Spent Blocks

Here at Arbor Spring Farms, we start with creating our substrate from scratch made with soy, wood, and water. Each bag starts at ten pounds. The substrate is placed in a clear, unicorn mushroom growing bag, rolled up, then put into a sterilizer for twenty-four hours.

On top of the substrate combination we use, There is a wide range of substrates that can be used to grow mushrooms that can be found in home grows most commonly on small scale growing which would include: Coffee grounds, logs, coco coir, straw, hardwood manure, hardwood pellets, and cardboard. Some even add other hard mixes such as varieties of seeds and hard shelled corn kernels. These methods can still be effective since, from one mushroom to the next, the mushroom prefers a substrate slightly different to obtain its nourishment to create a specific organism. 

Mushrooms need the correct Substrate to grow successfully, just like plants need the right soil to grow. Mushrooms get their nutrients from different properties like sawdust, straw, and wood and different mushrooms prefer different types of substrate to grow its mycelium so that it can establish itself. The substrate provides nutrients, moisture, and energy in which the mushrooms need to grow and fruit. A good substrate is dense in woody, fibrous materials like lignin , cellulose, and hemicellulose. (These contain a lot of carbon, which is the main food source for your mycelium.)

Once the mushroom has ran it’s cycle inside our farm, it becomes a living block of mycelium full of nutrients and can help build soil, bring life back to soil, boost co2 in a greenhouse, encourage worms in your garden, slow erosion, slow runoff, absorb excess water and fertility, invite wildlife. The use of mushroom compost and spent blocks can significantly enhance soil fertility in organic farming. These materials are rich in nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which are essential for the growth and health of plants.

Everyone! No matter the size of your garden, or the size of the pot your plants in. These blocks can take you and your garden a long way. We ourselves use our spent blocks in our garden that grows carrots, tomatoes, raspberries, and even my house plants have benefitted.