Hannah Stephenson writes: "A BIOLOGIST and mushroom specialist discusses the wonder of mushrooms and emphasizes its more unique qualities."

Nowadays, we can buy mushrooms of different shapes and sizes, forage for them in fields and forests, and even try our hand at growing them ourselves. But, according to scientist and mushroom specialist Merlin Sheldrake, there's more to mushrooms than merely eating them.

In his famous book, Entangled Life, he speaks of fungus that can change the weather, some that can survive in outer space, and others that can flourish in the presence of nuclear radiation. He found that nearly all life on Earth depends on the fungus to thrive and survive. "I've been interested with fungus and the alterations they cause for as long as I can remember," Merlin explains.

"As a youngster, I coped with my perplexity by becoming involved with fungus." In my bedroom, I gathered and cultivated mushrooms. Fungi have transformed my view of how life occurs, whether in woods, labs, or kitchens."

How simple is it to cultivate mushrooms in your garden?

"Many species will thrive on their own in gardens," he explains. "Some may develop on decaying logs or fence posts, or as tree brackets." Others may emerge from lawns. "Those who wish to take on a more active role can produce a variety of species."

"Shiitake, lion's mane, and oyster mushrooms Canada, among others, can be purchased as dowel plugs and drilled into logs. Some, such as king Stropharia, may grow in wood chip beds."

What makes them so vital to the environment?

"Mushrooms are merely the fruiting bodies of fungus: fungi spend the majority of their life as branching, fusing networks of tubular cells known as mycelium."

"Mycelial networks thread their way through plant roots and shoots, animal bodies, sulfurous ocean floor deposits, meadows, and forests."

"Fungi enhance the amount of water that the soil can absorb, which reduces the number of nutrients leached out of the soil by rainfall by up to 50%."

"A significant part of the carbon present in soils – which, amazingly, amounts to double the amount of carbon found in plants and the atmosphere combined – is tied up in stiff organic compounds formed by fungal mycelium."

"The carbon that enters the soil via fungal pathways feeds complicated food webs."

Where can you get mushroom seedlings?

"Grow kits (available from professionals and online sellers like Amazon) are perhaps the most convenient way to get started." A package containing a block of fungal mycelium is sent to you, which you then open and sprinkle with water.

Mushrooms begin to sprout after a few days.

"You may also buy infected wooden dowel plugs that you drill into logs or bags of inoculated wood chips that you use to construct a fungus bed in your garden."

"However, almost all plants rely on symbiotic fungi that live in their roots and shoots." Plants are actually a fungus that has evolved to farm algae, and algae that have evolved to farm fungi. "If you care about plants, you care about the fungus that makes plant life possible." Any plant we buy from a garden store comes with its own fungus colony, which we maintain without thinking twice."

Mushroom enchantment

"Fungi are metabolic magicians who can cleverly explore, scrounge, and salvage." "There aren't many settings that are too severe," he says.

"One of the most radiation-resistant creatures ever identified is a species isolated from mining waste." Chernobyl's shattered nuclear reactor is home to a significant colony of similar fungus.

A few of these radio-tolerant organisms even grow towards radioactive 'hot' particles and appear to be able to harness radiation as a source of energy in the same way as plants do.

Some species release spores explosively, accelerating 10,000 times faster than a space shuttle immediately after launch, reaching speeds of up to 100km per hour some of the fastest motions achieved by any living thing.

Fungi information

Fungi create about 50 megatonnes of spores every year, which is comparable to the weight of 500,000 blue whales, making them the most abundant source of living particles in the atmosphere. Spores are present in clouds and impact weather by causing the production of water droplets, which create rain, and ice crystals, which produce snow, sleet, and hail.

A variety of fungus species create bioluminescence, causing their mushrooms and mycelium to shine in the dark. if you want to get more information, please visit the website https://mungus.com/