What is Mushroom Substrate?
A mushroom substrate is a substance used for mushroom growing. It is combined with mushroom spawn which will colonise the substrate before fruiting.
There are many types of mushroom substrates such as straw, log, and sawdust. Hardwood sawdust is one of the most commonly used as it works quite well with varieties of different mushrooms including popular mushroom species such as Oyster, Lions mane, Reishi, and Shiitake.
What is Supplementation?
Supplementation is added to substrates to increase the nutrients for faster colonisation and larger yields. Wheat bran, and soy hulls are critical mushroom supplementation materials that have been used for growing popular mushroom species by mushroom growers worldwide.
Pasteurisation or Sterilisation?
Before substrate is used, it needs to be treated to remove possible microscopic competitors. Pasteurisation and sterilisation are methods used for preparing substrates.
Pasteurisation is a method that removes large quantities of competing pathogens from the substrate.
Sterilisation refers to the method that processes the substrate under extreme heat under high pressure to completely eliminate all competing pathogens. Sterilisation may appear to be the more effective choice but it requires a pressure cooker. Sterilised substrates are also at risk of further contamination when inoculated without a flow hood.
Our Mushroom Substrate Mixes
Using a good mushroom substrate supplies mixture is one of the important keys for mushroom growing success.
We have developed 2 types of mushroom substrate supplies mixtures ready for you to hydrate and add your own mushroom spawn in your own choice of container.
Home cultivators and small mushroom farmers can easily make your own mushroom substrate with our mixtures. A pressure cooker is not required. Each mixture comes with a pH buffering agent.
There are options for ordering mushroom substrate mix with our gourmet white Oyster mushroom grain spawn (Pleurotus Ostreatus). It is a good type of mushroom to start with as it is easier to grow compared with some other strains.
Key points of our mushroom substrate mixtures supplies
- The most recognise high yield mushroom substrate supplies.
The Shroom Bloom Masters Mix’s main combinations are hardwood sawdust and soybean hulls, while the Hardwood Pellet Mix contains hardwood sawdust and wheat bran.
They both work well with Lions Mane, Oyster Mushrooms, Shiitake, and many more.
- Specially developed for home growing mushroom and small mushroom farms.
We have done research and mushroom growing experiments of various supplies sources and proportions for growing mushrooms at home.
We have come up with the 2 most successful substrate mixtures using the best supplies, improving mushroom growing agent, and a pH buffer agent.
The difference between the 2 mixtures is that growing in the Masters Mix trend to have mushroom fruit quicker and bigger but the Hardwood sawdust Mix seems to have more flushes.
- Uses pellet form which is dried and concentrated to reduce the chance of contamination.
Our mixtures use soybean hulls and hardwood sawdust in the dried, concentrated form of pellets. They have already been pasteurised during the pellet production process where they are put under extreme heat and pressure. Therefore, the chance of contamination has been reduced in our substrate mixes.
- Light and able to expand 5-6 times.
Our mixtures are light because they are in concentrated form. With the same weight, you will be able to hydrate and transform to a bigger size of substrate compared to the mixture in a non-concentrated form.
A 400 g mixture can make a 2.2 litres standard mushroom grow kit or fruit block. However, you can grow mushrooms in a container as small as a 700 ml cup using half of a 200 g mixture.
- Each order comes with information and step-by-step instruction on how to prepare mushroom substrate in hot pasteurisation and cold pasteurisation and basic growing mushroom information.
With our mixtures, you are not required to use a pressure cooker to prepare the mushroom substrate. Our mushroom substrate mixtures can perform well when preparing either cold pasteurisation, hot pasteurisation, or sterilisation methods. If you choose to use the cold pasteurisation method, you can add a pH buffering agent that comes with our mixture.
Please note it is important that you research your mushroom species and other steps of mushroom growing such as the fruiting process to ensure success in mushroom growing.
Check out our Mushroom Substrate Supplies mixes here.