Growing guide
How to grow button mushrooms
Grown on pasteurised compost in cool rooms; Haryana’s seasonal growers crop it from October to March.
At a glance
- Planting window
- Seasonal: compost in September–October, spawn October–November
- Duration
- 8–10 weeks of cropping after casing
- Climate
- Spawn run 22–25 °C; cropping 14–18 °C with 85–90% humidity and fresh air
- Soil
- Pasteurised compost of wheat straw, chicken manure and gypsum; casing of well-decomposed manure or spent compost; pH 7–7.8
- Water need
- Moderate
- Seed
- Spawn at roughly 0.5–0.75% of compost weight
- Yield
- About 15–20 kg of mushrooms per 100 kg of compost in seasonal rooms.
What to do, and when
Dates assume planting around 20 Oct. Change the plan to shift them.
- 1–5 weeks before — Make and pasteurise compost: Outdoor phase then pasteurisation.
- Day 0 — Spawn: Mix spawn evenly; fill trays or bags.
- Days 1–15 — Spawn run in the dark: 22–25 °C, high humidity.
- Days 15–18 — Case: Spread 3–4 cm casing.
- Months 1–3 — Crop in flushes: Drop to 14–18 °C, ventilate, pick closed buttons twice a day.
- Months 1–3 — Sell same day: Pack in punnets; chill.
Varieties to consider
Buy certified seed or planting material from an authorised source.
- S-11 and other white strains — Buy fresh spawn from a licensed lab.
Water
- Light misting of casing; humidity 85–90%.
- Never let it go short at: Pinning · Each flush
Pests and diseases to watch
Prevent first; spray only when needed, with a product registered for the crop, at label dose.
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What would you like to do next?
Where these numbers come from
- Common grower practice in north India Widely followed by farmers; confirm with your KVK for your block.
