Mushroom Kits

[Steve]

Different instructions to mine. No submerging in bucket with mine.

Mine were also just as vague.

2 weeks is better than my 3-4 weeks.

I hereby open the mushroom growing competition!

 

[Mark]

Different instructions to mine. No submerging in bucket with mine.

I hereby open the mushroom growing competition!

Cool!

Wait until the compost is COMPLETELY white...? And why is that, what does "white" signify?

 

[Steve]

The white is the active spores I believe. White means they are in full swing and ready for action.

 

[Mark]

The white is the active spores I believe. White means they are in full swing and ready for action.

Ok, cheers for that - it wouldn't hurt if they wrote this advice on the packet!

 

[Steve]

Well I am now a couple of day in since spotting the first 'alleged' mushrooms in my kit.
By now I would have expected to see some growth but I got nothing! They look exactly the same.
What is going on here? Maybe its because I gave them a little prod which has disturbed them or something but they don't appear to be doing anything.
And no other mushrooms have shown their heads either so I still think its gonna be a flop.

Not sure what to do. I will keep spraying the kit with water each day and see if anything happens but its pretty disappointing.

 

[Mark]

What's the temp in the room where you have them? When I purchased my mushrooms the other day the horticulturalist said make sure they are kept in a cool place and I said "what's cool, relative to the outside or at a certain temp?" And, she wasn't sure so she just said as cool as possible... You've said

(around 20 deg C from memory)

and we've had a few hot days in our part of the world lately - I wonder if that's an issue?

 

[Steve]

Yeah probably.
Not sure on the temp as I don't have a gauge. I had it in the garage but I felt it was getting too hot during the day but now are inside in our coolest room.

I found that 20deg online somewhere.
The instructions make it sound easy but there has to be some rules to follow.

 

[Mark]

Like I said, you can read the packet back to front and go to the product websites but they don't say much about where to grow, seasons, and optimal temps. Makes me think they are hiding something...

I'm going to open my box up tomorrow

 

[Steve]

****Update and Conclusion****

It's been 5 weeks since I started my first kit. The 5 mushroom buds that started didn't grow. Disappointing to say the least.
I truly believe it was heat that killed my spores. For the week or so I had them in my garage it was reasonably cool but in the heat of day I'm sure it would have gotten a little on the warm side. The kit never dried out so I figured it must be ok in there. We have had a warmer than usual winter so that's all I can put it down to.

My second kit had a chunk of mould growing when I opened it up, which I removed however it must have been a lot worse than I could see as that mould just took over the whole kit in a matter of a week. Needless to say that kit was a failure too and thrown out.

So my mushroom days are over for now. I may give it another go next year and get in earlier when it's cooler.
My advice to others trying a kit is make sure of the temp and keep it moist.

BTW, my friend from work who started a kit a week after me has 6 decent sized mushies which he is very excited about. It's not a huge crop but at least he got something.

I hope you Mark have better success than me and I look forward to seeing your results soon.

 

[Mark]

Well that's disappointing but at least it has proven the best times for growing the button mushrooms in a warmer subtropical climate is through winter. In time others may add to this thread and show their results in similar or different conditions.

I will give the oyster mushrooms a good go and see if they can be grown in our warm spring in the coolest spot I can find. My guess is they may not grow either but this is what we do trials for especially when mushroom kit sellers are deliberately coy with their growing temps and conditions.

 

[stevo]

I only just saw these recent posts, I came to ask for an update, but... ohwell..

 

[Steve]

This morning I was driving past a small garden supplies place and they had a big sign out front, 'MUSHROOM KITS, ONLY $24". Surely it's too hot now as we are almost in November?
I felt a shiver come over me and thought I've spent enough on these kits this year.
I don't know what type of mushroom they were but I've been bitten and I'm a little shy now....

 

[Mark]

I keep peeking at mine every now and then but the soil still aint white!