How To Grow Oyster Mushroom at Home?

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How to Grow Oyster Mushroom
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Growing Oyster Mushrooms

• All the members of oyster mushrooms are
  saprotrophic (feeds on wood). They are the best
  agents of mycorestoration and has also been found
  effective in various cancerous treatments.
  Moreover they make a delicious meal!
• The medium of growth (substrate)
• After intensive research wheat straw or cotton
  seeds are found to be two good medium though
  other substrates are also applicable.

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Step1 Preparation of the medium (or substrate)
on which the mushroom grows

• Materials required for creating such mediums are
  containers, plastic bags, liners, drums, heaters
  /burners, gloves, aprons, face masks.
• Straw lengths of 5-10 cm should be immersed in
  water for 24 hours.
• The batch should be properly washed before the
  straw is sent for pasteurization (the process of
  heating and then cooling).
• A drum is filled with more than 30 litres of
  water and this is heated on a burner.
• The bags of straw are placed in the drum and
  separated from water by a suitable platform
• The drum is heated for 1 hr. till the time
  substantial steam flows through the straw bags
• The straw bags are allowed to cool and the bags
  are removed to the clean growing room
• At every stage the straw is checked for
  tenderness and it is made dirt free
• Once the straw is prepared it is transferred to
  the growing room.

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Step 2The Culture or Growing Room

• The growing room is washed, sterilized with steam
  and bleached so that it is properly disinfected.
  The growing room should have ventilations for air
  flow and enough moisture to let the culture set
  in or the cells germinate. Temperatures of 10-24
  degree centigrade is usually maintained. Induce
  HEPA air filters to remove air impurities and
  keep a UV lamp.

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Step 3 The Mushroom Spawn laboratory

• The mushroom spawns are substrates (grain, agar
  cultures or liquid medium for inoculation) used
  to transfer the vegetative fungal growth or
  mycelia threads to a medium on which the mushroom
  grows.
• Creating pure culture
• 1. A small slice or tissue of mushroom is cut and
  added on PDA medium. In a few days hyphae
  (mycelium) covers the entire plate.
• 2. Generation of mother spawn
• 3. Propagation
• Preparation of mother spawn
• A small slice of mycelium with the PDA is taken
  from pure culture, induced in fresh medium and
  then supplements and grains added. Incubation for
  15-20 days at specific temperatures creates the
  mother spawn.
• Propagation
• The mother spawn is then allowed to propagate
  before usage

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Step 4 Inoculating the Bags

• The bags of straws should be opened and teaspoons
  of spawns should be added. Proper precautions
  regarding sterilization and hygiene must be
  maintained. Masks and lab uniform must be worn
  before inoculation

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Step 5 Monitoring the Bags

• No insect mice or pest infestation should be
  there. Moreover the bags should be regularly
  checked to ensure that harmful or non-productive
  strains does not grow.

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Step 6 Incubation and Colonialisation

• At proper humidity and with right amount of
  spawn, the mycelia takes three weeks to run
  through the whole straw. More amount of straw
  aids the process but runs risk of degeneration.

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Step 7 CO2 Removal
Take care to flush the room with clean air during
the entire process so that CO2 removal happens,
otherwise deformities can be found in the
culture.
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Step 8 Harvesting

• As the bags get completely colonized with the
  mycelia, fruiting or pinning may be seen. At this
  stage, we need to remove the substrate and
  transfer the fruiting to a high humid, clean
  room. With fruiting, the humidity must be
  increased. Once the mushroom has grown, stop
  water sprays, you will observe the mushroom
  turning into yellowish brown color. Allow the
  entire batch of mushrooms to grow and acquire the
  desired color.

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Step 9 Removing the mushrooms from the culture
or growing room

• Once the yellowish color is attained carefully
  pick the better quality mushrooms from the
  substrate. It should be taken care that the
  mushrooms are not washed before packing. Retain
  the mushrooms or pack them in damp (not wet)
  brown papers. Store them at room temperature
  before packing.

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Step 10 Packaging

• The mushrooms are set on a vibrating tray to
  remove the impurities or other elements. Then are
  then dropped into quality chamber and after
  screening of the batches for unwanted batches,
  they roll into small perforated plastic bags (to
  allow enough air) and the bags are heat pressed
  at the seal. Labelling is done after that. They
  may even be canned or used for other purposes.
• Then the entire batches after screening are
  delivered through channels before it reaches your
  plate as a delicious recipe.

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