The mushroom life cycle tells us a lot about the different ways we can consume mushrooms. So, why should you (the mushroom eater) care about the mushroom life cycle? The final mushroom is made up of a stem, gills, cap and scales (and of course, the mycelium threads at the base).Īnd as with most things in nature, the cycle begins all over again: the spores release from the mushroom gills, searching for a suitable place to land, germinate, grow hyphae, form mycelium, condense to a hyphal knot and create yet another mushroom. The organism chooses a select few with the most promising signs of survival (it’s a tough world out there). With that, the primordia transforms into a mature fruitbody, also known as a mushroom.īut it’s important to add, not all primordia will turn into a mushroom. This primordia is visible to the naked eye, which means all the hard work is about to pay off… This is when mycelium comes together to form a knot near the surface of the soil, which will soon develop into a “primordia” (aka baby mushroom, cute). The first sign of an emerging mushroom is a hyphal knot. So, we can see why many gardeners and farmers rely on mycelium to add nutrients to the soil and create thriving plants. It’s a tit for tat type of deal that benefits up to 80 – 90% of all plants! (1) The mycelium provides nutrients and water for trees, while trees give fungi organic molecules like glucose. There is also a mutually beneficial relationship between the mycelium network and plants, called mycorrhiza. It’s literally everywhere - growing through the earth forming an enormous underground network. Mycelium is the vegetative part of the mushroom that breaks down organic matter and absorbs nutrients from the soil (like the roots of a flower). These hyphae absorb nutrients from the environment, allowing the fungi to thrive.Īnd just like a perfect love story, when compatible hyphae (two different “sexes”) come together, they form mycelium. This is when branches of fungi fibre called hyphae start to grow from the spores. When they land on favourable conditions, they begin to grow (germinate) and we move on to the next phase… A spore is a reproductive cell that bursts out of the mushroom gills (underside of the mushroom). Similar to how a plant would spread pollen to encourage new growth, mushrooms send out spores. There’s nothing sporing about this stage. In a nutshell: there’s an underground network of mycelium (similar to the roots of a plant) that produces the fruiting body of a mushroom (similar to a flower).īut it goes a little deeper than that, so let’s scratch below the surface… Which for comparison’s sake, is more closely related to humans than plants!Īnd the mushroom fruitbody we know and love is only a minuscule part of a larger cycle – yep, there’s a whole chain of events that occur before you even think about munching on a delicious portobello. Not quite plant, not quite animal – mushrooms belong to the fungi kingdom. The mushroom life cycle can be broken down into five stages. So, let’s make like a mycelium network and break it down… Not only that, but you’ll better understand the way we consume fungi and reap its wonderful benefits. So, understanding the life cycle of a mushroom gives us great insight into the world around us. You see, the world as we know it would not be the same without them (think: buried under a mountain of litter because nothing would be broken down – yikes). The life cycle of a mushroom is as fascinating as it is essential. Yep, and it’s all thanks to the humble mushroom. A world that decomposes organic matter at the end of its life – returning nutrients back to our precious soil. A world that gives nutrients to plants and trees, and indirectly, insects and animals. There’s an invisible world beneath our feet.Ī world that spreads through the soil like a vast, interconnected railway network.

Primordia hyphal knots