Mycelium on Your Mushrooms (2024)

FAQs

Why isn't my mycelium pinning? ›

If pins are not forming, it may be due to inadequate environmental conditions, such as improper humidity, temperature, or air exchange. Review and adjust these factors to encourage pin formation. Additionally, ensure that the substrate has been fully colonized before initiating fruiting conditions.

If the mycelium fails to develop properly during the first two days, reduce the RH and CO2 more gradually. This will stimulate more mycelium growth. This helps, but only to a limited extent. In addition, if the casing soil still shows black during pinhead development, look between the clumps of casing for pinheads.

Temperature Fluctuations:

Each mushroom strain has an ideal temperature range for growth. If the ambient temperature veers too far from this sweet spot, colonization can slow down or even halt.

Sometimes when the conditions, temperature and humidity are favorable, the mushrooms release their spores, which rapidly grow into white fuzz called mycelium. Despite appearance, they are safe to eat. You can also wipe these “hairs” off with a wet cloth or paper towel.

Woodchips & straw work as a great substrate for growing mycelium. Get spawn and break it up, spreading sparingly throughout the wood chips or straw and then water. You should see a fully producing mycelium bed in 9-12 months.

After inoculation, the spawn needs time to grow through the substrate. This process is called incubation. Incubation starts with leap off, which is the moment when the mycelium initially leaps off the spawn onto the new substrate. This typically occurs around four days after inoculation.

Keeping your bag at the higher end of the temperature range will encourage faster colonization. 2. After about 4-8 weeks, you should start to see mycelium growing on the substrate. You'll notice the white mycelium growing outward from the point of injection.

You can tell when mycelium is fully colonized when the entire substrate (such as a jar or a bag) is covered with a dense, white, and fuzzy network of mycelial threads. There should be no visible uncolonized areas or contaminants, and the mycelium should appear healthy and vigorous.

During the colonization phase, the mycelium needs oxygen to grow and develop. The mycelium uses O2 to break down nutrients and convert them into energy that is needed for growth. Furthermore, O2 is also necessary for the fruiting phase of mushroom cultivation.

Spend time getting to know what your mycelium is supposed to look like so you can better identify unhealthy or contaminated patches. While mycelium is typically white and filamentous, contamination generally takes the form of green, blue, gray, or black patches or discolorations in your substrate.

When should you not eat mushrooms? ›

The number one rule of thumb when it comes to detecting freshness is that when mushrooms are slimy, they're no longer ideal for use. Sliminess occurs when mushrooms have been stored incorrectly or allowed to linger in the fridge for too long— it's a clear sign that the mushrooms are beginning to spoil.

Bruises and brown spots When it comes to food safety, discoloration is never a good sign. If you notice your mushrooms getting darker in color and developing new spots, then your mushrooms are going bad and shouldn't be eaten. Sour or fishy smell Fresh mushrooms should smell slightly sweet and earthy, but not foul.

Flexi Says: There could be several reasons why your mycelium is not fruiting. These could include incorrect temperature, insufficient light, lack of fresh air exchange, improper humidity, or the substrate not being fully colonized. It's also possible that the mycelium is not healthy or is contaminated.

These knots eventually differentiate and grow into primordia, the precursors to mushroom pins, which then mature into full-sized mushrooms.

Not Enough Moisture

Mycelium, the underground vegetative growth of a fungus, needs a moist environment to thrive and produce mushrooms. Mushrooms themselves are mainly water, so if you let the mycelium dry out or the humidity level get too low then nothing will happen.

Light is not essential in the mycelial growth period. However, in the period of initiation and growth of fruiting bodies, it is a decisive factor for obtaining a high yield of good quality.