Lions Mane: 1Lb per 5lbs substrate block: Reishi: 1lb per 5lbs substrate block: Shiitake: 2lb per 5lbs substrate block: Yellow Oyster: 3lb per 5lb . Finally, your substrate needs to have an absence of competing organisms. There have even been studies on using mushroom substrates as an ingredient in feed mixes for chickens and cattle. Each fruiting block contains1.4 liters of water, which weighs about3.1 lbs. Your substrate needs to have 1 to 2 percent nitrogen. On a small scale this can be done indoors on a stovetop. Hardwood pellets or sawdust wouldnt normally need to be sterilized. The temperature should be close to boiling, although not hot enough to see a rolling boil. The cost per pound of mushrooms can vary by type. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Therefore, the total dry weight of the substrate is1.9lbs. While thats an ideal environment for mushrooms, its also the ideal conditions for other things like mold and bacteria to grow. *The statements made on this website have not been evaluated by the FDA (U.S. Food & Drug Administration). The substrate provides mushrooms with the nutrients, moisture and energy they need to grow and fruit. (It's the equivalent of seeds for mushroom growers). Besides selecting a substrate to use, deciding when its appropriate to either pasteurize or sterilize the material is another important part in learning how to make mushroom substrate. It is natural to wonder how many mushrooms (or the yield of mushroom) you are going to harvest from your mushroom growing kits. Garden Bench Top is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. There are several ways to pasteurize mushroom substrate. What you will find is most mushroom growers will include a few different types of growing mediums in their cultivation of mushrooms. The PF Tek is probably the best substrate for beginners, even when growing gourmet varieties. That is basically the amount of water the substrate can hold without extra water pooling at the bottom. Sterilization is more like scorching the earth and killing every living plant and seed in it. Hey Tony love youre stuff and just bought some spawn last weeks. I've dedicated a ton of time to learn all about the amazing world of mushrooms- and would love to share that information with you! West Lafayette, IN 47907. How To Make Liquid Culture For Mushroom Cultivation. Holes are then sealed with wax to prevent contamination. We thought it would be helpful to those who do not have access to wood chips. PINK OYSTER B.E. This provides a blank canvas for your mushroom mycelium to thrive. take down a notch in a sentence; dash cam videos usa; bodybuilding vs powerlifting reddit. This is necessary for the mycelium to colonize well. Nameko (although more likely to contaminate than on hardwood). Generally speaking, gardeners use perlite as one (of many) components in their garden soil mixes. For commercial growers, its most common to pack substrate into large clear plastic bags. A few other species of mushrooms like shiitake may grow on coffee grounds as well, but might not produce as good of a harvest compared to growing on hardwood. However, when used for large scale operations, can be quite costly and can easily be substituted for cheaper bulk materials. Take RTV and use it to glue a tyvek quarter sized piece over the 3/8 inch hole. Dry. It does not store any personal data. The Basic Steps for Growing Oysters on Straw. Here are a few important things to keep in mind when choosing a substrate: If you want to skip the learning curve associated with making your own substrate, then check out our ready-to-fruit mushroom substrate blocks, which come fully colonised and ready to grow. You may add a more nutritious substrate to another to make it more nutritious. Tthe Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. It depends from the flush number, strain, spore print quality, substrate volume, mycelium, growing conditions and many other factors. Hey! Whenever possible, chop the straw into 3-5 inch pieces with a chopper, lawn mower or string trimmer in a garbage can. When you first start out growing mushrooms, you might not be all that concerned about how many mushrooms you get. Or you can create a compost pile out of just used substrate that will naturally decompose and break down into a rich compost over time. Most commonly, supplement materials are bran or seed derivatives. Is this something that a wild animal would eat? One pound of oyster mushroom spawn is typically enough to inoculate 5-10 pounds of substrate. Calculator located at: oneearthmushrooms.comSupport this work directly on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/oneearthmushroomsHave you ever started a mushroom . The information provided by this website or this company is not a substitute for a face-to-face consultation with your physician, and should not be construed as individual medical advice. Enoki. Growing Mushrooms. Some gardeners have suggested spreading it over the top of newly seeded lawn to help with germination, as well as protect prevent birds from feeding on the seed. tamara17@purdue.edu. It is one of those substrates that seems to tick all the right boxes when it comes to creating the perfect cultivating environments for mushrooms. If grown inside a mason jar - a popular and effective method of cultivation - mycelium will permeate the grain within ten to fifteen days. The shorter, more mature or dense the compost the less water it should have. It can be purchased at farm stores or most places where you can find animal feed or bedding. After few days when the Pasteurization or sterilization reduce mold and bacteria and help ensure that the thing youre trying to grow will have the best chance to get established. Liquid mushroom culture makes inoculating substrates easier because the mixture is inoculated directly onto a substrate of your choice. Straw is another cheap and effective material to use as a substrate. Seal off any drafts using weather-stripping or caulk. Anything that gets your substrate above 250 degrees F for an extended period of time can sterilize. At that point its ready to inoculate with mushroom spawn. But what about people who are growing mushrooms in the city? We have an article titled How To Grow Mushrooms On Logs: The Ultimate Guide that goes through the whole process in more depth. Yields will be different depending on whether youre using a mss or a clone/ isolate and the size of the tub. Mushroom yields declined with the three flushes from 2.2 kg to 0.5 kg per substrate block ( Table 1 ). Spawn rate is the amount of spawn used per kg on substrate on a dry weight basis. With most of our kits it takes approximately 3-4 weeks for the mushrooms to incubate or colonize the jar. They can be sauted, grilled, roasted, or even eaten raw. This kills off any competing mold or bacteria and gives the desired species of mushroom the best chance at taking hold. Use the RTV to fill in the inch hole with globs sticking out both sides of it. Start by cutting your straw into three or four-inch pieces. Ensure high yield with the Best Mushroom Growing Kits. It may also be due to resource availability (or unavailability more to the point). And what of all this do Ireallyneed to know? If left to nature, these contaminants will outperform mycelium and take control of the substrate before mushrooms have a chance to get established in most cases. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Get a good fast run and start to get a feel for how well a strain does in your farm conditions. I have one question, because Im curious about Blue Oysters efiiciency in 1st flush. Some types of oyster mushrooms will also grow well on wood. Most recipes call for one part coco coir and one part vermiculite. If you have a particular species of mushroom that you are looking to grow in your backyard, you can tailor your substrate to enhance you chances of growing a successful crop of mushrooms. Check out our YouTube for new content weekly! These include your fruiting conditions, the type of mushroom you're growing, humidity, ventilation, etc. As a general rule we find for every 30 pounds (around 13 kilograms) of total mushroom substrate materials, you can expect to grow around 7.5 pounds (around 3 kilograms) yield of mushroom. For a standard brick of dried coco coir (about 1.5 lbs) add eight cups of dry vermiculite, along with 16 cups of boiling water. We can offer wholesale rates if you are interested in a minimum purchase of 20 blocks of the same mushroom species. 1oz dry per lb of grain on the first flush if everything goes well. This means I never have to buy another syringe again unless my jar colony collapses somehow (Oh no!). There are a wide variety of edible and medicinal wood-loving mushrooms. Just like plants require soil with different properties, different kinds of mushrooms prefer specific types of substrates. Typically, Oyster mushrooms which grow well on straw, such as Pearl Oysters and Blue Oysters have a high BE. Average weight yield was highest in saw dust substrate (10.2g) with total yield (980g) and least average weight (7.5g) and total yield (105g) in sawdust and poultry litters substrate. In the kitchen, pioppino mushrooms are appreciated for their pork-like flavor. It might not seem like a very appealing habitat to humans. Different mushrooms, and different strains of the same species, will have a wide range of potential biological efficiencies. Other hardwoods, such as beech, cherry, birch, ash, and hickory, can be used, but they have less productive lifespans. Spore syringes have a lower yield but more different mushroom genetics. I plan on visiting a button mushroom farm very soon, I will let you know if I get any insight. From here if you continue to give the mycelium the stable fruiting condition they will develop into mushrooms so just be patient and prepare to be amazed! lbs pressure for 2 h. After sterilization, the bottles were cooled at room temperature and were aseptically inoculated with the mushroom fungal mycelium and incubated at room temperature. max yields not established. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Hay is likely too nutritious to use as a substrate without full sterilization. Rows are staggered two or three inches apart from each other. Youll need to experiment to see how much supplementation to add, and the amount will also depend on whether the material youre adding is sterilized. So 2 and a half cups of wheat or oat bran can be added to provide extra nutrients for the mycelium. Other species are more particular and will only produce high yields when grown on a specific substrate. If youre working with large quantities of straw, it can be easier to use a weed-whacker in a garbage bin to quickly shred the material. Once the straw is done, it needs to be drained well. a 50/50 blend of soybean hulls and sawdust -- yields can be over 1 lb per 5 lb block on the first flush. Modeling mushroom substrate temperature during aerated phase I substrate preparation. Some of your spent substrate can also be used to inoculate a new batch of substrate. These are actually all the same species of mushroom at different life stages. bag of compost. Wil it decrease the yeild of my spawn?? While the economic yield (EY) is defined as the yield per block after removing the . You start by bringing the material to 212 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, then keep it at 99 degrees for 12 hours. There are several methods that you can use to prepare straw substrate. Coco coir is a material made of ground-up coconut shells and husks. The main reason is to prevent bacteria or other plant organisms that your substrate may be housing from growing and eventually competing against your mushroom spawn. Water should drip from compost squeezed in the hand. Using substrate to grow mushrooms is the equivalent of using soil to grow plants. 1:1 and a higher ratio utilizes more substrate than spawn. However it can be quite effective for growing oyster mushroom species. You can either grow in a substrate composed of 100% straw or add supplements to provide additional nutrients. exploring the role of substrate in the mushroom growing cycle. The biological yield (BY) is defined as the yield per block without removing the lower hard and dirty portion.. Mixing these two materials together can create an ideal substrate for growing some types of mushrooms. at least, but it definitely depends on substrate. Some species like oyster mushrooms can grow on a wide range of substrates including straw or even cardboard. It consists of several cycles where the substrate is treated at different temperatures for 72 hours. Supplementation is the process of adding a nitrogen rich nutrient to the mushroom substrate in order to increase the potential yield. Another benefit wheat straw has going for it is that it can be purchased in bulk, and is affordable for the mushroom growing hobbyist. Just as mushroom cultivation was finding new audiences, the rise of online forums began transforming the practice. When you choose to pick your mushrooms obviously has a huge effect on overall yield and biological efficiency. I heard that the one pound of water and 2pounds of grain and go right into the PC without a soak works. This is because there is a wealth of knowledge out there on how to produce mushrooms from it. yield per block, there will be around $2,800-$4,200 tied up in cash flow. The best efficiency of log conversion reported is 33% of the log's dry weight into mushrooms over several years. Then add one pound of water. Keeping your surfaces clean and wiping them down with 70% isopropyl alcohol during inoculation is all that is needed for most growers. This is ideal for DIY mushroom farmers, because you can leisurely enjoy fresh mushrooms for weeks, rather than just days. amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; We recommend allowing it to season for 6 8 months to be on the safe side. It can be mixed into an existing compost pile. But since its made of partially-digested food, it makes an easy food source for all kinds of different lifeforms. Logs that are already dead or rotting may be home to wild fungi and molds already. Let your cardboard cool down and squeeze out any excess water and then youre ready to add mushroom pieces to colonize it. . . They may want to add your used substrate to their own compost piles and will let you drop it off for free. No one knows what will happen with your trays, we cannot predict what your genetics will do. Something I do whenever I get a new strain in liquid culture for the first time is to expand the mycelium from one syringe into multiple jars of liquid culture. But make sure that you know how to identify the species of mushroom that youre growing and take care that other types arent mixed in by mistake. For example, adding manure to hardwood sawdust. . Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Remember that if youre using logs, youll want them to be fairly fresh cut. With increased supplementation comes the increased probability of contamination, and thus diminishing returns on your yield. To successfully grow mushrooms, youll need to make sure that youre using the correct substrate. Both pasteurizing and sterilizing substrate involve heating up the substrate in an attempt to destroy existing bacteria or fungi, but pasteurization heats substrate up to 185 degrees F, while sterilizing exposes the substrate to temperatures higher than 250 degrees F. The purpose of pasteurization is to get the substrate fairly contaminate-free and gives any mushroom culture that you introduce a good head-start. You need to find your sweet spot. Cut a inch hole in between the middle of the jar and the lip of it. These substrates are all rich in nutrients and all kinds of different fungi and mold like to grow on them. Alongside this, there is something truly rewarding about seeing your food or supplemental grow from a tiny spec of tissue inside a syringe into a full fruit. Bulk orders require notice and prep. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; We only recommend growing oyster mushrooms on coffee grounds. Biological efficiency, often referred to as BE, is simply a way to calculate the effectiveness of a mushroom strain and substrate combination when growing mushrooms. Other types of fungi may have already begun to colonize the wood and it can make it harder for your desired mycelium to establish itself. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Now weight the mycelium (mushroom spawn) and use the desired quantity (usually 2-3% = 2-3 kg / 4.4.-6.6 lbs to 100kg /220 lbs of compost) 4. They are fast to colonize, produce a ton of fruits and arent at all afraid of less than perfect conditions. Selecting the right substrate and preparing it correctly for the specific type of mushroom that youre growing is critical for your success. Hi Tony, thank you for doing what you are doing. Powered byWPDesigned with the Customizr theme. The spawn ratio that we recommend is two pounds of colonized grain spawn per five pounds of pre-pasteurized mushroom compost. Lion's mane is a particularly hardy strain to grow and can fruit with non-ideal conditions. Accessibility shouldnt be a problem for wood chips, since it is usually a by-product of other product making processes. Once you have sterilized you have surroundings it is time to inject the liquid culture into your chosen jar of sterilized spawn substrate. greater nutritional value for the mushroom spores to consume, providing a better foundation for a success flush of mushrooms. Experimenting with different substrate mixes is something that you can try once youve been growing mushrooms for a while. Growing on cardboard is so simple that you dont really need a recipe. . The latter is preferably since its already pasteurized. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. I'm assuming 1 quart of rye is roughly a pound. Place the closed bag in a dark, warm area around 20 - 24C ( 68 - 75F) and leave it to incubate. . How to Sterilize Mushroom Substrate without a Pressure Cooker. Every cultivator should be able to find the sweet spot for when to harvest their mushrooms in order to achieve the best yield for the desired quality. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. The average reported price was $1.40 per pound, down 1 cent from the previous year. One great benefit is that the brewing process pasteurizes the grounds and you can start growing in them pretty much right away.
Thanks so much, very glad that you like the site , Hi, May you please name some of the effective suppliments to increase the BE Ratio of Ganoderma Lucidium Regards.. Priyanshu Kulshrestha. Straw isnt very nutritious, so its not well suited for all varieties of mushrooms. Here are some of the most common substrates that mushroom growers are currently using. As mushrooms increase in popularity, more people are getting into the business of fresh oyster mushroom cultivation. . STEP 2. These strains are preserved as cultures, which are commercially available. However weve found that this makes the process a lot more complicated than it has to be, without a significant benefit. If you are an absolute beginner I would advise starting with brown rice flour and following a method similar to one I posted on how to grow lions mane at home and grow straight out from the jar. 85-90 per cent. While it still has some nutrients left in it, its not as nutrient-rich as grains themselves. Oyster mushrooms are a versatile ingredient that can be used in many different recipes. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Used 196 times. Generally, you can expect to get about 1/2 to 1 pound of mushrooms per pound of substrate. It is easy to handle and readily available even in remote areas like farms. But a good rule of thumb to follow is: the longer, greener or more coarse the compost then more moisture it can take. If youre in doubt, you can sterilize any substrate to be extra safe. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Cardboard is a good substrate for beginners who are just getting started with growing mushrooms at home. Dr. Tamara J Benjamin. And finally, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before handling any substances. 47(4):1301-1311. Below we will look at the usual substrates, as well as some other more unorthodox growing mediums. If you contact local coffee shops, they will often save their spent coffee grounds and give them to you for free. This depends on several things such as the genetics of the strain your growing, the supplementation provided during growth and the environmental conditions you give the mushroom throughout the growing cycles. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Bacteria and mold can grow faster than mushroom mycelium can. Which is something that you can apply to your mushroom kit mix recipe. One thing to watch out for is when mixing substrates, also known as supplementing them. Shop our Ultimate Mushroom Complex. Or you may need to drive the used substrate to a city depot that handles yard waste, compost and other recyclables to drop it off yourself. Best type of substrate for specific mushroom varieties, Mushrooms Substrate Frequently Asked Questions. Hi, thank you for this very informative blog! Just avoid using sawdust or pellets from softwood trees. See our article How To Set Up A Low Tech Mushroom Farm for a full guide. Some common forms of straw used for a bulk substrate recipe while growing mushrooms are: Wheat straw. We find that as long as you follow basic procedures for sterilization or pasteurization of your mushroom substrates, the chance of contamination is very low. Sterilization aims to completely eliminate all contaminants that might be in the substrate, both living and currently dormant. The next natural step is to get your hands dirty with some DIY guides for How to Grow Mushrooms at Home. There are a few ways that you can sterilize a substrate without using a pressure cooker. There are a number of different ways to increase your yield and make your mushroom harvest more fruitful, more efficient and more profitable. Well explore several of these in more detail below. If youre in the United States, you can buy bags of this already made from Mushroom Media Online. King_Weezer 7 yr. ago. KING OYSTER B.E. Once your substrate is pasteurized or sterilized and in its final container, then its time to inoculate with mushroom spawn or spores to start the growing process. I have agar plate strain of oyster mushroom. START GROWING-8% OFF. Dump the broken-up grain bag in to the 5 lb. Some large commercial growers will even process their mushroom substrate and sell it as compost to home gardeners. Diversified Farming and Food Systems. Step 1: Make or buy mushroom grain spawn. By the end of this guide, youll know what a mushroom substrate is and what its used for. Hi when you talk about BE are you using dry or wet mushrooms? Because mushrooms enjoy a moist environment, a lot of spent mushroom substrate is great for spreading in and around your garden for water retention purposes. The whole mixture then needs to be sterilized before it can be inoculated with mushroom spawn. Pasteurizing your mushroom growing substrate is the equivalent of pulling as many weeds as you can out of the garden before planting vegetables. This is normally species dependant and normally depends on several factors such as growing environment, substrate nutrients and genetics. :100-200% Yield:1.5-2.5 lbs on a supplemented sawdust fruiting block. We prefer to use a heating method thats both quick and organic. 92% water weight 8% dry matter. Do you sell any white button mushrooms extract or supplements? Barley straw. Think for a second about the mushroom life-cycle. The right time to harvest mushrooms will depend highly on the species of mushrooms, and the different ways you plan to store your mushrooms before consumption. If you sterilize your substrate this way, youll need to use distilled water to rehydrate it afterward while still keeping it sterile. Mushroom substrate can be placed in a variety of containers. The strain you choose for your grow can have a huge impact on yield. Soaking logs before planting is an effective way to increase yields. Pioppino mush-rooms often produce two flushes of mushrooms with two weeks of dormancy between flushes. Its where the mushrooms will get all of their nutrients while growing.
Thanks so much, very glad that you like the site , Hi, May you please name some of the effective suppliments to increase the BE Ratio of Ganoderma Lucidium Regards.. Priyanshu Kulshrestha. Straw isnt very nutritious, so its not well suited for all varieties of mushrooms. Here are some of the most common substrates that mushroom growers are currently using. As mushrooms increase in popularity, more people are getting into the business of fresh oyster mushroom cultivation. . STEP 2. These strains are preserved as cultures, which are commercially available. However weve found that this makes the process a lot more complicated than it has to be, without a significant benefit. If you are an absolute beginner I would advise starting with brown rice flour and following a method similar to one I posted on how to grow lions mane at home and grow straight out from the jar. 85-90 per cent. While it still has some nutrients left in it, its not as nutrient-rich as grains themselves. Oyster mushrooms are a versatile ingredient that can be used in many different recipes. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Used 196 times. Generally, you can expect to get about 1/2 to 1 pound of mushrooms per pound of substrate. It is easy to handle and readily available even in remote areas like farms. But a good rule of thumb to follow is: the longer, greener or more coarse the compost then more moisture it can take. If youre in doubt, you can sterilize any substrate to be extra safe. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Cardboard is a good substrate for beginners who are just getting started with growing mushrooms at home. Dr. Tamara J Benjamin. And finally, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before handling any substances. 47(4):1301-1311. Below we will look at the usual substrates, as well as some other more unorthodox growing mediums. If you contact local coffee shops, they will often save their spent coffee grounds and give them to you for free. This depends on several things such as the genetics of the strain your growing, the supplementation provided during growth and the environmental conditions you give the mushroom throughout the growing cycles. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Bacteria and mold can grow faster than mushroom mycelium can. Which is something that you can apply to your mushroom kit mix recipe. One thing to watch out for is when mixing substrates, also known as supplementing them. Shop our Ultimate Mushroom Complex. Or you may need to drive the used substrate to a city depot that handles yard waste, compost and other recyclables to drop it off yourself. Best type of substrate for specific mushroom varieties, Mushrooms Substrate Frequently Asked Questions. Hi, thank you for this very informative blog! Just avoid using sawdust or pellets from softwood trees. See our article How To Set Up A Low Tech Mushroom Farm for a full guide. Some common forms of straw used for a bulk substrate recipe while growing mushrooms are: Wheat straw. We find that as long as you follow basic procedures for sterilization or pasteurization of your mushroom substrates, the chance of contamination is very low. Sterilization aims to completely eliminate all contaminants that might be in the substrate, both living and currently dormant. The next natural step is to get your hands dirty with some DIY guides for How to Grow Mushrooms at Home. There are a few ways that you can sterilize a substrate without using a pressure cooker. There are a number of different ways to increase your yield and make your mushroom harvest more fruitful, more efficient and more profitable. Well explore several of these in more detail below. If youre in the United States, you can buy bags of this already made from Mushroom Media Online. King_Weezer 7 yr. ago. KING OYSTER B.E. Once your substrate is pasteurized or sterilized and in its final container, then its time to inoculate with mushroom spawn or spores to start the growing process. I have agar plate strain of oyster mushroom. START GROWING-8% OFF. Dump the broken-up grain bag in to the 5 lb. Some large commercial growers will even process their mushroom substrate and sell it as compost to home gardeners. Diversified Farming and Food Systems. Step 1: Make or buy mushroom grain spawn. By the end of this guide, youll know what a mushroom substrate is and what its used for. Hi when you talk about BE are you using dry or wet mushrooms? Because mushrooms enjoy a moist environment, a lot of spent mushroom substrate is great for spreading in and around your garden for water retention purposes. The whole mixture then needs to be sterilized before it can be inoculated with mushroom spawn. Pasteurizing your mushroom growing substrate is the equivalent of pulling as many weeds as you can out of the garden before planting vegetables. This is normally species dependant and normally depends on several factors such as growing environment, substrate nutrients and genetics. :100-200% Yield:1.5-2.5 lbs on a supplemented sawdust fruiting block. We prefer to use a heating method thats both quick and organic. 92% water weight 8% dry matter. Do you sell any white button mushrooms extract or supplements? Barley straw. Think for a second about the mushroom life-cycle. The right time to harvest mushrooms will depend highly on the species of mushrooms, and the different ways you plan to store your mushrooms before consumption. If you sterilize your substrate this way, youll need to use distilled water to rehydrate it afterward while still keeping it sterile. Mushroom substrate can be placed in a variety of containers. The strain you choose for your grow can have a huge impact on yield. Soaking logs before planting is an effective way to increase yields. Pioppino mush-rooms often produce two flushes of mushrooms with two weeks of dormancy between flushes. Its where the mushrooms will get all of their nutrients while growing.