Neelofar Jaan of Gangoo village in Kashmir’s Pulwama district is growing button mushrooms to fund her Master’s degree and contribute to her household income.
It takes three months for her to grow one unit of mushrooms, which fetches her approximately 500 kg.
“I sell these in the local markets and earn an income of Rs 70,000 per month,” she shares.
Here are her five easy steps to grow button mushrooms at home.
Use a grow bag and fill it with four layers of compost and seeds. This layering should be alternate, meaning that one layer should be of compost and the next of seeds.
Set the grow bags in a room away from sunlight.
Due to a lack of chlorophyll, this fungus does not require light to grow.
Using electric heaters or other mediums to maintain the room temperature at around 30° Celsius.
The compost layer will tell you when it needs water by way of appearance.
Consistently water the fungi twice a day.
During cultivation, ensure that no house flies or pests enter the room. If left unchecked, such insects breed and feed on the crop, often leading to decay.