Do mushrooms need light to grow and how much ?
Mushrooms are not plants, so they do not require the type and amount of light to grow like plants do. Colonizing substrate should be kept in a dark place to make sure the substrate doesn’t pin prematurely. Fully colonized substrate should be introduced to light to initiate pinning – light “tells” the substrate that the conditions are right for forming fruit bodies. (light is only one of the factors though, the others are lack of uncolonized substrate, drop in temperature and lower CO2 levels. Different types of mushrooms require different light levels. Specific light level for the type you want to grow can be found in most good cultivation books. A source with a wide spectrum of light, especially containing lots of bluish light (natural daylight or white fluorescent lights are very good examples of light with lots of blue) is best, depending on the types of mushrooms grown. This FAQ used by permission from the Shroomery, excerpt from www.shroomery.
