Last Updated on December 27, 2022 by Griselda M.
Do you know how to grow Portobello mushrooms from store-bought ones in the comfort of your home is not as hard as it may look. Homegrown mushrooms allow you to enjoy a bountiful harvest of these delicious gems anytime. The best variety to grow fast and easily is oyster mushrooms. But you can grow any other using store-bought mushrooms.
Store-bought mushrooms are very easy to propagate. But you must choose fungi from organic sources to get them to grow. Growing store-bought mushrooms from the ends only require a good fruiting means and a proper growing environment.
What Are Portabello Mushrooms?
Portabella mushrooms are large delicious mushrooms that are succulent when grilled. They are commonly used instead of ground beef for a mouthwatering vegetarian burger. If you ever try this burger, you cannot tell the difference between mushrooms and meat.
Is Growing Portobello Mushrooms Expensive?
Growing Portobello mushrooms at home are not expensive at all. The basics for growing this gem are quite cheap. And you can get everything in your local shop. You can buy supplies online, you just have to look for quality products.
Amateur home mushroom growing requires very little and you should not spend too much on them. You may also use available resources around your home instead of buying new ones. This process can be as complicated or as easy as you want it to be.
How Mushrooms Grow
Mushrooms are naturally grown from spores. But spores are not easy to find. And growing them in this manner takes longer than re-growing mushroom ends. When you use store-bought mushroom ends, the process is quicker because you won’t be relying on spores. You get to use the mycelium that is already on the fungi.
In this case, the mycelium becomes spores. The mycelium bunches up again into primordia to form mushrooms. The primordia and mycelia are found at the stem of harvested mushrooms. When you regrow store-bought mushroom ends, you are actually cloning. And you will reap a bountiful harvest of the parent fungi.
The great news is you only need to learn how to grow Portabella mushrooms from store-bought ones. How can you do that? Let’s look at the step-by-step guide you can use.
How To Grow Portobello Mushrooms From Store-Bought Ones
- When growing Portobello, a larger species of mushrooms, you need a sufficiently sized area to grow them. This could be a large plastic or large storage container – at least 4 feet by 4 feet. Prepare your container plus compost, peat moss, and newspaper. Fill your container with compost to a depth of 6 inches.
- Use any moistened cellulose material for the bedding such as straw, shredded cardboard, or hamster as bedding. Soak the straw for a few days. Pull them out of the container and they are ready for the mushroom ends.
- Separate the ends from the tops. The ends are fuzzy white where mycelium is stored. Cut them into small pieces before planting them. The best size for store-bought mushrooms is ¼ inch or 6mm. You can use a plastic bin, cardboard box, or paper bags to layer your medium.
- Place some of the straw or other moist material that you choose at the bottom. Then add the mushroom sliced end pieces.
- Put another layer until the container is full. The idea here is to keep all the mycelium and medium damp. Also, keep it in the dark with temperatures of 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Layer a plastic over the box. It must be poked with holes in it. If you use a plastic container, cover it with a lid and poke holes for that air to flow in and out.
- Mist the medium if it looks dry at the time of planting.
- In 2 to 4 weeks, the mycelium will be ready to fruit. Cover the medium with plastic to preserve the moisture and allow the fungi to keep growing. In about 19 days, harvest your mushrooms.
Do Portabello Mushrooms Grow Wild?
So, do portabello mushrooms grow wild? The answer is yes, these mushrooms do grow widely in their natural environment. These include meadows and grasslands, commonly found in North America and parts of Europe. You may also know them by other names like white mushrooms or button mushrooms which are the most cultivated varieties around the world.
Portabello mushrooms are usually harvested in the June, July, August, September, and October months after their wild-growing season comes to an end. However, it is not advisable to pick these mushrooms in the wild if you are not an experienced harvester. This is because they can easily be mistaken for their poisonous lookalikes.
Where Did Portobello Mushrooms Originate?
Have you ever wondered where portobello mushrooms originate? Seeing that they are widely cultivated and consumed because they are in demand, having a little background history about them is quite intriguing. This sought-after edible plant has its origins in Italy where it garnered its name from. The town, Portobello in Italy has a close connection to the origins of this mushroom species.
In 1707, French botanist, Joseph Pitton de Tournefort, documented the first cultivation of this delicious vegetable plant. To this day, Portobello mushrooms are a huge part of several cuisines around the world as they can be eaten raw, cooked on their own, or incorporated into other dishes.
How Do I Grow Edible Mushrooms in My Garden?
How do I grow edible mushrooms in my garden was a question I was faced with from one of our readers. Seeing that this plant is in great demand, knowing how to cultivate them in your garden would be of benefit to you. This is because mushrooms can be substituted for meat or added in with meat dishes as is often done in several cuisines. To begin growing your mushrooms in your garden, ensure that you have the right condition for them to thrive. These plants are not very demanding and grow well in moist climates that are consistently cool.
When growing them in your yard, ensure that they are protected as seeing that mushrooms are a fungus, light is not necessary to aid their growth. Ensure that they are growing in the correct temperatures which should be from 55 to 60 F. Also make sure that you use the correct soil type for your mushrooms as they do not favor normal potting mix. Instead, grow them using hardwood sawdust, straw, composted manure, wood chips, and coffee grounds for the best results. Additionally, the soil should be aerated enough to allow the mushroom’s mycelium to spread comfortably while growing.
Keep in mind that you can start your mushrooms from seed or spawn. Beginner gardeners should plant the mushroom spawn instead of the seeds to ensure an abundant first harvest. A great tip when planting them would be to sprinkle the spawn on the growing medium and cover them with about a quarter inch more of soil. During the growing season, allow some warmth for your mushroom spawns. Overwatering will flaw their growth so keeping the soil damp rather than wet is recommended.
How Much Humidity to Grow Mushrooms?
Knowing how much humidity to grow mushrooms is important because these plants thrive in the right conditions. This is because they develop to their full potential when grown in consistently humid conditions. This means that high humidity levels of between 80 to 90% are recommended for favorable results. However, keep in mind that this would also depend on the type of mushroom plants you are growing.
You should note that some of these species cannot tolerate extended periods of high humidity conditions as it causes bacterial blotches which can ultimately flaw your mushrooms. Because mushrooms are made up of 90% water, to encourage healthy development and initiate pinning, specific amounts of humidity are required for all species. Therefore, you must know which type of mushroom you are growing to ensure that they are receiving proper care and maintenance.
How Much is a Mushroom Grow Kit?
If you want to start cultivating mushrooms in your garden, then knowing how much is a mushroom grow kit is the first thing to look at. These kits are simple and easy to use and they are affordable. I say affordable because you can expect at least two or three harvests from them if properly grown.
When looking at the cost of these kits, you can expect to pay anything between $25 and $60. However, you would need to check if the price is inclusive of taxes and shipping before you make your purchase. If you do opt for a mushroom kit, you can expect the first harvest to be much larger than the ones that follow which is great. All in all, these grow kits are well worth the spend as they do offer delicious harvests.
Conclusion
Caroline is a gardener who loves to get down to the nitty–gritty of gardening. She proudly proclaims herself as a ‘dirt worshipper‘ and can often be found deep in the garden, covered in soil and singing to her plants. As a self–proclaimed ‘plant whisperer‘, Caroline believes that plants need love and attention just like any other living thing, and she loves to give them both. When she‘s not tending to her garden, you can often find her researching the latest gardening trends, or teaching others how to make their gardens thrive
