Mushroom yield estimator

Enter your hydrated substrate weight and species. Returns expected fresh yield across the first one or two flushes, based on biological efficiency (BE) ranges from published cultivation literature and experienced grower data.

What "biological efficiency" means

BE is the ratio of fresh mushroom weight to dry substrate weight, expressed as a percentage. A 100% BE on 1 kg of dry substrate means 1 kg of fresh mushrooms — that's an excellent result, achieved only by experienced growers under controlled conditions. Hobby grows on suboptimal substrate or with imperfect environmental control commonly land in the 40–80% range across two flushes.

The estimator does the dry-weight conversion for you using the moisture content typical of each substrate (~60–70% water by mass), then applies the species-specific BE range.

How to actually hit the high end of the range

• Properly hydrated substrate — field capacity, not soggy
• Healthy spawn — fully colonized, no contamination
• Right spawn ratio — typically 5–10% of substrate weight for grain spawn
• Stable fruiting environment — temperature, humidity, and fresh-air-exchange all dialed in
• Light — 12 hours per day of indirect light triggers fruiting
• Re-hydrate between flushes — soak the block briefly in cold water to recover moisture lost to the first flush

These estimates are ranges, not guarantees. Actual yield varies with strain, substrate quality, environmental conditions, and grower experience. Plan infrastructure (chamber size, sale commitments, etc.) on the low end of the range, not the high end.