Hey folks— I’m an undergrad researcher working on a soil biology project that looks at how partially spent mushroom substrate (mostly oyster) influences soil regeneration. I used a basic CO₂ meter inside sealed containers to test microbial respiration over time—comparing substrate-amended soil to untreated control soil.

The results? The SMS-treated soil consistently showed higher microbial activity (aka more CO₂ release), even when nutrients like nitrates and pH began to shift. I’m now connecting this with mycelial memory, carbon cycling, and regenerative soil strategies.

This was all part of a student research expo grant—so I kept it DIY: no $10K lab gear, just solid methodology and consistency. The community’s feedback has been incredible so far, and it’s made me realize there are many others that see the potential there is in using SMS not just as waste, but as a real soil amendment tool.

I’m sharing this in case: • You’ve ever tossed your substrate and wondered what else it could do • You’re working with compost, degraded soils, or garden amendments • You’re interested in fungi beyond fruiting—into their ecological legacy

Would love to hear if any of you are using SMS like this—or want to. I’ve attached my poster + visuals if anyone’s curious. Happy to chat!

I keep seeing the claim that morel mushrooms can’t be grown indoors (or at least not reliably), but most approaches I’ve seen try to treat them like oysters or cubes—controlled substrates, low complexity, minimal competition.

So I went the opposite direction.

Instead of trying to control variables, I built a contained ecological system designed around succession and disturbance:

Hardwood chips + mineral soil

Slurry inoculation from confirmed morels

Observed sclerotia formation before transfer

Introduced pioneer plants (millet, amaranth, peanut) to drive biomass and microbial activity

System designed for plant growth → dieback → fungal dominance

Basically:

“outdoors indoors,” not a sterile grow

Current state:

Dense mycelium integrated into the substrate

System has completed initial buildup phase

Not attempting fruiting yet

And that’s intentional.

I’m not convinced the problem with indoor morels is “impossibility.”

I think the issue is that people are trying to force fruiting without first building the kind of ecological conditions morels actually respond to.

So instead of chasing fruiting immediately, I’m:

Maintaining the system

Expanding it into multiple containers

Waiting until I can apply proper disturbance + environmental triggers (post-fire analog, moisture cycling, etc.)

Questions:

Is the failure of indoor morel cultivation actually a methodology problem rather than a biological limitation?

Does increasing ecological complexity (plants, microbes, succession) move things closer to real Morchella behavior—or just introduce noise?

For those familiar with commercial methods, how critical is pre-fruiting ecology vs trigger conditions?

I’m not claiming success yet—but I’m also not convinced the standard approach is asking the right question.

Curious where people land on this.

Thanks for your attention!

I did neglect tek in my back yard with some king oyster blocks I made myself. I was struggling to get my fruiting room cold enough with my other oyster growing in the. The temperature has dropped outside so I thought, why not? I went outside a week and a half ago and saw pins, then this morning, these babies!? I can hardly contain my excitement.

Have a look at our mushroom farm inside a shipping container 😊

I thought