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Southwest Mushrooms
148 members • $39/month
6 contributions to Southwest Mushrooms
8d •
Why Oyster Mushrooms Should Be Your First Species
I've helped thousands of growers get started, and my answer is always the same: start with oyster mushrooms. Here's why. Speed. 10 days from inoculation to harvest. That's it. Compare that to shiitake (60-120 days) or lion's mane (21-28 days). With oysters, you get feedback fast. If your technique is off, you know in 10 days, not 3 months. Aggression. Oyster mycelium colonizes substrate faster than most contaminants can establish. A slight sterility lapse that would doom a shiitake block? The oyster mycelium often outcompetes it. You'll still get mushrooms. Yields. 150-200% biological efficiency is standard. A 5-pound block produces 7.5-10 pounds of fresh mushrooms over 2-3 flushes. Versatility. You can grow oysters on hardwood sawdust, straw, coffee grounds, cardboard, and almost any agricultural waste. Simple pasteurization is all that's needed. Market appeal. Blue, pearl, pink, gold, elm. Colored oyster mushrooms sell themselves at farmers markets. Customers see bright pink or golden clusters and they have to try them. If you're just starting out, begin with blue oysters. They're the most forgiving, have the longest shelf life (10-14 days refrigerated), and fruit at a wide temperature range. Drop any oyster mushroom questions below. I'll answer every one.
1 like • 6d
One downside to oysters that I have found if you're fruiting outdoors is oyster loving beatles. They'll burrow in and lay eggs and ruin your day. I started off fruiting in a greenhouse that wasn't completely sealed off and the beatles sealed the fate of that operation. They even got into the lions mane.
2 likes • 6d
@Elijah Woods tiny shiny black and red beatles here in western North Carolina. Can't recall the species...
7d •
What Species Do You Want to Try Next?
Curious what's on everyone's wish list. Beyond the usual oysters and shiitake, there's a whole world of species worth exploring: - Chestnut (Pholiota adiposa) -- incredible flavor, barely anyone grows them commercially - - Pioppino (Agrocybe aegerita) -- firm texture, nutty flavor, sells out at every market - - King trumpet (Pleurotus eryngii) -- thick stems that sear beautifully - - Maitake (Grifola frondosa) -- challenging but premium pricing - - Nameko (Pholiota nameko) -- huge in Japanese cuisine What are you growing now, and what's the next species you want to tackle? If you're thinking about a specific species and want to know if it's realistic for your setup, ask here.
1 like • 6d
Never been able to dial in G frondosa
Jan 10 •
Your project?
What are you planning to grow? How big (or small) are your mushroom growing plans?
1 like • Jan 21
@Ray Lanier Been trying on and off for years. Everybody likes maitake. I grew my first blobitake around 2019 from a LC I purchased from I don't remember where. Since then I have cloned a couple of different specimens that I found in health food stores which result in fully colonized substrate, and the mycelium grows up the sides of my 10 lb bags but never really fruits, even after up to a year in colonization. I'm thinking that I maybe just need a different culture.
1 like • Jan 21
@Elijah Woods All the old blocks went into the vegetable garden with no further development.
Dec '25 •
Fogger
Is House of Hydro still the way to go? My 12 disk xl transducer has slowly been biting the dust. Don't think I want to go the air compresser method. Thanks in advance for your humble opinion.
1 like • Dec '25
@Elijah Woods Thanks, Elijah - good suggestion
1 like • Jan 2
@Elijah Woods it's fun to tap them when they're running
Dec '25 •
Spawn Bag Innoculation
I have one of the midwest spawn bags, when inoculating do you open the bag up or leave it as is?
2 likes • Dec '25
Looks like an injection port for lc on the bag so no need to open unless inoculating with agar.
1-6 of 6
Active 2d ago
Joined Dec 20, 2025
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