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Introduction to Mushroom Grow Lights
Mushroom growers have different opinions on whether mushrooms need light to grow or not. One might think that mushrooms grow lights are required in order to initiate the mushroom fruiting, because woods and field environments provide plenty of sunlight to mushrooms as they grow. Furthermore, plants absolutely require sunlight or strong artificial light to grow, which is why it is a confusing topic.
This is not the case with growing mushrooms. Many mushrooms can grow with zero light at all. When you think about it further, before mushrooms fruit out of the ground, their mycelium gets almost no light. This indicates that before the mushrooms fruit, they don’t require light. Still, however, many mushroom types can produce healthy fruit with no light.
Note: Shopping for more mushroom growing supplies? See Amazon products at our shop.
The question remains, do mushrooms grow better with lights? And which type of lights? Read on the following sections as we break it down.
Improving Mushroom Growing Setups with Light
If you’re trying to optimize your mushroom growing setup to the maximum, it is generally known that using mushroom grow lights can help, but it is not necessary. The best time to turn on your grow light is when your mushroom mycelium is fully colonized and has started to produce fruit. With mushrooms, light does not have a necessary process like it does with plants that perform photosynthesis. Light with mushrooms can trigger faster and stronger growing.
Thus, using lights when you’re flipping your grow from mycelium growth to mushroom growth can trigger the fruiting of strong mushrooms.
It’s best to match the natural light that mushrooms would receive in the natural world. This means using a 12/12 setup: 12 hours of light, and 12 hours of darkness during the fruiting stage. In order to achieve this, you will need a mechanical timer to automatically turn your lights on and off.
Here is a mechanical outlet timer from Amazon that we use and recommend:
— BN-LINK 24 Hour Plug-in Mechanical Timer —
By using an outlet timer, you don’t have to worry about turning your lights on and off manually, saving you time and saving you from making mistakes.
Doing a routine of 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness will help your mushrooms grow fast and strong, conserving the energy of the mycelium and giving you many flushes of mushrooms from the same grow.
For more of an introduction to growing mushrooms, see our grow guide here: https://mushroomgrowing.org/?page_id=185
Mushrooms that Respond to Light
Many different mushrooms work well with mushroom grow lights. Most common edible mushrooms such as King Oyster, Oyster, Pink Oyster, Blue Oyster, Shiitake, and Wine Cap mushrooms grow better with lights.
If you’re growing mushrooms to consume, then we recommend using lights. You will get healthier, bigger mushrooms than you might in complete darkness through the whole grow cycle. Growing mushrooms in darkness completely may work just fine, but using lights will ensure you’re checking every box possible when it comes to the mushrooms you are consuming.
Different Types of lights
When choosing a light source for your indoor mushroom grow, it’s best to choose a light that will mimic the sun. This means choosing a light that has a strength of 6500k, just like sunlight. Using a low-powered bulb or normal desk lamp will not provide the same light as the sun, and the mushrooms will not respond the same way.
You also can choose from LED Lights among other lights, but our best recommendation is an LED 6500K light. Depending on your grow size, you will need multiple lights in order to provide light to the whole setup. See below for our top recommended lights from Amazon.
Recommended Lights on Amazon
— CNSUNWAY LIGHTING LED Shop Light 2ft —
The CNSUNWAY 6500K (Where available, choose the ‘Daylight’ option for the light) is a light that meets all the requirements for growing mushrooms. It spans a wide 2ft for each light, so it will cover your whole grow space. It also reaches the required strength of light that your mushrooms will respond best to.
Combining this light with the mechanical timer above will give you the best mushroom growing results!
Best Grow Lights for Different Types of Mushrooms
While many mushrooms thrive in shaded areas with indirect or filtered sunlight, certain notable species flourish in partial or full sunlight. It’s important to note that various species exhibit different responses to light, thus it is a factor you should consider when selecting a suitable grow light.
Wine Cap Mushrooms (Stropharia rugosoannulata)
In the wild, Wine Caps thrive on wood chips, emerging in forest clearings during the late summer and fall across Europe and North America. These unique fungi thrive in areas with partial sunlight, refraining from fruiting in densely shaded spots, a quality that endears them to gardeners who nurture them in outdoor beds.
In fact, they can be interplanted with other vegetables in beds layered with ample wood chip mulch, seemingly contributing to soil enhancement. While Wine Caps exhibit tolerance to sunlight, they achieve their prime growth in humid conditions, necessitating the careful prevention of their woodchip substrate from drying out. For indoor cultivation of Wine Cap mushrooms Full spectrum LED lights tend to work the best.
Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus)
Oyster mushrooms are one of the easiest species to cultivate. They are characterized by their edible oyster-like form and “fishy” odor. These mushrooms can be spotted during the late summer and fall seasons, typically adorning the upper reaches of deciduous tree trunks and branches.
Oyster mushrooms can be cultivated indoors on blocks of sawdust or outdoors on logs, displaying a capacity to thrive in areas where partial sunlight prevails. Optimal growth conditions for oyster mushrooms can be achieved using either full spectrum LED lights or T5 fluorescent lights, both of which offer the essential blue and red light wavelengths.
Shiitake (Lentinula edodes)
Shiitake mushrooms need light in order to thrive, however, direct sunlight is just too intense for this species. They demand a precise light spectrum and intensity for successful growth. Blue light (450nm) seems to be effective when it comes to growing shiitake mushrooms. However, if you opt for a full spectrum LED they will still manage to fruit without any disturbances.
Lion’s Mane
Lion’s Mane prefers gentle light conditions ranging from 200 to 400 lux. Avoid exposing your mushrooms to direct sunlight or overly intense artificial lighting. They will fruit equally well whether you’re using LED or T5 fluorescent lights. Delivering the essential light intensity and spectrum essential for promoting robust lion’s mane growth.
Shaggy Mane (Coprinus comatus)
Shaggy mane is frequently encountered in suburban regions during late summer and fall, these familiar edible mushrooms tend to appear on lawns and roadsides, displaying a robust tolerance for direct sunlight.
When growing this mushroom species indoors grow lights are a must. The best option is full-spectrum LED lights, as they will provide your mushrooms with the optimal light wavelengths and intensity for healthy growth.
Conclusion on Mushroom Growing Lights
As always, we recommend reviewing good sources for mushroom growing information. See the mushroom growing page on Wikipedia for advanced mushroom growing. Wikipedia is a great source for information on many common and edible mushrooms.
As a closing note, it’s important to mention that growing mushrooms with strong lights will cost money. Running LED lights can make your electricity bill go up by potentially $20-$50 a month. This is a trade-off, as you will get higher quality mushrooms but pay the price for it. We think it’s worth it to maximize your setup by using mushroom grow lights in your setup.
From the mushroomgrowing.org team, best of luck with your growing!
FAQ
What Amount of Light Do Mushrooms Need?
The precise light requirement for mushrooms remains uncertain. While some suggest a minimum of 2 hours per day, a consensus among growers suggests that providing 10 to 12 hours of daily light is optimal. Usually, mushrooms will show you that they need additional light by having elongated stems and faded coloring.
Can Mushrooms Get Too Much Light?
Excessive light typically isn’t a concern during the fruiting stage, except when it comes to direct sunlight, which might lead to the dehydration of your mushrooms. However, during the incubation phase, prolonged exposure to high light levels can trigger premature fruiting. For optimal results, it’s advisable to allow your mushrooms to incubate in a dark area that is shielded from drafts.
Do You Need Light When Using Grow Kits?
Yes. Ready-to-grow mushroom kits have already completed the initial stage of cultivation and they are already set for the fruiting phase. To stimulate the emergence of mushroom pins you must provide your grow kit with an adequate amount of light. For user-friendly varieties such as oyster mushrooms, situating the kit in a warm spot near a window, with approximately 12 hours of indirect light, generally satisfies the requirements for temperature, airflow, and illumination.
What Is the Best Lighting for Growing Mushrooms?
While the specific light needs differ among various mushroom species, there’s a consensus among cultivators that optimal conditions typically involve indirect sunlight or the utilization of artificial LED lights in the white or blue spectrum range, specifically within the 6500K to 9000K range.
