Substrate (Mushroom Growing)
Substrate (Mushroom Growing)
The organic material (straw, sawdust, coffee grounds) that mushrooms grow on inside a bucket or container.
In mushroom cultivation, substrate is the nutrient-rich organic material that provides food and structure for mycelium growth and mushroom fruiting. Common substrates for bucket growing include pasteurized straw, hardwood sawdust, coffee grounds, and cardboard. The substrate is typically pasteurized (heated to 160-180°F for 1-2 hours) to kill competing organisms, then cooled and mixed with mushroom grain spawn inside a 5-gallon bucket with drilled holes. Oyster mushrooms are the easiest species to grow in buckets, producing 2-5 lbs of mushrooms per flush.