Pink Oyster

Pleurotus djamor

Available as

Mother cultures (Petri dish)
Grain spawn
Sawdust spawn

About this strain

A tropical oyster mushroom with vivid pink fruiting bodies — one of the most striking cultivated mushrooms. In warm conditions it forms many clusters of wavy caps 7–12 cm across; in the cold, below approx. 19°C, their colour and shape change. The flavour is mild, and the pink fades with cooking.

The mycelium grows very fast and copes well with heat, which makes it a good choice for summer cultivation. It is, however, sensitive to cold — below 8–10°C the mycelium and substrate die, so it must not be kept in a fridge. The mushrooms have a short shelf life and are best used right after picking.

How to grow it

Preparation

Substrate: wheat straw or supplemented hardwood sawdust, pasteurised; moisture approx. 70–75%
Spawn rate: approx. 2% of wet substrate weight

Growing stages

Spawn run (incubation)
Temperature
24–30°C
Humidity
90–95%
Duration
10–14 days
CO₂
>5,000 ppm
Fresh air
0–1 per hour
Primordia formation
Temperature
20–30°C
Humidity
95–100%
Duration
3–5 days
CO₂
500–1,000 ppm
Fresh air
4–8 per hour
Light
1,000–1,500 lx
Fruiting
Temperature
20–30°C
Humidity
85–90%
Duration
3–5 days
CO₂
<1,000 ppm
Fresh air
4–8 per hour
Light
1,000–1,500 lx
Below approx. 19°C the colour and shape of the mushrooms change.

Harvest

Flushes: 2–3
Between flushes: approx. 10–14 days

Between flushes raise humidity to approx. 95%. Pick before the cap edges start to curl up and use within 1–2 days. About 9–10 weeks pass from spawning to the last harvest. Yield: approx. 15–20% of fresh substrate weight.

Please note: these growing parameters bring together the experience of practising growers — a starting point, not a guarantee of results. Every grow has its own substrate, climate and equipment, and even small differences can noticeably change the yield. Adjust these values to your own conditions.