Substrate formula for mushroom cultivation

mushroom substrate formula

This formula will apply to creating a substrate for cultivating Saprophytic mushrooms.

Dry mix your ingredients first to get an even spread of all the added nutrients and moisture.

  • 10 kg Wood shavings/chips
  • 1 kg Bran
  • 100 gr Gypsum

(Optional) Supplement with:

  • 100 – 500 Cotton seed waste or Sunflower seed waste
  • 50gr Molasses to 5L water (for shiitake)
  • 100g *Lucerne powder

Mix in about 8L of Rain Water – There must be no visible water collected in the base of your mixing bucket, and the substrate must not feel wet. I like to leave my substrate for an hour or two before bagging, to allow proper dispersion of the moisture. If I find any watery bits of substrate at the time of bagging, I add more wood shavings and mix it again until it feels right to the touch.

For Oyster Mushrooms you can add chipped straw, chipped sunflower stalks, corn cobs, and various other farm or garden waste products.

*Lucerne is very high in nitrogen, the more you add the more chances you will have of heat spikes and contamination. Use sparingly as a supplement.

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