Fruiting chambers are the areas in which you let your mushrooms grow from their substrate after it’s been fully colonized. They are not as sterile as the bags or bottles they were spawned in as they are designed to allow for airflow and moisture retention. While there are many ways to handle fruiting chambers, for most home growers a simple one will suffice.
Easiest Fruiting Chamber to Make
A fruiting chamber is nothing more than a space that helps provide your mushrooms with the ideal environment to grow. This means high humidity, good airflow, some light, and decently stable temperatures. To achieve these things we only need three things!
- A clear plastic tub
- A bag of course perlite
- A drill with a 1/4″ bit
How to Make the Fruiting Chamber
To assemble your fruiting chamber simply drill holes several inches apart over the upper half of the sides of tub. You don’t need too many, but you should have more than enough for air to flow through the box. Typically 1/4″ holes drilled every 2″ in three rows will be more than sufficient.
Next fill the bottom of the chamber with a few inches of perlite and soak it in water. The goal is to soak it so it is evenly moist, but not so much that there is excess water that it cannot soak up. The perlite will keep the moisture in the chamber high while fruiting.
That’s it! It’s ready to use!
Using Your Fruiting Chamber
To use your fruiting chamber simply place an opened jar or bag into the fruiting chamber and close the lid. If the substrate is fully colonized it should resist airborne contamination and will be able to fruit and grow mushrooms. In some cases you may even take the whole block of substrate out of the bag or other container and place it in the fruiting chamber that way.
Once the mushrooms are growing be sure to keep the block moist while waiting for them to grow. The perlite will keep the humidity levels high, but you should continue to mist the mushrooms a few times a day. Avoid spraying the mushrooms directly as standing water droplets can cause bacterial growth in the chamber. Instead spray above the substrate and perlite with a fine mist.
Lastly, to make sure things are kept optimal for your mushrooms to grow, be sure to use a thermometer and hygrometer to check the temperature and humidity. Every type of mushroom has different needs, so make sure they’re being met. And don’t forget mushrooms also need some UV light, so don’t place your fruiting chamber in an area that is too dark!
Fruiting Chambers Don’t Have to Be Expensive!
All in all, this easy fruiting chamber will run you less than $100 and easily help you grow mushrooms for a long time. While these totes are rather expensive on their own, considering that this is a one time purchase and long term use item, this ends up being an extremely affordable option for those who don’t have the space to dedicate a whole room to fruiting. Good luck setting you chamber up and growing your mushrooms!
