Growing mushrooms on straw is one of the easiest and most effective ways to grow oyster mushrooms (for other types of table mushrooms please see other parts of our Instructions pages).

You will need the following items:

Straw

A container that can hold hot water and is big enough to hold the amount of straw you would like to pasteurize

A fruiting case/container - most of the time it is a poly tube. However, you can use buckets, totes, laundry baskets, etc. 

Oyster Mushroom Spawn (we do not recommend growing other mushrooms on straw).  

Step 1.      Start by pasteurizing the straw, which has been pre-cut into 1-3” pieces. Soak the straw in a hot water bath for 1.5 hours at 150-185 F. Make sure that you start the time after the water has already reached pasteurization temperature.

Step 2.      Remove the straw from the hot water bath and allow it to drain for 10-20 minutes. The straw should be moist, but not dripping wet.

Step 3.      Spread the straw out on a clean surface to allow it to cool. Adding the spawn to hot straw can kill the spawn.

Step 4.      Once the straw is cool to the touch, add your spawn! Go for a 10-20% ratio, ie. if you are inoculating 10 lbs of substrate, use 1-2 lbs of spawn. This is probably higher than required but helps increase your chances of success.

Step 5.      Pack your straw and spawn into a poly tubing log.

Step 6.      Cut holes in the bag to allow air so the spawn can breath. Place your log in a grow room, or similarly cool and humid environment. The mycelium will colonize the log, and eventually mushrooms will grow through the holes.

The process of colonization usually takes about 3 weeks. After that time, you should start seeing small pins forming near the air holes.