How do you plant mushroom?

Answer 1

You need something to grow the mushroom on/in, most plants grow in the dirt or as they call it, topsoil or potting soil. We call it "substrate" if it grows mushroom. For substrate I use straw. Other agriculture wastes can also be used, even used coffee grounds, whether by themselves or mixed together.

the straw as it comes from the bale is not suitable as substrate. The size of the strands needs to be between 1½ to 3 inches; also the strands need to be broken or crushed so water can be absorbed. To accomplish this modification, I use a chipper/shredder to chop and crush the straw

The next step in preparing the substrate is to add moisture to the straw; then the straw needs to be pasteurized. Some people wet the straw first and then use steam to pasteurize it. I take the easy way and just "cook" it. The straw is placed into a large wire basket, then placed into a 55 gallon drum full of water that has been heated with a propane burner placed underneath. After spending 1 hour "cooking" in the water at a temperature of 160 F. the straw has absorbed water and pasteurization has occurred. The basket is then raised to let the free water run off.