Grow Mushrooms at Home

This instructable will show you how to grow mushrooms from organic brown rice using the Mycelerator mushroom growing system.

Use this instructable with your Mycelerator to follow a simple, step-by-step way to grow high-quality mushrooms in the comfort of your own home.

Whether you're looking to add a fresh and sustainable ingredient to your meals or incorporate mushrooms into your supplement routine, our mushroom growing system has got you covered. Our user-friendly approach makes it easy for anyone to grow their own mushrooms at home and experience the joy of fruiting their own grows.

This instructable shows how to grow varieties of Oyster Mushrooms. Different instructions are needed for other varieties. See the links in the last step of this instructable for more information.

For more information, please see our latest newsletter here:

Those of you that tried out our previous very popular instructable on growing mushrooms should know that we've been testing these new procedures diligently. We think you'll be even more successful growing mushrooms now. Have fun!

You'll need a Mycelerator Growing System to do this instructable.

The growing system comes in two parts. The Mycelerator Mushroom Growing System is the equipment that you need to grow mushrooms. The second part is the Mycelerator Grow Refill Kit, which contains the supplies that you need to start each new batch of mushrooms.

You can get both the Mycelerator System and the Grow Refill Kit at our company site or at Amazon.

If you like, you can also get the Grow Refill Kit supplies online. The rice bowls, either Nishiki or Minsley brand, are available online or at grocery stores. The mushroom liquid culture and substrate mix are available at most popular mycology gear sites -- if you get your own, make sure to start with an Oyster variety if you're a beginner -- they're the easiest kind to grow indoors. The microfilter can be replaced with 3M micropore tape which may be available at your local pharmacy. You can replace the hot stamp/candle with a soldering iron if you have one handy.

The first image shows the parts for the Mycelerator System. Figure 2 shows the parts for the Mycelerator Grow Kit.

You'll also need a few things from around the house:

• 7 cup (or larger) bowl w/ lid
• Water (non-chlorinated water is preferred)
• Implement for stirring (a fork works best)
• Measuring cup
• A bottle of Isopropyl Alcohol (70% or higher)

Once you’ve confirmed that you have everything you need, let’s grow!

You'll need the parts from the Grow Refill Kit for this step.

Start by selecting a clean area to work in. We recommend the kitchen (cleaned to food preparation standards) without open windows or operating fans. Contamination is introduced easily when airborne particles get into the bowl.

Move the Grow Refill Kit parts to where you'll do the work.

Now, follow the instructions below, and/or follow along with this YouTube video to start growing your mushrooms.

1. Familiarize yourself with the look and feel of the plain rice bowl. Later, the changes in the look and feel will help to confirm colonization, the process of healthy mushroom growth. Look at the rice in the window. Give the bowl a few squeezes and shake it.
2. Now, place the rice bowl in front of you. With the transparent window to one side, use an alcohol wipe to clean off the opposite side of the bowl. Leave the alcohol wipe on top of the bowl over the area that has been wiped.
3. Heat your hot punch by holding it in the flame for about 20 seconds.
4. Slide the alcohol wipe aside. Apply the hot punch to the rice bowl lid to stamp a hole on the cleaned area. Slide the alcohol wipe back over the hole to keep it covered.
5. Shake the syringe then remove the stopper and place the tip into the hole made in the lid of the rice bowl. Inject 1-2mL of the liquid culture into the rice. Place the alcohol wipe back over the hole.
6. Remove a synthetic filter, place it over the hole and wipe it with the alcohol wipe.

It’s a good idea to label your rice bowl with the date of infusion.

Place your infused bowl in a warm dark area of your home. Some typical areas are the kitchen, utility room, or a south facing room. Putting it inside a cabinet or closet will keep it out of the light. Do not place it directly on a heat source.  

Ideal temperature for colonization is 75℉, but colonization should work within a range of 65-80℉.

Now that you have infused the Brown Rice with a Mushroom Liquid Culture, the mushroom strain will begin to colonize the rice with a kind of mushroom "network".

During the first week or two, there is not much to do. Just leave the bowl in a warm dark area. Make sure there is some airflow, don’t place anything on top of the bowl. 

After 7 days, take a look at your bowl. You might see some white forming around the grains of rice, a gentle squeeze should indicate that the rice is firming up and you may hear some rice moving if you gently shake it. 

Keep checking on the progress of the colonization over the next week or two. Be patient, full colonization typically takes two to three weeks.

Signs there is something wrong:

• Sour odor.
• No white appearing in the window.
• A wet or loose watery look and a squishy feel to the bowl.
• Green or black color.

If you are seeing these indications in your rice bowl, you’ll need to try again. Put the problem bowl in your trash, and try again!

When you see solid white in the window, and the bowl feels very firm when squeezed, you are ready for the next step: combine your colonized rice with a "substrate", which is something like soil for plants.

You’ll need these supplies:

• Bag of substrate mix (60g coir and 1 cup vermiculite) this is part of your grow refill kit
• 7 cup (or larger) bowl w/ lid
• Water (non-chlorinated water is preferred)
• Implement for stirring (a fork works best)
• Measuring cup

Prepare your substrate with boiling water (follow along with this YouTube video):

• Bring two cups of water to a boil
• Empty substrate bag into the container.
• Pour 1 ¼ cups (10 ounces) of the boiling water into the container
• Secure the lid and let sit for 5-10 minutes while the coir rehydrates.

Now that it's cooled off a bit, finish this process by mixing the substrate thoroughly (follow along with this YouTube video).

You've prepared your substrate!

Let it cool completely with the lid on (approximately 2 to 4 hours). If you don't complete the Step 4 as soon as it's completely cooled, you can do it later. However, please complete Step 4 within 24 hours of preparing the substrate, to avoid potential contamination of your grow.

Once you’ve prepared your substrate, please get these supplies out:

Supplies

• Colonized rice bowl
• Cooled substrate
• Fork
• Mycelerator

Clean your Mycelerator

Before every grow, disassemble your Myclerator and wipe it with a towelette or paper towel moistened with isopropyl alcohol. Do not put it in your dishwasher.

Turn your sensor on (this is at the top of the fruiting jar) if it is off and choose Celsius or Fahrenheit for the temperature display.

Combine the Substrate with your Colonized Rice (follow along with this YouTube video)

Optionally, you can set aside a half cup of the substrate (see below).

• Remove the lid of the rice bowl and examine the colonized rice. The rice and mycelium should be a solid block of white. Break it in half, mycelium should be throughout the rice.
• Using your hands or fork, gently break apart the colonized rice into small pieces. If you find clumps that are slimy or have a foul/sour odor, remove them.
• Thoroughly mix the rice and substrate.

Put mixture into the Substrate Jar (follow along with this YouTube video)

• Put the mixture into the substrate jar. Lightly pack if necessary. The mixture should be level with the top of the jar. If you set aside a half cup of substrate, you can add it to the top of the jar.
• Screw on the substrate ring.
• Snap in the humidifier ring.
• Insert the adapter ring.
• Lay the casing layer on top, flush against the humidifier ring.
• Screw on the fruiting chamber.
• Close the vents.

Return the Mycelerator to the warm, dark place where you stored your rice bowl. 

Just as before, leave the unit alone for the next two weeks. There is no need to adjust your Mycelerator. You can observe the white mycelial growth (that’s the mushroom version of a plant’s roots) through the sides of the Substrate Jar. 

After a few days, you should see a slow growth of the white mycelial network. If in two weeks, you see no progress, or you see evidence of contamination, such as green or black growths in the substrate container, you should remove the substrate container from the Mycelater and dispose of it. You’ll need to try again. 

Normally, though, you should see the white mycelial network cover most or all of the substrate in the container within two weeks. Now’s the time to begin fruiting your mushrooms!

After two weeks of colonizing the substrate, it’s time to begin the pinning phase. 

Prepare the Mycelerator for Pinning (follow along with this YouTube Video)

• Remove the fruiting chamber.
• Remove the casing layer (you'll need it for future grows).

Water your Mycelium (follow along with this YouTube Video)

• Soak the wick in a bowl of water, then lay it in the humidifier ring.
• Spray a mist of water over the mycelium. You want a mist of water to gently rain down over the bowl. Avoid spraying directly into the bowl. There should be no standing water on the mycelium.
• Turn the sensor on the fruiting jar on if you haven't already.
• Screw the fruiting jar on top and open the vent.

Move the Mycelerator to a cooler place in your home that will receive some indirect light. Try to find an area that is 10-15° cooler than the area used during colonization. This may be outside (depending on the time of year), in a garage or basement, even near a slightly open window avoiding direct sunlight. It's the change in environment that signals the Oysters to begin fruiting. Ideal pinning conditions are 50-60℉ with 95% humidity.

During the Pinning Phase

Over the next week, observe your Mycelerator daily (follow along with this YouTube Video).

• Twice a day, as you did before, remove the fruiting jar and spray a mist of water over the bowl.  
• Every other day, remove the wick, soak it in a bowl of water and put it back into the ring. 

Examine the surface for the formation of pins. These are small bumps or clusters of growth, sometimes resembling pinheads. Move to the fruiting phase once the pins have formed.

Once you have pinning, it is time to fruit the mushrooms.

• You can now move the unit to a place with normal room temperatures, like the kitchen counter.
• Provide indirect light.
• The vents should remain open on the top of the jar.
• Continue to mist the mushrooms twice a day. 
• Soak the wick every 2 days. If the mushrooms grow in such a way that you can’t remove the wick, we suggest slowly pouring water over the wick(maximum 1 oz or 2 Tbs). Observe carefully, stop adding water once it pools underneath the wick.

To get a sense of the speed that a mushroom grows, see this YouTube video. The short stop-action video shows growth over two days.

As your mushrooms get larger you can optionally remove the fruiting jar. (see this YouTube video).

• If you remove the jar, make sure to mist the mushrooms heavily 3-4 times a day.

Ideal fruiting conditions are 60-70℉ with 85-90% humidity.

At this point, your mushrooms will grow rapidly. Your goal is to figure out when your mushrooms are ready to harvest, which is usually between three and five days after the mushrooms begin to fruit.

When you’re ready to harvest, just gently pull each mushroom at the base to remove them. Then, it’s up to you!

Congratulations! You've succeeded in growing mushrooms in your home.

If you need help along the way or have questions, please check out our website: https://ei2o.com. Our support page should answer most questions, and you can always email us at support@ei2o.com.

Note that each grow kit comes with a gift certificate so that you can choose your own mushroom variety to grow. However, we recommend that you start with the Oyster variety that comes with the Grow Kit -- unless you already have experience with the mushrooms that you want to grow.

Check out our YouTube channel. We'll have more content presently.

Thank you for your interest!