How to Grow Mushrooms from Grocery Store Purchases

Growing mushrooms from grocery store purchases is a great way to start your home mushroom growing business, especially here in Ternopil! While it’s not as easy as planting seeds (since mushrooms are fungi and don’t have seeds), it is entirely possible to “clone” a supermarket mushroom and make it produce more.

The trick is to use the mycelium (the “vegetative” part of the mushroom, which looks like thin white roots) found at the base of the purchased mushrooms. The easiest species to grow this way are usually oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus) and shiitake. White champignons (champignon de Paris) are a bit more challenging for beginners.

How to Grow Supermarket Mushrooms: The Simple Cloning Method
This method is ideal for those who want to experiment without investing in complicated growing kits, but instead use what they already have at home.

What you’ll need:

Fresh mushrooms from the store: Choose mushrooms that can’t be left with their stems intact, and if possible, leave some of the original material on the tray. Oyster and shiitake mushrooms work best for this.
Raw materials:
Easiest option: Used, cooled coffee grounds (left over from your morning coffee!). Make sure they’re free of green or black mold.
Other options: Clean straw, untreated wood chips (avoid resinous woods like pine), or wood shavings. These may need to be pasteurized or sterilized.

Clear container: A glass jar with a lid (like a mayonnaise or jam jar), a plastic container with a lid, or a large ziplock bag. It should be something you can seal but still allow air to circulate (you can poke holes in it later).

70% alcohol or disinfectant: For disinfecting.

Spray bottle: For moistening.

Disposable gloves (optional, but recommended for hygiene reasons).
Instructions:

Step 1: Disinfection is key
Clean everything: Disinfection is the most important part of mushroom growing, as you only want to grow the mushrooms you want and not other fungi or bacteria.
Wash your hands thoroughly and wear gloves. Clean your work area and all tools (jars, scissors, etc.) with 70% alcohol.
Step 1: Prepare the mushroom for cloning
Take one of the fresh mushrooms you bought.