New study affirms using tea waste in your oyster mushroom substrate

Hi there 🍄 

This week’s highlights include a review on using fungi as natural pesticides and a stunning blue mushroom only found in New Zealand 🇳🇿.

Using tea waste in your oyster mushroom substrate

In the mushroom supplement industry, the debate between 100% fruiting body products and mycelium-based or full-spectrum ones roars on. Amidst FDA deliberations on mandatory clear labeling for these products, a recent study, affirmed by data published in 2015, has emerged that could be a cultivation shift for both professional and amateur mushroom growers.

• Sustainbility ♻️ The study found that tea waste is an environmentally friendly and nutrient-rich substrate for oyster mushrooms. This method significantly outperforms grain fillers like wheat bran or rice bran, which are typically used, but have drawbacks such as potential health risks and lower biological efficiency.

• Nutritional benefits ⛓️ The use of tea waste as a substrate not only yields higher mushroom growth rates but also results in oyster mushrooms with higher levels of essential amino acids and micronutrients compared to those grown on grain fillers.

• Home cultivation 🪴 This tried-and-true method from Redditor u/sealingcat is one of my favorite comments of all-time:

Sure, it’s a lot like making compost. You’re going to need carbon sources, nitrogen sources, and water control. I think a lot of mushroom heaps are just like compost heaps that you don’t turn…and try to keep clean.

With that in mind, I mix about a gallon of sawdust, a sprinkle of gypsum to keep the thing from getting too soggy, and maybe 2 cups of spent tea leaves with enough water to make it evenly damp without being drippy. Then I toss the spawn in and seal in a mushroom bag and let the mycelium recover until I’m ready to fruit the thing.

My point is that you can use just about any nitrogen source as long as it’s pretty free of contaminants. Hay is a popular one, and I’ve seen people use coffee grounds with some success. I doubt that many mushrooms would grow on tea leaves alone though, they tend to not hold that much water, and hyphae need to breathe!

👉️ Read more.

Fungi to the rescue, again and again and again 🐜 

The balance between effective food production and environmental conservation is becoming increasingly critical. Entomopathogenic fungi, known for their ability to infect and kill insects, are at the forefront of this balance.

These fungi, popularized in the video game and show "The Last of Us," are being studied for their potential as eco-friendly alternatives to chemical pesticides, which are notorious for causing issues like pesticide resistance, biodiversity loss, and pollution. A recent study presented three case studies highlighting the effectiveness of fungi as pesticides:

1. Diamondback moths in cabbage crops 🥬 The soil fungi Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana showed promising results in reducing larval populations, offering a natural solution for protecting cabbage crops.

2. Coffee berry borers in coffee farms ☕️ Beauveria bassiana was used against the coffee berry borer, a major threat to coffee crops, resulting in reduced pest damage and better yields.

3. Red palm weevils in date palm orchards 🌴 Beauveria bassiana again controlled the palm weevil’s population.

👉️ Read more.

Around the web 🌐 

• 💙 A mother and daughter were walking the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand (friends, leave a comment if you know where this is!) and spotted the stunning werewere-kōkak, the Maori name for this blue mushroom found only in New Zealand. The Latin name is Entoloma hochstetteri.

• 🧬 Using the AlphaFold AI tool, researchers have uncovered hundreds of potential new psychedelic molecules, providing a promising path for the development of novel antidepressants, despite previous doubts about AlphaFold's applicability in drug discovery.

• 💒 Speaking of psychedelics, “How I Met Your Mother” star and musician Josh Radnor married Dr. Jordana Jacobs, the love of his life, on January 6, 2024, in a snowstorm. The couple met at a psychedelic retreat and through the psilocybin-infused experience, felt drawn to one another. “Yes, I gifted you a free link to the wedding profile from The New York Times, you’re welcome. Grab some tissues.”