day to keep it moist, and they shove fruit.

03:28But don't worry.

03:29I will share this with you, and hopefully we will have a fine harvest of oyster mushrooms.

03:35.

03:52.

03:54.

How to grow Your Own Mushrooms at Home

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