Extension Communications 3614 Administrative Services Building Ames, Iowa 50011-3614 (515) 294-9915

11/24/03

Contacts:
Barbara Ambruzs, Plant Pathology, (515) 294-1741, ambruzsb@iastate.edu
Jean McGuire, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515) 294-7033, jmcguire@iastate.edu

Yard and Garden Column for the Week Beginning Nov. 28

How Does Your Mushroom Garden Grow?

By Barbara Ambruzs
Extension Plant Pathologist
Iowa State University Extension

If you're the type of person who likes to sit around and watch the grass grow during the summer, you might get a kick out of growing your own mushrooms this winter. Generally, this project is fairly simple. But, it's almost like having a pet dog at home, since mushrooms need attention about two or three times a day. Did you know that mushrooms are more closely related to dogs than to plants?

An easy way to get started is to buy a mushroom growing kit. The kits include a hunk of some sort of wood product, either pressed sawdust or a log, that's laced with spawn (fungal threads used to start mushroom beds). A plastic bag may be included, as well. Your task will be to soak the wood and spawn for a period of time, cover it with the plastic bag, and keep it moist for several weeks by spraying it with spring water. Don't plan to take any long trips during this time, unless you have a really reliable friend who'll take care of your silent, sedentary pet. If you ever wondered how those little buttons suddenly appear, seemingly overnight, here's your chance to watch this miracle.

The kits cost about $20 to $35, and usually two or three rounds of mushrooms can be harvested from one chunk of wood. The second batch is usually more prolific than the first. Shiitake (Lentulina edodes), oyster (Pleurotus spp.) and Enokitake (Flammulina velutipes) are a few of the more common choices. These mushrooms are considered safe to eat, but a few people may have allergic reactions to them.

Shiitake, also known as the "black mushroom," is commonly used in Asian cooking. It can be found fresh or dried in many grocery stores or specialty shops. It's not found in nature in the United States, but many people cultivate this mushroom commercially outdoors, so it's possible this fungus will eventually become a part of our landscape.

For thousands of years this tasty mushroom was used medicinally. Studies are currently being conducted to determine its effects on tumors, viruses, high cholesterol and other ailments.

Oyster mushrooms can be found just about anywhere in the United States. This fungus helps to decompose dead and dying elm, oak and sycamore trees. Oyster mushrooms tend to be pale in color, creamy white or light gray, for example. They are shelf-like in shape instead of the typical button shape of most supermarket mushrooms. For centuries, people have used this mild-tasting mushroom for its health benefits. It's thought to improve cardio-vascular health, fight tumors and boost the immune system.

Enokitake or Enoki is also known as the "winter mushroom" since it fruits outdoors during the winter, as well as other seasons. It also decays dead and dying wood, similar to oyster mushrooms. But Enoki mushrooms look very different from oyster mushrooms since they have a central stem and a typical cap. Another name for Enoki is "velvet foot" because the lower part of the stem is dark and velvety. Cultivated versions of this mushroom have long, skinny stems and tiny caps, both of which are almost white. In nature, though, Enoki tends to be brownish. Enoki is thought to be good for liver health and, like Shiitake and oyster mushrooms, supposedly promotes immune system health and fights tumors.

The following companies and others sell kits for growing mushrooms at home.

Fungi Perfecti, http://www.fungi.com
Fungus Among Us, Inc., http://www.fungusamongus.com/index.htm
Mushroompeople, http://www.mushroompeople.com/cat2000/frames.html

Many beautiful mushrooms exist, including ones that look like little orange cups, yellow gumdrop shapes, red discs with eyelashes around the edges and dozens more. If you are interested in learning more about mushrooms, several wonderful books are available.

"Mushrooms Demystified," by David Arora, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, Calif.
"All That the Rain Promises and More," by David Arora, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, Calif.
"Mushrooms of North America," by Orson Miller, Chanticleer Press, New York, N.Y.
"Mushrooms and Other Fungi of the Midcontinental United States," by D.M. Huffman, L.H. Tiffany and G. Knaphus, Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa.

If you decide to grow your own mushrooms, you may find that it's not really like watching the grass grow, but instead like witnessing the blooming of a summer rose.

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ml: isugarden

Editors: A color photo, suitable for publication, is available at right. Click on the thumbnail photo to go to the fullsized photo. The fullsize photo is 192K. Caption: A plate of shiitake mushrooms from a mushroom-growing kit

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