Preparing to grow mushrooms? Find out how to use your mushroom spore syringe for cultivation, and how to store it properly with this guide.
There’s a reason why people have been eating mushrooms for tens of thousands of years. They’re versatile, widely available, and incredibly nutritious.
If you want to grow your mushrooms, it’s not hard to do. You just need the right guidance.
After you buy mushroom spores for inoculation, you need to know how to use it. If you do, you can look forward to a bumper crop of mushrooms in a few months.
Keep reading to learn more about using mushroom spore syringes.
What Is a Spore Syringe?
A spore syringe is a plastic or glass syringe filled with mushroom spores and sterilized water. Mushroom spores are tiny mushroom cells that allow the fungus to multiply. A syringe for mushroom spores contains multiple spores since not all spores will yield fruitful reproduction.
How to Use a Mushroom Spore Syringe to Cultivate Mushrooms
Mushroom spore syringes are usually sold online and are one of the most common ways to harvest mushrooms. Spores are only 1/2500th of an inch long. Spores take time to germinate and come alive.
Then spores will begin colonizing the substrate and form into a mycelium which are the fibers that will eventually turn into a mushroom. The process is slow, so it’s important to stay patient.
These are the steps to use your spore syringe to cultivate your mushrooms:
- Prepare with spore solution according to the manufacturer’s instructions
- You can store your spore solution in the fridge until ready to use, but make sure it is at room temperature before applying it to the substrate
- Drop a few milliliters of spore solution on each corner of your mushroom substrate
That’s it! After a few days, you’ll begin to notice white mycelium where the spores were dropped. When the entire substrate turns white, the mycelium has completed colonization.
The flowering process will begin after and then your mushrooms will start to grow.
How to Choose the Right Mushroom Spore Syringe for Your Needs
A spore syringe will work to cultivate any kind of mushroom whether it be oyster, shitake, magic, or medicinal. The difference in which kind of mushrooms will cultivate depends on the substrate you use to grow your mushrooms. The substrate is essentially the mushroom you are “impregnating” with the spore solution.
How to Properly Store and Care For Your Mushroom Spore Syringe
A mushroom spore syringe has a shelf life of twelve months. It needs to be refrigerated at a temperature of 35-46 degrees Fahrenheit, or 2-8 degrees Celsius.
The Benefits of Cultivating Mushrooms at Home
Cultivating your mushrooms at home is a great way to increase your green footprint. Not to mention there is nothing more delicious than a mushroom cooked fresh from your garden. Make sure to do your research on mushroom substrates before using your mushroom spore as not all mushrooms are designed for human consumption.
Cultivating your mushrooms is fun and provides access to your favorite kinds of mushrooms. It also enables you to reap more health benefits and save money!
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