Multiply Your Mushrooms: Easy Steps to Grow More from Existing Ones

Choosing the Right Mushroom to Propagate

If you're scoping out grocery store mushrooms, pick the freshest, firmest specimens you can find. Shiitake, oyster, or button mushrooms all work well for this fun DIY method.

Recently, I selected a sturdy cluster of oyster mushrooms from my local farmer's market, and they propagated beautifully.

Materials You'll Need for Mushroom Propagation

• Fresh mushrooms of your choice
• Clean cardboard or sterilized straw (ready substrate)
• Clean water (chlorine-free if possible)
• A shallow tray or plastic container with lid
• A spray bottle for misting

Simple Steps to Grow Mushrooms from Mushrooms

1. Prepare the Mushroom Spawn

First, gently twist apart the mushroom cap and stalk. Break the stem or cap into small pieces, roughly pea-sized, to encourage mycelium—the white, thread-like growth—to spread quickly.

This white fuzziness, the mycelium, serves as your mushroom's underground powerhouse.

2. Soak Your Cardboard or Straw

Next, soak cardboard or straw thoroughly in clean water for about 1-2 hours. Drain completely until it's moist but not dripping wet.

3. Layer Your Spawn Setup

Now, choose a shallow tray or plastic container and layer soggy cardboard pieces at the bottom. Sprinkle mushroom pieces evenly across it, then cover again with another moist cardboard layer.

Repeat this sandwich layering until your tray fills, finishing with cardboard on top to retain needed moisture and humidity.

4. Keep the Mushrooms Happy (and Humid)

Mist this tray generously with water once or twice daily, maintaining humidity and keeping temperatures steady around 65–75°F (18–24°C). Place it in partial darkness—think shaded corner or closet—to mimic natural mushroom habitat.

"The trick to thriving mushrooms? Consistent humidity and patience—a delicate dance only nature directs flawlessly."

5. Wait and Observe

In roughly two to four weeks, delicate white mycelial webs will appear, gradually covering the substrate. Soon after, baby mushrooms, called pins, will poke out eagerly.

Within another week or two, you'll have a ready crop of mushrooms to harvest.

Harvesting Your Homegrown Mushrooms

To harvest, gently twist mushrooms at their bases to avoid disturbing nearby pins and mycelium. Usually, I let mine reach mature but firm size for peak flavor.

Once harvested, you can start the process again by using fresh mushroom pieces—continuing nature's fascinating cycle at home.

"Propagating mushrooms from mushrooms reconnects you tangibly to nature's intricate, hidden cycles—simple magic hiding in plain sight."

Learning how to grow mushrooms from mushrooms isn't complicated—it's satisfying and soulful gardening at its best. With a bit of patience, clean technique, and simple steps, one mushroom can give birth to dozens more. Take healthy, mature mushrooms, collect their spores or tissue, and let nature quietly perform its magic. Soon enough, you'll be savoring earthy, succulent mushrooms cultivated entirely by your own hand. Gardening has always been about observing, nurturing, and connecting to the earth, and mushroom cultivation might be gardening's purest form yet.