Why Genetics Matter in Mushroom Cultivation
Are you having trouble achieving the desired fruitbody development and yields in your mushroom cultivation efforts? Genetics could be the cause.
Genes contain the genetic code that determines the structure and function of an organism, including the sequence of amino acids in proteins. Proteins are responsible for nearly all cellular activities, and the genetic code plays a key role in determining how proteins are structured. The right genetics are crucial for cultivation success, even if you have the best substrate recipes and optimal grow room conditions.
Selecting the Best Strains
To choose the best strains for your cultivation efforts:
- Research culture vendors: Look for vendors who have a good reputation and a deep understanding of mushroom species and genetics. Ask about their strain collection, their knowledge of senescence and cellular degradation, and any other questions you may have.
- Build a relationship with your culture vendor: Establishing a trusting relationship with your culture vendor can be beneficial in the long run. This allows you to ask questions, get advice, and build a rapport with the people who are supplying your cultures.
- Avoid unreliable vendors: If a culture vendor is unwilling to answer your questions, seems nervous, or appears to lack knowledge, consider finding a different vendor. Poor quality strains can lead to poor results, and it’s not worth the risk to your cultivation efforts.
Tips for Choosing the Right Genetics
- Ask culture vendors about their strains and knowledge of senescence and cellular degradation
- Build a trusting relationship with your culture vendor.
- Avoid vendors who are unwilling to answer your questions, seem nervous or lack knowledge.
- Remember that all strains are not equal and the right genetics within a strain are crucial for success.
- Invest in the right genetics to set yourself up for success and achieve the yields you desire.
3 Responses
I agree Tobias, there is a lot to think about when it comes to actually optimizing your cultivation potential. A lot of people do everything right and still get good results, but they’re not fantastic. Having a better culture ultimately means you will be a more efficient grower, which saves you time and money. Let’s be honest, two things we can always use more of. So even small scale growers in a pinch will need to find how to optimize their situation because they want to make the best of what money they have. Having good genetics will help you to learn what you have done right and what you have done wrong as well as a beginner. Because good genetics are proven commercial cultures, you can deduce what went wrong in your process, rather than wondering whether it is a weak culture or your technique that is causing problems when you get an unsubstantial flush, or none at all… While commercial growers also need to consider this in order to maximize production and reduce labor. Being able to utilize all of your current space in a small business is key to expansion as well, which is why I think it is always useful to shop around to try out what works best in your room. I see a lot of people just try one company, or strain because they have had success with it, but unless you are having tremendous results, I would keep looking to see if anything is better. Yes, it costs money and takes some time to find a better culture, but that investment will save you more time and money down the road. Not to mention, it puts your mind at ease when you are coasting on the commercial front.
Since fungi and mushrooms are growing as an industry and in our culture, we are starting to see more and more fungi related products out there. Especially in terms of home cultivation, which is why I think Tobias brought up a good point. A lot of people are out to make some money off of newcomers, it happens everywhere. There will be people that know just enough to sell you a product and it’s always a good idea to get recommendations or referrals from reputable sources. The sad part about this is that it can discourage people who are beginning. If someone’s technique isn’t thorough, or they don’t test their own products, then it will hinder the consumers success. Depressingly, this causes people to get frustrated and quit trying their hand at mushroom cultivation. So the more you try to understand about what you are buying, the better. People will try to sell you cheap stuff, but like in any other industry, it’s usually worth paying a little bit more in order to ensure success.
Anyway, I hope this helps people when they are pulling the trigger on buying a culture, or contemplating whether the culture you have is the right one for you.
I want my blogs to be more discussion-based from now on. So I will be activating the comments sections for all future posts. I hope to hear from you!
Thanks Tobias for this educational blog! I am trying to learn as much as possible without spending too much on the trial and error process as I step into this amazing world of mycology. Growing up I thought fungus was bad and that stuff on people’s toes that you had to pay lots to get rid of. Paul Stamets is my first reference when buying books on this subject, so I think I got that part right. But, I loved listening to Terence McKenna when he mysteriously appeared in my YouTube Algorithm somehow. So, here I am about to start growing from the level of injection of substrate. Quick question: what are some known blog/web areas for a new grower to connect with where surfing through might help me get up and running with a level of success? I am not a big fan of wasting time on the nameless platforms with blue letters of the alphabet unless someone refers me there. LOL thanks for the resources here. Between yours and Paul Stamets’ work, I think I am starting out ok.