Q&A for How to Grow White Button Mushrooms

You can propagate the Mycelium on wet shredded cardboard in a container with holes at the bottom. Seed it with the area around each mushroom root and keep it moist and dark for 1-2 months until you see the white growth on the pieces of cardboard. Use the cardboard bits to start a new tray of mushrooms.

Button mushrooms are typically grown during the winter months in the northwest plains of India and for 8 to 10 months a year in the hills. However, with modern cultivation technology, you can now grow them anywhere in India year-round.

Use healthy mushroom slices, a sterilized substrate, and maintain proper moisture and temperature. Monitor for growth and then harvest.

Mix the compost and manure, moisturize it, and heat it for several hours at 160 to 170°F (not hot enough to "pasteurize" it). Then, let it cool to room temperature before inoculating with mushroom spawn.

You can't use forest soil for growing mushrooms because it can be contaminated and might make you sick.

Prepare a sterilized substrate, spread the spawn over it, and keep it in a warm, dark place. For fruiting, provide warm, fresh air, and maintain moisture. Harvest when ready.

The best temperature is 55 to 65°F during colonization and 60 to 70°F during fruiting.

Yes, it's a good idea.

Try alternatives like straw, sawdust, coffee grounds, or cardboard, and then adjust the moisture.

There has been extensive research on mushroom cultivation in temperate climates, but comparatively little on varieties suitable for tropical climates. Many commercial mushrooms fruit at around 20°C and are therefore not ideal for tropical regions.

Yes, use compost, not manure unless it has been composted. Compost is a slow-release, multi-based fertilizer your plants can use.

The process to grow mushrooms from spores to fully mature mushrooms usually takes 1-2 months for most commonly homegrown varieties.

Spring and fall are ideal for outdoor mushroom cultivation in a pasture due to suitable soil moisture, temperature, and humidity. Avoid mid-summer and freezing winter as they are too dry or too cold for mycelium growth.

Yes, but it's not the easiest or fastest method. You can harvest spores by making a spore print from the gills of a fresh mushroom, then use these spores to culture on agar or sterilized grain, and use the resulting mycelium to inoculate straw, compost, or wood chips.

Consider using the coolest areas of a home, such as basements, root cellars, or some garages, which often stay around 50 or 60°F, especially in cooler seasons. Add insulation or a vapor barrier to maintain lower temperatures, and use a thermometer/hygrometer to monitor fluctuations.

Use 4-6 inches of compost in the tray. For the mushroom spores, typically use 1-2 percent of the substrate as spawn.

It's not recommended to use store-bought mushrooms for growing, as they may be contaminated. It's best to use high-quality spawn from trustworthy mushroom suppliers.

Yes, it should be pasteurized or sterilized to prevent contamination.

Yes, but they are usually not used for cultivation. Growers typically use spore prints or spore syringes.

Check reviews, verify the seller's reputation, look for expiration dates, and ensure they are well packaged.

Choose a cool spot and use a compost or kit. Monitor temperature, use water trays, and follow the instructions above.

You can find mushroom kits on Walmart or Amazon, and they are also available in other stores.

Yes, you should maintain a low temperature for the inoculated PDA medium when preparing button mushroom spawns. Keep it at around 20-25°C to encourage proper mycelium growth and prevent contamination.

To sell button mushrooms in Bangalore, you can target local markets, supply to grocery stores, or partner with restaurants focusing on fresh ingredients. Consider setting up an online platform via Instagram or WhatsApp for direct sales, or join online marketplaces like BigBasket. You could also offer a subscription service for regular deliveries. Invest in attractive packaging to highlight local or organic farming, and explore B2B sales with wholesalers or organic shops. Engaging in marketing and customer relationships will help your business grow.

You don't need a large amount of land to grow mushrooms for sale. Mushrooms can be grown in small spaces or even indoors using controlled environments like greenhouses or warehouses. The key is managing temperature, humidity, and ventilation. You can use stacked trays or racks, making it suitable for small-scale operations. The space required depends on your business scale but is generally much smaller than other types of farming.

No, white button mushrooms do not cause any kind of high. They are a common edible mushroom variety, safe to eat, and often used in cooking for their mild flavor and nutritional benefits. Psychoactive mushrooms, like psilocybin mushrooms, can cause hallucinations or a "high," but white button mushrooms do not have those properties.

Yes, you can grow mushrooms from store-bought button mushrooms, but it can be tricky. The spores are usually harvested and sold separately for cultivation. However, you can use the stems to try and grow your own. Create a suitable environment, such as sterilized soil or a mushroom kit, and keep it in a humid, dark space. The process can be unpredictable, so it's often more reliable to buy a mushroom growing kit or spawn specifically meant for cultivation.

You can find cheap manure from local farms, where it might be given away or sold at a low cost. Farm supply stores often offer bags of manure or bulk compost. You can also check platforms like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, where people might give away or sell manure cheaply. Local garden centers might have it, though it could be more expensive. Lastly, if there is a local composting program, they may sell manure at a low price.

In Karachi, you can find button mushroom spawn from suppliers like House of Mushroom, offering 1 kg of grain spawn for around PKR 1,500. Daraz.pk offers it for about PKR 160, and Kissan Ghar provides spawn from Qarshi Industries for around PKR 1,635. Prices may vary, so contact suppliers directly for the latest prices and delivery details.

You can attempt to grow white button mushrooms from the fruit itself, but it’s not the most reliable method. Mushrooms grow from mycelium, the underground part of the fungus, not directly from fruiting bodies. While potting soil mixed with sawdust is a suitable growing medium, you'll need to start with mushroom spawn (mycelium) rather than fruiting mushrooms. The mycelium will colonize the substrate, and mushrooms will form once the right conditions are provided. Using fruiting bodies won’t typically yield successful results without proper mycelium growth.