7 Steps to Prep Your Grain Spawn - Mushroom Media Online (2024)

FAQs

How do you prepare grain for grain spawn? ›

Sterilize the grain: Rinse the grains and soak them in water overnight. Drain the water and fill the grains into jars or bags. Sterilize the grains in a pressure cooker or autoclave for at least 60 minutes at 15 PSI. We sell Small Autoclaves for Pressure Sterilizing grain spawn.

The first step to making grain spawn is to soak some cereal grain. Soak the grain by simply placing it in a bucket or bowl, covering in water, and leaving it for 12 -24 hours. If you leave the grain for too long, it will eventually sprout- so try not to soak it for more than 24 hours or so.

When ready, they should have no noticeable moisture on the outside of the grain. Pick up a handful of grains to test. They should be loose individuals kernels, dry on the outside, and swollen with water on the inside.

First, fill the jars with your grain and water mixture, but leave the lid slightly loose to allow steam to escape. Microwave on high for 10-15 minutes, or until the grain has been sterilized. Be sure to let the jars cool down before tightening the lid and inoculating.

In the spawn-production process, mycelium from a mushroom culture is placed onto steam-sterilized grain, and in time the mycelium completely grows through the grain. This grain/mycelium mixture is called spawn, and spawn is used to "seed" mushroom compost.

When making grain spawn, the gold standard has always been rye grain. And that makes sense. Rye is widely available, hydrates well- and is universally loved by almost any mushroom species.

Colonization occurs after inoculation. This is when the mycelium will start to take over the grain that was inoculated with spores. This period usually lasts between 3 to 6 weeks depending on strain and environmental conditions.

Mycelium growth can be sped up by optimizing certain conditions. Here are some key factors: 1. Temperature: The optimal temperature for mycelium growth is usually between 24-27°C.

The higher the inoculation rate or amount of spawn added to the substrate, the faster the mycelium will grow through the substrate. The substrate likely will not produce a larger amount of mushrooms, so a high inoculation rate means more money spent on spawn per pound of mushrooms.

What is the best temperature for mushroom grain spawn? ›

The ideal temperature for a spawn run depends on the type of mushroom, but it is generally between 23 and 28 Celsius (73 and 82 Fahrenheit).

In my experience, the large sized bags are by far the most useful. To give you an idea, a bag of size 8 inches wide by 5 inches deep by 18 inches tall will comfortably hold 5 lbs of supplemented sawdust and grain spawn.

Plain Grains, general directions

Cooking most grains is very similar to cooking rice. You put the dry grain in a pan with water or broth, bring it to a boil, then simmer until the liquid is absorbed. Pasta is generally cooked in a larger amount of water; the excess is drained away after cooking. Don't be intimidated!

Rye. Many people consider rye to be the best grain for mushroom spawn.