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Start making your own grain substrate for mushrooms and save money

For one-time growing you can start with pre-made sterile jars and bags, however, ready-to-use solutions usually have lower quality than substrate made by your own.

Below you'll find Amazon products for DIY grain jars for mushrooms. Most of the items can be used multiple times. Hence you can save money by making unlimited spawn jars (or bags) in long term run. Moreover you can prepare fresh substrate any time you need.

The most expensive device in this kit is Pressure Cooker (PC). But you can use it hundred times for thousands of jars.

Pressure cooker is your best investment in this hobby. It is an investment in yourself increasing your ability to have perfect quality substrate, more opportunities for experiments, less fear of fails and greater success in mushroom cultivation overall

Btw, pressure cooker is an amazing tool for making healthy food and/or canning.

Jars and lids can be used as many times since they are not broken. I prefer to use heat resistant plastic lids (5PP), they may work for longer, it's personal preference. Try what works best for you.

Some components (like injection port) are also reusable.

Some parts/materials are very cheap to replace. For instance, RTV silicone or air filter.

The only components you have to buy each time are: grain of your choice, vermiculite and pinch of gypsum.

Time consuming for DIY grain jars

You can start with the most simple recipes for newbies to be sure in result: Brown Rice substrate, or BRF (Brown Rice flour substrate, or No Soak No Simmer Millet. They take 10-20 minutes for preparation and 2-2.5 hours for sterilization in PC.

Other recipes takes 30-60 mins for preparation (depends on grain) and 2-2.5 hours for sterilization in PC.

Check out full guide and all recipes: Cooking grain substrate process and recipes

Costs for DIY grain jars

Let's calculate our costs for DIY grain jars.

Total costs you should spend for DIY grain jars (PC + jars with lids + components + substrate ingredients + gas/electricity): $200-250.

On average, one ready-made sterilized grain jar/bag costs around $15-25.

It means $250/$15 = you can buy ~17 jars/bags.

So, your return investments = ~17-20 jars/bags = ~2 times of using pressure cooker.

All future jars are just the costs for grain.

How do you think is it worth? ;)

Check out the shopping list below.

Make substrate yourself and have a happy growing!

Pressure Canner and Cooker - 23 Qt

Presto 01781 Pressure Canner and Cooker, 23 qt, Silver

from $124

Best seller! Aluminium. Built-in Pressure Gauge, Includes 1 Rack

Buy on Amazon

Mason Jars Wide Mouth with Lids, 32oz - 12 Pa...

Ball Mason 32 oz Wide Mouth Jars with Lids and Bands, Set of 12 Jars.

from $34.09

Glass jars, 32 oz - 12 Pack. Suitable for PC size. Stainless steel lids

Buy on Amazon

Wide Mouth Plastic Mason Jar Lids

[24 Pack] Wide Mouth Plastic Mason Jar Lids for Ball, Kerr and More, Food Grade White Plastic Storage Canning Jar Lids for Mason/Canning Jars

from $14.99

Optional! 5PP heat resistant lids (up to 240°F or 115°C) - 24 Pack

Buy on Amazon

2-in-1: Synthetic Air Filters 64 pcs + Inject...

64 Pieces Synthetic Filter Paper Stickers 0.3 μm Filter Disc Mushroom and 100 Pieces Vial Rubber Stopper Injection Ports for Mushroom Cultivation (13.2mm Diameter)

from $11.99

64 Synthetic Filter Paper Stickers 0.3 nm + 100 Injection Ports (13.2 mm)

Buy on Amazon

High Temperature RTV Silicone

J-B Weld 31314 High Temperature RTV Silicone Gasket Maker and Sealant - Red - 3 oz.

from $6.49

Use it to install/make Inoculation Port in lid. Choose any color

Buy on Amazon

Organic Brown Rice, 2 or 5 lbs

Organic Rice Variations (Long Grain Brown - 5lb (1pk))

from $19.98

Use it for making Brown Rice substrate (whole grain) or Brown Rice Flour (BRF substrate)

Buy on Amazon

Brown Rice Flour, 3 lbs

Viddie's Bakery Ultra Fine Brown Rice Flour - Gluten Free (3 Pound Bag)

from $13.99

Ready flour for making BRF substrate

Buy on Amazon

Millet Proso, 10 lbs

Desert Valley White Millet Seed, All Natural, Non-GMO Premium Wild Bird Food for Cardinals, Finch, Song Birds, Buntings and More (10 Pounds)

from $25.95

For easy making NSNS (no soak no simmer) substrate

Buy on Amazon

Unhulled Oat Seeds, 5/10 lbs

Thunder Acres Non GMO, Certified Organic, Oat Seed (5 lb.)

from $20.99

Need more time for preparation. The best for Magic Truffles, Cubes and edibles

Buy on Amazon

Unhulled Barley (Hull Intact), 12 Lbs

Barley 12 Lbs, Unhulled Barley (Hull Intact), Joseph's Grainery Whole Grain Barley, Non-GMO, Kosher Certified

from $36.99

Hull Intact grain. Follow full guide for preparation whole grain substrate

Buy on Amazon

Hard Red Winter Wheat Berries, 3 lbs

Hard Red Winter Wheat Berries | 3 LBS | Family Farmed in Washington State | Non-GMO Project Verified | 100% Non-Irradiated | Certified Kosher Parve | Field Traced | Cotton Bag

from $16.95

Hard whole grain. Follow full guide for preparation whole grain substrate

Buy on Amazon

Whole Kernel Corn, 5 lbs

5 Pounds of CZ Grain Whole Kernel Corn - Make Corn Meal - Yellow corn grown in Iowa. Great for tortillas - Deers, Ducks, Turkey Food - Masa Maize

from $17.89

Great corn for general recipe or Drippy Corn Tek

Buy on Amazon

8QT Professional Grade Plantation Products Ve...

8QT Professional Grade Plantation Products Vermiculite

from $8.65

8 Qt. - 1 or 2 Packs. Used for BRF sub. For grain jars, bulk CVG & Casing

Buy on Amazon

Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate), 2lb

Pure Original Ingredients Calcium Sulfate (2 lb) Baking, Water Treatment & Gardening

from $12.99

Recommended to add just a pinch per jar for grain substrate. Also needed for CVG bulk substrate

Buy on Amazon