You may have heard before that mushrooms grow back if left alone after being picked. It’s pretty amazing, but can it really happen?
Mushrooms do regrow with the help of their mycelium, which attaches itself to the surface of the soil and other nutrient sources. Its job is to absorb nutrients and water and to manufacture food for the fungus. During reproduction, these strands grow a fruiting body (mushroom) above ground that you can see and eat.
So it’s possible for mushrooms to regrow from their own mycelium after harvest. However, it’s not so easy with all species of mushrooms.
This article will explain which mushroom species regrow after harvest and how you can increase the yield of mushrooms.
Will Mushrooms Regrow After Getting Picked?
As I said earlier, mushrooms will regrow after harvest as long as you don’t impair the mycelium or collect them too early. Mycelium is the fragile, thin, subterranean part of fungi. It is responsible for the regrowth of mushrooms after they are pulled; otherwise, they will decay.
If you harm the mycelium while removing the mushroom, the fungi or mushroom will not grow back. But if the mycelium is unharmed, it will regrow.
Another factor to remember is the timing of the mushroom collection. If you pluck the mushroom cap before the spores are released, the mushroom will not regrow.
However, if you pluck the mushroom after the release of spores, it will not impact the regrowth of the mushroom.
Whether you collect or don’t collect mushrooms, it does not influence the life cycle of mycelium. If the mushroom is not picked, the cap will rot and turn into a substrate. The life cycle of the fungus will continue in the form of regrowth once the mycelium fruits again.
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How Do Mushrooms Regrow After Being Picked?
Mushrooms are a fruit-producing part of underground fiber called mycelium. When mycelium is ready to fruit, they produce caps of mushrooms. These mushroom caps are the edible part of fungi. They are the part of mycelium that is collected for cuisine.
When the growth of mycelium is complete, it starts to shed spores. These spores are responsible for continuing the life cycle of fungi and reproduction. They regrow the mushroom that is collected.
However, the production of spores is only possible if the mycelium is intact. If the mycelium is not intact, the mushroom will not shed spores. Hence, the mushroom will not regrow, and it will slowly die off.
Do Mushrooms Regrow in the Same Spot?
Spores are the ticket for mushrooms to transfer themselves to the next breed. So when you pluck a mushroom after it has spread spores all around, you will see new growing fungi or mushrooms in the same location.
However, if you remove the mushroom before it is done scattering its spores, the fungi body will not inhabit the same place again.
You may see some small baby mushrooms which might grow into enormous mushrooms. But, unfortunately, these are just the remains of the dead harvest. They will slowly stop growing and die.
How Many Times Can You Pick Mushrooms?
The amount of times mushrooms can be farmed and collected depends on the species of mycelium or mushroom.
Some mushrooms can be picked only a few times a year. But, at the same time, other mushrooms can be harvested quite frequently. For instance, oyster mushrooms can grow three to four times in a matter of a few months before they die off completely.
Knowing the amount of times mushrooms are harvested can be tricky. But if you are using a mushroom cultivation kit, you may get a rough measure of how many times a mushroom would regrow before it exhausts.
However, if you are cultivating mushrooms in the wild, remember to harvest again only after the spores of the previous mushrooms have been shed. Gathering before the shedding of spores will lead to less mushroom production in the next harvest.
Mycelium is an invisible part of fungi. They are fibers that grow below the soil. You might accidentally damage this without knowing. Broken mycelium will not regrow the mushroom once it decays.
However, the possibility of a damaged mycelium is extremely low if you are using a mushroom growing kit. This is because the mycelium produced by a kit is more apparent and easy to spot. So, you can easily avoid damaging them.
Before harvesting a mushroom, keep a count of the already evolved population. Doing so will give you a rough measure of how many mushrooms will grow in the next production.
Is It Better To Cut or Pull Mushrooms For Them To Regrow:
It does not matter which method you use to pick the mushroom. Both cutting and pulling the mushrooms yield the same result in terms of regrowth. However, cutting the mushroom is a safer option as it does not involve any force. It is especially suitable for bigger mushrooms.
Grabbing the mushroom with excess force can twist and turn the stem. As a result, the stem might break off. In another scenario, the mycelium might be pulled out with the mushroom hindering the possibility of regrowth.
The primary purpose of finding a safe way to remove mushrooms is to ensure regrowth. When the spores spread, the mushroom decays and turns into a substrate. The mushroom dies whether it is removed or not. The spores, in turn, give rise to new mushrooms.
Does Collecting Mushrooms Make Them Spread?
Pulling mushrooms can make them scatter in some cases. Mycelium is a thin, thread-like region of mushrooms. It produces caps when mushrooms are ready for fruiting.
Mushrooms have spores to pass on their traits to forthcoming generations and reproduce. These spores grow into new mushrooms.
When you are not cautious while collecting, you might blow or kick the mushrooms. This irregular movement of the mushroom can cause the spores to dissipate all around.
The spores undergo reproduction and produce more mushrooms. Hence pulling mushrooms can cause scattering of the mushrooms in some cases.
Can You Over Harvest Mushrooms?
Overharvesting is not ideal for mushrooms. Harvesting too frequently can give you faster results, but it can cause more damage in the long run.
Overharvesting can decrease the number of mushrooms that grow in the present harvest compared to the initial production.
Mycelium is responsible for regenerating the mushroom once it is removed. Harvesting too frequently can cause it to deform or break off from the roots.
The mycelium will severely deteriorate while it tries its best to rebuild the mushroom that is plucked. This will lead to no regrowth of the mushroom.
If a mushroom cannot shed its spores, it slowly dies. As the mycelium body completes its growth, it produces caps on top of the stem called mushrooms. These mushrooms make spores to resume the life cycle of fungi.
If the harvesting of mushrooms occurs too frequently, the mushrooms might not be able to shed their spores on time. This can lead to the death of the mushroom before the next harvest is completed.
If the proper time and space is given to the mushrooms before the next production, they will be able to shed their spores on time.
The fungi growth cycle will remain unchanged. Also, harvesting less frequently lowers the chance of mycelium damage, and more mushrooms will be produced in the next production.
Hence with proper care and precautions, you will be able to cultivate your mushrooms without any complications.
How Do You Increase The Yield of Mushrooms?
Now that you know what can reduce the yield of mushrooms, here are a few ways you can increase the yield of mushrooms:
Timing Your Harvest
Harvesting too frequently can do a lot of harm to the mushroom’s body. It can ruin the mycelium and reduce the quantity of mushroom growth. Overharvesting can also prevent the shedding of spores from the mushrooms on time.
This can cause the death of the mushroom. So, we recommend giving proper time and space between harvests for the fungi to complete its growth cycle. This way, you will get more yield of mushrooms in the next harvest.
Supplementation
Another method for boosting mushroom growth is supplementation. Supplementation is the method of providing nitrogenous content to the fungi. It increases the nutritional support for the mycelium.
The mycelium grows stronger and better. Supplementation is usually done by using wheat bran or oat bran for the fungi. However, too much of anything is not good.
Too much supplementation can lead to stunted growth in the mycelium. So, slowly increase supplementation to your fungi and do not overdo it.
Cutting Vs Pulling
In the case of picking the mushroom, cutting is a good choice and safer than pulling. Pulling can do the job, but it can also cause harm to the mycelium if too much force is used. Cutting is also ideal for mushrooms with larger stems.
So, cutting the mushroom cap prevents you from ruining the mycelium. Since the mycelium is intact, the mushroom growth increases.
The Takeaway
Once they are collected, they regrow multiple times. However, the amount of times a mushroom can regrow depends on the species.
The mushroom will regrow unless its mycelium is damaged or you picked it too early. So, we recommend waiting for the spores to disperse before picking the mushroom. Also, try to cut the mushroom to avoid damaging the mycelium.
Don’t overharvest the mycelium. Before picking the mushroom, check its species. If it is endangered, it is better to leave it alone as mushrooms are a vital aspect of the ecosystem and should be conserved.
