Substrate is the collective name for the breeding ground on which you grow mushrooms. There are a huge number of possibilities and every grower has his favorite, a bit like every self-crowned BBQ king has its own secret rub (shameless promotion: we really recommend grilling Oak to try the barbecue).
Growing on coffee grounds
We started our breeding adventure a few years ago with coffee grounds. Growing on coffee grounds is a proven technique that works great for oyster mushrooms. This aggressive species (they don't bite) grows on almost everything. They even grow on cardboard in the right conditions. All creative low-budget breeding solutions and very nice for the grower who starts working with our Toschifarm Growkit. But after a few harvests you want something more and then you quickly run into limitations; Many other species do not grow on coffee grounds.
HWFP?
We take a dip in the Rabbit Hole. Substrate is a controversial subject at hobby growers and (semi) professionals. Although for forums it is sometimes strong with discussions and everyone claims to have the best recipe, the truth is somewhere in the middle. Almost all the substrates mentioned that we see passing by, provided they are sterile enough. The results do differ enormously. Growing on coffee grounds, for example, is discouraged by many, because it is not the best breeding method if you really want to harvest.
HWFP is a term that passes a lot and it stands for hard Wood Fuel Pellets. Note: these are not the average pellets that you put in your pellet stove, because they are often made of softwood. That type of wood has the property of combating fungi; Not so handy if you want to grow fungi as a full -fledged fruit bodies. The hardwood pellets, on the other hand, are ideal as a basis for your substrate.
Additives for substrate
In addition to using hardwood or hardwood pellets, you must add fabrics to your substrate with nutritional value such as wheat seal, soy chilling and so on. You create a Masters Mix, a balanced substrate that has the perfect properties for mushroom cultivation. The mix that we use contains HWFP and Wheat Bran (wheat seal) to which you only have to add water. NOTE: You must always sterilize your substrate for your breeding or your Liquid Culture give the best chance of survival. Not sterilized substrate is so packed with nutrients that there are fungi in which your breeding is not able to cope with it within a few days. You can read how you do this in this Extensive breeding instruction.