What Kind Of Mushrooms Grow In Horse Manure

Mushroom spores are everywhere on earth, from Antarctica to Siberia and even in the water. Unlike its land-loving cousins, Psathyrella Aquatic is the only water-dwelling mushroom, but horse manure mushrooms spring up all over the globe.

You’ve probably noticed these common ‘shrooms, but what kind of mushrooms grow in horse manure? I will teach you all about manure mushrooms, so you know what to look out for when you’re walking in a pasture.

What Kind Of Mushrooms Grow In Horse Manure

Mushrooms growing in horse manure are typically toxic or psychoactive. The eight most common species of mushrooms that grow in horse manure are:

• Snowy Inkcap (Coprinus Niveus)
• Bell-Shaped Mottlegill (Panaeolus Campanulatus)
• Dung-Trauschling (Psilocybe Merdaria)
• Orton Schaf-Dungerling (Panaeolus Specious)
• Singer Cap (Psilocybe Cubensis)
• Garten-Dungerling (Panaeolus Subbalteatus)
• Nail Fungus (Poronia Punctata)
• Blistered Cup (Peziza Vesiculosa)

Horse Dung Fungus

Australia’s horse dung fungus might sound like a complicated way to say manure mushrooms, but it is actually the name of a separate species.

The Pisolithus Arhizus or Pisolithus Tinctorius is called a Bohemian Truffle in Europe, and in Africa, they call it Perdebal. By any name, this unusual mushroom does resemble horse poop.

In the United States, the horse dung fungus is usually called the Dyemakers’ Puffball because its inside is often used to make dye.

Horse dung fungus makes a rich red-brown or black dye for cloth. Better still, according to Scientific American, this species develops a mutually beneficial mycorrhizal relationship with over seventy species of plants.

Spores of the horse dung fungus can help inoculate plant roots for arid or nutrient-poor soils.

Mushrooms In Horse Pasture

Mushrooms in your horse pasture aren’t necessarily the type that grows in horse manure.

Although the dung contributes to rich growing conditions, a couple of common species favor pastures without growing in poop. Interestingly, you may have heard of or even eaten both of these before.

A nontoxic puffball mushroom favors open grassy pastures. However, the other mushroom that likes to spring up in these areas is likely one you’ve seen a thousand times.

The Meadow Mushroom (Agaricus Campestris) is sold in grocery stores. That said, please do not pick unfamiliar mushrooms and eat them.

There are about eighty species of fatal mushrooms and dozens of others that can make you violently ill.

Edible Mushrooms That Grow In Horse Manure

Numerous species of edible mushrooms grow well in horse manure. A fifty-fifty blend of horse dung and straw is an ideal substrate for growing your own mushrooms for salads and other dishes.

The combination of both raw and digested fibrous grasses provides a superb home for spores.

However, it is important to note that you need to heat this mix to around a hundred and seventy degrees to kill mold spores and insects before it is sterile for growing.

Compost-grown mushrooms are among the most recognizable species. White buttons, also known as cremini mushrooms, thrive in this medium.

Portabellos also do well, but there’s a twist because they are the same mushroom at different life stages. Cremini are baby Portabellos before they mature.

Can Mushrooms Grow From Horse Manure

There is often confusion about where mushrooms come from. For example, many people think they are a plant.

Meanwhile, others think they are a byproduct of animal dung, but both of these assumptions are wrong. Fungi are not members of the plant kingdom, and they don’t come from manure.

Mushrooms come from spores carried on the wind. While horses may ingest these spores if they get into the hay and grasses they eat, the spores are separate from the dung.

Are Mushrooms That Grow In Horse Manure Poisonous

All mushrooms that commonly grow wild in horse manure are considered toxic. Whether they are outright poisonous or psychoactive, they do have a toxic effect on the body.

Altering perception is, medically speaking, considered a form of intoxication. The term intoxication comes from the Medieval Latin intoxicationem, which means ‘a poisoning.’

Growing Psilocybe Cubensis From Horse Manure

Growing Psilocybe Cubensis from horse manure is an ideal way to cultivate these ‘magic mushrooms.’

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These unique mushrooms prefer manure or other decaying material, but they will thrive best in horse, cow, or sheep dung. Moreover, growing Psilocybe Cubensis is easier than you might think.

Follow the steps below to grow your own mushrooms in just a few days.

• First, check your local laws. Growing psychoactive mushrooms is either legal or decriminalized in several states.

• Prepare a container by lining it with a food-safe plastic bag.

• Heat your manure above a 170 degrees Fahrenheit to sterilize it.

• Place horse manure or a fifty-fifty blend of horse manure and straw into the bucket to create a substrate for your ‘shrooms.

• Moisten, but do not soak the substrate.

• Place spores on top of the moist dung.

• Keep your container in a cool place out of direct sunlight. Ideally, this container needs to stay between sixty-five and seventy-five degrees as the mushrooms grow.

Can You Grow Oyster Mushrooms In Horse Manure

Although oyster mushrooms may grow in horse manure, it is not their preferred substrate. Instead, opt for straw, hardwood sawdust, or coffee grounds to cultivate any of the several varieties of oyster mushrooms.

Ensure that you sterilize your growing medium and otherwise follow the same directions as growing Psilocybe Cubensis.

Please note, some oyster mushrooms prefer cooler temps between 45 and 60 degrees, so it’s important to know prepare an area that is right for your preferred mushrooms.

Horse Manure vs Cow Manure Mushrooms

While both horse and cow manure are excellent substrates for growing mushrooms, they have different advantages.

Cow manure tends to be more easily available. There are, after all, a lot more cows in the United States than horses. However, if you or a willing neighbor owns horses, then, by all means, choose the horse dung.

Horse manure tends to be comprised of larger, less digested pieces. This is no surprise since horses only have one stomach to a cow’s four.

Additionally, horse manure is less nitrogen packed, making it perfect for home mushroom cultivation.

Helpful Tips To Know About Mushrooms That Grow In Horse Manure

Growing mushrooms in horse dung is a great way to ensure these healthy fungi are always available for meals. If you live in an area that allows psilocybin cultivation, then it’s a great way to do that as well.

Here are a few more tips about mushrooms growing in horse manure.

• Wait until the manure has dried. Dry horse ‘apples’ are easy to break up and mix with straw to create substrate. Plus, they aren’t disturbingly warm and have less odor in this state.

• You can mix horse, cow, and sheep dung to grow mushrooms if you have more than one of these available. However, if you need to choose between them, opt for horse droppings.

• The only safe mushrooms in horse manure are those you grow yourself. Toxic mushrooms can make you very ill or even kill you. Even if you only accidentally ingest a psychoactive mushroom, it can cause vomiting, and it is easy to end up in the hospital having a ‘bad trip’ if you didn’t know you were eating ‘that kind of mushroom.’

Final Thoughts

As hard as it is to stomach the idea, horse manure has no known toxic effects on people. Sadly, the mushrooms that grow naturally in horse manure are often poisonous or psychoactive.

However, growing your own mushrooms from spores is much safer than picking wild mushrooms, especially if you’re not an identification expert.

Manure makes an ideal substrate for oyster mushrooms and many other species people cultivate at home.