Growing mushrooms at home
Fungi cultivation at home is a popular trend nowadays. It is mainly because people somehow are affected by inflation that buying them from stores adds to their expenses. Some also find that home grown veggies and fruits are more flavorful, tastier and nutritious than those commercially processed foods. Some people also found that growing them at home are a good business opportunity and are highly profitable.
One of the famous cultivations now is growing mushrooms at home. Because mushrooms have great demand in the market today for food and medicinal purposes, growing mushrooms at home can be a profitable hobby. There are available mushroom growing kits at local gardening stores and online gardening shops. These kits include instructions on how to successfully grow these fungi. These mushroom kits are useful to those who would want to start mushroom farming at home.
Before growing mushrooms at home, one must understand and know the different types of mushrooms. There are many varieties of mushrooms and each variety has different needs and requirements for growth. The amount of yield and growing period differs in each variety or type of mushroom. Knowing their characteristics and requirements will help you produce maximum yield.
What are the common types of mushrooms that are grown at home? The most commonly grown mushroom are the Portobello, Crimini, Common white cap mushrooms. All belongs to the same family. A Portobello mushroom can grow up to six inches in diameter while the smallest in this family is the crimini. A yield of three to six pounds of mushrooms is produced in one kit but growing period usually takes longer about three months or more. Sunlight is not needed for growing this type of mushroom.
Shiitake mushrooms are also highly regarded due to their taste and medicinal values. It also has been studied to have anti-viral properties. Shiitake can grow up to three to four inches in diameter. It has a very rich texture. Growing this type of mushroom needs a temperature of 55 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. This mushroom can produce a yield up to 2-3 pounds within three months.
Another type of mushroom which can be grown at home is the oyster mushrooms. From the name itself, this mushroom tastes like oysters. This variety of mushrooms has different types of colors namely cream, bluish gray, pink and white. The white variety is the simplest to cultivate.
This type of mushroom will grow in temperatures ranging from 55 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Oyster mushrooms do not do well in humid environment thus; it needs misting twice or thrice a day. Just by following the instructions indicated in the mushroom kits, growing mushrooms at home can be very easy and fulfilling.
