Mushrooms are spore-bearing bodies of a fungus that grow on a food source or in soil but majorly above ground. Mushrooms come in different species, some are edible, and others are not.
Knowing mushrooms can be grown above the ground or on food might sound interesting. However, growing mushrooms isn’t an easy adventure, especially when it has to do with grow tents.
This article has everything you need to get started if you want to know how to grow mushrooms in grow tents.
But first, what type of mushroom is suitable for mushroom tents? Let’s find out.
What Type of Mushroom to Grow?
When growing mushrooms in a tent or outdoors, your first step should be determining the mushroom species you need. There are a wide variety of mushroom species available. Ten out of those species are edible.
Mushrooms are naturally rich in proteins, vitamins, and fiber. They are a good recommendation for vegetarians. However, different mushrooms are grown in different ways and environments. Some of them perform better in an enclosed space like a grow tent. They include:
Oyster Mushrooms
White Button Mushrooms
Shiitake Mushrooms
Knowing the growth method most suitable for your mushroom farm will enable you to choose the right materials for the growing process.
Ordinarily, whengrowing a plant, you would need to get the seeds or seedlings of the plant to grow. However, in the case of mushrooms where spores and spawn are present, you can use the spores as seeds and the spawns as seedlings.
NOTE: Spawns are easier to handle and grow indoors than spores.
Choosing the Right Grow Tent for Your Mushrooms
Grow tents are portable rooms with enclosed spaces used for cultivating reusable plants. They have a sturdy and usually reflective interior, which aids increase and creates high effectiveness of its built-in lights.
Our Top Pick
VIVOSUN 48 “x24” x60” Mylar Hydroponic Grow Tent with Observation Window and Floor Tray
- 100% light-proof
- It comes with an observation window makes it easy to peek inside
- Tear-proof600D canvas
What Grow Tent Features To Look Out For?
Grow tents come in different sizes, shapes, and styles. The large-sized grow tents are recommended if you need a more expansive garden for larger crop cultivation, while the smaller grow tents are for a few crops.
These large-sized grow tents have proper lighting and ventilation system that aid air circulation, air exchange, temperature control, and better plant growth stimulation via the heat produced by the grow lights.
An ideal high-quality grow tent will have the following features:
- Higher grade of light reflection and provide you with a specific light spectrum.
- They are lightproof – plants cultivated inside them are not affected by the light from external factors.
- They can help isolate the plants.
- can provide adequate temperature, ventilation, humidity, and access to grow light.
In the absence of this or cases of inadequate supply, your mushroom will begin to dry-up mushroom yielding zero fruits.
Factors to Consider
When cultivating a crop, choosing the right soil, humidity, water availability, fertilizer, and all the crop needs to grow is essential.
Since there are several mushroom species, each with unique environmental requirements, it’d be best to design your grow room to suit the needs of the species you intend to grow.
There are a few more factors to note when designing your grow tent or grow area for your mushrooms.
Under natural circ*mstances, humidity and temperatures are responsible for the high productivity of plants. This is why you’ll always find more mushrooms blooming during rainy seasons.
Another thing is to ensure that your mushrooms get low carbon dioxide levels and sufficient lighting.
Studies have shown that plants, especially mushrooms, generally do not grow well in dark places. They need adequate light for photosynthesis, ensuring stable growth and producing fruits.
Another challenge peculiar to proper mushroom growth is the inadequate supply of fresh air. This occurs when you try to maintain a high level of humidity. However, you have to be prepared for some practical experiments.
These experiments will help you know which works best depending on your choice of tent and mushroom.
Steps to Setting Up Your Mushrooms Grow Tent
Before we go further into growing a healthy mushroom, here’s how to have the best space and growing conditions for your mushrooms:
Find the suitable area: Choose a spot away from wildlife and strays to prevent them from strolling into your grow tent. It’d also be helpful if the tent is placed far away from drainage pipes and leaky sewers to avoid contamination.
Choose the right tent: The type of grow tent selected matters a lot. It goes a long in determining the productivity of your plant.
Design your tent: After picking a tent, you can design it to give positive results. As much as you want a sleek and fashionable grow tent, don’t let taste interfere with efficiency.
Time for the real deal: Once you are done designing and setting up your grow tent, it is about time for the right thing to begin: the growing process. This is the essential part for which you got the tent and the mushrooms in the first place. At this point, you must follow your growing steps carefully and ensure you give your mushrooms adequate attention, nutrients, and elements needed for their growth.
Now let’s talk about the steps you need to for cultivating your mushrooms.
Step 1: First, you would need to clean up your working space, materials, and equipment – everything you would need with the inclusion of your mixing materials and grow bags.
Step 2: Measure the materials you wish to use. Every single one of them, so you add just about the right proportion of each to avoid imbalance.
Step 3: This time, you add all your materials and mix them until you get the desired result.
Step 4: Now, fill up the grow bag(s), depending on the quantity, with your mixed solution and thoroughly seal them.
Step 5: After filling up the grow bags, you would need to incubate the bags to complete the preparation process. The incubation should be about 20°C– 24°Cat most for about two-three weeks.
Step 6: Create holes in the grow bags from which the mushroom can grow, then keep the bags in moist conditions suitable enough to grow mushrooms. The moisture doesn’t have to be damp. It should be of an average level.
Step 7: If you follow these procedures diligently, within a week or 2 weeks, your mushrooms should be ready for harvesting. Your crop is ready for harvesting when you see that the head is fully opened and separated from the stem.
Mushroom growing conditions
Mushrooms thrive under specific conditions. They include:
Temperature:
The temperature of the mushrooms’ grow tent should be between 12.7°C and 29.4°C. It is not advisable to keep the mushrooms growing at only one steady temperature during that period.
This is why most mushroom tent farmers tend to change the temperature with which the mushroom is grown. It is advisable to change it daily with a 10-degree difference.
Do this regularly until the mushrooms begin to bloom. After the sighting of mushrooms, an average temperature can be allowed. It is better to have a cooler temperature than a warmer one.
Adequate Light:
It isadvisable to use indoor lights to grow your mushrooms and not expose them to sunlight.Indoor lights contribute to a soothing temperature and humidity. It is always essential to have efficient lighting to help aid growth.
Water:
The mixed formula in the grow bag already contains water, so you do not need to water the plant. In cases where there might be no condensation droplets, then you would need to spray.
Always avoid over spraying them, and remove them if there is visible water pooling.
The Best Grow Tents for Mushrooms
1. Apollo Horticulture 60” x60” x80” Mylar Hydroponic Grow Tent.
Regarded as one of the high-quality grow tents, the Apollo Horticulture 60” x60” x80” is one of the best out there. It is made of top-quality materials with heavy-duty zippers and stitching, ensuringlong-lasting durability and light protection.
Its reinforced construction material helps you keep the pest out and the odors in, meaning you do not have to leave with whatever smells within the grow tent.
It comes with a removable floor tray and is easy to set up and pack up, making this a great and simple choice.
Pros:
- Very reflective interior design.
- Top-quality material.
- Heavy-duty zippers and excellent double stitching.
- Removable tray.
- Suitable for light control.
Cons:
- Absence of windows or spaces from which you can observe your plants without having to open the tent.
- Some issues with little bits of light still tend to go in.
2. VIVOSUN 48 “x24” x60” Mylar Hydroponic Grow Tent with Observation Window and Floor Tray (2’x4’)
Are you looking for a stress-free tent? You got just the right choice from Vivosun, one of the mostreliable grow tent manufacturers. The Vivosun48 “x24” x60” Mylar Hydroponic Grow Tent is high-quality.
It is made of high-quality tear-proof canvas, has double stitching, which helps prevents outside light from going in, and iseasy to set up for starters.
The reflective Mylar helps keep the light in and boost your growth efficiency. Also, it comes with an observation window to help you check on your plants now and then.
Pros:
- Quality tear-proof canvas
- The material quality keeps light in steadily.
- Heavy-duty zipping.
- Double stitching to help block outside lights.
- Very reflective material for boosting the light within the tent.
- Stable and stands firmly
Cons:
- Compared to other products in the market, their warranty is not great.
- The Observation window tends to have a slight leakage.
3. Zazzy 96 “X48 X78 Plant Mylar Hydroponic Indoor Grow Tent
Made for the best and easy use, the Zazzy 96 “X48 X78 Plant Grow Tent is just as simple and satisfying. Easy to install and assemble and comes with sturdy and stable frames.
It is light-proof, and its Mylar is highly reflective to help boost the effect of the grow lights.
It is designed to help keep your grow room at the right temperature for your plants by retaining the heat emanating from the grow lights.
Pros:
- Quality canvas
- Its canvas is water-resistant
- Good heat retainment
- High capacity for light control.
- Sturdy frames for optimum stability.
- Can hold the weight of up to 110 pounds
Cons:
- It comes without a warranty.
4. VIVOSUN 48″x48″x80″ Mylar Hydroponic Grow Tent
This is another Vivosun product that is highly recommended. This shows the quality level of their product and its reliability.
The Vivosun 48 “x48” x80” Mylar Hydroponic Grow Tent comes with an observation window, which would help you keep a close eye on the progress of your plants without having to open the tent.
It also hasmetal framesto help keep it sturdy and well-balanced. Its body is made of a6000D canvas, making it solid, tear-proof, durable, and suitable for long-lasting use.
Its double stitching design helps it keep out lights from external sources. The observation window allows you to observe your plants without opening the tent.
It is very well recommended and suitable for use, even for a starter.
Pros:
- Durable and sturdy
- Made of top-quality canvas
- Its canvas is tear-proof
- It has a window for observation
- It gives a 2-year warranty
Cons:
- The window is not easy to see through.
- A little light still escapes through the zipper.
5. iPower 48 “x24” x60” Hydroponic Water-Resistant Grow Tent with Removable Floor Tray (2’x4)
A top-notch grow tent from Ipower made from solid materials. It is tear-proof, strong, durable, and capable of giving you a long-lasting and satisfying experience.
Its fabric is water-resistant and is solid enough to withstand whatever humidity may come from the inside or outside.
The reflectors help the grow lights to maintain the heat and light in and at the right temperature to aid the plant’s growth. It has a sturdy frame with reinforced metal poles, which gives it adequate balance and makes it capable of taking a weight of up to 110 pounds.
Pros:
- The removable tray can be easily cleaned or washed
- Very durable
- Sturdy and can hold a reasonable amount of weight of about 110 pounds
- Water-resistant and tear-proof
Cons:
- No warranty available on the product
- Absence of an observation window
When trying to purchase a grow tent, there are certain factors one must consider to get just the right one. There are numerous tents in the market today, and choosing the right one might be a problem because there are so many great products available.
How to pick the right tent for your mushrooms
Consider the species and quantity of mushrooms: The mushroom species you wish to cultivate determines the type of tent to get and its size. Not all mushrooms are suitable for cultivation under certain conditions. It will help if you design the tent to suit the crop and accommodate the number of mushrooms you wish to grow.
Ensure Stability: Build a tent that can withstand the weight and quantity of the mushrooms you want to grow. An ideal tent should be able to carry the without any problem of imbalance. It should have a proper ventilation system and quality lighting to foster crop cultivation. It would also be great if it could retain the heat from the grow light as it would help keep the room’s temperature at an acceptable level.
Installation site: How large is the place you wish to keep the tent? Knowing the amount of space available would give you a clue on the size of the grow tent to install.
The cost: The cost is another crucial factor to consider. How much you have budgeted for it, and what is the actual cost, or are the tent’s features and what it offers worth the cost?
Conclusion
Starting up a mushroom farm in a grow tent doesn’t have to be difficult either. Ensure you follow the directions and the dos and don’ts involved.
Finally, ensure that the species of mushroom you intend to grow is well within your budget. This would enable you to take care of the plant and improve productivity.
