How to Grow Wine Cap Mushrooms in an IBC Tote (Part 1)
In today’s video, we go over how to grow King Stropharia mushrooms in an IBC tote. I got the idea from Paul Stamet’s Youtube video, showing that he was growing them in old restaurant containers.
There are many benefits to growing these mushrooms, as you will see in the video. This mushroom tote can basically serve as a compost system, food system, and to propogate more mushrooms in other places. You can even sell the fungus mycelium to others. So in addition to saving money on mushrooms, you can also make money off of the tote too. Paul Stamets actually uses this mushroom to clean pollution (for more info, see his book Mycelium Running).
Mushroom Project Budget:
While I did spend about $200 on the entire project, it can be done for cheaper.
Here is a quick cost breakdown of my build:
- Truck Rental for IBC tote transport: $50
- IBC Tote: $60
- Spraypaint: $20
- Mushroom Spawn Bags: $50
- Straw: $10
- Woodchips: Free!
- Total Cost: $190
There are many ways to do this build for cheapter. For example, you can skip the straw and use dried leaves. You can also borrow a truck from a friend, find an alternative free container, find a smaller container to start in, and much more. It all depends on how you decide to crack the nut.
Some other tips on growing:
- KEEP THE WOODCHIPS MOIST. Do not let them try out or you will dry out the fungus.
- DO NOT LET THE WOODCHIPS GET HOT. Again, you will kill the fungus. Keeping the center open allows for airflow and more surface area. It also means the chips will dry out faster so again, keep them wet.
- Feed other things to the woodchips such as compost, soil, worm juice, food scraps, and any other organic matter that the fungus will like to munch on.
- Name it, and enjoy your new pet.
