oyster mushrooms nz
Showing all 5 results
How to Grow oyster mushrooms nz- Beginners Guide
Why grow your own oyster mushrooms nz at home?
Many Kiwis grew up watching our parents. or grandparents picking tomatoes, silverbeet, carrots, and the odd field-mushroom in the paddock. Today, it is still uncommon to see people growing gourmet mushrooms at home. — as it hasn’t been a big part of the culture of farming here in NZ. Along with a ranging flavour profile. mushrooms have plenty of health benefits and can be expensive to buy in shops. especially high-quality fresh ones! Cultures throughout Europe, North America, South America and Asia have been enjoying a large variety of mushrooms in different cuisines, as well as for medicinal purposes, for many generations. Oyster mushrooms are also especially high in selenium, which Kiwis are deficient in!
For those that are new to the world of growing mushrooms, we recommend starting with grey oyster mushrooms. Oyster mushrooms are a high-yielding, fast-growing crop. They can be grown low-tech, and are tolerant of varying environmental factors such as humidity, temperature, light levels. and carbon dioxide levels — making them a perfect choice for first-time-growers.
Beginner-friendly oyster mushrooms nz grow kits!
Growing mushrooms at home can be a fun and rewarding addition to the garden, not to mention a perfect opportunity for those of us in an urban setting, as they take up very little space. Oyster mushrooms can even be grown indoors within a matter of weeks from purchasing a kit. Unlike the common button mushroom varieties, the oysters need only reading-level light to grow — rather than the old expression of ‘being kept in the dark and fed only horse sh$t.’ Don’t worry, the varieties we offer don’t smell!
The 5 Step Oyster Mushroom Kit
everything you need to grow oyster mushrooms and get an idea of the mushroom growing process. This kit is easy to use, even simpler than baking a cake. The kit comes with substrate, hydrated lime for pasteurisation, ‘spawn’ (a.k.a. grain that has been inoculated with the oyster mushroom culture), and a bag to put the mixed materials in. This kit will teach you the basic steps of how to grow oyster mushrooms hands on, at home with little equipment.
This is perfect for the hobbyist who is interested in growing mushrooms but doesn’t know where to start …
This 5-step oyster kit comes with everything to make up a 7kg bag of sawdust in three varieties, pink, grey and a native oyster variety. The kits usually produce up to 1-2kg of mushrooms by the end of their life depending on environmental factors.
Each kit will produce about 3-5 ‘flushes’ of mushrooms, each flush getting smaller and producing less yield until it runs out of nutrients. Then you can take the contents of any of the kits and spread it out in the garden, getting a few more rounds of mushrooms!
Growing Oyster Mushrooms on Logs
Growing mushrooms on logs is an easy, low-maintenance way to grow mushrooms long term. Depending on log size, it can be anywhere from 6 months to a year or more before mushrooms start producing. The bigger the log, the longer mushrooms will produce and can continue producing for up to several years until the log runs out of nutrients for the mushrooms. For more >> information about growing mushrooms on logs, check out our blog post on the theme.
Growing Oysters in the Garden
Oyster mushrooms can start producing mushrooms in the garden in as little as 40 days from setting up a patch! Starting a mushroom patch is simple and only requires fresh sawdust or wood-chip (unfortunately not pine) and a good watering for the first few weeks of establishing. It is helpful for the patch to have shade during the summer months. You can plant garden veggies & flowers directly in to the patch as well if you like: pumpkins work especially well on this count – offering your oysters some shade! For more >> information about growing oyster mushrooms in the garden, check out our blog post on the topic.
Growing oyster mushrooms nz in Reusable Buckets
Using food grade plastic buckets, you can grow any variety of oyster mushrooms in a more sustainable manner. You can use a number of different substrates from pasteurised straw to wood pellets and reuse the bucket hundreds of times for producing your own organic mushroom supply !
Oyster Mushroom Sawdust Blocks
The oyster mushroom ‘fruiting block’ is essentially a block of sterilised substrate that has already been inoculated, and partially colonised, with grey or pink oyster mushroom culture. All you need to do is find a good spot for your mushroom block and follow the instructions to cut a hole in the bag as soon as you have received it.
Oyster Mushroom Varieties and Growing Seasons
Grey oyster mushrooms and NZ-native oyster mushrooms will grow all year round, however they prefer autumn and spring environments, but will even grow through winter down in the South Island. Mid-winter grey and native oyster mushrooms tend to grow slower. In summer heat, grey oyster mushrooms will grow quickly and have less colour in the caps however still produce similar yields. Once harvested, they will last up to a week or more in the fridge.
Pink Oyster Mushroom fruiting block
Growing pink oyster mushrooms can be a bit more temperamental in growing, but thrives in summer heat. They will not grow in temperatures below 15C, but produce beautiful eye-catching tropical mushrooms that are bright pink! These are similar in taste and have a much shorter shelf-life – only lasting about 5 or so days in the fridge. They are best eaten as fresh as possible, as they are very fragile and will go off quickly.
In summer, or year-round for those in the far north of the North Island, we offer a pink oyster ‘fruiting block’ and a ‘pink
5 step kit.’
Mycoremediation with Oyster Mushrooms in NZ
Oyster Mushrooms Growing On Egg Cartons
There are a ton of resources available online of oyster mushroom growing methods on different substrates. Oyster mushrooms have also been used successfully in breaking down pollutants such as E. coli and hydrocarbons, pesticides, heavy metals and motor oil! (Some of these methods will not produce mushrooms that are edible, but do a great job at cleaning up toxic sites safely for very low cost). If you are interested in doing any ‘bunker spawn’ for mycoremediation projects in New Zealand, please reach out!! How do you identify oyster mushrooms NZ?The first thing to look for when identifying an oyster mushroom is its oyster-shaped cap. It should be oyster or fan shaped. Most oyster mushrooms are 5 to 25 cm in size (2 to 10 inches across.) They should be smooth with no scales or warts.
Frequent Ask Questions On oyster mushrooms nz
Do oyster mushrooms grow wild in NZ?
Grey oyster mushrooms and NZ-native oyster mushrooms will grow all year round, however they prefer autumn and spring environments, but will even grow through winter down in the South Island.21 Jul 2020
Are there poisonous look alikes to oyster mushrooms?
Instead of stopping at the base of the stem. Like this one three poisonous oyster mushroom look-More
What are oyster mushrooms best for?
In addition to being highly nutritious, they may promote heart and immune system health, encourage healthy blood sugar control, and provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Try adding these versatile mushrooms to your diet by using them in dishes like pasta, stews, and omelets.
What mushrooms can I grow in New Zealand?
Tim recommends that beginners start off by growing oyster mushrooms as they’re one of the easiest edible fungi to grow. They’re also the second-most commonly cultivated mushrooms in the world after button mushrooms, which are our main fungi crop in New Zealand.
Are oyster mushrooms easy to grow?
Oyster mushrooms are a high yielding, fast growing crop. They can be grown relatively low tech and are tolerant of varying environmental factors such as humidity, temperature, light levels, and carbon dioxide levels making them a perfect choice for first time growers. Beginner friendly grow kits!
How long do oyster mushrooms last?
Mid-winter grey and native oyster mushrooms tend to grow slower. In summer heat, grey oyster mushrooms will grow quickly and have less colour in the caps however still produce similar yields. Once harvested, they will last up to a week or more in the fridge.
What is Ohau gourmet mushrooms?
We Grow Shiitake & Oyster Mushrooms! Ohau Gourmet Mushrooms is a permaculture farm using regenerative and sustainable farming practices, located just south of Levin, NZ. We grow Shiitake and Oyster mushrooms that we sell at local farmer’s markets.