I have never tried growing mushrooms, but I want to. After searching a bit, I became discouraged but also a bit skeptical on the info I was finding. I have heard so many stories of friends throwing out "old" store bought mushrooms, thinking they were too bad to eat, only to find out that they grew a huge patch in the compost pile, (and yes they verified what those mushrooms were before they consumed them). This defies all the information I've read regarding sterilization, etc.

So this got me thinking. Surely, there must be an easier way to clone mushrooms from the store? If one had a sterilized growing medium to begin with, what if one were to just bury a few whole mushrooms of their choice in the bin and seal it up until it had a chance to take root? I ran across info about using peroxide to sterilize the medium, and apparently it's successful. I just have a hard time trying to understand how nature can easily grow her own mushrooms after someone throws it out in the compost, and yet others are charging hefty prices for complicated reproductions. Am I the only one who thinks there's something missing here?

I think I'm going to try at least, but I thought I'd ask if anyone out there has had any luck with "easy" mushroom cloning from the store. I just bought two bags of wood pellets (for wood burning stoves), for just over $14. They are solid wood, no additives. Adding water reduces them back to sawdust. I already have several 6-gallon buckets with lids, a few bottles of peroxide, organic lime, and organic fertilizer...I even have organic rice flour if I choose to add it. What's the difference in burying the whole mushroom in the mix, versus implanting the mix with the inoculant, especially if both mediums are sterilized?

Thanks for any help!