How to grow king oyster mushrooms at home?

Hey fellow mushroom enthusiast! I grow king oysters in my apartment using simple methods. Here's what works for me:

I use the five-gallon bucket method with pasteurized straw. Drill holes around the bucket, layer spawn and straw, and keep in a dark closet for 3 weeks. Then I move it to my bathroom (high humidity!) and mist daily.

The key with king oysters is they need higher CO2 during fruiting to develop those thick stems we love. I sometimes put a loose plastic bag over the bucket to maintain CO2. They also like cooler temperatures than other oysters - around 60-70°F.

Harvest when stems are thick and caps are still curved downward. I get 3-4 flushes from each bucket over 2 months. They're so meaty - I slice and sauté them like scallops! Much easier than you'd think.

King oyster mushrooms are one of the easiest and most rewarding mushrooms to grow at home! I've been growing them for years:

You'll need king oyster mushroom spawn and a substrate - they love supplemented sawdust, straw, or even coffee grounds. Pasteurize your substrate to kill competitors by soaking in hot water (160-180°F) for 1-2 hours.

Mix spawn with cooled substrate in bags or containers, maintaining cleanliness. Incubate in dark around 70-75°F for 2-3 weeks until fully colonized. Then expose to fresh air, high humidity (85-95%), and indirect light to trigger fruiting.

Harvest before caps fully flatten by twisting gently at base. You can get multiple flushes from the same block! Their meaty texture is amazing for cooking.

FreshCap Mushrooms guide has detailed substrate recipes and growing parameters!