There comes a time in every home mushroom grower’s journey when plastic trays, radiator heat, and makeshift bags fall short. It’s not that they don’t work—on the contrary, they’re the perfect gateway—but there comes a point where, if we truly want to improve results and professionalize our cultivation, we need to take a step further.
That step has a name, and it’s the one most growers take when they want to improve the yield of their mushroom batches: propagator + heating mat. An unbeatable duo that allows for better environmental control, stabilizes conditions, and, most importantly, reduces risks and increases harvest weight. If you’ve been growing your mushrooms for a while and are curious to take things a step further, read on. This might interest you.
Growing mushrooms at home: the basis of the amateur mycologist
Growing mushrooms at home isn’t (just) for hippies or laboratory freaks. It’s an exciting, rewarding, and surprisingly accessible activity these days. But beware, it’s also subtle, delicate, and somewhat capricious. A poorly controlled or incorrectly optimized factor can ruin your crop, so it’s best to make sure your mushrooms enjoy the best possible conditions during their short lifespan to ensure results that will put a huge smile on your face.
Here, it’s not enough to just leave your kit or bread anywhere and cross your fingers. For mushrooms to thrive and show their full potential, certain factors must always be respected. If you’ve grown mushrooms before, you’re probably familiar with them, but let’s go over them anyway:
- Hygiene: This is the first rule. From cleaning the environment to your hands and utensils. Contamination is the number one enemy of cultivation.
- Humidity: Mushrooms love moisture, but not puddles. The ideal environment is usually around 80-85% relative humidity.
- Temperature: Each species has its preferences, but most thrive comfortably between 20 and 25°C.
- Ventilation: Your mushrooms don’t like stale air. Gentle circulation is essential to prevent CO₂ buildup in the growing environment, whether it’s a bag or a small plastic greenhouse.
- Indirect light: Mushrooms don’t need sunlight, but they do need a clear light/dark balance to grow normally. Any spot with indirect light will do.
With this under control, growing mushrooms at home can become a ritual as comforting as cooking or tending your plants. But let’s now look at how to do it using a plastic propagator and a heating mat, which is one of the most widely used systems by growers around the world, given the excellent results it offers.
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Propagator and heating mat: the duo that transforms your crop
Well, if you’ve already mastered the basics and want to take it a step further, you need to create a controlled, stable, and consistent environment. This is where two key tools come into play: the plastic propagator and the heating mat. As you’ll see, the greenhouse will provide a closed and controlled environment, reducing the chances of contamination in the cake and promoting more consistent, easily controlled temperature and humidity levels.
On the other hand, the heating mat will help you achieve the ideal temperature for your mushrooms, especially during the colder months of the year. Together, they become an unbeatable team that helps you achieve better yields and avoid problems such as contamination or poor fruiting due to excessively low humidity or temperatures. These are its main features:
Propagator for mushrooms
Small, portable, and functional. The plastic propagator is like a luxury room for your mushrooms. Made of transparent plastic and featuring ventilation slots for improved gas exchange, it allows you to:
- Maintain constant humidity inside (perfect for colonization and fruiting).
- Create a controlled microclimate.
- Protect from drafts, insects, or external contamination.
- Organize multiple trays or kits easily and conveniently.
The best part is that it’s compact and affordable, ideal for placing anywhere with indirect light and relaxing while watching your mushrooms grow. No DIY or complicated installation required; just place it in the ideal spot and you’re ready to grow. Just remember to disinfect it thoroughly inside and out with isopropyl alcohol before you begin.
Heating mat
If the propagator is the room, the heating mat is the invisible heater that ensures the temperature never drops below the desired level. It’s especially useful in winter or in cold homes, where the thermometer can drop to temperatures that inhibit mushroom development—in other words, fruiting. With a heating mat, you can:
- Distribute heat evenly from below.
- Keep substrates active and stimulate fruiting.
- Avoid temperature fluctuations that stress the mycelium and impair mushroom growth.
In addition, a mat of this type consumes very little electricity, takes up just the right amount of space, and you can place it directly under the greenhouse or growing trays to achieve that perfect temperature that will allow your mushrooms to develop without problems.
Tips and tricks for growing mushrooms in a propagator with a heated mat
Now that you have the complete equipment, it’s time to get the most out of it. Here are some tips to help you optimize your grow in record time:
- Place the mat on an insulating base (such as thick cardboard or wood) to prevent heat loss downwards.
- Unless ambient temperatures are very low, try not to place the propagator directly on the cover: use a grid or elevate it slightly (1-2 cm will suffice) to avoid direct heat and prevent excessive condensation inside. Four bottle or jar stoppers, one in each corner of the propagator, are usually enough to slightly elevate it so it’s not in direct contact with the mat.
- Use a digital hygrometer and thermometer inside the propagator. Keep in mind that some thermohygrometers with probes only measure temperature through the probe; if you also want to know the humidity inside the propagator, you’ll need to place the entire device inside.
- Spray the inside of the propagator (never directly on the cake) to maintain humidity without saturating it. Once or twice a day is sufficient, although this depends on factors such as ambient temperature and humidity. If you struggle to reach a certain level of humidity, adding a little water to the bottom of the propagator will help you achieve it, especially if you use a heating mat.
- Ventilate briefly once or twice a day to refresh the air and reduce CO₂ buildup inside the propagator.
- If the mat doesn’t have a thermostat, keep an eye on its usage time: in spring or autumn, you may only need to turn it on at night, or you may even want to cover it with some material to reduce the heat generated a little and achieve the ideal temperature in the propagator.
- You can leave the propagator vents open to improve ventilation, but then it’s best to cover them with a material that prevents any kind of contamination from entering. To cover them, you can use some type of surgical tape (Micropore) or filter netting (the kind used in aquariums).
With these practices, you’ll not only improve your results, but you’ll also have a much more stable, controlled, and repeatable crop, without environmental conditions having as much impact on the performance of your cakes.
Conclusion: When your mushrooms ask for something more
Growing mushrooms is an addictive hobby, yes, but it’s also a small, home-grown science that becomes more enjoyable the more you control it. If you’ve already moved past the “first kit on the radiator” phase, the natural next step is to incorporate tools that give you autonomy and save you trouble. And if they’re also as economically viable as the ones we’ve presented to you today, it would be a shame to do without them.
The propagator and the heating mat are two discreet but incredibly effective allies. They not only make growing easier, but they also give you back control of your environment and allow you to focus on what matters: proudly watching your mushrooms grow.
Because yes, you can grow without them. But with them, you grow better, have better yields, and have a lower chance of contamination. The choice is yours!
Happy harvest!
