Growing indoors
Our grain-based mycelium can be used for both indoor and outdoor cultivation.
The substrates used typically consist of a carbon-rich base such as straw, sawdust, or fresh wood logs. Most of the mycelium we offer is wood-decaying: it breaks down wood.
A substrate can be enriched with various nitrogen-rich materials such as wheat bran, alfalfa, or coffee grounds. This helps increase yields while repurposing certain byproducts and potentially incorporating a circular economy approach into mushroom production.
It is important to note, however, that the higher the nitrogen and sugar content of a substrate, the more conducive it is to the growth of bacteria and mold, and the greater the risk of contamination.
To reduce this risk, substrates are generally pasteurized or sterilized; that is, the substrate is heated to a certain temperature that allows for the sufficient or complete elimination of microorganisms that compete with our mycelia. These microbes are generally bacteria or molds, which feed on the same substrates as our mycelia.
After pasteurizing and cooling the substrate, vaccination (=seeding) is carried out under the cleanest possible conditions to prevent introducing new molds or bacteria into the substrate.Depending on the type of substrate, the variety, the mycelium, and whether the cultivation is on a commercial or hobbyist scale, it is sometimes possible to skip pasteurization. However, this increases the risk of green mold developing instead of our beautiful mushrooms. Nothing beats experience when it comes to getting the hang of mushroom cultivation.
Example 1: Growing oyster mushrooms on straw
Ideally, use chopped straw. Soak the straw in hot water (around 75°C) for 30 to 60 minutes. Once cooled, crumble the mycelium and mix it into the straw at a ratio of 5 to 10% mycelium to wet straw.
The substrate is placed in airtight containers (plastic bags, buckets, etc.), but these containers have small openings to allow the mycelium to breathe. The substrates are incubated for 2–3 weeks at 20–25°C before being moved to fruiting.
Note: There is an alternative method to heat pasteurization, which is lime pasteurization. To do this, use slaked lime (white limestone lime). Mix one cup of it into about 50 liters of water.
Soak the straw overnight ( 12 hours) in this lime water. This will allow the straw to absorb moisture and raise its pH level (making it more alkaline), which will create an environment that is unfavorable for the growth of bacteria or mold but conducive to the growth of oyster mushroom mycelium.
You can also use our organic straw pellets, which are already pre-pasteurized and well-suited for growing oyster mushrooms.
Example 2: Growing shiitake mushrooms on sawdust or wood pellets.
Fill a 3T Unicorn bag with 1 kg of dry sawdust. Choose hardwoods such as oak or beech. You can also use wood pellets containing no more than 20% softwood.
Bring 1.5 liters of water to a boil and mix it into the bag with the sawdust. Ideally, maintain a core temperature of 90°C for at least 1 hour. Depending on the characteristics of your sawdust, you may need to add or reduce the amount of water. You should aim for a moisture content of about 60%, without any standing water at the bottom of the bag.
Wait until the bag has cooled completely . In the meantime, keep the bag closed and open it only when necessary to prevent contaminants from entering. Add 250 grams of shiitake spawn (10%).
Seal the bag, leaving some air inside. You can use a sealer, tape, or string to tie a knot.
Mix the substrate by shaking the bag to distribute the grains evenly throughout the substrate. Place the bag in a warm place at a temperature of around 20°C for 10 to 12 weeks.
Remove the bag. Keep the growing medium moist, using a small grow tent if necessary. Harvest and enjoy.
Indoor Gardening
Growing outdoors
Substrates are typically made of straw, wood chips, or logs. For example, you might want to make use of a shaded area on your property, shred branches, cut down certain trees, or mulch certain areas of your vegetable garden, etc.
Outdoors, the presence of other naturally occurring fungi and bacteria increases competition and the risk of substrate contamination. Therefore, the recommended inoculation rate is around 20% to improve the chances of success.
Log cultivation is relatively accessible because it requires little equipment to get started. The risk of contamination is fairly low. The key factor is the moisture content of the logs. Under favorable conditions, log or stump cultivation can yield mushrooms for 5 to 10 years.
Cleaning tip: Wash your hands thoroughly with soap before opening the bag, and clean all surfaces and tools that will come into contact with the mycelium and pasteurized substrate increase your chances of success.
Downloadable resources for further reading:
About our organic mycelium:
What we call our mycelium, or "mushroom spawn" (mushroom seeds), consists of grains and is used to inoculate substrates.
Storage: Once you receive them, we recommend using them as soon as possible. If you do not plan to use them within 4 to 5 days, we recommend storing them in the refrigerator (1–5°C), where they will keep for several weeks. We recommend using them within 4 weeks.
We are not a reseller; we produce 100% of our mycelium at our facility in Grez-Doiceau (Belgium). Some of our strains are selected directly from the natural environment around us, while others come from other recognized producers in the field. We select our strains based on various criteria, such as their vigor and natural disease resistance, flavor quality, productivity, visual quality, and more.
We maintain the potency and vitality of our strains by regularly cultivating the fungi in non-sterile environments and then propagating them in sterile laboratory conditions, which allows us to guarantee the purity of our strains.
An organic certification: All ingredients used in production are certified organic by Certisys, which is why we can certify our mycelium with the organic label.
Delivery Times: Most of our mycelium is made to order, so there is typically a production lead time of 2 to 3 weeks. This allows us to ship them at their peak vitality as soon as incubation is complete, without having to store them in the refrigerator. As a result, they withstand shipping conditions much better.
