Growing Mushrooms in Buckets! Step-by-Step Guide to the Bucket Technique (Bucket Tek / Tech)
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- Опубликовано: 20 апр 2023
- For information on this technique, check out our blog post on growing mushrooms in containers: northspore.com/blogs/the-blac...
North Spore's homepage- northspore.com/?...
Growing mushrooms on buckets is one of the easiest techniques for growers wanting consistent flushes of mushrooms on a routine schedule. North Spore used this technique to scale from a micro business with a handful of productive buckets to a commercial mushroom farm servicing dozens of Maine restaurants, farmer's markets, and grocery stores.
In this video, we'll show you how to start growing on buckets and scale up your operation if you're hoping to turn it into a business!
Chapters
Source & Prepare Buckets: 0:51
Pasteurize & Inoculate Straw Substrates: 4:36
Pasteurize & Inoculate Hardwood Pellets: 11:38
Incubation: 13:04
Fruiting & Harvest: 15:19
Commercial Scale Bucket Growing: 16:49
Using an Industrial Mixer: 23:26
Commercial Incubation & Fruiting: 24:29
Materials (for both processes)
- Food-grade 5-gallon buckets: www.amazon.com/Gallon-White-B...
- ½ inch spade drill bit: www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW1574-...
- Drill: www.amazon.com/BLACK-DECKER-C...
- Agricultural lime: www.amazon.com/Voluntary-Purc...
- Protective gloves: www.amazon.com/Chemical-Glove...
- Mushroom grain spawn: northspore.com/collections/gr...
- Water
Straw Buckets
- Pre-cut straw or straw bale
- Mesh onion sacks: www.amazon.com/Deebree-Storag...
- Contractor garbage bins
- BlueLab PH pen (or any ph measuring tool): www.amazon.com/Hydroponics-Ac...
- Hanging scale
- Hooks or bungee cords for handing bags
Sawdust Buckets
- Hardwood fuel pellets: northspore.com/collections/su...
- Soy hull pellets: northspore.com/collections/su...
- Cement mixing tray (or something similar)
Special thanks to Pineland Farms! (pinelandfarms.org/)
All music was provided by Epidemic Sound.
“Inside my Mind” by Rambutan
“You are all I Need” by spring gang
“Will we be Enough?” by spring gang
“Venice Sun” by Rocket Jr
“Shifting Out” by Gregory David
“Lose my Head” by Rambutan
“Sky Filled with Treasure” by Aiyo
“Diluted” by Aiyo
“Gimmie Something” by spring gang
“Spore Titan” by ELFL 
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Some answers to frequently asked questions! We will continually update this list to answer questions that frequently come up.
Q: What species tolerate the high pH growing medium, can I grow x species with this method?
A: Any of the various oyster species work well (Pleurotus ostreatus, P. citrinopileatus, P. djamor, P. pulmonarious) as do Chestnut mushrooms (Pholiota adiposa). Lion's Mane (Hericium) does not tolerate a high pH growing media, but can be grown on buckets if you are using hot water pasteurization instead of the lime method. Shiitakes are not suitable to bucket growing and should be grown either on logs (outdoors using plug or sawdust spawn) or indoors utilizing filter patch mushroom bags
Q: Can I use the spent straw substrate from the buckets to inoculate more buckets?
A: Maybe, though it's not best practice. You can use the spent substrate to inoculate more substrate, however, the more times that you expand a mushroom culture to continue growing mushrooms, the more it will lose vitality and vigor. The process of the mushroom losing its vigor is called 'strain senescence'. You can't continue expanding spent substrate indefinitely, and it's probably best practice to inoculate bucket substrate with high quality spawn. That said, you can get another flush or two from old bucket straw by inoculating an outdoor bed or simply composting the mushroom straw and allowing it to fruit in your compost area
Q: What do you do with your lime bath water?
A: Lime water is not toxic, but will change the pH of the area where you dump it. We chose a grassy area we didn't mind altering the pH, diluted the lime water with fresh water, and dumped the straw water out. When we do the technique indoors, we dump our water directly into a floor drain.
Q: Can the lime water be reused for subsequent batches of straw?
A: In our production we always started with fresh water, but I see no reason you couldn't reuse your water bath one or two times as long as you check and adjust the pH (I imagine adding straw affects the pH of the water) and you make sure the water hasn't been sitting around so long that other pH tolerant microbes start to grow. If anybody has attempted this and has insight, feel free to chime in!
Might be a good idea to pin this so more people see it.
wanna know a secret? If you rehabilitate your land back into a productive patch of ecosystem, mushrooms like these will start to grow everywhere. And wildlife will return. And the ecosystem you rely on for every millisecond of your gift of Life will thrive instead of being digested by machines in a far off land that you can't see and don't care about.
Separating and isolating organisms from ecosystems is dangerous to the survival of the species, carries diminishing returns in production/nutrient density/soil degradation, and creates an escalating rehabilitation cost vs output value that eventually overwhelms the business model/nutrient requirements of any system you attach it to.
Buckets are fun. But ecosystems are cheaper, more efficient, abundantly productive, and are the least we as humans can do to thank whatever we sprang from for the Life we've been gifted. Unanimous scientific consensus says we evolved from fungi.
So at the very least, you, me, and every human being on this planet should be responsible for feeding and growing as much fungi as it took for our Life to exist. And really, once you've gone that far why not put enough back to exchange for your children's lives, and the lives of friends and neighbors that you know maybe can't do it for themselves.
I mean depending entirely what motivates someone to grow mushrooms like this in the first place. Maybe you don't concern yourself with the equivalent exchange Life demands. That's entirely your right. But that's just another reason for those who aren't sentient piles of human shaped fertilizer to put more Life back than it cost to support them.
Because Life costs one equal portion of Life. Your Life, my Life, every microbe, every invertebrate, every bird, bee, and fish. Each Life costs exactly one Life. That's the deal. There is no escaping this reality no matter how many layers of industrialization and consumerism we line the bubble we surround ourselves with.
Every Life owns a Life. Are you paid up?
How many times mushrooms can be harvested from one bucket?
@@ZennExile "Gift of life"? Life is just chemistry, it's not a gift. Take a science class (if you think you'll be able to pass one) before you spew nonsense on RUclips.
How long does it take to mix the lime and get a consistent pH reading in the big tank? The reason I ask is just because stirring with a big stick looks slow af. Assuming the extra aeration didn't hurt anything, I'd get monster air pump from a hydro store and chuck like 20 airstones in there. You get constant vertical mixing that way.
I love that you don't only sell stuff, but also educate. Makes all the difference!
This is what I like. Low-tech pioneering in a slow-tv format. Thanks guys. This is the channel I've been looking for.
I'm Brazilian and I love mushrooms, everything about them. in my mother tongue it's very difficult to see something so detailed about it, in other languages too, but I've NEVER SEEN SOMETHING LIKE THIS, so detailed, simple and for free !! I can't say anything more than thank you so much for this amazing video. I'm trying to start a mushroom business, and this has helped me a lot. Thanks again 💕💕💕
Work towards a Brazilian specific guide 🤩
One of the most informative videos on growing mushrooms in buckets. Than you, guys!
thanks for watching the video. Think you'll give it a try?
I've started my myco journey with material/culture/knowledge delivered by NorthSpore. Thanks NS team
Glad that you're on that journey!
@@NorthSpore how are your organic pills on your site I wonder if they are worth it
Not sure why youtube recommended this to me, but it was a pleasure to watch!
glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent video , I love how you guys simplify and show the diy home scale level of growing and then commercial scale ….. very informative great job 👍
Maine mushrooms for the win! Great video and super informative.
The mushroom growing community is so helpful, we only succeed together.
I'm waiting on my first buckets to start fruiting. Pretty excited about that! Thanks for the great content and resources.
thank you for watching the video!
Good luck
Have they fruited yet??
How'd it go?
Really appreciate your generosity in sharing this knowledge. Great production as well! Subscribed
Our pleasure! Let us know if you grow any mushrooms on buckets
One of the best videos I have seen on the subject. Thanks for the practical tips!
this whole comment section is a Q&A gold mine! I love the fact that you guys are replying to almost every single question👌
Ya, we don't just claim to be the best. We back it up!
Once again North Spore & Team hit's a homer !
Thanks so much for the great info.
Thanks for the kind words!
Subscribed. Two cool mushroom nerds making a great video on growing mushrooms. The music was pretty chill to listen to. Good set. You guys are great so it's a win/win for everybody.
Ty for this brilliant intro for beginner mushroom growers.
Thank you North Spore for the outstanding video. Time now I am going to attempt with a farmer to utilize their space and can't wait. Hope to show you folks my results soon. Take care, God bless, and safe travels. Shroom on!
Beautiful guide, bravo guys.
This is one of THE most informative and actionable videos I've ever seen, and that's across all kinds of subject matter, not just mushrooms. Thank you so much for your generosity in sharing such valuable information! Liked, sub'd, and will def be purchasing my first spores from NS!
Dumb question: Seems like inoculating the whole substrate would lead to wasting the spore in the center of the bucket - 1. Am I way off on that? 2. If not, would there be any benefit to say, placing a vertical 4" pipe (or some other space-taking material) down the center of the bucket to make the inoculated substrate go a little further?
Thank you so much for watching the video and the kind words about it! We put a lot of effort, energy, and time into our videos. To answer your question- mushroom biology works differently from plants in this regard. The mushroom mycelium will colonize the entire bucket all the while consuming the substrate as food. When the mycelium reaches the ends of the bucket and no longer encounters fresh uncolonized substrate, it triggers the fungus to produce mushrooms. In a way, it realizes that there is no more food for it to consume which means it's time to reproduce, spread spores, and hopefully find some more food for the next generation. All of that food in the middle of your bucket that may seem useless, is all converted into fruiting (i.e. mushroom producing) energy by the fungus. The more food, the bigger the flushes and the longer the buckets will produce. Minimizing the substrate held within the buckets would only diminish your yields and the longevity of your buckets. The inverse consideration is that the larger your substrate vessel, the longer it will take for the mycelium to fully colonize it and have that fruiting event triggered and the more likely that other competing fungi or bacteria are able to make their home in the substrate before your preferred species has been able to fully colonize it. There is something of a sweet spot with the size of a 5-gallon bucket. Just enough food for great flushes, but not too much for super slow colonization or risk of contaminants. Hope this helps!
@@NorthSpore Wow! Thank you for that detailed answer. I figured there was a good reason you do things the way you do. Will be bingeing the rest of your content! 😁
@@NorthSpore Such a clear, helpful and easy-to-visualize explanation ! ! !
Y’all really know how to TEACH
as well as GROW mushrooms !!!
👍
Brilliant video chaps. Will be trying this method myself.
I could remember several years ago I was diagnosed with BPD. I suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Not until my mom recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 8 years totally clean. Never thought I would be saying this about mushrooms.
Easily the best mushroom growing video on the internet.
Wicked man, been wanting to grow in a while and this definitely pushes me to start sooner than later. I’ll have an insulated shed soon. With a work bench and a closet size tent, I should be good to go. And now i know where to buy my spawn locally.
Thanks gentlemen for your advice on how to do a grow I think it's great of you to share with all of us customers it was great video thanks
😢 this was my exact plan 7 months ago. Great minds think alike. It was interesting seeing the lime with the saw dust and the bungie cords.
Very cool! These guys know the craft well. Really fascinating
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience
Very informative and a very easy method over the traditional pressure cooker method for pasteurization. I am going to give it a try and see if i can succeed in growing some tasty treats for myself.
WE GROW OUR POP-CORN IN EXACTLY THE SAME MANNER - HIGHER YIELD, MORE KERNELS POP, HAVE ENOUGH LEFT OVER TO SELL TO THE LOCAL MOVIE PALACE - WONDERFUL VIDEO!!!!!!!!
Hello, I'm from Brazil, it's a pleasure to meet your work, I watch it with subtitles but you explain it very well, thank you I learned a lot watching, I hope one day I can pay for the teachings, success for you there!
Great video. To stop your buckets toppling try putting a long plank of wood under every row of buckets. This will make them more stable.
This was one topic, that was REALLY COOL!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I got some kits from your company (blue oyster and lion’s mane) and tried scaling then up in 5-gal buckets but used 1/4” holes and they didn’t do much. Been having a problem where they grow well then stall and fizzle out. Growing in bathroom. Going to increase them to 1/2” and try again. Been using aspen shavings but going to give the straw a try for the oysters.
Brilliant video. Thank you.
Really helpful video. Wishing u people the best ❤
So much appreciated the Fabulous education!
I did this a couple of years ago using cardboard boxes. It was awesome!! Need to do it again.
You should get back at it!
im growing oyster mushrooms in my closet and lions mane using this method in Baltimore. so worth it!
awesome! great to have fresh mushrooms available
Great information, thank you all.
thjanks for watching!
That's so cool I'm going to buy some north spore , those shrooms looked so delicious. I'm sure a lot of restaurants owners around here would buy from me if I could grow them pretty as those are
So incredibly informative, thank you so much for sharing.
Thank you for watching!
Every educational video, thank you so very much for sharing your knowledge to us all 👍👍👍
thanks for watching! we put a lot of energy and time into these videos. Think you'll try the technique?
I will definitely try later down the road using your idea and technique of course 😊👍
Thanks again
Such a good video!
Wonderful instructions ❤
This is awesome definitely gonna get stuff from y’all
thanks! let us know if you have any questions!
Excellent video. Now I know what I'm going to do with my 22 litre wine buckets.
nice that you have buckets available! think you'll grow oysters?
@@NorthSpore Thanks for the reply. I've no idea, to be honest. I have 4 buckets so thinking of growing a selection and seeing which ones a) I prefer the taste of, and b) grow well.
I was in a Chinese supermarket the other day and saw mushrooms that had obviously been grown in the same way as yours. It made me smile to see them in real life. 😁
Hello guys. cool mushroom farm!!!! Subscribed to your channel. I watch it regularly!!! Very good technology!!! I will try this spring, since boiling is very expensive and is not applicable everywhere!!! Thank you for the cool analysis of technology!!! Good luck to you
Amazing video! Thank you!
Thank you very much for the great video! Much appreciated!
thank you for watching it!
thank you! this is a very interesting and well made video. to the point and entertaining, Im actually starting growing my own mushrooms at home with reused materials so im going to take some tips from here!
Thank you very much! Happy growing! :)
Thank you!!! Great info.
Yum. I love mushrooms!
Thanks! Great stuff. I look forward to trying this.
you should give it a shot! thanks for watching
Liked. Awesome video and explanation
thanks for watching!
When they're on the sofa talking, it looks like an apology video for a "failed" kickstarter.😂
Bom dia! Obrigado! Pelo conhecimentos de vocês,adoramos o vídeo,somos do Brasil e vamos colocar em prática o que vocês ensinaram,poderia passar relação do material usado no composto! abraços
That dude's blazed! 😀
Absolutely fantastic guide. Thanks guys 👍🏻
Thank you!
@@NorthSporeなかこ
i’ve been taking food safe buckets that my workplace was throwing away and this would be an amazing opportunity for them!
Awesome video!
Excellent tutorial!! Also, love that barn. Please send a link to the plans if you can. I have a portable saw mill and looking to make a barn with all native lumber from the land. Thanks!
Excellent video, thank you
thanks for watching! Do you think you'll try to grow mushrooms in buckets?
thank you for sharing your knowledge!
thanks for watching the video. Think you'll give it a try?
For sometime now I was planning for something to do by myself, to earn extra cash coz as I'm struggling for too long...as soon as I have some cash saved I'm going to give this a try & hopefully it works out. Thank you 'North Spore' for your detailed video.
I love mushrooms!!!
us too! have you tried growing them?
@@NorthSpore I really want to!
Thanks for that goldseam of info..💎💝😎
This is great thank you so much. I would put the hydrated straw or whatever material into an old style upright spin dryer inside pillowcases rather than hanging bags up. Im going to subscribe and watch all your posts. So interesting.
So cool! How did I just find your channel? Subscribed. This video is excellent, beginning to end.
Awesome, thank you!
thanks for good advice. love your barn!
we filmed at Pineland Farms in Maine
@@NorthSpore oh. ok. well, still love it 😂
Nice video. I would consider putting the blocks on the top of that IBC tote and then using ratchet straps to push the bags down so you don't have to stand on top of it.
I love this!! We grew a few small ready to go pink mushroom set-up from a gift that my daughter sent bc I just love them & it literally became an extended family event bc after they pinned-they literally were growing so fast! Some were a little spooked- 😂.It & it created more curiosity to do larger or different types, we’re in PNW, we get lots of natural but not edible in our yard & a few 5 gal. would be perfect.
we seem to have a good climate for i
That's amazing idea
You guys at Northspores are amazing, i love your show, your sharing unfortunately I live in Australia and is too far to buy your spores.
Fantastic video! Thank you
Thanks for watching!
@@NorthSpore statistically speaking here you go!
Fantastic! So in depth!
Do you think you'll try out the technique?
@North Spore oh absolutely. I've grown from a kit before, so my next step will be mastering this process. Once I get that down I'll be hoping to go the next step further and start growing from agar :)
Awesome video
thank you for watching!
Great video. I've got a sawmill and will have tons of sawdust. I'm hoping to grow lionsmane and TT right now. I'll be using totem for most but hope to use bucket method for the lionsmane. I look forward to more of your videos.
awesome that you've got your own source of sawdust. We always worked with the pelletized sawdust because the process of turning the sawdust into pellets involves heat which helps pasteurize the substrate before inoculation
@@NorthSpore Yeah , for you guys it probably is essential. I've been thinking steam pasturizing. I'm out in the sticks and have the room. I like the idea of the lime pasturization too and I'm going to do a little more research on if it will work for the medicinals I'm trying to grow. I bet it'd work for TT. I'm also trying to get some ganoderma tsugae to start. I'm new to the culturing and trying to do it on the cheap. I love your barn in the begining of the video. Any videos of that? I'm a timber framer by trade.
Thankyou....looks amazing
thanks for watching! think you'll try growing oyster mushrooms yourself?
Great video! Thanks for sharing.
cheers!
It's totally workable. I had good fun with it. It won't fit in my current tent but I'm getting 3 gallon buckets soon.
3 gallon buckets will work well too!
Such calm :)
This is amazing!! Greetings from argentina
thanks for watching! Think you'll be growing mushrooms in Argentina?
@@NorthSpore Of course! Now I'm trying to grow my own portobello mushroom spores since I didn't find the Mycelium. Ty for the video it is very useful!
Bro pulled the bucket tech that's crazy, last stock clutch
this looks like a lot of fun, i like making things and gardening so i might hit you up when i'm out of the military if you'll have me
great video , keep it up
thank you, we have plenty more in the works
Thanks for this vid...
I bought lion’s mane from you. I’m planning on upscaling and this video was absolutely valuable. I’m from New England but went to warmer weather.
Thank you for purchasing lions mane spawn and watching our video!
Great Video Thanks!!
thanks for watching!
I guess someone has to be the unlucky S.O.B., but I started my buckets with your blue oyster spawn literally the day before this video came out 😂looking forward to hopefully some success soon!
I hope you're not unlucky! I imagine you'll have success growing your blue oysters! Let us know if you have any questions
For mixing your water pH step use a paint mixing drill bit (start slow, but way easier than paddles I'd guess)
Great stuff thanks for the video
This is awesome information guys. Thank you! I'm starting out with dung lovers, but I'm gathering info on wood lovers.
good luck on your mushroom growing journey! thanks for watching the video
Hello from Germany.
Thank you. ❤
thanks for watching! are you growing mushrooms over in Germany?
@@NorthSpore
Oh I live in a small apartment and don't have the space. Maybe one time.
Thats pretty cool
Excellent
Thanks for the great video guys👍kick-ass!!!
Love this! Did it last year and got so many mushrooms but we realized after we could have gotten so many more because our straw was too wet. (We did the boil/steam method. Gonna do lime this year)
Are your mesh bags the 10lbs ones or the 60lbs ones?
Excellent work on this video! Legit step-by-step. This could not come at a better time as I am just getting started. For the the pellet method: 40ltrs water, 40lbs of wood pellets, 16lbs of soy hull, 6 lbs of spawn will fill how many buckets? Do you have a preference on pellets vs straw? Do you have any best practices for cleaning your buckets? I am trying to target restaurants as I feel I could scale easily as I add customers -- do you recommend sticking with a single type of oyster at first or diversify from the beginning? Is there a type of oyster you saw as the most sought after for restaurants?
We definitely prefer straw! I'm not sure exactly how many buckets that recipe will fill. Starting with a mix of oysters is fine, but blue oyster as the bedrock is the way to go.
22:22 with all due respect to these two gentlemen who are teaching me so much i didnt know but just one idea that came up: if you packed the straw bags into the container and secured them down first with a metal grid and then added the lime solution on top you wouldnt have to surf on them to submerge them.
Also you could take the guessing work out of the creation of your lime solution and just measure the water and the lime to get it right quickly everytime. This would also tell you how much water, lime and straw you need which could make your cost calculations more predictable.
Great idea! I think that would work well, it will just involve more planning and infrastructure. The nice thing about weighing down the lid with the cut off top of the IBC tote is the simplicity and ease of sourcing and working with the IBC totes.
This looks like the most practical small scale or hobby grow. No autoclaves, no laminar flow hoods, no PHDs.
it is incredibly easy to do on a small scale without technical knowledge or equipment
Thank you! Informative and to the point. Is any of this possible in a city apartment😅