Mushroom growth is becoming a hobby among gardeners. This is due to various factors like convenience, minimum care, and sunlight, which allow mushrooms to grow at a reasonable rate. For mushrooms to grow properly, gardeners need a unique environment, which mushrooms grow tents provide.
To grow mushrooms indoors, you must buy a mushroom grow setup that fits your surroundings, grow lights, air extraction fans, and a connection to electricity near the setup. The purpose of this blog is to provide expert tips on how to grow mushrooms correctly and how to increase the yield of your mushrooms.
What is a Grow Tent for Mushrooms?
The mushroom growth tent is a space or specified area that comes with all the requirements a normal plant needs to grow indoors correctly. A mushroom grow tent setup is made of different types of clothes, mainly polyester or fabric, that can bear the temperature.
Apart from fabric, a grow setup has many other facilities, like lightning, ports, and cable space, to deal with high temperatures and humidity. When selecting a growing setup for a mushroom, you must ensure it is suitable for different species of mushrooms.
Why Build a Mushroom Grow Tent?
This setup is best when you need to grow mushrooms in larger quantities. It is a large, spacious, cost-effective chamber that will yield more mushrooms than expected. Mushroom tents are easy to set up because they are available in different sizes. Multiple foldable sizes allow you to place them anywhere you want to.
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Successful Indoor Mushroom Growth Setup
Growing quality mushrooms is not dependent on one factor; it depends on several factors, and they all contribute equally to the final shape. Focusing on one factor would lead you to end your mushroom-growing journey, saving time and money. Here are some factors you should consider to grow mushrooms effectively when setting up or buying a mushroom growth kit.
1. Mushroom Specie Selection
Like other plants, mushrooms also have some species; some are good to grow indoors, and some can’t grow indoors. Oysters, shiitake, white button, lion’s mane, maitake, and enoki are mushrooms that grow indoors.
This is the first thing you should consider before cultivating mushrooms. Making basics strong will help you in your growing journey.
2. Setup Grow Camp
Once you select your mushroom type, the next step is to set up your tent correctly. Various options for growing camps are available at different nurseries and plant shops.
You can select 2×2, 3×3, or 4×4 grow areas, but you have to choose according to the space available in your house. Set up your tent in a clean space with access to air.
3. Growth Medium
The growth medium is a material that plants need to grow effectively. This material provides nutrients and moisture to plants. Selecting the best-growing medium depends on different factors.
When you choose it in the context of a mushroom, then it depends on the species. Some recommended growing mushroom mediums are compost, sawdust, grains, and straw.
4. Light
People often say that a plant needs sunlight, and if you are growing it indoors, you have to compensate for it by using high-quality lights. But Mushrooms have a unique quality among plants in that they need low light and prefer darkness.
Try to use lights that don’t increase the temperature and have low-intensity light. You may not need extra light if you can select a space with ordinary light.
5. Temperature
Different species of mushrooms demand different temperatures to grow better. But mushrooms require 55F to 65F, and Oyster mushrooms require 65F to 75F. Maintaining temperature is necessary to grow mushrooms in good health.
6. Humidity
Humidity levels are also important. Experts say they vary from species to species, but 70% to 90% is generally recommended.
7. Ventilation and Cleaning
Due to the close space, the environment inside the grow setup is more likely to be congested. To tackle this, you need proper ventilation and air circulation inside the growing camp.
Exhaust fans are a good-to-go option for adequate ventilation. Along with ventilation, you must use hand gloves and sanitizer to keep the grow bed clean and safe for your plants.
8. Cutting and Maintenance
Cutting is crucial, and you must do it at the right time. Cutting mushrooms down is good practice when the caps open or close to open. Use quality tools like a sharp knife or scissors.
Qualities of a Grow Tent
When you go to the market to buy a mushroom tent, you must select one of the best setup kits. It will save you time and effort. Let’s discuss some qualities mushroom grow tent should have:
Looks of Your Tent
The tent’s structure means the material used in manufacturing it should be high-quality, like metal or plastic. It should also be easy to assemble and have clear instructions for setup. Gardners love to use a tent with four pillars because they provide support.
Pre-Connected Elements
These tents are not just a setup with fabric and some pillars; they consist of other components like zippers, cable ports, light ports, and ventilation space. Try to find a tent with these pre-attached components so you don’t have to make an extra effort to assemble them manually.
Easy Assembling and Instruction Manual
Some tents require professional tools, which an average person can’t do alone. Tool-free tents are easier to assemble; an average person can do it quickly. If you are considering mushroom tents, a tool-free tent with an assembling guide should be your priority.
Lightweight and Easy Opening
Another quality your growth tent should have is lightweight; some tents are heavy, and it’s hard for a person to move them from one place to another. Also, the need for cleanliness increases when you use a tent for too long. That’s why you select a tent with removable components; it makes cleaning more effective and easy.
How to Grow Mushrooms in a Mushroom Grow Tent?
Mushroom cultivation in a tent is relatively easy only when followed correctly. Here are the steps to follow in different types of mushroom grow tents:
- Clean the grow tent and equipment used in the whole process.
- Turn on the humidifier and heater to maintain the temperature and humidity levels of the tent.
- Place the mushroom-colonized substrate bags in the tent.
- Maintain the tent’s temperature, light, and humidity as required by growing species in the tent.
- Monitor the growth of the tent setup and mushrooms till their maximum growth.
Challenges of a Mushroom Tent Setup
As discussed above, mushroom tents have multiple benefits still; they have some negatives:
- Although made of suitable quality materials, they are less durable than expected.
- These tents break because of the heavyweight inside them.
- Chances of leakage around the zips and seams.
Conclusion
The mushroom grow tent is simple and customized. Its automated method provides optimal conditions for mushrooms to grow throughout the year. Tents are used mainly in urban areas for small-scale cultivation. A proper grow setup is necessary if you want your mushrooms to grow quickly and in good health.
A mushroom tent is better because it produces a large yield within a destined space. Above, we discuss everything a perfect growing kit has to maximize mushroom yield. Let us know in the comment section if you have any mushroom questions.
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