The Mushroom Cultivator: A Practical Guide to Growing Mushrooms at Home [Paperback]

Paul Stamets (Author), J. S. Chilton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1983 | ISBN-10: 0961079800 | ISBN-13: 978-0961079802 | Edition: 1st

The book you are about to read is a milestone in the new awareness of mushrooms. The Mushroom Cultivator by Paul Stamets and J.S. Chilton is easily the best source of information on growing mushrooms at home. The authors demystify the art of mushroom cultivation and put mastery of it within everyone's reach. If you have been searching for information on this topic, you will find it to be all that you have been looking for. Includes detailed growth requirements for 15 mushroom species, sterile culture and mushroom spawn preparation techniques, procedures for strain selection and development, practical preparation methods for compost and bulk substrates, the mushroom life cycle and mushroom genetics, identification of the major competitor molds, pathogens and pests, and guidelines for the construction of mushroom growing rooms.

Product Details

• Paperback: 415 pages
• Publisher: Agarikon Press; 1st edition (December 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0961079800
• ISBN-13: 978-0961079802
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 1.1 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,074 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > By Technique > Propagation & Cultivation
  • #6 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Plants > Mushrooms
  • #73 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > Vegetables

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

415 of 429 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars More Appropriate for the Farm than the Home December 3, 2001

By Gregory McMahan VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Contrary to what many cultivation cognoscenti repeatedly say, this book is not the `bible' of mushroom cultivation. Although the amount of information in this book is impressive, it is limited to a handful of species, and gives exact growth parameters for a few select mushrooms, principally those belonging to Agaricus, Pleurotus, Psilocybe/Panaeolus, and Stropharia. It should also be noted that while some species, such as Pleurotus and Agaricus are relatively easy to cultivate, others such as Stropharia and Psilocybe/Panaeolus may be difficult to cultivate even under the most favorable conditions. As many of the topics in the book are more appropriate for the small mushroom farm, the book is anything but practical for home-based cultivation. As a result, using this book as a basis for hobby cultivation will more than likely take the fun out of cultivation entirely.

That said, the book explains the science behind mushroom cultivation very well, but places considerable emphasis on composting and Agaricus/Psilocybe production. The emphasis on Agaricus is understandable, as it is a commercially cultivated mushroom with mass appeal, but Psilocybe species are covered in a bit too much detail for my taste. More lab techniques are presented in this book than in Stamet's Growing Gourmet Mushrooms, and the authors provide detailed info on starting cultures from scratch, spawn maintenance and propagation, as well as setting up your own lab. One very strong selling point of the book is the authors' elaboration on the importance of good environmental control and how to achieve it, although again, the information on this topic would be more appropriate for a farm than a home. The authors also include two very detailed chapters giving information on invertebrate (insect) and microbial pests/contaminants and provide an excellent chapter on trouble-shooting during cultivation, focusing in particular on microbial pests/contaminants. The book includes a fairly good run-down on cultivation using non-composted substrates, but it could be expanded to include more substrates, more cultivation strategies, and more mushroom species that grow well on non-composted substrates. However, Stamets and Chilton primarily refer to varieties of alder, which is readily available in riparian and montaine habitats in the Pacific Northwest, and while they do provide the reader with material properties on other suitable hardwood substrates such as oak, beech, and birch in an appendix, a future edition should endeavor to show the reader the same techniques using those substrates. The authors end the book with a chapter that briefly explains the fundamentals of genetics and reproduction of edible mushrooms. The book's appendices contain invaluable information such as the construction of air and environmental systems, the composition of various potential substrates, data collection records and conversion tables, all of which do much to enhance its appeal to mushroom farmers. Finally, the book also includes a comprehensive and understandable glossary of key terms, a detailed bibliography, and a comprehensive index.

Essentially, the book's emphasis is on those mushroom species that can be grown with ease on compost with a few commercial species, such as shiitake, enoki, and oyster thrown in to round out the mix. You really have to look elsewhere for more detailed information on the medicinal properties of mushrooms and mushroom growing resources. Additionally, I found the absence of good, reliable economic data on mushroom cultivation, especially from the small farm or business standpoint to be lacking in both of Stamet's texts. While this text in particular was very comprehensive when it came mushroom science, I found myself looking to Stamet's Growing Gourmet Mushrooms for historical, cultural, taxonomic and medicinal information on edibles. Additionally, Growing Gourmet Mushrooms emphasized the edibles more, while this book played up the hallucinogenic mushrooms. Finally, better quality pictures, especially those in color and high resolution, would add significant value to this book.

In sum, while the average hobby cultivator just embarking on mushroom growing may find the information a bit too complicated, those looking to turn their hobby into a small farm venture will find it to be invaluable. To fully employ the techniques and methods presented in this book, the aspiring cultivator would have to invest a considerable amount of time and money. As such, I believe that this book is an excellent complement to a small farm operation. Those individuals looking to embark on hobby mushroom growing should first read Hajo Hadeler's Medicinal Mushrooms You Can Grow, and Paul Stamet's Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms. Once the hobbyist is thoroughly familiar with the topic and the ins and outs of micro-scale (home-based) cultivation, I would strongly recommend that he or she pick up this book. As such, I see this as being more for folks who are serious about running a small farm or mushroom business, as most hobby growers would not even take the trouble to set up their own lab, or even maintain starter cultures beyond grain spawn. Thus, I recommend that this book be bought only after more basic information on mushrooms and their cultivation has been fully acquired.

50 of 50 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Part of the ideal amatuer mycology library! September 1, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I have read this and several other mushroom cultivation books. This book, coupled with Stamet's Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms, makes for the absolute best reference materials for growing your own mushrooms.

That said, I'll mention the only thing that may disappoint a reader. His treatment of agar techniques in either of his cultivation books leaves a little to be desired. If you feel uncomfortable working with petri dishes after reading his sections on it, you may wish to check out "Laboratory Excercises in Microbiology" (ISBN 0-697-35443-1) by Harley and Prescott. It is a little more than a fellow needs to know about microbiology, but it is an excellent reference for aquainting on with aseptic agar techniques.

Aside from this, Stamets has certainly beaten the competion with this book!

88 of 93 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It's the Mushroom Cultivation Bible June 29, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I often refer to this book at the "bible", also. And it's writen by the "Cultivation God" himself. I already knew how to cultivate before i bought this book, and had a fairly wide knowledge of the subject. The amount of information in this book is unbelievable. I was just shocked. And, in a sort of response to the person who said there's too much info - if you're going to cultivate mushrooms, the more information the better. You can get buy with just a step-by-step guide, but you won't be very successful, and if you run into problems, or want to do more, then you're not going to know what to do. If you really want to cultivate mushrooms, and you really want to enjoy it, then you've got to get this book. It's easy to understand, and gives some basic information on the life cycle and properties of mushrooms. Ask anyone that cultivates, and knows a lot about cultivating, and they'll tell you that this is a must have book. It's probably my favorite book i've ever bought. Get it!