You can expect to pay around $20-25 for a basic starter kit. The price may be higher depending on the seasonal availability of certain varieties of mushrooms. [2] X Research source A typical start kit contains enough materials to grow mushrooms continuously for 2-4 weeks.
The more evenly you wet the grow block, the more area the mushrooms will have to begin growing. Your grow kit may specify a different amount of water, depending on the size of the block and the mushrooms’ specific moisture requirements. Use filtered or distilled water, as tap water is treated with chemicals.
Don’t seal off or pin down the edges of the bag. Your mushrooms will need some air in order to grow. You can also use a couple wet strips of newspaper (or any other kind of lightweight paper) if you don’t have a plastic bag on hand. Just make sure the saturated newspaper isn’t heavy enough to weigh down the mushrooms as they emerge.
If you don’t have a suitable cool place to keep your grow block, simply set it on the kitchen counter. Enoki mushrooms are a cold weather species of mushroom, but they’ll also grow just fine at room temperature. [4] X Research source
Between the wood contained in the grow block and the moisture-trapping plastic, your mushrooms will have everything they need to flourish, so there should be no need to uncover them until they start fruiting.
Enoki mushrooms are sometimes listed as “Enokitake” on specialty websites. “Take” is the Japanese word for “mushroom. ”[7] X Research source Starter spawn doesn’t include instructions, which means you’ll have to learn how to cultivate and tend the mushrooms yourself. If this sounds like too much work, you may be better off using a starter kit instead.
You’ll generally find raw substrate materials for sale at the same place where you bought your starter spawn. Any type of sawdust or wood chips will work, as long as they’re collected from hard wood. [9] X Research source
Use a meat thermometer to find the temperature of the substrate material every 15-20 minutes. Avoid heating the substrate past 180 °F (82 °C), as this will also kill off organisms that are beneficial to the mushrooms.
At this point, you can transfer your substrate to your desired growing container, or proceed to raise your mushrooms right in your oven bag or pan. Introducing the cold-loving mushroom spores to the substrate while it’s still hot could kill them.
Check the packaging of your starter spawn for more precise information on how much to use. It may take up to a week after you first sew the spawn for the mycelium to appear.
A growing location like a basement or cabinet beneath the sink is ideal, as these places are often humid as well as cool. Whatever spot you choose, make sure it’s well-shaded. Enoki mushrooms can tolerate a little bit of light, but too much can stunt their growth or even cause them to die off.
Be careful not to oversaturate the substrate. Doing so could drown out young mushrooms or lead to the growth of harmful bacteria.
In some cases, it may only take a little over a week to end up with a batch of full-sized mushrooms. If your mushrooms seem to be developing slowly, try lowering their surrounding temperature as much as possible to simulate their preferred natural environment. [17] X Research source
