How To Grow Mushrooms In Coffee Grounds
You will need:
- used coffee grounds
- mushroom spawn with sawdust (oyster or shiitake)
- a bucket/container of 2 to 5 gallon
- spray bottle
- cellophane
How to do it
1. Fill the container with coffee grounds. Mark the amount you filled in, draw a line over the highest point of the layer of coffee grounds. Empty the container and set the coffee grounds back in their original packaging.
2. Drill a couple holes around the container, half-way between the line you just drew and the container edge. These openings will be utilized later to release CO2, since you’ll cover the highest point of container with punctured cellophane.
3. Fill the container with coffee grounds once more, and if they are dry, make sure to moist them. Break the mushroom spawn with sawdust into the bucket and mix this in coffee grounds on top one inch layer so that the spores circulate well.
4. Cover your container with a layer of cellophane. Poke a few holes in the cellophane with a pen for air. This will keep your mushrooms in fittingly moist condition and let the air in and out.
5. Keep this container in a dark corner of your home.
6. Remove the cellophane cover once every day to gently spray the coffee grounds with water. Put the cover back when you’re done.
After 15 to 20 days, the surface will begin to change and you will see white fixes everywhere.
When you see this, remove the cellophane layer and place your container in more light, a shady lit windowsill or less breezy corner in your home with some light is great. However, fluctuation in temperature will be detrimental, so the place should be warm and stable.
Try not to let the surface to dry out, spray with water twice a day. Mushrooms love moist and humid substrate. If you notice mold on your coffee grounds, spray less amount of water. You may also need to move it to a more cooler location. Mushrooms grow best when temperature ranges in 60 to 75 Fahrenheit (15 C – 23 C).
Within a week or so you’ll see small mushrooms developing and in a couple of more days, when these mushrooms will turn plump and their caps rotate upwards, you can collect them.
