Mushroom Incubator Basics

Mushroom incubator is a device that keeps your spawn jars or substrate bags at an ideal temperature to help them colonize faster. It’s important to keep the jars or bags at a constant temperature during this step so they don’t start to mold and grow contaminants, which can compete with the mushroom incubator for nutrients.

Incubation Temperature: Make sure your incubation room is well insulated and that you check the internal substrate temperature with a thermometer at least once a day, during the hottest part of the day and when it’s the lowest. If the substrate gets too warm, the mycelium could die.

Sterilization: Once the spawn is inoculated, it’s vital to sterilize your substrate properly. This is to avoid contamination which can be difficult to detect when growing mushrooms, especially if you’re not using mushroom grow bags or a good filtration system for your fruiting chamber.

The Ultimate Guide to Using a Mushroom Incubator for Successful Cultivation

Spawn: Most spawn is made from mycelium that is derived from a stored culture, rather than spores that yield unpredictable results. It’s much easier to produce a reliable crop of edible mushrooms with spawn that is derived from a cultivar, which has been proven in the lab and is free from pests and other competitors.

Inoculation Rate: The higher the inoculation rate, the quicker your substrate will colonize and produce edible mushrooms. It’s not always necessary to inoculate at a high rate, but this is often the most economical way to get a high volume of mushrooms.