How to Grow Mushrooms in AU

Grow mushrooms in most Australian locations, with the right conditions.

Mushrooms come in a wide range of varieties, from the bite-sized button mushroom, to the gourmet specialty species, oyster and shiitake. By far the most common mushroom in Australia is the white cup or button mushroom. This variety will grow in homemade set-ups and doesn't require elaborate tools. The main challenge to mushroom growing in Australia is often the high temperatures and dry air. Mushrooms like warm, humid conditions with no significant fluctuations in temperature.

Things You'll Need

• Manure
• Straw
• Gypsum
• Ammonium sulfate
• Cardboard box
• Plastic liner
• Fork
• Mushroom spawn
• Spray mister

Instructions

1. Mix well-rotted farmyard manure and aged straw. Add 3 lbs. of gypsum and 2 lbs. of ammonium sulfate to every 200 lbs. of manure mix, according to the Australian Distance Education website.

2. Line a strong cardboard box with plastic and fill it with the straw manure. Place in a dark, sheltered and warm location such as a cellar, garage or shed and leave for a few weeks.

3. Allow the center of the compost to reach 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Check a thermometer. Once reached, fork and turn the compost to lower temperature back down to around 77 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Australian Mushroom Growers Association. Much of the northern half of Australia has average daily temperatures of 85 degrees Fahrenheit and above, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Find a cooler spot for your box if room temperatures consistently rise higher than 77 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. Buy a packet of mushroom spawn from a garden supply store or an online mushroom specialist. Mix the spawn into the compost. Spray water around the box and do so a few times every day to maintain humidity at around 95 percent near the compost.

5. Add a layer of sterilized peat moss to the compost when thin white fibers have developed. This is the mycelium, the organism that will produce the mushroom.

6. Maintain temperatures in the room of between 50 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, as recommended by Humboldt State University. Spray water around the compost every day. Mushrooms may develop fast. Harvest mushrooms early for button varieties and a little later for cup mushrooms.

Tips & Warnings

• Be ready to harvest as soon as you see your mushrooms develop. Mushrooms can double in size in a day, according to the Australian Mushroom Growers Association.

References

• ACS Distance Education: Mushrooms
• Gardening Australia: Growing Shiitake Mushrooms
• Mushrooms.net.au: Introduction to Mushroom Growing
• Humboldt State University: Mushroom Cultivation