STARTER OYSTER MUSHROOM GROW KIT                                                                                   Oyster mushrooms are one of the most common types of cultivated mushrooms in the world. They are loved for their delicate texture and mild, savoury flavour. It takes little preparation time since they can be used whole or chopped. They are rich in Vitamin C and B complex and has most of the mineral salts required by the human body.

Grow kit @ only  R 100.00 Excl. transport  

Replacement Oyster log @ only R 35.00 Excl. transport

The grow kit was developed to enable customers to grow, eat and enjoy fresh oyster mushrooms in the comfort of their homes at an Affordable price.

Our grow system allows the customer to buy a once off grow kit, and then to replace the mushroom grow log once it is spent with a new log at half the cost. This means exotic oyster mushrooms at approximately half the cost of button mushrooms. The cost saving is by no means the only benefit as you also experience the personal satisfaction of watching your mushrooms grow.

THE STARTER GROW KIT INCLUDES:

 Oyster log, Growing instructions and Humidity bucket.                                                              

Growing Instructions

The four elements discussed below will ensure that you get the most from your mushroom log:

Air- Cut 1 slit (1.5cm in length) next to the green dot on the log. Place the log in the humidity bucket. It must be placed at the side of the bucket with the green dot facing the centre of the bucket and its backside facing the sticker on the bucket. Good movement of air is important for healthy mushroom growth. You will soon see if your mushrooms aren't getting enough air - they will develop long spindly stems and small caps. Do not obstruct or place items before the air holes of the humidity bucket, as it will block air flow. Ensure that the bucket is placed in an area where there is air movement. Do not place in direct wind as this will lower humidity in the bucket. 

Light- Oyster mushrooms need light to grow. Place the grow kit in a well-lit area- but not direct sunlight! The rule of thumb is that if there is enough light for you to read in, there is enough light for your mushrooms to grow.

Temperature- The temperature parameters for growing your mushrooms is between 10-25 degrees. It will do much better in cooler temperatures than in hot temperatures. Placing the water spray bottle in the fridge will help to keep the log cool when spraying.

Water- Pour +- 2 cm water into the bottom of the bucket. Also spray the inside of the humidity bucket and surface of the log with water, 2-3 times a day. The water in the bottom of the bucket will evaporate cooling the log down as well as increasing and maintaining humidity in the bucket.

First growth should appear between 7 to 10 days after starting the growing process.      

Harvesting Your Mushrooms

Pick the mushrooms while the edges of the caps are still curled down. As soon as you see leaves curling upwards harvest immediately. If you leave the mushrooms to grow too big and the edges curl upwards, you may end up with poor quality mushrooms and fewer mushrooms on the next growth cycle.                                                                

Pick all the mushrooms at the same time by twisting them off at the base. Be careful not to pull out the substrate. DO NOT cut the mushrooms off at the base, this will make the stump rot - a rotten stump means fewer mushrooms on your next harvest.

Once you have picked your first harvest, keep on watering your mushroom log. You should be able to harvest up to 3 times. (The cycle time between harvest is 14 to 21 days). Your most successful crops are usually the 1st and 2nd harvest because this is when there is the most nutrients for the mushrooms to feed off.

From the time your mushrooms start growing, they should double in size every day. They will be ready to pick after about a week.

From start to harvest it generally takes between 14-21 days

Before you harvest the third flush purchase a new log to start the process again to enjoy, eat and harvest your own home grown mushrooms: REMEMBER you only need a log and not the starter kit to start the new process. If you want fresh mushrooms every week you will have to buy additional humidity buckets and logs.

Disposing of your kit:
The mushroom log is RECYCLABLE! When your mushroom log has finally exhausted itself, remove the plastic bag and enrich your compost with the mushroom log.