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In the wild mushrooms are seasonal; they depend on the climate conditions, such as temperature and humidity. In most situations, mushrooms can be found during the whole year, but this really depends on your location. You may be wondering how you can grow mushrooms fast at home.
Although the vital thing to know is that not all mushroom species grow at the same speed, some grow rapidly while the other species may need time to develop nice and meaty fruit bodies. First of all, let’s explore seasonal growth of mushrooms outdoors:
Growing Mushrooms in Different Seasons
Growing Mushrooms in Spring and Autumn
Generally speaking this is the best time of the year for mushrooms to grow, in most parts of the world. Frequent rain in combination with warmer temperatures provides good humidity, which is crucial in order to make the mushrooms start fruiting.
Growing Mushrooms Fast in the Summer
This time of the year is considered generally good but not ideal since the fruiting will be affected the most by the rain, which is sometimes not so common in the summer. During periods of “good weather,” they may go dormant as they wait for temperature fluctuation and higher humidity levels.
Growing Mushrooms in the Winter
At this time of the year, mushrooms are extremely difficult to find outdoors in most parts of the world. However, there are exceptions such as New Zealand, which has relatively mild winders that are similar to spring or autumn in northern latitudes of Europe, North America, and Asia
Growing mushrooms at home, or in a controlled environment, such as a greenhouse, are by far the best option for cultivating fungi. You can control the humidity, temperature, and air exchange which will grant the mycelium ideal conditions to start fruiting.
Which Mushroom Species Grows The Fastest?
There are many things to take into consideration if you are looking for a mushroom that will grow as fast as possible. If you want something that will grow really fast you should go to a premade mushroom spawn, or the liquid culture, depending on what you are growing. Growing mushrooms from a spore print will take some preparation time as well as adaptation of the fungi spores to a new environment. However, some species do grow faster than others and we will break down three of the most promising ones.
Be sure to check out this helpful article from Grocycle on this topic here!
Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus)
Oyster mushrooms are the fastest growing mushroom. It only takes 10-12 days are required for oysters to become fully colonized by mycelium in a substrate bag. In seven days, they will be ready to harvest, and a new crop will appear every seven to fourteen days. However, there are many different oyster mushroom types. The Oyster mushroom genus, (Pleurotus) has many different strains, and every one of these strains has different optimal growing conditions.
We have a full guide on growing king oyster mushrooms here!
Pearl oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus)
This is a type of oyster mushroom commonly known as a gray oyster mushroom, winter oyster mushroom, or common oyster mushroom.
The pearl oyster mushroom is one of the most common strain of this genus. They grow best in colder temperatures, from 70-75°F with the fruiting temperatures being 60-70°F.
Blue oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus var. columbinus)
This species is commonly found throughout the northern hemisphere, the so-called blue oyster mushroom is a variety of common oyster fungi.
It’s by far one of the fastest colonizers of all the oyster mushroom sub-species and prefers growing in cooler temperatures of 45-65°F.
Phoenix oyster mushroom (Pleurotus pulmonarius)
This sub-species is also known as the summer oyster mushroom, Indian oyster mushroom, or Italian oyster mushroom. The phoenix oyster mushroom has evolved in such a way that it prefers warmer climates than its cousins. Most of the time it has either white or a brown color. The preferred temperature of this mushroom is between 64 to 86°F.
Golden oyster mushroom (Pleurotus citrinopileatus)
Sometimes also referred to as a yellow oyster mushroom, this variety is the best-know for its astounding golden color and for looking similar to the popular chanterelle mushrooms, which are often foraged in the woods.
They prefer warmer temperatures of 64-86°F.
Pink oyster mushroom (Pleurotus djamor)
One of the most striking of the oyster mushroom varieties, the pink oyster mushroom develops rapidly, producing fruits in just 3 to 4 weeks.
They as well prefer warmer temperatures of 64-86°F.
King oyster mushroom (Pleurotus eryngii)
They are also known as eryngii mushrooms, they have a meaty flavor and firm texture, making it truly gourmet mushroom.
However, this strain is more difficult to cultivate compared to the other oyster mushrooms, therefore it’s not the best pick for beginners.
It prefers much cooler temperatures ranging between 45 to 65°F.
Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus)
Lion’s mane is yet another fast-growing mushroom. Once fully colonized and placed in the fruiting chamber, pins start to appear in just two to three days. The lion’s mane will keep growing and will be ready to harvest in approximately 7 to 14 days, depending on the temperature.
The first batch of fresh lion’s mane can be harvested after two years if you are growing it on logs. It does not grow quickly on logs, but you can harvest mushrooms off the same log for up to six years after they start producing. However, because we are learning about growing mushrooms as fast as possible,
growing lion’s mane indoors in mycobags or containers is a lot quicker way. After inoculating your substrate, delicious lion’s mane mushrooms will be ready to harvest after approximately one month.
Lion’s Mane has a wide range of temperature tolerance. However, it prefers 65-70°F. and humidity 85% or higher, with these conditions they will be ready to harvest in no time/
Pioppino mushrooms (Agrocybe aegerita)
Pioppino Mushrooms are also fast-growing mushrooms. The pins will begin to for 2 to 5 days after the substrate is moved to the fruiting chamber, from this point they will expand rapidly if the conditions are ideal.
After the pins form, it will take them around 6 to 10 days to reach the size that’s suitable for harvest. They perform better in cooler temperatures ranging from 55 to 65°F.
Although the Poppino mushrooms are relatively unknown in the west, they’re popular in Europe and Asia, where people have cultivated this species for thousands of years for culinary and medicinal purposes.
How To Grow Mushrooms Fast?
In order to grow and harvest your mushrooms quickly you should take multiple things into consideration. The fastest way of growing mushrooms is to do the whole process in a controlled environment, where you can adjust the temperature, humidity, and CO2 levels according to the stage of mushroom growth. Always keep in mind that every mushroom specie has different needs, thus it’s crucial to understand the species you are growing in order to get the quickest and biggest yields.
Don’t miss our other posts on mushroom growing on our blog.
Grow Mushrooms Fast Indoors
Despite the fact that you can grow mushrooms outdoors in your garden, it is much easier to produce a bountiful crop of mushrooms indoors. As they are fungi, mushrooms do not need direct sunlight in order to grow. It is easiest to control temperatures for growing mushrooms by growing indoors. This is by far the most important step in order to grow your mushrooms rapidly.
Use The Right Growing Medium to Grow Mushrooms
In contrast to plants, mushrooms do not grow well in potting soil. They are most likely to thrive in sawdust, wood chips (good for shiitake), composted manure (good for white button mushrooms), straw, or coffee grounds (good for oyster mushrooms). Put your substrate, aka growing medium, in a container at least six inches deep, this practice will allow the mycelium to spread freely and rapidly.
Inoculate Your Mushroom Substrate
There are many ways to inoculate mushroom substrate. It can be done by planting mushroom spores, either from spore prints or liquid cultures or using mushroom spawn. However, as we are focused mostly on the quickest way to grow mushrooms, using spore prints to inoculate the substrate is a slow process therefore you should stick to spawn, especially if you are a beginner. Sprinkle the spawn on top of the substrate and bed it with a quarter-inch more substrate on top.
Store The Spawn In a Warm Place To Start The Growing Process
While mushrooms perform best at temperatures of around 55 to 60°F, it’s possible to speed up the process by keeping them around 70°F for the first few days of their development. You can place a heating pad under the growing container and adjust the temperature in order to add some extra warmth.
Keep Your Mushrooms Moist for Best Results
Despite their need for moisture, mushrooms do not thrive when soaking wet. Mist your crop periodically with a spray bottle, but don’t let the growing medium become soggy. You can also cover the mushroom container with a damp cloth or a loose-fitting plastic bag in order to contain the existing moisture.
Harvesting your Mushrooms
Fruiting is the process by which mushrooms sprout. You can expect this to happen three to four weeks after planting your mushroom spawn. The crop will begin as small mushroom pins which will start growing rapidly pretty quickly. If their caps have fully opened and are beginning to detach from the stem, mushrooms are ripe. Fresh mushroom spawn can also be added to the growing medium to continue the cycle.
Conclusion
While every single mushroom species prefers different growing conditions it is important to be well-informed about what mushrooms you are planning to grow. Having a well-organized plan will give you a great head start and significantly higher chances of having rewarding yields. If you are looking for mushrooms that grow rapidly, Oyster mushrooms, Lion’s mane, and Pioppino are the way to go.
Do your research well, appropriately adjust your temperature, humidity, and CO2 levels and you will see great results in no time!
