Fungi Nutrition

• Carbon (C)
o Required for cellular energy and to build cellular structures. Saprotrophic fungi
naturally obtain much of their C from the sugars (e.g. glucose) and amino acids derived
from the digestion of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin in plant matter.
• Nitrogen (N)
o N forms the backbone of the numerous enzymes that fungi produce to defend, digest,
and metabolize their substrates. Enzymes are a type of protein that accelerate and/or
catalyze chemical reactions; they are responsible for facilitating the vast majority of the
chemical-based functions of fungal growth and digestion. Without N, fungi cannot
perform these functions or form chitin. When the substrate runs out of N, the fungus
stops growing. To increase yields, cultivators intentionally add extra N to their
substrates, often in the form of wheat bran or manure, depending on the species being
worked with.
o Too much N can be counterproductive however as it can lead to abnormal growths,
cause contaminants to proliferate, or enable the mycelium to grow so fast that it
overheats in its container and kills itself.
▪ A concentration of 1-2% N is generally recommended for most substrate
formulas. The fruiting stage requires more N than the vegetative stage. Organic
forms of N, such as proteins and amino acids, are preferred.
▪ Some species can grow well with nitrates, though the growth of other species
can be inhibited by this nitrogen source.
▪ Some species can utilize ammonium.
▪ A species that can utilize nitrate can utilize ammonium and organic N.
▪ Species that can utilize ammonium can utilize organic N.
• Urea should only be used to feed N to hot compost piles (don’t pee on
your mushrooms).
• Oxygen (O)
o Mushrooms use oxygen in numerous cellular processes, including the production of
ergosterol.
▪ Oxygen is mainly supplied by carbohydrates, alcohols, amino acids, and other
natural compounds.
• Phosphorus (K)
o K is used in the production of ATP, nucleic acids, and cell membranes.
▪ It is required at around 10-3 M.
• Sulfur (S)
o Fungi need trace amounts of S to make the amino acids cysteine and methionine. This
can be provided in the form of biotin (vitamin B7) and thiamine (B1).
o Many fungi cannot synthesize these compounds; they need to be supplemented in
some form.
▪ It is required at around 10-4 M.
• Potassium (P)
o P is critical to certain enzymatic processes and fungal metabolism.
 ▪ It is required at around 10-3 M
o It also influences the osmotic potential of hyphae.
• Magnesium (Mg)
o Mg is critical to certain enzymatic processes as well, including the energy storage of ATP.
▪ It is required at around 10-3 M.
• Calcium (Ca)
o Ca is important for cellular regulation and the transport of various ions, sugars, and
amino acids across cell walls and throughout mycelium.
• Vitamins
o Fungi cannot produce as many vitamins as plants and need some supplementation of
these compounds, most notably the B vitamins.
o Thiamine is most commonly needed, generally at concentrations of 100 μg per liter.
Higher concentrations do not seem to produce an effect.
• Trace minerals
o Zinc (10-8 M)
o Copper (involved in laccase production, 10-6 M)
o Manganese (10-7 M)
o Iron (10-6 M)
o Molybdenum (?)

Source: Radical Mycology, A Treatise On Seeing & Working With Fungi; by Peter McCoy