Author: nuvedo

Our tagline at Nuvedo is “In Mushrooms We Trust”. At Nuvedo, we truly believe that fungi hold the answer to many of the most pressing issues that our country India is facing today on multiple fronts. Rather than looking at these as issues, we can approach them as opportunities for us to harness the true potential of fungi and progress towards a more sustainable future. So, let us take a look at some of these opportunities and see how mushrooms can help solve them.

The problems that we face today can be broadly be classified into 3 categories:

• Environmental
• Health and Wellbeing
• Socio-economic

Though all the problems listed below can be considered to have an environmental and economic benefit owing to the very nature of mushrooms, I have categorized them on the basis of the dominant theme. This blog has been split into 3 parts so as to get into the details of each of them. In part one, the environmental angle is what will be explored.

Environmental

The issue of crop burning

Every year, India generates about 700 million tons of agricultural waste out of which close to 16% is burnt, leading to an increase in airborne pollutants.

How bad is this problem?

It is estimated that the total national annual emission for CO2 from crop residue burning alone is more than 64 times the total annual CO2 pollution emission in Delhi. If this isn’t alarming enough, a study conducted by the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru, estimates that people in rural Punjab spend INR 7.6 crore every year on treatment for ailments caused by crop residue burning. Even after three years of an intense awareness campaign in Punjab, along with INR 1,000 crore worth of subsidies on straw management machines, there hasn’t been any big shift away from stubble burning. As per the data from Nasa’s VIIRS 375m satellite, 86,606 fires were detected in Punjab and Haryana this year which marks a 7.3% increase over last year. Moreover, climate scientists have already linked fine particulate matter in the haze to the melting of Himalayan glaciers. So, it is quite clear that crop residue burning is not a problem to be taken lightly. To understand the underlying causes let’s try and understand why farmers resort to burning crop residue.

There are 3 main reasons

1. Most farmers use combine harvesting machines which cut the crop eight inches above the ground, leaving the stem stuck in the soil. Additional machinery is required to further remove the stubble, which have high operating costs and hence increases the financial burden on farmers. Burning is the cheapest and most convenient way to dispose of crop residue due to which farmers resort to it.
2. There is no other profitable source of income that the farmer can generate from agricultural waste, apart from selling it as feedstock for bio-CNG plants or as animal fodder, both of which don’t generate enough income to cover the labour involved.
3. The time window available to prepare the fields and sow winter wheat crops after paddy harvesting is really small, which forces the farmers to find a fast and easy way to remove crop residue. Overall, farmers find that harvesting the crop residue simply isn’t worth the effort that goes into it.

This is where mushrooms come in. Agricultural waste such as paddy and wheat straw makes a great substrate for cultivating a variety of mushrooms including different types of Oyster, Paddy straw, and Milky mushrooms. These mushrooms digest the lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose present in the straw and turn it into nutrients that help them grow. To see how profitable it can be let us compare the wholesale price (as of December 2021) of 1 Ton of wheat, Onion, and Oyster Mushrooms; 1 ton of wheat sells for  ₹ 21,000, Onion for  ₹ 62,000, and Oyster mushrooms for  ₹ 1,00,000! Farmers can use their crop residue to cultivate these lignin-loving mushrooms and generate a considerable chunk of revenue from what would otherwise have been burnt. What makes this even more economical is that the mushrooms substrate which has been utilized to grow mushrooms (also called spent mushroom substrate) can be used in compost preparation; which can be added back into the fields to improve the structure and soil fertility. Currently in India only 1.5% of the agricultural waste generated is being used as substrate to cultivate mushrooms.

The spent mushroom substrate has also found use in industries to generate bio-diesel or can even be used to feed livestock! As you can see, mushroom cultivation is something that should be promoted in areas with an abundance of agricultural waste as a way to reduce waste, stop pollution and generate additional income.

 

India’s water crisis

India is facing a major water crisis today, which can be attributed to the culmination of a variety of issues. The major cause of this crisis lies within the agricultural industry. Nearly 90% of the available groundwater is currently being used by the agricultural industry for irrigation. This issue is made worse by unscientific growth of water intensive crops like sugarcane and rice in areas with poor rainfall and insufficient ground water. The Nature study, published in the year 2009, clearly warned that, if counter measures are not taken soon, India would not only face severe shortage of drinking water, but the agricultural yields would also reduce, which could lead to extensive socio-economic issues. The evidence so far is in line with this prediction. For example, the agricultural yield growth of Punjab which was once the top performing state, has reduced considerably in recent years. This coupled with potable water shortage and water and air pollution has caused a variety of problems in the state.

Consider this- 1 kg of wheat needs 1350 liters of water, 1 kg of rice needs 3000 liters of water, 1 kg maize needs 900 liters of water. Compared to all the crops mentioned above, 1 kg of fresh oyster mushrooms requires just 25 liters of water! Need I say more? Mushroom cultivation could be a really good way to provide much needed nutrition to the average Indian while utilizing 90% less water compared to commercially cultivated crops.

 

I’ll be taking into account the other two issues in the next blog piece stay tuned folks for Part 2: Why India Needs More Mushroom Farmers.

Read Part 2 here: https://nuvedo.com/2021/12/29/why-india-needs-more-mushroom-farmers-part-1-3-2/

India is a land of tribes, cultures, mixed religions, dance music, and most importantly cuisines that are diverse in many ways. The food of indigenous people holds contrasting spectrums while we move across geography. And with this diversity, tribes of India have adopted practices that are inherent to their regions in order to bring food to their plates. Ethnomycology is concerned with the roles of fungi in the human social experience. An inherently multidisciplinary field, it reaches myriad cultural domains and crosses interests in the humanities, fine arts, and social and natural sciences.
Ethnomycology, as a study is to be explored further in our country, but to begin, here is our attempt to explore, and understand our own heritage through documented evidence.

Some of these practices of foraging and hunting have been forgotten along the way as tribes started urbanizing further. Foraging as a concept has been lost, with the advent of mono cultivation and the free availability of food. However, with this ease, ideas of food over years have become what the market dictates. Over the years this repeated stress on cultivation has taken away the knack of urban and semi-urban communities to concepts of foraging and this skill lies simply with the tribes in dense forest locations. One such rampantly foraged kingdom is Fungi. After foraging, tribes collected recipes of various fungi and used them for medicinal, spiritual, and socio-economic purposes. India is home to the largest population of tribes (Adivasis) in the world, making fungi a close link to their culture. States like Assam, Nagaland, Madhya Pradesh, and Orrisa have shown many ethnomedicinal uses which have been very well documented. Diverse climates and unique biodiversity are host to a rich mushroom population in India and form a valuable non-timber forest resource for local tribes and communities. Consider the recipe of the ‘Kaani’ tribe of Tamil Nadu, the community collects mushrooms early morning and soaks them with pounded rice and water. Post this they boil the mixture with spices, salt, and green chilies and serve the same with grated coconut and tapioca.

Nowadays, we have begun to eat, not from a geographic perspective, nor from ancestry but from what the market dictates. Thus, our biochemistry over years is perhaps dictated by what our great-grandparents and ancestors have eaten, and we feed our guts non-intuitively. In the same way, we eat the mushrooms that the market dictates – button mushrooms while forgetting the various many beautiful, medicinal, and nutrient-rich mushrooms available in our lands.

Traditional knowledge of mushrooms within tribes of India lies deeply in the religious sacredness of festivals and ceremonies. Maharashtra cultivates a wide variety of mushrooms and has been building its so-called inventory through foraging, keeping ahead of the mushroom trends, and with a variety of mushroom cultivators propping up in the state. Local names of mushrooms in Maharashtra include aalimb, tree-loving varieties literally as “lakdachi aalimb” and “mohacha aalimb” as those which are closely linked to the mahua tree, and grow out there.

West Bengal has many regional ethnic tribes like Munda, Sabar, Lodha, Kol, Bhumija which are concentrated in the dense forest areas and consume wild edible mushrooms freely. Previously, ethnomedicinal uses of fungi in different areas of India like Assam 25, Nagaland 20, Madhya Pradesh 26, Northern Odisha 27, Similipal Biosphere Reserve 28, and Central India 29  were studied and documented. In Central India, Ganoderma lucidum is used as herbal medicine by the Baiga tribes to relieve those who suffer from curing asthma. Similarly, another potent medicine is Agaricus sp. which has found immense benefits in use in goiter. Lycoperdon pusillum was found to help in clotting, and wound healing with its antiseptic properties.

In a lot of tribes, the affordability of animal protein is impossible, and thus mushrooms are greatly valued as a source of protein. They form a vital food supplement solving a huge malnutrition problem in these areas. Ethnic tribes of western Assam such as Garos, Adivasis, Bodos, and Rajbangshis also do consume mushrooms on a regular basis in their pickles, festival cooking and in soups. Take, the Kodagu district in Karnataka where tribes have been foraging and consuming mushrooms just after the first monsoon rains. These mushrooms pop out from all around the forest near the base of trees and thus get their names, in a unique syntax. The ethnic names are derived from having the first name a tree name followed by ‘mara’ which means tree and ‘kum’ which means mushroom. Some common names also include Alambu = Mushroom, Amme = Breast-like, Anabe = Mushroom, Baari = Big, Balliya = Big, Baeru = Root, Beeru = Root, Buguri = Top / Pedestal, Chalae = Purple, Gante = Bell etc. Similarly in a neighboring state of Kerala, the mushrooms are given names along with their association with other plants. Mushrooms growing on tree stumps are called thuttikoonu, while those that grow along with jackfruits are called Chakkakumman. Some even are grown after the bamboo wood is put out, and destroyed known as mulankoonu. With every dialect and ethnic tribe, this close association with nature while bringing in nomenclature has a beauty that might have been lost as we moved away from nature.

Due to their close association with festivals, rituals, and practices, mushrooms have traditions associated deeply with them in these tribes. For example –  the effects might get enhanced if the preparation is eaten or applied on an empty stomach on the onset of ‘Purnima’ or ‘Amavasya’ tithi. Celebrated, respected, and consumed widely, there is a lot to learn from the tribes of India as to why fungi have healed and stood the test of time.

Fungi are the link in the entire forest that takes signals through its mycelium network and helps us understand why each species operates the way it does. Our tribes in India and forest communities are the last piece of information on empirical knowledge of the fungal kingdom and unique species. In order to really respect and understand this kingdom, we need to keep our understanding of its characteristics intact.

While we understand just a sliver of it, as a community we ought to create pockets of collection, appreciation, and understanding through spending time in those environments, foraging for species, and documenting evidence that could benefit our relationship with mushrooms.

If you think closely, in your immediate group of friends, family, or loved ones, you would know at least one person, who has a lifestyle-related issue. We’re living in a time when a large number of us have new eating habits, sedentary jobs, and lifestyles that often lead to a lot of imbalance in the normal functioning of our bodies. These imbalances have long-term effects on our endocrine system which ultimately leads to an inability to maintain a state of homeostasis.

“Homeostasis, any self-regulating process by which biological systems tend to maintain stability while adjusting to conditions that are optimal for survival. If homeostasis is successful, life continues; if unsuccessful, disaster or death ensues. The stability attained is actually a dynamic equilibrium, in which continuous change occurs yet relatively uniform conditions prevail.” – The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

It is important to present the above statement here because we often forget that we need to strive towards balance, and try to bring a sense of equilibrium back into our bodies. In the context of women, hormonal imbalances translate into problems such as PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, weight gain, strong Premenstrual syndrome (PMS), lower fertility etc. Women go through experiences such as pregnancy and menopause which lead to spikes in hormonal levels. This surge of hormones can create a lot of discomfort and often lead to other complications as they continue.

Having said the above, women’s hormonal health often goes hand-in-hand with being able to manage stress, anxiety, and overall mental health.
We can safely say, that what steers the ship of a woman’s bodily health, is her hormones. Hormones are released from glands in your endocrine system. They tell your body how to breathe and how to expend energy. To explain this further, I will briefly explain how our bodies are governed by our hormonal balance.

For the sake of this article, we will look at the three key hormones that play vital roles in regulating women’s health:

• Androgens: Androgens are made from cholesterol and are produced in the adrenal gland and the ovaries. Women and people with cycles who have higher levels of androgens than normal can experience symptoms like excess hair growth, acne, irregular or absent periods, and infertility.
• Progesterone: Progesterone is the major hormone that promotes pregnancy.
• Estrogen: Estrogen is the most famous sex hormone in women and people who menstruate. It is made from cholesterol (a type of fat molecule) within the body. You can read a little more on each of the above hormones here.

So where do mushrooms come into the picture?

Mushrooms have been viewed as therapeutic in ancient Chinese cultures and had their diversity explored thoroughly for various ailments and treatments both topically and internally. It’s no surprise then that mushrooms can be incredible for women’s health. And while, these have been recorded through history, and have their roots more firmly in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), — studying them with controlled methodologies is important.

As a disclaimer – what works in our own bodies must have a combination of our own medical history, what our doctors have recommended, and should intuitively work with our bio-feedback. Just as in India, we uncovered some of the potential healing benefits of Ayurveda, we must owe credit to what historically has been documented, and passed on through TCM.

Mushrooms contain compounds that have various properties such as antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, antiallergic, immunomodulating, cardiovascular protector, anticholesterolemic, antiviral, antibacterial, antiparasitic, antifungal, detoxification, and hepatoprotective effects. In the context of hormonal imbalances, what is fascinating is their ability to bring back “homeostasis,” and thereby creating a place where hormones find balance.

Mushrooms aid women’s health in their ability to up-regulate the immune system, elevate resistance to stress and help our bodies detoxify all the harmful xeno-estrogens – which act as hormone disruptors and are present in numerous cosmetics, plastics, and foods, such as additives, artificial flavors, and factory-farmed meats.

Let’s look at the top three issues faced among women in various age groups and the specific mushrooms that can help manage them better:

PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome):

Accumulation of excessive estrogen in the body due to hormonal imbalance, which comes mainly from poor diet, exercise, or under secretion of cholesterol, is responsible for the sex hormones being able to function properly.

Reishi helps in stimulating the liver and helps detoxify xeno-estrogens which disrupt the functionality of female hormonal systems. Apart from being a direct link in the functionality of the liver, Reishi has a strong action in inhibiting testosterone. Women who consumed Reishi have shown reduced levels of Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which is an endogenous androgen sex steroid and thereby reducing acne, facial hair, and hair loss. As a potent natural anti-androgenic medicine it contains oils called triterpenoids which reduce the production of 5-alpha-reductase – a hormone that increases testosterone production. It also happens to be an important factor in benign prostate growth and prostate cancer.

 

Maitake is a very beneficial mushroom for PCOS. It has the ability to regulate insulin and induce ovulation which in turn regulates the menstrual cycle, thereby decreasing the chances of PCOS. Research has shown it may also help reduce pelvic inflammation, which is beneficial for women suffering from endometriosis, uterine fibroids, dysmenorrhea, and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).

 

Menopause:

When women reach their 40s and 50s, there is a natural decline in the reproductive hormones leading to a lot of discomfort such as hot flushes and vaginal dryness. These often lead to mild forms of anxiety and depression which create an overall surge of changes that can deeply affect women.
Mushrooms have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for years treating some of the symptoms of menopause and have shown great results.

 

Cordyceps are a great way to mitigate irritability or mood swings which have resulted from low estrogen. It has been used widely to treat unpleasant effects of menopause and even lack of libido. Evidence shows that release 17β-estradiol (E₂) directly influences the quality of maturing oocytes making it a strong contender to help with menopause. Cordyceps sinensis (CS) is a great option, but studies are still being conducted to examine and understand their effects at a deeper level.

In TCM, the liver often governs the way we respond to various diseases, imbalances and it is what regulates the movement of ‘qi’ within the body.  ‘Qi’ much like, “prana” in Ayurveda, is a concept of a circulating life force that sustains all living beings. It links our body’s physiological and emotional flow of energy in the body that maintains life.

Hence even with menopause, mushrooms that benefit liver functionality, such as reishi can be very therapeutic. Increasing evidence has proved that it has immuno-modulatory properties, simply put, it helps in boosting a weak immune system and brings to rest an overactive immune system. Reishi additionally has incredible benefits in reducing inflammation within joints, edema, and palpitations of the heart. For women going through a challenging time in their lives, during menopause, the ease and comfort it could bring to mood swings, anxiety, irritability, and depressive states are tremendous.

 

Candidiasis:

A common problem often caused by a parasitic fungus (Candida albicans) that lives in the digestive system mucous layer. During regular functioning of the immune system, the body has a strong ability to manage the fungi as they colonize the mouth, gastrointestinal tract and vagina. However, during a compromised immune functioning, a commonly occurring problem in women is vaginal yeast infections. Close to 75% of women, experience it at least once, in their lifetimes.  Itching, redness, and discharges as symptoms cause a lot of uneasiness throughout the day.

Interestingly, Maitake has shown ways to restore a good immuno-modulating response in the body. Although it does not directly target the problem it has a plethora of benefits in creating a good immune system. In a similar fashion, reishi has shown to have some efficacy in treating candida but not as effectively as standard medicines do. However, this does come to the point on how medicinal mushrooms play a larger role in daily supplements or lifestyle nutrients which can be more preventive rather than curative.

 

Extracts of shiitake have also been able to rid of Candida in a laboratory setting but in high concentrations. Both Reishi and Shiitake have proven to have a high amount of beta-glucans ( which can become immune stimulants in the body, activation of macrophages (Macrophages are specialized cells involved in the detection, phagocytosis, and destruction of bacteria and other harmful organisms), increase NK cell production.

The immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects of β-glucans from different mushrooms’ species are known, however, their benefits in the case of women take a whole different landscape. We have only scratched the surface of what they can do. If taken consistently, with appropriate care and consideration to the bodies’ needs they host a variety of properties that have the ability to bring you back to homeostasis.

 

Congratulations on getting your very own Nuvedo High Protein Oyster Mushroom Growing Kit!

We are really happy that you have taken a step towards bringing the magic of mushrooms into your lives. #MoreRoomForShrooms

If you have just received your kit, you probably have a lot of questions on your mind right now. Where do I keep it? How much water do I spray? When do I harvest?

We have tried to answer as many of those questions here in our FAQ Section.

We highly recommend that you through it once before you start.

For those curious to know more, continue to read on:

The substrate block you see inside the kit is nothing but chopped and sterilized straw with mycelium (the white stuff) growing on it. The patches of yellow and brown that you see on the block are metabolites released by the mycelium as it feeds on the straw for its nutrition.

Once you cut open the membrane of the substrate and spray water on the block for the first time, the mycelium gets triggered into the fruiting stage of its lifecycle. The rush of fresh air increased humidity, and exposure to moisture tricks the mycelium to start producing fruiting bodies or what we commonly call mushrooms.

As a mushroom farmer, you have to try and mimic its natural environment in the best way possible for the best results. The mushroom in your growing kit is Lentinus Sajor Caju, commonly known as The Indian Oyster Mushroom.

It is mostly found growing from the sides of dead tree logs, which is also why you cut the side of the substrate block and not the top.

They grow best in cool (19 – 30 Degrees Celsius) and humid environments (65-80% Relative Humidity) with a lot of fresh air.

For a home grower to improve his chances of getting a beautiful flush, consider 3 things – light, air, and moisture.

 

Let’s examine the three factors:

 

Light:

Mushrooms are not plants, they cannot photosynthesize and depend on the substrate for food. This means that they don’t need direct sunlight but at the same time they cannot survive in complete darkness either. Light is a trigger for the mycelium to produce mushrooms, so you have to place your kit somewhere where it gets exposed to light for around 12 hours a day. The light source can even be ambient indoor lighting, just make sure that it doesn’t get too hot as high temperatures can cause the substrate blocks to overheat and kill the mycelium.

Air:

Mushrooms breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide just like us. Oyster mushrooms in particular tend to do well in places that have high levels of oxygen, so keeping your kit in a place with good air circulation is important. Next to a window would be ideal, but if you decide to keep it in a closed room, you should make sure that you open the door to the room and switch on the fan or blower for a few minutes to draw in the fresh air a few times a day.

While fruiting, mushrooms will drop spores, keeping them next to a window will allow the spores to get carried away by air currents.

Moisture:

The membrane on the substrate prevents the block from drying out completely by trapping the moisture inside. Spraying the exposed substrate after cutting the membrane, triggers the mycelium to enter fruiting. This is the same reason that we find mushrooms after fresh rains, the moisture from the rain triggers underground mycelium to reach up to the surface and form mushrooms. So, you aren’t really “watering” the mushrooms like you do plants by spraying water.

This means that you just have to spray enough clean water to keep the substrate moist without making it soggy or wet. A good test to know if your block has enough moisture is to touch the surface of the substrate with your finger (remember to wash your hands before handling the block!), it should feel moist but your finger should not be visibly wet.

Take care to use filtered water as tap water can contain chlorine which is harmful to the growth of mushrooms.

• Humidity: Another aspect of moisture is humidity. If your geographic location has humidity less than 65%, you have to increase the humidity around the kit by placing a wet towel or cloth next to the base of your kit. The evaporation of water from the cloth creates a humid microclimate around the kit, which can help you get good harvests.

We hope we have been able to cover your doubts regarding how you can grow your kit well.

Remember- To be a good mushroom farmer you have to learn directly from the fungi by observing them patiently.

In case you have any more queries please do reach out to us or write to us.

All the best for your mushroom journey!

One of the most common questions we get asked by budding mushroom enthusiasts is- do mushroom grow kits work? Yes they do! They are, in our opinion, the easiest way to grow fresh organic mushrooms from the comforts of your home. Our indoor mushroom growing kit is best suited for use at home and you don’t even need to know anything about mushrooms to use it. All you need is a cool corner in your home, a few minutes of your time everyday for a few weeks and patience.

Nuvedo’s Mushroom Growing Kits are an easy and convenient way to start growing mushrooms. After fruiting for the first time indoors at home, there are several ways to reuse our mushroom growing kit and keep those harvests coming!

In this blog post, we try and answer some common questions about reusing Nuvedo Mushroom Growing Kit. We cover basic questions such as –

• Can you reuse mushroom grow kits ?
• How to reuse mushroom grow kit ?
• What are the different ways in which you can go about reusing mushroom substrate ?
• How to use mushroom grow kit substrate to make mushroom kit ?

Can you reuse mushroom grow kits?

Yes, you can most definitely reuse mushroom grow kits! Mushroom grow kits are generally designed to give you more than one harvest depending on the species of mushroom inside your growing kit.  There is enough water nutrition available in the substrate to give you multiple harvests over a period of 2-10 weeks. Our Pink Oyster mushroom grow kits have given up to 7 harvests! It is all about giving them the right conditions to form more mushrooms. Sometimes all your kit needs is some fresh air and water!

How to reuse your mushroom grow kit ?

Let’s explore some ways in which we can get the most out of your mushroom grow kit-

 Prepping the kit for a second harvest

After the first harvest, your kit still has nutrition left in the substrate for another flush, however, it is slowly running out of moisture. You can try and get it to fruit indoors again by repeating the process once more, on the other side of your grow kit, as mentioned below:

• Remove the substrate block with the plastic from the cardboard box.
• Make an “X” shaped slit on the unused side of the plastic.
• You can either soak the substrate block for 6 hours in a tub filled with filtered water or continue spraying the new opening with water just like you did for the first flush. (It is worth noting that for your substrate block to remain submerged in the water you will have to keep a heavy object on top of it.)
• Continue spraying the new opening 2-3 times a day like you did for the first flush.

Given the right conditions, your kit should start fruiting again in another week. Get ready for your oyster mushroom second flush!

Shift the kit outdoors

The easiest way to try and get your substrate block to fruit once more is by moving it outdoors. By shifting it outdoors, you’re changing the environmental conditions of temperature and humidity which might signal the fungi to produce more mushrooms.

To begin follow the instructions as mentioned below-

• Remove the substrate block from the cardboard box.
• Don’t remove the plastic and let it stay as is.
• Find a shady area and place the substrate block there in such a way that the cut side faces up and it will receive rainfall.
• Keep checking up on the block periodically, especially after rains or on humid days to see if they have started pinning again

If the block looks dry continue to spray the kit with water as you did when it was indoors. Leaving the plastic on your substrate block helps prevent it from drying out by keeping the moisture in. Outdoor mushroom growing kit use may even help contaminated blocks recover and start fruiting again.

We recommend that you keep your block in the vicinity or under the cover of some potted plants. The added vegetation helps to create a favorable microclimate that is oxygen-rich and humid. Your kit should start fruiting in a couple of weeks if the conditions are favorable.

NOTE: Hypsizygus Ulmarius or Elm Oyster, (high-protein oyster mushroom growing kit) thrives in environments where the temperature is between 20-26 degrees Celsius and has more than 80%  relative humidity.

Bury your kit

This is for all of you out there who have some outdoor space and don’t mind getting their hands dirty! To show off mushrooms growing in your garden, follow the steps below-

• Remove the substrate block from the cardboard box.
• Tear the plastic to separate it from the block.
• Find a shady area in your garden and dig a hole big enough to fit your substrate block.
• Gently place your substrate block in the hole.
• Cover up the whole with a 1-inch-thick layer of soil or mulch.
• Water the area daily like you would do for plants in your garden.
• Keep checking up on the block periodically, especially after rains or on humid days to see if they have started pinning again.

Burying the mushroom grow kit substrate block in soil provides a protective layer to keep it safe from sunlight and the moisture in the nearby soil provides the mycelium with the water it needs. Adding a layer of mulch on top can act as an additional barrier to sunlight.

You could even try burying your used kit in an unused pot with soil in it. This method will be totally worth it when you watch mushrooms sprouting on your lawn or inside the pot in your garden!

 

Use it to make more kits

If you’re the adventurous type, then you can use the substrate bag the same way you would use spawn and make mushroom kit from it. This process works best with Oyster Mushroom Growing kits that have been hydrated well and fruited recently.

In this method, you are providing the mycelium with additional nutrition as it has already digested most of the nutrients present in the substrate block by now. The hungry mycelium will be more than happy to hop onto the fresh substrate in your mushroom substrate kit.

This method requires a few additional materials to start with:
First, you will need some fresh substrate that the mycelium can feed on. For this, we recommend chopped straw which is around 2-3 inches long.
The mycelium can easily jump from one piece of chopped straw to the other since the particle size is smaller, making it a suitable substrate for mushrooms to thrive on! Other agricultural waste can be used as well but, in our experience, straw gives the best results.

Second, you will need a container that can hold your substrate. For this, we recommend a container with plenty of holes such as a plastic gardening pot or bucket with holes drilled in it.

Once you have these two things ready, you can follow the same procedure used for cultivating oyster mushrooms at home.
Only difference being that instead of spawn you will be using the crumbled-up substrate block.

 

Make an outdoor cultivation bed using mulch

This method is just like the previous one. We are essentially using the substrate block as spawn to inoculate outdoor beds made from mulch. If you have some perennial trees or an outdoor space you would like to mulch in, this is the best method for you.

We recommend that you use fresh mulch instead of old. This is because old mulch could have other fungi growing on it which will compete with your mycelium. Oyster mushrooms are one of the most vigorous fungi out there so this technique is best suited for them. They are quite resilient and can compete well with other fungi trying to capture the available substrate. To make your outdoor bed, follow the instructions below:

• Spread a thin and even layer of mulch in a shady area
• Add a layer of the crumbled substrate block on top of the previous layer
• Keep alternating layers of mulch and the crumbled substrate block
• Add a final layer of mulch on top as the final layer
• Water the heap generously to hydrate it
• Observe the heap often and make sure that you water it enough so it doesn’t dry out

You need to have a bit of patience with this method as it can take anywhere from 1-3 months before you can see any mushrooms. Factors such as temperature, humidity and total volume of mulch inoculated can play a role in how fast you get your fruits. In our experience, warm and humid weather with a smaller volume of mulch can give you the fastest results if you keep it hydrated!

 

We hope that this post has given you the information you need to continue your mushroom cultivation journey by reusing your Nuvedo mushroom growing kit. If you have successfully managed to use any of the techniques mentioned above, congratulations! If you’re curious and would like to try cultivating mushrooms from scratch, do check out our walkthrough on Oyster mushroom cultivation.

Commonly used terminologies in mushroom cultivation

Mushroom cultivation is quite technical and involves a lot of jargon that can be intimidating if you are just starting out. Don’t let these difficult terminologies put you off from exploring the fascinating space of Fungiculture.

For all you first-time growers we have put together a glossary of some of the most commonly used terms and what they mean.

1. Aborts: A mushroom that for some reason stops growing and never reaches maturity. They can be of varying sizes.
2. Agar: A powder derived from seaweed used as a nutritive media for petri dishes
3. Autoclave: A machine that uses steam under pressure as a physical method of sterilization to kill unwanted microorganisms present in the material placed inside of the vessel.
4. Biological Efficiency: A commonly used measure of yield. It is calculated as the ratio of the weight of your total harvest of fresh mushrooms to the weight of the wet substrate.
5. Colonization: The process when mycelia grow through the substrate, grain, or agar-filled petri dishes. When the mycelia have grown completely through the media, it is said to be fully colonized
6. Contamination: Anything living on your substrate or agar plates that are unwanted. Typically, bacteria or harmful fungi.
7. Culture: A piece of living mushroom mycelium that contains all the living matter and genetic material required to produce fruiting bodies.
8. Ergosterol: A biological precursor of vitamin D₂, the chemical name of which is ergocalciferol. Exposure to ultraviolet light causes a photochemical reaction that converts ergosterol to ergocalciferol. Ergosterol can be converted to vitamin D₂ under ultraviolet radiation. Due to the high water content of fresh mushroom, its quality deteriorates rapidly after harvest, and drying is the most commonly used technology to extend the shelf life. The vitamin D₂ content of dried mushrooms depends on the drying conditions used.
9. Fruiting: The event when mushrooms emerge on the substrate
10. Fruitbody: A typical mushroom
11. Hypha:  It is a long, branching filamentous or thread-like structure of a fungus that form mycelium
12. Inoculation: The act of adding a piece of live mushroom culture to grain or adding grain spawn to the substrate
13. Mycelium: It is the vegetative part of a fungus that consists of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae
14. Pasteurization: It is the process of applying low heat to inactivate spoilage enzymes and kill pathogens. It does not truly sterilize a product because bacterial spores do not get killed in the process.
15. Pin, Primordia, Pinning:  Small, immature fruit bodies that are beginning to grow, which mature into mushrooms.
16. Senescence: When the mycelium has crossed its potential exponential growth and loses vigor. Using any mushroom culture past this point will lead to poor fruiting and increased chances of contamination.
17. Spawn: Any material that is overrun with mycelium and is used to inoculate a substrate. The most commonly used material in spawn is grain.
18. Spores: The “seeds” of the mushroom that contain one-half of the genetic material required for the mycelium growth to begin.
19. Sterilization: A process used to kill all living organisms in a substrate or spawn. Usually carried out by heating the material in an Autoclave so that the temperature can reach 121 degrees Celsius for a fixed period of time.
20. Substrate: A medium such as straw, sawdust, coco coir, manure, waste paper, etc which is used for mycelial growth.

 

I hope we have covered everything, but in case there is something that you would like more information on, anything related to fungi and mushrooms, please do reach out to us.