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
from $124
Best seller! Aluminium. Built-in Pressure Gauge, Includes 1 Rack
Buy on Amazon
Mason Jars Wide Mouth with Lids, 32oz - 12 Pa...
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
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...
from $11.99
64 Synthetic Filter Paper Stickers 0.3 nm + 100 Injection Ports (13.2 mm)
Buy on Amazon
High Temperature RTV Silicone
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
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
from $13.99
Ready flour for making BRF substrate
Buy on Amazon
Millet Proso, 10 lbs
from $25.95
For easy making NSNS (no soak no simmer) substrate
Buy on Amazon
Unhulled Oat Seeds, 5/10 lbs
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
from $36.99
Hull Intact grain. Follow full guide for preparation whole grain substrate
Buy on Amazon
Hard Red Winter Wheat Berries, 3 lbs
from $16.95
Hard whole grain. Follow full guide for preparation whole grain substrate
Buy on Amazon
Whole Kernel Corn, 5 lbs
from $17.89
Great corn for general recipe or Drippy Corn Tek
Buy on Amazon
8QT Professional Grade Plantation Products Ve...
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
from $12.99
Recommended to add just a pinch per jar for grain substrate. Also needed for CVG bulk substrate
Buy on Amazon