Materials Needed to Make a Fruiting Tank
- 10 gallon aquarium
- Plant light
- Digital temperature/humidity gauge
- 18" x 20" x 1/16" plexiglass sheet, QTY. 2 (Hobby Lobby)
- Jar lids or small saucer plates
- Vermiculite
Wash out the aquarium with soap and water. (No need to dry the inside of it.)
Make a misting shield. Cut one of the plexiglass sheets to 18.5″ x 16″ if using a 10 gallon aquarium. Otherwise, fit the plexiglass to whatever container used for the fruiting tank, such as a plastic bin. The function of the plexi-shield is to protect the mushrooms from direct spray. By spraying the shield directly, the water molecules are able to float through the air and keep it humid, without directly falling on the mushrooms.
Cutting the plexiglass is easy. A simple way is to draw your cut line with a marker and a straight edge. Score the line with a blade. Carefully bend the scored line, and the sheet should snap clean off. The misting shield divides the fruiting tank by creating two separate chambers: the bottom where the cakes rest, and the top chamber where the misting and fanning is done. Position the shield inside the aquarium either at a 45 degree angle, or bend it into an arc. Either way is fine. The shield’s purpose is to protect the mushrooms from direct water spray.
Use a second plexiglass sheet as a lid for the aquarium. Actually, anything that keeps the seal airtight will work, even saran wrap. A tight seal prevents humidity from escaping the fruiting tank. An easily removable lid makes misting and fanning easy.
Before placing the cakes in the tank, heavily mist the inside of the aquarium.
The special moment mycelium is released is exciting. A lot of time and patience has been given. Remove the lids from the cake jars and smell the wonderful mushroom aroma!
The jar lids can serve a purpose during fruiting. They host a moist layer of vermiculite for the mushroom cake to rest on while it fruits. The vermiculite protects against contamination, and continues to nourish the cake as it fruits. Sprinkle the lids full of dry vermiculite, and soak with water droplets, either by syringe or pipette. The vermiculite should be adequately damp, but not soggy. Once the lid beds are prepped, the cakes can be nestled on.
Wearing gloves, turn the jar upside down and birth the cake into your hand. It should come out with a light tap if it doesn’t slide out immediately. Carefully handle the cake. It is still delicate and can bruise if squeezed too hard. Rest the cakes on the lids of wet vermiculite, and gently arrange them in the bottom of the tank. Put the misting shield in place, and spray its surface until saturated with water droplets. Cover the tank and let things grow.
Every day, the humidity level and temperature need to be maintained. Diligently doing so will result in great success. If not using a digital thermometer inside the tank, humidity can be guessed. Generally, if there is plenty of condensation on the surfaces inside the fruiting tank, the humidity level is fine. Optimum range is 90-99%. Mushrooms like temperatures between 70F and 80F to grow. If the tank is kept warmer, fruit grows quicker. Generally, cooler temps slow growth, and warmer temps speed growth.
Each day the air inside the fruiting tank needs to be exchanged, at least once. As mushrooms grow, they emit CO2 that builds up inside the tank. Introducing fresh air into the environment keeps the growing good. If it’s possible to exchange the air 3 or more times a day, great. Open the lid, and fan over the top with something like a magazine or the plexiglass lid itself. Fan for 30-60 seconds. Spritz the shield with several sprays of fresh mist, and seal everything back up with the lid. Fruiting should begin within 3-5 days. The mushrooms will mature rapidly into full sized perfection if everything is done routinely proper. The time to pick them is just before or soon after the veil drops from beneath the cap.
As soon as the mushroom veil detaches, the spores begin to fall. It’s important to not let this go for too long, so keep a close eye on the mushrooms. The veil is delicate and drops quickly. Every hour is one to observe when approaching harvest time. If the cap is allowed to open up flat or curl upward, lots of spores may drop inside the fruiting tank. This can be detected by noticing dark purple or black “ink” coloring across the tank floor and possibly other nearby mushrooms. This is the natural stage for mature mushrooms to continue their lifecycle, and will not harm the crop.
Harvest the mushrooms quickly by hand, plucking them carefully from the mycelium loaf. Consider severing the sporulating caps from the stems to collect a spore print for future propagation.
