How to plant mushrooms with coffee grounds?
More and more people have converted part of their gardens and balconies into improvised orchards. A new modality that is here to stay and that has everyone amazed. Thanks to this practice, you can grow vegetables. but plant mushrooms, from the comfort of our homes, became very popular because the key to success is using coffee grounds.
In case you didn't know, reusing coffee is one of the exploitation techniques more successful, since it works as an incredible beauty treatment, insect repellent and, at the same time, it is an excellent fertilizer for plants, which allows us to save and take care of the planet at the same time. If you want to know what uses you can give to coffee grounds, we invite you to read our article 'What to do with coffee waste?’
That being said, if you want to learn how to grow mushrooms at home, you've come to the right place. Since the team of experts at Incapto Coffee, will be in charge of giving you all the tools, from how to prepare the land to the care that must be implemented.
What you didn't know about mushrooms
The first thing you should know is that fungi are not plants. That is, they belong to another botanical group, the “fungi”, which is one of the five into which the majority of the flora is divided. As you know, almost all mushrooms are edible and they know how to give good flavor to our meals.
Another interesting fact, which we cannot ignore, is that they are fat-free foods. Also They are low in calories and rich in minerals. And best of all, they contain biomolecules with healing properties.
As you can see, we are faced with a healthy product, which at the same time, we can grow in our homes, without complications, since they take up very little space and require a series of very basic care.
What do we need to plant mushrooms?
If you decide to plant mushrooms at home, it is very important that you know that it is a very simple task to accomplish, since they do not require much light and that is why we can have our small crop inside the house. Although they are not plants, they need specific care. One of them is to avoid extreme temperatures and maintain the range between 15°C and 20°C.
Now it is time to start cultivation. To do this, we will need a series of materials that we will indicate below:
-coffee grounds: For being an excellent fertilizer thanks to its incredible properties. It will work wonders when planting our mushrooms. To achieve it, we can collect the waste from previous preparations or look for it in a cafeteria that gives it to you.
-Microporous tape: We will find this in our nearest pharmacy.
-Hermetic lid: It is necessary to find one made of metallic material to be able to drill.
-Large glass jar: It could be an old container that you have at home and you want to give it a new use. If you don't have one, don't worry, you can look for a plastic one and cut it in half, which is an excellent use tactic. Giving this product a second use, thus promoting a thrifty and sustainable plan.
-Mycelium: It is also known as spores, which is the vegetative structure of mushrooms or fungi. Getting it is very simple, you just have to go to a store specialized in gardening or crops.
A very important fact when planting mushrooms at home is that we have to be very patient, since, in order to enjoy our harvest, we must wait approximately 6 to 8 weeks.
Step by step of growing mushrooms
The time has come to get to work. So, once you gather all the materials you must follow the following instructions to the letter:
1- One of the main things that we must take care of, when planting mushrooms, is hygiene. Well yes, just as you read, our experts recommend washing your hands with water, soap and disinfectant before starting.
2- You must open two small holes in the lid that we have indicated. Both must have one 20mm diameter. With this we prevent the edges of the metal cover from becoming a little polished. Subsequently, you must look for some wood, it could be a log and place the metal.
Place it on a work surface and then drill through the metal and wood at the same time. If you have doubts, you can look for some tutorials to observe in detail how this step is done.
3- Now you will have to sterilize the lid and the plastic or glass jar. The procedure is very simple, you just have to immerse them in boiling water, for at least one minute. Once this is done, dry them and cover the two holes in the lid with the microporous tape to block the passage of bacteria.
4- In this step you will have to mix coffee grounds, freshly made with the microcelium, inside the jar where you are going to plant the mushrooms. Then you have to cover it and store it in a dark place. It is essential that it remains under a temperature of 20°C or 25°C for 2 or 3 days, until the ground coffee residue is 100% covered with mycelium or mushroom spores.
5- Collect coffee grounds again, preferably ones you made recently and add 1 or 2 cm wherever you have your crop, so that it is covered with mycelium again. We recommend repeating this procedure until the jar is completely covered with coffee residue.
6- After a few days, you will notice that the last coffee grounds you added will have a whitish hue. When this happens, proceed to put the jar in a site moist and bright. Whose temperature must be between 15°C and 20°C. Prevent it from receiving direct sunlight.
7- After 10 or 14 days, you will see that oyster mushrooms will appear through the holes in the lids, which will force the microporous tape to detach. If this does not happen, it would not hurt to give the mushrooms a little help by removing them manually.
8- Finally, you must collect the oyster mushrooms, but when to do it? You will know that the time has come when you have a good stand and the hats are horizontal. During the second or third harvest, the jar will stop producing mushrooms.
If you want to continue growing mushrooms, you will only have to remove 80% of the substrate, put in a new microporous tape and add new freshly ground coffee grounds. This way you would be preparing your land once again for a second mushroom season. Encourage yourself to continue growing at home and promote sustainability.
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