This is a short listing of common supplies and equipment used in amateur mushroom
cultivation. Each entry includes a description of what the item is used for and
where it can be obtained. The list is broken down into sections based on different
stages in the cultivation process. Whenever an item's common (non-mushroom) use
seemed pertinent, it has been included.
It should be noted that almost any of these items can be obtained from several
of the Shroomery vendors. Some of the more specific
supplies not included on this list, such as those for culturing, will probably
need to be ordered from these suppliers.
- SpawnSubstrate
- Bulk Substrate
- Casing Materials
- Preservation
- Equipment
1. SpawnSubstrate
Brown Rice Flour - Used in cooking. Most common use in mushroom growing is as
a component in PF substrate. Available at healthfood stores.
WBS (Wild Bird Seed) - Grain substratespawn. Get a kind without fungicides
Walmart.
Millet - Grain substratespawn. Healthfood store.
Rye - see above.
Popcorn - not the microwave kind. grain spawn. Healthfood store.
Cracked Corn - Grain Substrate. Pet Store.
Rye Grass Seed - Possible grain spawn, good for growing sclerotia. Hardware
store.
Gypsum - This is the material drywall is made of. It helps prevent clumping
in grain substrates. You can get it at the hardware store.
Vermiculite - See Casing Materials.
2. Bulk Substrate
Straw - used mainly for crafts and for preventing erosion in newly seeded turf.
good as a bulk substrate. You want straw, not hay. Straw is resilient and golden
in color. Hay is wimpy and grayishgreen. Sometimes straw is advertized as hay.
Can be found at feed stores, farm co-ops, gardening stores, and some craft stores.
Manure - used as a fertilizer or for composting. The older the better for substrate.
Get it from a farm, stables, hardware store, gardening store, or horse trail.
Compost - Not all composts work well for mushroom growing. This one does: High
Mountain Compost.
3. Casing Materials
Coco Coir - Specially prepared coconut fiber used in water retention for potting
soil mixes and as reptile bedding. good casing mix component. Comes in brick
form and can be found at pet stores by the trade name Bed-A-Beast.
Peat Moss - Used in water retention for soil mixes and mushroom casings. Can
be found at hardware stores and garden centers.
Vermiculite - Used in water retention for soil mixes and mushroom casings, as
well as a component in PF substrate. Can be found at hardware stores and garden
centers. It is not illegal or carcinogenic, despite what some may tell you.
Crushed Oyster Shell - Used as a calcium supplement for birds. Good as a slow-release
pH buffer in casings. Can be found at the pet store.
Limestone flour (Calcium carbonate, CaCO3, chalk (NOT blackboard chalk!)
Acts as a buffer agent in the casing formulation, rises the pH. . Used as feed
supplement for cows and horses.
Hydrated Lime - Adjusting soil pH. Used as a faster-acting pH adjuster for
casings. Hardware store or garden center.
For details on casing ingredients check this
faq.
4. Preservation
Damprid - Used in lowering humidity. Can be found in hardware stores (paint
section) or Walmart.
Silica Gel - Used for lowering humidity or as cat litter. Can be found in hardware
stores or walmart. Crystal cat litter is usually indicating silica gel. Check
the ingredients.
5. Equipment
Pressure Cooker - Cooking or canning food. Needed for sterilizing grain substrates.
Available at Walmart and from several Shroomery vendors.
Meat Thermometer - Pasteurizing bulk substrates. You can get one at the grocery
store or at Walmart.
Canning Jars - Some grocery stores. Walmart.
Polyfill - Stuffing in pillows, stuffed toys. Used for making filters on substrate
jars. Craft store.
Tyvek - Used in envelopes or building siding. Good for filters on jars. Post
office, office supply store, hardware store.
Isopropyl Alcohol - drugstore.
Hydrogen Peroxide - drugstore.
Bleach - 1:10 with water makes a cheap and effective sanitizer. You can get
it anywhere.
Final Note: Most of these items can be acquired between Walmart, grocery stores,
hardware stores, drug stores, and garden centers. Those that cannot can be obtained
from several Shroomery vendors.
