Cultivating The Milky Mushroom (Calocybe indica)

Cultivating the Milky mushroom can be a very low cost low tech and rewarding project. The process is very similar to oyster mushroom preparation with the addition of casing. Some of the possible substrates include paddy straw, maize stalks, sorghum stalks, pearl millet stalks, palmarosa grass, vetiver grass, sugarcane baggase, soyabean hay, groundnut haulms etc. However Paddy Straw is the best substrate to use.

This is a warm loving mushroom species suitable for the subtropical and tropical climate types. As seen in the picture the fruitbodies are quite large compared to some other gourmet mushroom types. Both cap and stem are used.

To find a walkthrough of how to pasteurize and inoculate straw substrate bags click here.

After pasteurization and inoculation, let your substrate bags grow in a warm (30-35°C, 85-95°F) grow chamber until the spawn run is complete. This will generally take about 15 days. Now is when the procedure differentiates from oyster cultivation.

Casing:

1. Take grown spawn bags and cut the top off the bag, or cut in half depending on length of bag (6 inches of straw is the recommended amount)
2. Next prepare the casing material, using peat moss water and oyster shell. Mix the peat moss and oyster shell in a bucket, adding 1/2 cup oyster shell for every two bags cased, then add water until moisture level is near 60-70%
3. Use a fork or knife, cleaned with alcohol, to scratch the exposed surface of the mycelium.
4. Apply 1 inch of casing material to top of exposed mycelium. 

After the casing procedure is completed place cased bags in grow room with a high humidity of 80% and temperature of 25-28°C, 77-82°C. Begin Spraying the tops of the casing with water regularly, after about 10 days you will begin to see pinning. After the first harvest, lightly mix casing then compact it again and continue spraying with water regularly. Bags will often provide, 3-4 harvests with a biological efficiency of 150% wet weight.

Aloha Medicinals Inc. provides Calocybe indica mushroom spawn for those interested in growing this wonderful mushroom. 

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