Will it be ok on the bottom shelf of my indoor greenhouse? Tropical plants have been happy there.

  • SalamanderMA
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    2 years ago

    Welcome to the mushroom growing family!!

    It depends on a few things:

    • What is the species? Most species will handle the 18 - 22 °C range fine, but the optimum is different for different species. Freshcap has many guides on different mushrooms which state the acceptable ranges: https://learn.freshcap.com/growing/how-to-grow-oyster-mushrooms/

    • In your kit, do you get the block already colonized, or do you need to wait for the mycelium to grow? The “colonization” step and the “fruiting” step require different conditions. Generally, the “colonization” step occurs in a closed container that you can place somewhere - usually in a dark place at around room temperature - and forget it for a few weeks. The fruiting stage is a bit more tricky because at this point you need to keep making sure the exposed mycelium doesn’t dry up and the mushrooms benefit from some amount of fresh air exchange (reduction of CO2 levels). The optimum is also species dependent.

    Bottom shelf of an indoor greenhouse is probably good for colonizing, but for fruiting it is a bit difficult to tell without seeing it. If it is optimized for tropical plants (around 27 °C) it it is on the hot side for many species. When fruiting, you might want to spray the exposed mycelium with a mist spray bottle a few times a day.

    • fossilesqueOP
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      2 years ago

      Ok this is all good to keep in mind! I have to look at the kit and see, but it will be a nice little trial before maybe investing in a proper kit.