How mushrooms grow in Australia (2024)

FAQs

How are mushrooms grown in Australia? ›

They are grown all year round, indoors in highly controlled environments. The mushroom growing rooms contain long growing beds, which are stacked like bunk beds 4 to 10 rows high! To ensure a good harvest, farmers must care for their mushrooms during the growing process around the clock.

The base of the stalk and the tell-tale volva are often buried in the soil. If you find a mushroom in its button stage and are unsure if it is edible, dig out the base of the stalk. If it is surrounded by a cup-shaped sac it is likely to be poisonous.

Here's what you need to know before you go foraging. It's mushroom season in many parts of Australia. Between now and about June, the cooler and wetter weather is perfect for mushrooms to grow in the wild. In Tasmania and parts of Victoria, mushrooms can grow all year round.

The total number of fungi which actually occur in Australia, including those not yet discovered, has been estimated at around 250,000 fungal species, including about 5,000 mushrooms, of which roughly 5% have been described.

Costa grows an exclusive variety of brown mushrooms, and we are the largest supplier in Australia. Costa grows button, cup and flat mushrooms in both brown and white varieties, all harvested at different stages of the growing cycle.

Australian mushroom industry

$456.6 million: value of the annual national mushroom production. 89 tonnes of mushrooms were exported, valued at $6.8 million. 25% of exports went to Fiji. 3,288 tonnes of mushrooms were imported into Australia, valued at $11.1 million.

Most mushrooms prefer shade or dark places, which is why you'll often find them on forest floors. However, some mushrooms can grow in part to full sun, such as those you may find growing on manure in a field. Mushrooms are more likely to adapt to less ideal conditions if they have a quality substrate to grow on.

The ideal growing conditions for mushrooms are around 70 degrees Fahrenheit and greater than 90% humidity. Natural logs work well and oaks and maples serve as the best hosts.

The most commonly seen mushroom on lawns in Australia is the “puffball” mushroom. It is easily recognisable by its round shape and its white colour.

Australians consume about 70,000 tonnes of mushroom products each year, with more than 1880 tonnes brought into the country mainly from South Korea and China by a small number of importers.

Which one is found only in Australia? ›

More than 80% of our plants, mammals, reptiles and frogs are unique to Australia and are found nowhere else in the world. Some of our Australian animals are very well known like kangaroos, dingos, wallabies and wombats and of course the koala, platypus and echidna.

China is the leading grower of mushrooms worldwide, accounting for over 94% of production as of 2022 (2). Their mushroom production has increased around 40 times in the last 30 years. China is now commercially cultivating more than 60 different mushroom species.

For mushrooms grown in beds or trays, a casing made of peat moss is spread over the compost mixture to hold in moisture. Eventually, white mushrooms appear like pins as they push up through the casing, what farmers call “pinning.” As they grow, the familiar shape of the caps — the fruit of the mushroom — takes form.

Most people think that mushrooms grow on manure- which is indeed true. Although most gourmet species prefer hardwood sawdust or straw, there are many common species that grow best on manure.

Wild foraging is extremely dangerous, unless you are with a qualified mycologist (a fungi specialist). Throughout the year, and particularly more prevalent in the cooler months, mushrooms of all shapes and sizes can be found popping up in forests, paddocks or even back gardens all over Australia.

The cultivation process involves soaking straw bundles, preparing beds on frames, inoculating with spawn, maintaining optimal temperature and humidity for growth of fruit bodies, and harvesting mushrooms over 25-30 days.