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In the spring I "sow" some mushrooms in a shady part of my garden - Blewitt (Lepista nuda), Wine Cap (Stropharia rugosoannulata) and Elm Mushroom (Hypsizygus ulmarius).

The mushroom spawn I sow came in the form of mycelium sprinkled on various kinds of seeds (at least looked like this). I prepared the mushroom beds as a mixture of straw, sow dust and autumn leaves depending on the requirements of the different species.

Yesterday I noticed that some mushrooms have just sprouted.

I would like to have the sown mushrooms as a permanent addition to my garden, so I am wondering whether to gather the mushrooms or let them get big and hopefully spread through the whole mushroom bed.
If I am to gather them, should I cut the mushrooms, or twist them?

I live in zone 6.

Part of the mushroom bed and the sprouts

EDIT: After letting the mushrooms get big enough, I realized they are none of the species I have bought, so I am not eating them. Nevertheless, when hopefully I get sprouts of let's say Garden Giant, what would you suggest doing with the first crop?

nettle
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1 Answers1

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To answer your hypothetical question: wait until the mushrooms have developed to the appropriate point, don't worry about size...

Some indicators of development are if the flap covering the gills is still attached and the color of the gills, and the shape. Size isn't important as mushrooms are deterministic and won't get bigger than they were set up to in the primordia stage.

Then cut at the ground level with a sharp knife.

Grady Player
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