There are various types of substrates which are used in mushroom growing, including:
- Mushroom compost, which is sterilised (unused and pasteurised)
- Horse manure, which is straw-rich
- Saturated straw
- Spent mushroom compost and old straw
- Logs and stumps
- Sawdust, especially poplar sawdust; this is ideal for Agrocybe cylindracea
- Bundles of twigs 20 to 30 cm thick which are well moistened
- Chopped straw and sawdust; this is particularly good for Lepista nuda
- Wood chips (70%) and rice bran (30%); suitable for Flammulina velutipes
- Pasteurised straw, sawdust and barley chaff to a pH of 5.5
- Straw (30%), wood chips (60%) and soybean meal (10%); this is ideal for Lentinus edodes
- Burnt ground during the late winter/early spring stimulates morels to fruit
Thanks to Clifford Davy of Forest Foragers.
