Mushrooms are a great combination of taste and nutrition.

Due to their huge demand, growers have started cultivating them in different parts of the world. However, growing them in artificial environments is quite a challenge to tackle. 

Fruiting chamber providers like Max Yield Bins makes the best quality mushroom fruiting chambers available to support growth and yield at their best. Growing mushrooms is a great hobby as they are a healthy addition to any good low-carb soup or dinner. 

Still, there are specific strategies you need to follow to keep your mushroom fruiting chambers in optimal condition. Here are a few do it yourself tips:

Give Importance to Sterilization

Most mushroom fruiting failures are the result of contamination, which is often caused due to incorrect sterilization. Give your fruiting chambers the best environment to thrive while limiting microorganisms trying to steal the same resources. Contamination from your clothes, skin, and breath can also stunt the growth of your mushrooms. 

It is essential to wear protective gloves, masks, and clothing while entering the fruiting chamber. Treat all work surfaces, gloves, containers, and equipment with a 70% alcohol spray before starting any work.

Keep CO2 Content Low

Mushroom cultivation needs high CO2 content during the spawning phase, while low CO2 content during the fruiting stage. So, have a special meter to measure CO2 levels in your fruiting chamber and make sure it is kept below 800 ppm or parts per million. Packing the substrate in airtight containers keeps CO2 content low and reduces any chances of contamination.

Do Proper Inoculation and Incubation

Inoculation is the time when you add mushroom spores to the substrate. Do this with proper sterilization methods to minimize any chance of contamination. After inoculating, the next crucial step is the incubation phase. You have to keep your substrate in a dark and warm place for weeks to months during this phase. Keep a check on the white mat outside the substrate, which indicates the end of the incubation period.

Keep Humidity Levels high

Mushrooms are laden with 92% of water content. So, they need high humidity levels to grow at their best. Ideally, the humidity level in your fruiting chamber should be more than 80%. Otherwise, the mushrooms will dry out.

Use Proper Equipment for Mushroom Cultivation

While transferring culture, proper equipment comes of great help. Although flow hoods and HEPA filters are useful, they are costly. A cheaper alternative would be a still air box or SAB. This box would be a great addition to a mushroom chamber and is an affordable option too.

Minimize Lighting

Mushrooms take in oxygen and expel out carbon dioxide, just like animals and humans. They do not depend on the photosynthesis process to grow. Apart from that, they may dry out under harsh lighting conditions. So, the light in your fruiting chamber should be just enough to let you see around and do your work.

Pasteurize Supplements

Although this strategy depends on the supplement type you use, hot water pasteurization, steam pasteurization, and cold water pasteurization with limestone are standard methods used for killing bacteria and rival fungus. By decreasing competition at the fruiting stage, it helps to maximize growth.

With the abovementioned strategies, you can keep your fruiting chamber in optimal condition to support mushroom growth. Get a properly designed chamber from Max Yield Bins and give excellent thriving conditions to your mushroom cultivation.

Have you tried growing mushroom? Let us know which kind of mushrooms in the comments below.