How To Grow Enoki at Home

Agar Cultivation

1. Prepare the agar medium by mixing water, agar powder, and nutrients such as malt extract or potato dextrose agar in a flask.
2. Autoclave the agar medium to sterilize it and let it cool to around 50°C.
3. Pour the agar medium into petri dishes or culture tubes, leaving some space at the top for inoculation.
4. Inoculate the agar medium with a small piece of enoki mushroom tissue or spores using a sterile technique.
5. Seal the petri dishes or culture tubes with parafilm or tape to prevent contamination.
6. Incubate the agar plates or tubes in a dark, warm place (around 25-30°C) for several weeks until mycelium growth is visible.
7. Monitor the growth regularly and transfer healthy mycelium to fresh agar plates to continue the culture.
8. Use the agar cultures to inoculate a substrate such as sterilized sawdust or straw to grow enoki mushrooms.
9. Continue to maintain and propagate the culture for future use or experimentation.

Liquid Culture Cultivation

1. Prepare a sterile work area by cleaning all surfaces with a disinfectant and using a laminar flow hood if available.
2. Gather all necessary materials including a liquid culture syringe, sterile water, malt extract agar, and a pressure cooker.
3. Prepare the malt extract agar by mixing it with sterile water according to the manufacturer's instructions and sterilize it in the pressure cooker.
4. Allow the agar to cool to around 50-60 degrees Celsius before inoculating it with the liquid culture syringe.
5. Inject the liquid culture into the agar by inserting the needle through the top layer of agar and releasing a small amount of culture.
6. Incubate the inoculated agar in a warm, dark place for 7-14 days, or until mycelium growth is visible.
7. Once the mycelium has fully colonized the agar, it is ready to be used to inoculate your substrate for growing enoki mushrooms.

Substrate Prep and Innoculation

1. Prepare the substrate by mixing hardwood sawdust with wheat bran in a ratio of 5:1.
2. Moisten the substrate mixture until it reaches a field capacity moisture level.
3. Fill sterilized plastic bags with the substrate mixture, leaving some room at the top for the mushrooms to grow.
4. Inoculate the substrate with enoki mushroom spawn by evenly distributing it throughout the bags.
5. Seal the bags with a filter patch or micropore tape to allow for gas exchange.
6. Incubate the inoculated bags in a dark, warm (75-80°F) environment for 2-3 weeks.
7. Check the bags regularly for signs of colonization by the mycelium, which will appear as white, thread-like growth.
8. Once the substrate is fully colonized, move the bags to a cooler (55-60°F), well-ventilated area with indirect light to initiate fruiting.
9. Maintain humidity levels around 90% and mist the bags regularly to keep the substrate moist.
10. Harvest the enoki mushrooms when the caps are fully developed but before the stems elongate too much, typically around 3-4 weeks after initiating fruiting.

Fruiting Preparation and Conditions

1. Prepare a fruiting chamber by cleaning and sanitizing it thoroughly to prevent contamination.
2. Fill the fruiting chamber with a substrate suitable for enoki mushrooms, such as a mixture of sawdust and rice bran.
3. Inoculate the substrate with enoki mushroom spawn, ensuring even distribution throughout the substrate.
4. Place the fruiting chamber in a dark, cool location with high humidity levels (around 85-90%).
5. Maintain the temperature in the fruiting chamber between 45-55°F (7-13°C) to encourage fruiting.
6. Monitor the humidity levels regularly and mist the substrate if necessary to maintain high humidity.
7. Provide fresh air exchange by opening the fruiting chamber periodically to allow for proper gas exchange.
8. Continue to monitor the growth of the enoki mushrooms, ensuring they receive adequate moisture and ventilation.
9. Harvest the enoki mushrooms once they reach the desired size, typically around 3-5 inches in length.