Table of Contents
There are an abundnace of mushroms that you can grow at home easily. What makes mushrooms unique is that all mushrooms prefer different growing mediums. In the world of mushrooms, you have mushrooms that can grow from rich soil, and you have wood growing mushrooms.
While there are some exceptions, the 2 main categories are earth-loving and wood-loving mushrooms.
In nature, wood growing mushrooms will generally grow on rotting portions of trees that have fallen or are still standing. This is why you so commonly find mushrooms growing from branches of trees on the ground.
When you grow wood-loving mushrooms at home, you are mimicking the environment that the mushroom enjoys in nature!
In this article we are practically covering 7 wood growing mushrooms that you can grow at home.
What do I need to grow wood growing mushrooms at home?
There are a few key things you will need if you want to grow any of the mushrooms in this article at home. You will need the following:
- Mushroom Spore Syringe (search Amazon) (affiliate link)
- Wood-Based Spawn Bag (search Amazon or Google) (affiliate link)
- A place to grow your mushrooms like a basement or extra room
While there are many extras you can get to help your grow or make the process easier, these are the 3 non-negotiable items for wood growing mushrooms.
Of course, you will need to choose a mushroom spore syringe that will work for a wood-based spawn bag, such as any of the mushrooms we will cover below.
It is also very possible to do the mushroom growing more DIY by making your own sawdust spawn bags and growing many mushrooms at once. This is a good idea for people with more experience.
See our article here on growing mushrooms in bags to learn more about doing this process yourself cheaper and more closely.
Wood Growing Mushrooms: Oyster Mushrooms
Scientific name: Pleurotus ostreatus
5-Pack Oyster Mushroom Spore Syringe on Amazon.
Oyster mushrooms are very easy to grow and are one of the best mushrooms to grow for beginners. They are a wood growing mushroom, and oyster mushrooms thrive on growing from sawdust spawn bags you can find abundantly online.
Oyster mushrooms can grow from almost any type of wood media. You can use a spawn bag that is full of sterile woodchips, sawdust, supplemented wood, or truly any fibrous material. This is what makes oyster mushrooms so great.
They are also highly resistant to contamination and they grow very easily.
Ideal conditions for oyster mushrooms are:
- Indoors or Outdoors
- 60F-70F ambient temperature
- Average indoor humidity levels
The key with oyster mushrooms is to simply introduce fresh air when it’s time to fruit your mushrooms and make sure you keep a balanced level of humidity
King Oyster Mushrooms
Scientific Name: Pleurotus eryngii
King Oyster Mushroom Spore Syringe on Amazon.
King oysters are a variant of the oyster mushroom from above. The other name for king oysters is trumpet mushrooms.They are also a great beginner wood growing mushroom, however they do present a bit more difficulty depending on your experience.
These are a classic gourmet mushroom that many enthusiasts enjoy for it’s meat-like texture and cookability. You can find oyster mushrooms for sale in many different locations, and they are very desireable.
The primary aspect of growing king oysters versus growing oyster mushrooms, is that you must give them slightly cooler temperatures in order to trigger the fruiting process. King oysters pop up in nature in cooler temperatures, so keep this in mind when it comes to the fruiting process.
Golden Oyster Mushrooms
Scientific Name: Pleurotus citrinopileatus
Golden Oyster Mushroom Spore Syringe on Amazon.
Golden oyster mushrooms, also known as yellow oyster, are also another culinary classic. These are another great mushroom to try to grow and cook at home, and they are still beginner-friendly.
Another variant of oyster mushrooms, golden oysters are similarly resistant, strong, and fast growing. You can be very successful growing golden oysters due to their strength.
A major difference to the above king oysters, golden oyster mushrooms actually prefer rising temperatures for fruiting and strong growth, so don’t be afraid to expose your golden oyster mushrooms to rising temperatures in your home.
As a cool tip, your golden oyster mushrooms will be more yellow and golden in color when you grow them with a lot of light, such as outdoors or with strong indoor lighting.
Pink Oyster Mushrooms
Scientific Name: Pleurotus djamor
Pink Oyster Mushroom Spore Syringe on Amazon.
Pink oyster mushrooms are another very easy-to-grow mushroom form the collection of oyster mushrooms. Much like the golden oysters, they enjoy the higher temperatures when it comes time to fruit.
They love wood, straw, and almost any other fibrous material you can get. The pink oyster is also a strong grower, and you can offer it many different conditions for it to thrive with.
Pink oysters are also a very beautiful, bright mushroom that you will surely appreciate. Some people can appreciate the taste of pink oyster mushrooms, while others may not. They have a distinct taste, but give it a try for yourself.
Gourmet Wood Growing Mushroom: The Shiitake Mushroom
Scientific Name: Lentinula edodes
Shiitake Mushroom Spore Syringe on Amazon.
Moving on from the assortment of many oyster mushrooms you can grow, we have the famous shiitake mushroom. This wood growing mushroom is widely used and loved by culinary experts and enthusiasts all around the world.
The cool part is, you can grow your own shiitake mushrooms with the basic setup in the first section of this post. Most popularly, shiitake can be grown in sawdust, which makes this very easy.
Shiitake are also a great mushroom to grow outdoors, as long as you can wait for the long period it takes for them to hatch out.
Growing shiitake mushrooms is a bit harder than oyster mushrooms. You need to soak your shiitake growing material a lot before it will grow properly, so there will be some trial and error. Don’t give up, and keep trying.
Check out this website for more shiitake growing tips: https://www.tyrantfarms.com/diy-how-to-grow-shiitake-mushrooms/
Wine Cap Mushroom
Scientific Name: Stropharia rugosoannulata
Wine Cap Mushroom Spore Syringe on Amazon.
Wine cap mushrooms are an alluring mushroom known for their dark red cap, resembling wine. These wood growing mushrooms are pretty easy to grow with the given supplies above.
They love sawdust and wood chip spawns, they grow easily in 60-70F range, and can be grown inside or outside. Wine caps enjoy enriched wood material, such as a supplemented sawdust. If you can find or make this, you will be in good shape to grow.
Once wine caps are colonizing, the process should handle itself. They are very strong and resilient, much like the other mushrooms on this list.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom
Scientific Name: Stropharia rugosoannulata
Wine Cap Mushroom Spore Syringe on Amazon.
Our final mushroom on this list is the Lion’s mane mushroom. Lion’s mane are a very unique looking mushroom, sporting a stringy white growth. They are truly a fascinating wood growing mushroom.
Lion’s mane is best used for health and wellness purposes. It is not often used as a gourmet mushroom, but is often ground up into powder and then put it in capsules for ingestion. But, you can certainly cook and enjoy it, it works well in both gourmet and health capacities.
Lion’s mane will require a lot of fresh air and stable temperatures to produce large, nice fruit. So, with Lion’s mane, it’s important to track your growing conditions carefully.
Conclusion
In this article, we covered 7 of the best wood growing mushrooms you can grow at home. The best part is, you can grow all of these with the basic materials we outlined in the first paragraph. All you need to do is make sure you get the right mushroom spores and the right spawn bag!
Remember, contamination is one of the biggest issues when growing mushrooms, which is why we recommend buying pre-sterilized mushroom spawn bags. Always work carefully, mushrooms can be picky when it comes to growing conditions!
