Cultivating mushrooms with the intention of distributing them is something that has

interested me for quite some time. I plan to cultivate mushrooms with the intent of
selling them in the spring. Research into the topic of mycology and the commercial
selling of mushrooms is necessary for me to run a profitable mushroom business.

My research for cultivating mushrooms in the spring

1. Introduction
a. The cultivation of mushrooms is something that has been practised for
many years. A Chinese classical text shows that people cultivated
mushrooms during the Han Dynasty[1]. The Iroquois extensively used
mushrooms for both sustenance and medicinal purposes[2]. As we can
see, humans have been medicinally using mushrooms and cultivating
them for many years. It goes to show that mushrooms have had some sort
of benefit to humanity if they have stuck around this long in our society.
2. Body
a. What resources can I use to research mushrooms?​1
i. Many forums exist that research the topic of mushrooms.
1. In this day and age, internet forums are a crucial asset in an
individual's researching journey. There exist thousands of
forums on the internet with tons of useful advice.
Shroomery[3] is one of the most popular and most valuable
forums for the topic of mycology that I could find. A large
portion of the website is focused on the growing of
mushrooms containing the schedule-III chemical psilocybin.
The website, though focused on magic mushrooms, includes
a lot of information for beginners and advanced cultivators of
mushrooms. The website also hosts an excellent section on
general cultivation for beginners.
2. The internet houses a surprisingly large amount of forums on
the topic of mycology. Mycotopia[4] seems to be another one
of the more prominent mycology forums, though not as
active it seems to have a large and dedicated number of
posters. These forums are very focused on magic
1
​Attempt to self evaluate the information you find on these information hubs. One must always be weary
of information that one acquires on the internet. I think this relates to a quote by Richard Feynman
“Science is a way of trying not to fool yourself. The principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are
the easiest person to fool.” You must always search for sources on the information and try to see if it
agrees with the information of others. ​Not very many studies have been done on the topic of mushroom
growing, so using information from reputable users on forums is the best option.
 mushroom, which is a shame, thankfully a lot of the
information can be applied to regular mushrooms as well.
Mycotopia offers a section for gardening as well.
ii. Numerous youtube channels exist that research mushrooms.
1. The medium of videos as a form of media distribution is a
valuable invention, and, of course, houses mycology
youtube channels for consumption by individuals. A channel
called home mycology[5] houses a selection of videos on the
topic of mycology, though just like the forums, he has a large
number of videos on the growing of illicit mushrooms and
also has videos on separate issues altogether. This channel
is quite useful for beginners if they avoid the videos that
stray off the topic of growing legal mushrooms. The channel
has an extensive selection of videos on a variety of issues
surrounding mycology that might come in useful for a
newcomer to the subject matter of mycology.
2. A channel called Learn Your Land[6] focuses on topics
surrounding nature. The channel’s about section states
​ earn  Your  Land  is  an  advertisement-free  media  channel, 
“L
helping  you  improve  your  nature  skills  one  species  at  a 
time.”[7]  ​This  channel’s  content  is  about  75%~  mycology, so 
I  would  consider  it  to  be  a  mycology  youtube  channel.  It 
doesn’t  cover  the  growing  process  as  much  as  it  covers 
foraging  for  mushrooms  and  the  identification  of 
mushrooms.  The  channel  is quite large and seems to upload 
at  a  semi-regular  pace.  This  channel  is  good  for  someone 
who  wants  to  learn  specifically  about  the  foraging  aspect of 
mycology.  
 
b. What types of mushrooms are profitable and viable for a newcomer to the
commercial growing of mushrooms?
i. What are viable and profitable mushrooms for commercial
cultivation?
1. A viable mushroom for commercial growth in today’s
economy is the Lentinus edodes (shiitake). The shiitake
mushroom is native to East Asia, but is commonly cultivated
and consumed in North America. Retail stores commonly
pay $5.50 to $11 per pound for fresh log-grown shiitakes and
chefs commonly pay $5.50 to $16 per pound of fresh log
grown shiitakes[8]. The quantity of mushrooms produced by
 each log is highly variable, and is not a static number.
Growing the shiitake can be a very easy task depending on
what technique you use to grow them. The shiitake has
numerous health benefits and can positively affect
cancers[9], these health benefits can be exploited for
marketing purposes.
2. Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster) is a commonly cultivated
mushroom in the commercial mushroom cultivation industry.
The price of Oyster mushrooms per lbs in Canada has
stayed around $20 for many years[10]. Oyster mushrooms
tend to hover around the same price as shiitake mushrooms
in the wholesale market[11]. Individuals who grow oyster
mushrooms in a 100 square foot room tend to average
around 2400 pounds per year; this means that at a sale price
of $10, you could make $2400[11]. These are reasonable
prices, but I have found that people prefer shiitake
mushrooms over oyster mushrooms. The preferential
treatment of shiitakes over oyster is due in part to shiitake
mushrooms being well known. The oyster mushroom shares
many common medicinal properties to the shiitake
mushroom; oyster mushrooms have been shown to have
antitumor properties.
ii. Why I decided to choose the shiitake over the oyster mushroom for
growing.
1. Though oyster mushrooms are much the same as shiitakes
in many aspects, they are most certainly not as well known. I
believe that shiitake mushrooms will be significantly easier to
sell than oyster mushrooms. The fame of the shiitake
contributes to the amount of research that has been done
into commercially growing it. I believe that individuals will be
much more likely to choose a shiitake over an oyster
mushroom in stores. Theories such as these will be tested
during the second phase of this personal project that will
occur in the spring.
2. Price is a significant factor in the commercial growth of
mushrooms. The shiitake mushroom and oyster mushroom
have similar production levels every season depending on
your method of growing. However, they share a similarity in
production levels; they do not share the same price. The
average price for large growers are $4.44 per pound for
 shiitake and $3.13 per pound for oyster mushrooms[12]. A
price difference of $1.31 does not seem like a lot, but it
would add up for a large amount of crops. The average
prices would have to be undercut to stay competitive, so the
difference in price would be even worse. Smaller businesses
will most likely not be able to compete in the large market
and will have to start at a local Farmer’s market. Prices per
pound of shiitakes range from $8 per pound to $15 per
pound[13]. Throughout the rest of this text, I will write as if I
am going to choose the shiitake mushroom.

c. How does one grow shiitake mushrooms and what methods should one
use?
i. What are commonly used methods for growing shiitake
mushrooms?
1. During my research on forums, I have seen many mentions
of a method in which you inoculate a log with the mushroom
variety of your choice. There are two different ways to
inoculate the logs, one method is the use of sawdust to
inoculate them and the other is to use plugs that contain
spores to inoculate them. These two different ways seem to
be pretty much the same, but henceforth I will only speak
about plug spawning because it is more convenient for me. I
discovered a website for purchasing these plugs for
inoculation logs, it goes by the name of ​“Fungi Perfecti”.
Fungi Perfecti is selling shiitake plug spawn for $14.95 per
100 plugs, though they state that this number is an
approximation. 100 plugs can inoculate, approximately, 3-4
logs[14], this means that each log costs about $3.7 to
inoculate​2​. The process of actually inoculating the logs is
objectively easy. The process starts with selecting a log, red
alder is a convenient option for me because of its abundance
on the west coast of BC. According to an interesting article,
one should cut down trees in the late winter because their
sugar content is the highest during the winter and their bark
stays on longer[15]. Some equipment is needed to do plug

2
I found this out by using math. The equation is as follows, 100 / 4 = 25, 14.95 / 100 = 0.1495, .1495 x 25
= 3.7375. I then rounded 3.7375 to $3.7. I based this equation off of the sole price alone and did not
account for shipping or taxes. I did not account for these things because they vary from place to place. I
decided to base the equation off the objective fact that 4 logs can be inoculated with 100 plugs.
 spawning but this is going to be the case for growing
mushrooms generally. The article that I quoted a while ago
states that the logs should be cut into 3 or 4ft lengths so that
they are easier to handle[15]. I think that 4ft lengths would
suit me best because of the dimensions of the room that I
intend to grow the mushrooms in. Fungi Perfecti houses a
good guide on how to inoculate our logs. The Fungi Perfecti
article states that Holes should be drilled every 3-4 inches
along the length of our log, it also states that I will need a
5/16” drill bit for drilling these holes[16]. A spawn plug should
be inserted into each of the holes, it should be tapped into
the hole with a rubber mallet[16]. The holes should then be
sealed with wax and given a place to incubate[16]. The FAQ
section says that I should watch for mushrooms in the spring
or fall once the logs are colonised[16].
2. While researching the log spawning method, I discovered a
method called shiitake bag cultivation. This method is much
more complicated and expensive than log spawning
mushrooms. The method makes up for its disadvantages by
being much more profitable. An article that outlines the
method stated ​“The major advantages of producing shiitake
on sawdust bags compared with producing shiitake on
natural logs are: consistent market supply through
year-round production, increased yields, and decreased time
require completing a crop cycle. The cycle for supplemented
sawdust block cultivation lasts approximately 3 months from
time of inoculation to cleanout.[17]” These benefits are quite
large and do provide a case for this method to be superior to
the method of natural log spawning, but the startup costs will
be considerably higher and I do not have a huge amount of
starting money, I will explain the method nonetheless. The
first step in this method is to prepare your substrate​3​. This
substrate will be used to fruit our mushrooms. Over the
years, many different formulations have been developed for
this method of growing. The standard formula used in the
United States Of America is 80% hardwood sawdust, red
alder in our case, 10% bran and 10% grain(usually wheat or
millet)[19]. All of these components can be relatively easily
found, though some people may have trouble finding

3
Merriam-Webster defines “substrate” as “​the base on which an organism lives”​
 sawdust. I intend to purchase sawdust from a very local
seller who recently started producing sawdust. After these
components have been gathered, they will need to be mixed,
this is where the next step begins. Mixing these components
together can be done by hand, but I will be using a cement
mixer because it is more efficient. The ingredients should be
mixed thoroughly while dry ; then you will have to add water
to bring the moisture content​4 in the substrate to a desirable
level[19]. The proper moisture content for shiitake
mushrooms ranges from 55%-68%[19]. The next step in this
procedure is to bag the substrate that we just created. The
bags are usually made out of some form of plastic, this
plastic is usually polypropylene[19]. Polypropylene can
withstand temperatures up to 140 celsius[20], which makes it
easy to work with during sterilization. An issue with
polypropylene bags is that they are not breathable and thus
need some way to get air inside of them. This can be
remedied by the fact that one can buy bags with small air
patches on them that allow air to get in and stop bacteria
from contaminating the substrate. One can even purchase
patches and create their own bags with the help of heat
welding. The bags, after they are made, will need to be filled
with the substrate. The substrate should be compressed, this
leads to an increase in density and an increase in yields[19].
These bags should now be finished and ready to be
sterilized. Sterilization is an important step and you cannot
go without it. Most people who conduct their cultivation on a
small scale tend to use pressure cookers to sterilize their
bags. Using pressure cookers for sterilization is an excellent
idea, but it can be time consuming. Individuals usually put
large 5 pound bags in pressure cookers for 120 minutes at
15 PSI[21]. I intend to use this process for the beginning of
my operation, later on I will use a larger kind of the same
process. This sterilized bag must now be inoculated with
shiitake spawn. The way that I previously created this spawn
was by colonizing a grain filled bag with mushroom spores
via a needle. Sterilized bags filled with grain can be
purchased online and will be ready for the introduction of

4
A definition of moisture content is provided in a handbook for growing shiitake mushrooms, “Moisture
content is the amount of water in an object expressed as a percentage of the total weight.[19]”
 spores into them immediately. Once the bag and needle
have been acquired, one must sterilize the tip of the needle
with a flame for 10 seconds. This sterilization should be
followed with pushing the needle through the self sealing
black path that comes with all grain bags and then injecting
all of the syringes contents into the grain​5​. The bag should
then be squeezed to get the grain all loose, this will allow the
spores to colonize better. After about two weeks you will see
that the bag has been fully colonized, you will be able to tell
from the fact that the grain has turned completely white with
the spores. The colonized spawn should then be added to
the substrate bag, this is a complicated process and must be
done with care so that no contaminants get in the bag while
you are putting spawn into it. The introduction of
contaminants is reduced by making slow and careful
movements attempting to not move very much air. A laminar
flow hood can be used to reduce contaminants, but these
can be very expensive and difficult to set up. A waiting
period will occur after the spawn has been dumped into the
bag. Temperatures should be kept at about 25 celsius
because this is the optimal temperature[19]. Digestion of the
substrate and colonization of the substrate by the spawn will
occur after it has been put in. The mushrooms will start
pinning out of the top of the substrate after about 2 weeks.
The bag should be carefully checked everyday for
contamination. Contamination is usually decently obvious
and does not look like anything normal.If anything unusual is
seen, you should immediately take a photo of the affected
area and ask for advice on shroomery. The people on
shroomery are very dedicated mycologists and can give
specific advice on how to deal with your kind of
contamination. This concludes the basic outline of spawning
mushrooms in a sawdust bag. Thousands of variations of
this method exist and they are all equally as good. This
method is incredibly complex and the reading of books on
the topic is necessary in order to properly understand it. Paul
Stamets wrote a book called “Growing Gourmet and
Medicinal Mushrooms”, I would highly recommend this book
as it contains a large amount of useful knowledge. The book

5
It is also possible to inoculate two grain bags by using only half of the liquid in the syringe for each.
 called “Shiitake growers handbook: The Art and Science of
Mushroom Cultivation” is also a great piece for any grower.
ii. Why I decided to choose log spawning mushrooms instead of using
the bag spawning method
1. Simplicity is very important in growing mushrooms and I
believe that simplicity lies with the log spawning method.
From my writing alone one can notice how much more
complicated the method of growing in bags can be
compared to the log. A large amount of the simplicity of
growing in logs comes from the fact that logs provide a
natural protection barrier from contaminants. Simplicity is not
the only factor that comes into play. Money is always
something that one must take into consideration and I most
certainly have. The price of growing mushrooms in logs is
much less than the price of doing the bag spawning method.
Bag spawning is something suited for larger growers, and is
not made for growers like me who are just starting in the
mushroom growing business. The reliance on outside
sources for materials with the bag spawning method makes
me fearful of using it. Having to purchase all of your
materials from outside sources and not being able to
manufacture them yourself is a liability in business. These
sources could easily decide that they do not want your
business and prohibit you from purchasing their products.
Very few purchases from outside sources must be done with
the log spawning method, and one can theoretically make
their own plugs for spawning in logs. These reasons that I
have provided for the use of log spawning over bag
spawning are very large and cannot be overlooked.
2. Growing mushrooms using the bag spawning method does
have its own benefits. The bag spawning method has a
much higher yield compared to the log spawning method.
Not only is the yield higher but you will get more yields per
year with the bag spawning method. Bag spawning
mushrooms will become more viable for me when I gain a
little bit of money from log spawning. The bag spawning
method is far superior to log spawning if you have the money
to do it. Sourcing resources can be a challenge, but I believe
that it is possible to reuse a lot of the materials. The reuse of
materials would render my complaint of reliance on outside
 sources less meaningful. Reduction of time with the bag
spawning method can make it easier to create a stable
relationship with larger stores that sell mushrooms in bulk. It
would increase profit margins quite a bit if you were able to
sell mushrooms to a larger store all year.
3. Conclusion
I set out to teach myself how to grow mushrooms as a preparation for
when I start commercially selling them in spring. This goal has most certainly been
achieved, and I believe that I now hold the knowledge to start up a commercial and
profitable mushroom business. In conclusion, I will begin by growing shiitake
mushrooms using the log spawning method and later on I will use the bag spawning
method.

4. References
1. ​Di L. Ancient Chinese People's Knowledge of Macrofungi during the Period
from 220 to 589. East Asian Science, Technology, and Medicine. 2013 Jan 1:36-68.
2. ​Arnason T, Hebda RJ, Johns T. Use of plants for food and medicine by Native
Peoples of eastern Canada. Canadian Journal of Botany. 1981 Nov 1;59(11):2189-325.
3. ​https://www.shroomery.org/13864/General-Cultivation
4. ​https://mycotopia.net/
5. ​https://www.youtube.com/c/HomeMycology
6. ​https://www.youtube.com/c/LearnYourLand
7. ​https://www.youtube.com/c/LearnYourLand/about
8. ​Gold MA, Cernusca MM, Godsey LD. A competitive market analysis of the
United States shiitake mushroom marketplace. HortTechnology. 2008 Jan
1;18(3):489-99.
9. Jong SC, Birmingham JM. Medicinal and therapeutic value of the shiitake
mushroom. InAdvances in applied microbiology 1993 Jan 1 (Vol. 39, pp. 153-184).
Academic Press.
10. ​https://www.tridge.com/products/oyster-mushroom/prices/CA
11. ​2 Most Profitable Mushrooms For Part-Time Growers
12. Kaiser, C. and M. Ernst. (2019). Shiitake and Oyster Mushrooms.
CCD-CP-82. Lexington, KY: Center for Crop Diversification, University of Kentucky
College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Available: http://www.uky.edu/ccd/
sites/​www.uky.edu.ccd/files/mushrooms.pdf
13. ​Shiitake Mushroom Marketing Guide
14. ​Plug amount per log
 15. ​Mushroom guide
16. ​Explanation of inoculation process
17. ​Shiitake Bag Cultivation in the U.S.
18. ​“Substrate.” ​Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary​, Merriam-Webster,
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/substrate. Accessed 24 Dec. 2020.
19. P​ rzybylowicz P, Donoghue J. Shiitake growers handbook: the art and science of mushroom
cultivation. KENDALL/HUNT PUBLISHING COMPANY,; 1990.
20. ​Esthappan SK, Kuttappan SK, Joseph R. Thermal and mechanical properties of
polypropylene/titanium dioxide nanocomposite fibers. Materials & Design. 2012 May 1;37:537-42.
21. ​Sterilization pressure cooker info