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Growing leafy greens hydroponically is common, but what about mushrooms?
In this blog we explore whether mushrooms can be grown without soil, peat, coir, or any organic substrate, and what true hydroponic “fungiponics” might look like.
The answer is more complex than you might think.
Hydroponic systems work well for plants because they are autotrophs – they create their own food using:
Fungi are not autotrophs. They’re heterotrophs, like animals.
They must consume organic matter: dead plant material, wood, grain, straw, or even decaying organisms.
Most edible mushrooms (oyster, shiitake, button) are saprotrophic fungi, meaning they feed on dead organic matter. Others, like truffles, form mycorrhizal relationships with living roots and cannot be cultivated conventionally at all.
This fundamental biology is the biggest reason mushroom hydroponics isn’t straightforward.
If you define hydroponics as “no soil,” then mushrooms are already halfway there.
Common low-tech substrates include:
These aren’t soil, they’re food. Mushrooms don’t care about rooting media; they care about eating.
But what about true hydroponics i.e., liquid-only systems?
Liquid culture is where real “hydroponic” mushroom growing begins.
Mycelium (the fungal “root network”) is grown in:
Inside the liquid, mycelium forms floating, brain-like masses. Entire networks of intertwined fungal threads (hyphae).
Technically, yes.
There’s no soil. No solid substrate. Just nutrient solution and sterile technique.
Usually no.
Liquid-grown mycelium generally won’t form fruiting bodies unless given something to anchor to, such as:
So while you can grow vast amounts of mycelial biomass in liquid, you still need a final solid material to actually produce mushrooms.
A rapidly growing field involves mycelium bioreactors. Stainless steel tanks similar to brewery fermenters.
These can produce fungal biomass at industrial scale for:
These systems grow mycelium entirely in liquid, under ultra-sterile conditions, but they don’t produce mushrooms—only fungal tissue.
Technically: yes.
Practically: not effective.
Rockwool and perlite provide structure but no nutrition.
Mushrooms want to eat their substrate—these materials are inert and non-degradable.
To grow mushrooms on hydroponic media, you’d have to:
This defeats the purpose and is both inefficient and costly.
The #1 pest of mushrooms is a nightmare for hydroponic growers.
They can devastate root systems, introduce pathogens, and spread rapidly.
Combining mushroom cultivation with hydroponics under one roof is a recipe for cross-contamination and headaches.
Just like cannabis cultivation drove innovation in indoor horticulture, psilocybin growers are pushing forward small-scale mushroom tech.
These breakthroughs include:
As countries legalise psilocybin for depression and therapy, expect mushroom-production technology to accelerate even further.
If you’re curious about expanding into soil-less mushroom production, consider starting with:
Just remember: mushrooms need organic food, not inert hydroponic substrates.
Mushrooms can be grown without soil. They can even be grown in liquid.
But full hydroponic mushroom farming, fruiting in liquid alone isn’t feasible for now.
Mycelium bioreactors and liquid culture show huge promise for:
…but not for producing the mushrooms we eat.
Article by Dr Russell Sharp
If you would like to keep up to date with subjects just like this, you can listen to both our podcasts! Links can be found bellow:
Hydroponics Daily Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hydroponics-daily/id1788172771
Cereal Killers Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cereal-killers/id1695783663