Growing mushrooms with coffee grounds: can you plant mushrooms with the stems stuck into coffee grounds?

Do you know how to grow mushrooms with coffee grounds? Let's find out below. First, you need to prepare the spawn you want to grow, then find the coffee grounds you need. Now let's take a look at how to grow them.

1. Fill the bag or container to 2/3 full, and the coffee grounds should ideally be fresh from the same day. Try to use them within 24 hours. After bringing them home, measure out 2.5KG of coffee grounds and put them into a clean mixing bowl.

2. Wash your hands thoroughly, then mix the mycelium into the bowl and blend them evenly. Now put this mixture into the prepared growing bag/container, then tie it tightly. If you are not using a dedicated growing bag, make sure you leave four holes for air circulation.

3. Place the bag/container in a warm (18~25 degrees C), dark place (a ventilated cupboard, under the bed, or inside a heated cupboard). After about three weeks, you will see the mycelium begin to grow, then spread white mycelium throughout all the coffee grounds, until it occupies the entire container.

4. After about three weeks, your entire bag/container full of coffee grounds and mycelium should look completely white. If you see any areas that are green, that is a mold competing with the mycelium. If it is only a small part, you can try adding a little salt to that area, which may kill them and still allow the mycelium to continue growing. If the entire bag turns green, then the cultivation has most likely failed, very possibly because the quality of the mycelium was not good, or because there were many molds in the coffee grounds. However, if you use high-quality mycelium, a fresh substrate, and maintain a clean environment, the chances of seeing a perfectly white bag are very high.

5. Next, place the bag in a place with fresh air and a little light; a shaded window or a workbench is ideal. Then cut a 5×5 cm hole in the bag or container, then spray water twice a day, and try not to let it dry out. Shiitake mushrooms like a humid, warm and damp environment; if it is too dry, they will not grow.

6. After about a week, you will begin to see some small shiitake mushrooms starting to grow. After about 5~7 days, they will grow multiple times larger each day. This is also the most exciting time; every day when you get up, you will see them getting bigger and bigger, watching them become thicker and fuller, ready to be used. When the edges of the shiitake mushrooms begin to turn upward, that is the time they can be harvested.