Semi-Sterile Mushroom Cultivation Experiment

This is documentation of my experiments in what I'm calling semi-sterile mushroom cultivation. Hopefully, this helps and inspires someone else.

I'm using oyster mushroom spawn from a countertop kit. I used the sterilize feature on my Instapot to sterilize some unfinished compost to use as a substrate. I'm sterilizing the substrate, but not working in a lab setting. That's why I'm calling it semi-sterile.

Lesson learned #1: the plastic from a standard ziplock bag can't hold up in a sterilizing cycle. I sterilized a new batch lose in the Instapot and put some in a glass jar and some in a new ziplock. I'm hoping the glass jar works because it's infinitely reusable. I'm trying the ziplock because it's easily available and more like what's used commercially. Unfortunately, it's also single-use plastic.

It's now been 5 days since I started. The pics below show the setup and the fungi starting to take hold in the substrate.

Any feedback from more experienced mushroom growers is welcome. I plan to continue documenting the experiment here.

I’m experimenting with a new (to me) technique that I found on a Field and Forest video.

I fill a mushroom grow bag with 2 1/2 cups of hardwood pellets, 1 cup soy hull pellets (or 6.4 ounces of ground soy hull), and 1 1/2 cup of cottonseed hulls (loose or pellets).

Then I add 5 1/2 cups of boiling water, fold the bag closed and let it completely cool.  The next day I add 1 1/2 cups of oyster mushroom grain spawn shake it well to mix everything and then seal the bag.  

I find I can easily do 12 bags with a bag of spawn.  

Once the bag is completely inoculated, flip the bag upside down.  Cut X’s, 1 on the top, 1 on each of the short sides and two on each of the long sides.   Spray them as soon as they pin.  

I have nine bags going right now, this is what some look like after 25 days:

Update:

The bag of substrate seems to be compromised by some other type of fungus or bacteria. I'll continue with it to see what happens. The original block from the kit and the glass jar are still looking strong.