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.

To avoid the smell of mushrooms without harming them, try relocating them or yourself without disrupting their growth. If they are growing indoors, move the container to a well-ventilated area such as a garage, shed, or unused room. You can also use an air purifier or fan near the area to improve airflow and reduce odor. If they are outdoors, avoid standing near them and consider planting fragrant herbs like mint or lavender nearby to help mask the smell. Keeping the area dry and well-ventilated also reduces the intensity of mushroom odors without damaging the fungi.

Heat-sterilizing compost is not recommended for home gardens, because it can harm beneficial microbes. It's better to use good-quality, aged compost, and blend your own seed-starting mix.

You don't need any special equipment, just a simple glass jar. The setup is relatively low-cost and it's surprisingly easy to grow mushrooms this way. Using a reusable glass jar makes the process more environmentally friendly, and you can watch the whole process while it develops.

Mushrooms have delicious flavors that vary from rich and decadent to subtle, delicate, and fresh, depending on the type of mushroom.

It depends on the type of mushroom, but it's usually best to use mushroom spawn or spores instead.

Using coffee grounds to grow mushrooms is not recommended. Potting soil is a better alternative.

Button mushrooms prefer a slightly acidic to neutral pH range, typically between 6.0 and 7.0. This pH range helps them thrive during growth and fruiting, ensuring healthy development and optimal yields.

Button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) grow best under controlled temperatures at each stage. During the spawn run (mycelium growth), keep temperatures between 70–75°F (21–24°C) for 2–3 weeks. For pinning (when mushrooms start forming), lower the temperature to 60–65°F (15–18°C) and maintain high humidity (85–90%). During fruiting, ideal temperatures are 55–60°F (13–16°C) with good ventilation to prevent long stems and small caps. Proper temperature control at each stage is key to a healthy and productive mushroom crop.

Yes, you can make your own mycelium mushroom starter using a fresh mushroom, although sterile conditions and patience are required. Cut a small piece of tissue from the inside of the mushroom stem with a sterile knife, and place it onto a sterilized growing medium like agar in a petri dish or jar. Keep it warm (around 70–75°F or 21–24°C) and clean. If contamination is avoided, the tissue will grow into mycelium in 1–2 weeks. Once it colonizes the agar, you can transfer it to a sterilized substrate. Many growers buy spawn to avoid contamination and save time.

You can regrow button mushrooms using fresh, store-bought mushrooms, though results may vary. Start by selecting mushrooms with intact stems and cut off the caps, leaving about an inch of the stem base. Plant these stem ends into a tray filled with moist, nutrient-rich substrate like compost mixed with manure or coconut coir. Keep the tray in a warm, dark place at around 70–75°F (21–24°C) to encourage mycelium growth. Once white mycelium begins to spread through the substrate, move the tray to a cooler area (55–60°F or 13–16°C) and maintain high humidity by misting regularly. With the right conditions, new mushrooms may appear within two to four weeks.

During mycelium growth, most mushrooms need relatively high temperatures (25–28°C, rarely higher than 30°C or 78°F). An electric heat pad or heating cable helps maintain the right temperature.

To grow button mushrooms, start with a shallow tray filled with 4–6 inches of compost made from well-rotted manure and straw. Mix mushroom spawn into the top few inches of the compost. After 2–3 weeks, when the mycelium has spread, add a 1–2 inch casing layer made of peat moss and lime or a soil-sand mix to retain moisture and support mushroom development. Keep the environment humid and maintain temperatures between 55–65°F (13–18°C) for best results.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

If you purchase prepared horse manure from a nursery, it is usually composted and ready to use, reducing the need for pasteurization. Properly composted manure typically doesn't have harmful pathogens or weed seeds, so pasteurization isn't necessary unless you're uncertain about the preparation.

In order to grow mature white button mushrooms, you have to first cultivate mycelium, which will take about 3-4 weeks to start sprouting tiny mushrooms. Then, it'll take about another 1-2 weeks for the mushrooms to grow large enough for you to harvest them. Once the mycelium starts sprouting mushrooms, if the conditions are right, you can continue to harvest mushrooms for up to 6 months.

White button mushrooms naturally grow in fertile and damp soil, which is why they were first cultivated in fields with horse manure. You can grow them at home by making a mixture of equal parts compost and manure and filling a tray with it. Then, add spores over the surface and wait for the mycelium to form, which is a network of filaments that the mushrooms sprout from. After a few weeks, you'll see tiny white button mushrooms growing.

It's possible to regrow mushrooms if you have the stems, but it can be difficult. Take the stems and place them either in moist soil or in a mixture of equal parts manure and compost. After a few days, the stems will either start to sprout new growth, or they'll simply rot. If they do grow, within a few weeks you may have small sprouts of mushrooms.

Put the seeds in an eggshell and give it water once a day when small. The plant will grow up, then put it into a vase.

For a do-it-yourself heating pad, take an old sock and fill it with uncooked white rice. Tie the open end of the sock and now you can heat it in the microwave to be warm and cozy!

Yes. (Use hardwood sawdust.)

Mint is a better option mixed with neem leaves. If you want no stinky smell in your house, take five or six leaves of mint and neem and make a spray by grinding these leaves and extract into liquid through muslin cloth. You get a good spray.

It's typically a good idea to cover mycelium with potting soil or compost soil once you start to see spindly mushrooms growing, which is usually a sign that the mycelium has developed a strong network. After about two weeks, this is an appropriate time to gently cover the mycelium to support the mushrooms' growth. Be sure the soil is loose and well-aerated to promote healthy mushroom development.