In addition to other pharmaceutical fields that are now utilizing growrooms, the medicinal and gourmet mushroom industries are now beginning to use growrooms of their own. These growrooms aren’t completely similar to those other industries’ growrooms, however – mushrooms aren’t classified as plants due to the differences in the way they grow and process nutrients, among other things. What this means for you, is that your mushroom growroom will need a different set of tools for optimal production.
One of the most effective ways to build a growroom in 2022 is through the use of a cleanroom – a room designed for sterile conditions and to give you the ability to fine-tune the atmosphere inside. This is perfect for growing all types of plants, but mushrooms in particular, as mushroom growing conditions can be very precise for optimal growth. If you’re looking to kick off an enterprise in the medicinal or gourmet mushroom industry, a cleanroom is your best shot at high-quantity, high-quality product.
In this brief guide, we’ll walk you through what you’ll need for optimal mushroom production in your cleanroom growroom, and how you can maximize your mushroom yields.
Setting Up Proper Growing Conditions
Mushrooms, as said previously, have more specific growing conditions than other medicinal plants and herbs. One of the key things you’ll want to get right is the humidity – mushrooms prefer an environment of between 80% and 95% humidity for optimal growing. Ensure your cleanroom has the moisture in the air required for healthy growing at all times.
Additionally, mushrooms, despite not being plants and not photosynthesizing, they need regular light in order to grow properly. In a cleanroom, this light will be from artificial grow lights set up throughout your growroom. Your mushrooms will receive 10-12 hours of light per day, and require this light in order to grow in the right direction, and for proper mycelium development.
Keeping Your Growroom Clean
As is the case with all cleanroom plant cultivation, the air in your cleanroom will need to be kept as clean as possible. Clean air promotes healthier, faster growth due to a lack of the natural debris that would normally hinder growth. Without dust and particles in the air, your mushrooms will be able to breathe and process their nutrients much more efficiently.
In a mushroom cultivation cleanroom, the primary and best way of filtering and sterilizing the air will be through the use of HEPA filters. HEPA filters are the standard across many industries for professional-grade, extremely-fine air filtration, and will provide the best possible growth environment for your crop. HEPA air filtration can be set up and integrated into your cleanroom with ease, allowing for easy maintenance and more efficient performance.
Your Needed Equipment
Beyond what we’ve already mentioned, including grow lights and HEPA filters, your cleanroom for mushroom production will need several other things before you can get started.
- First, you’ll need shelves for spawning the mushrooms on, and growing containers to spawn them in. Think carefully about your room layout, and make the most of your real estate through careful shelf placement.
- You will need humidity regulation equipment. This includes humidity measuring equipment, and the humidity regulators themselves.
- Mushrooms require darkness in order to first spawn. Your cleanroom will be pitch dark for this period, that is, without a dark light to light up the room whilst not disturbing your crop.
- Lastly, you’ll need a means of regulating the temperature inside your cleanroom.