Beginner difficulty (tolerates relative humidity fluctuations from 80% to 99%):
SHIPPING: $16 shipping for 1 kit or +$20 for 2 kits anywhere in Australia.
DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS BELOW.
We use Auspost regular satchels, bubble wrap, tape and include instructions on paper or electronic format.
They are all ready to produce mushrooms. The first crop will be harvested within a week or two; there will be a new crop every 5-15 days depending on species. Each kit is hand made by ourselves at the farm and weights around 2 kg. Yield is 400g to 1 kg over the life of the kit, this depends on species, kits & care.
Remove the bag or make a few holes, and start misting with plain tap water the exposed areas, several times a day. Mushrooms will start growing within a week. Keep in a tub with a loose lid to keep humidity.
Kits fruit inside or outside as long as they are somewhere humid. To give you a good idea, just after you have a shower the relative humidity in the air of the bathroom is near 100% (or when the dryer is running).
Mushrooms require 80%-95% relative humidity to grow optimally. 100% at all time (or too wet) can cause contamination especially if there is not enough fresh air (oxygen). Green mould or bacteria can appear. Do not trap them in a wet airtight environment and you will be fine.
Contaminants die back if the kit is allowed to dry a little bit (mushrooms are still fine to eat and contaminants will not spoil them). For this reason, some fluctuations in humidity (like in between misting) are good, as long as background humidity is reasonable. Kits do not die if they dry out. Simply soak them for a day and they bounce back!
In a moist vegetation patch, shaded, is perfect. You still have to mist your kit at least once daily, and it helps to hose the ground nearby for slow release of humidity. A sprinkler nearby or misting system somewhere around the house would also be a great location. You can also place your kit at the bottom of a large Tupperware container, an eski (etc), with 2-3cm of water in the bottom, and place on your kitchen bench, balcony or where ever you like that is protected from harsh winds and sunlight. Indoor growing is easy in the bathroom or in the laundry (a humid atmosphere is essential).
Mushroom Grow Kits Small
Oyster mushroom kit instructions:
Mushrooms require humidity (at least 80%), ambient light (direct sunlight dries them out unless frequently watered) and fresh air to grow. Remove the plastic bag or poke 2-5 holes in your bag from which mushrooms will grow, usually in clusters. You can place the kit in a plastic tub in the corner of your bathroom or laundry. Mist the kit at least twe or three times daily, more if your area is dry. You can remove the bag entirely, It will be fine but the kit could lose moisture quicker so remember to mist more often and create a nice humid environment.
You want a shaded area (or heavy duty shadecloth if in a greenhouse) but no darkness except at night. Free any mushroom growing under the plastic and if none are yet visible, you can cut two or three 5cm holes on the sides of the kit and mist them two to three times daily for a week. You can also make slits in the bag using a knife or scissors. Mushrooms will grow from tiny pinhead to mature sized fruit in the span of a few days and go dormant until they have gathered enough strength for another crop (generally one or two weeks later). After a number of crops which is species dependent, the kit will naturally contaminate and be ready for the compost pile, or used to attempt inoculating pasteurised straw or wood logs.
Mushrooms should start growing from the area where you cut the hole and sprayed but sometimes they appear under the plastic - in this case free the mushrooms by cutting plastic around them and mist the area.
If no fruiting occurs after one week, check that the exposed white tissue (mycelium) has not dried out which can make it stall. If it is humid (not flooded!) and more than a week has passed without mushroom growing, you probably need to give them more fresh air (remove half of the bag and continue to mist daily).
If it feels dry, simply mist more often, or place in a plastic tub with water at the bottom, or change area to somewhere more humid. A wet cloth bumps up humidity, or hosing the ground if grown outside within tall grass, patch of plants, garden beds...
They need oxygen like us and expire CO2. Mist them two to 5 times a day depending on your environment. They love rainy weather.
You can use tap or rainwater (avoid hot and/or dirty water).
If there are no "pins" yet, make a "X" (left picture below), or 4-5 long slits on one side, or cut a circular hole (middle picture). You can also partially cut the top of the bag. This makes bigger, single clusters and easier harvest.
Extra info:
Fresh air and moisture evaporation taking place at the surface of the mycelium - the white tissue material - will trigger mushroom growth.
Some species such as white oyster and blue oyster require a lot of fresh air - strip the bag and water generously, regularly if you can. They can take it!
Pink oyster, grey oyster, ulmarius, phoenix oyster, yellow oyster and wood ear will quickly fruit from any hole or slit you make in the plastic. Often there will be already baby mushrooms when you receive the kit. You can free the most vigorous patches of visible pins, or make a new slit/hole somewhere, and they will grow from there. Pioppinos fruit from any hole as long as humidity is high. Often the will start fruiting under the bag so you have to pay attention and release them as soon as possible. Shiitake fruits in fluctuating humidity quite well.
The only darkness they receive should be at night. Light improves color, vitamin D and yield. Oyster mushrooms are easy to grow, but direct sunlight and excessive wind eventually will dry them out - they are mushrooms after all.
As long as you look after your kit and remember mushrooms might grow when you forgot about it, you will enjoy several harvests :)
Postage is available for kits as well as Local pick up from Townsville and the Willows Markets