Understanding Dry Weight Mushroom Yields
Understanding Your RyzaPod's True Potential
At Ryza, we're committed to providing our customers with clear, reliable information about what to expect from their RyzaPods. That's why we specify that each RyzaPod (790g, 1.75lbs net weight) can produce about 30g of dry weight mushrooms, regardless of the species you choose to grow. But why do we focus on dry weight instead of wet weight yields?
Let's dive in.
For general information on mushroom grow kit yields, see our post on how much does a mushroom grow kit yield?
How Much Weight Do Mushrooms Lose When Dried?
On average, mushrooms lose about 85-90% of their weight during the drying process, meaning the dried product typically weighs only about 10-15% of the original fresh weight.
The Variability of Wet Weight Yields
If you've ever grown different types of mushrooms, you may have noticed that the fresh, harvested weights can vary significantly between species. Some mushrooms, like oysters, tend to have high water content and can produce impressively large fresh yields. Others, like shiitake, might seem to produce less in terms of wet weight.
This variability can make it challenging for growers to understand what to expect from their cultivation efforts, especially when trying different species.
The Consistency of Dry Weight Yields
Here's where dry weight comes in. Despite the differences in wet weight, the dry weight yields of mushrooms are often more consistent across species. This is because:
Water content varies: Different mushroom species can contain anywhere from 85% to 95% water. This means that 100g of fresh mushrooms from one species might dry down to 10g, while another species might dry to 15g.
Nutrient conversion is more stable: The actual amount of substrate converted into mushroom tissue (minus water) is more consistent across species when growing conditions are optimized.
Better comparison: Dry weight allows for a more accurate comparison of the actual mushroom mass produced, regardless of water content.
If you’re interested in a way to dehydrate mushrooms without a dehydrator, check out our post on Colander Tek.
RyzaPod Substrate and Yield
Each RyzaPod contains about 200 grams of dry substrate (mixed with about 600 grams of water), with digestible components of rye berries and coco coir in our manure-lover RyzaPods, and rye berries, soybean hulls, and hardwood for our wood-lover RyzaPods.
With a typical yield of about 15% of dry weight mushrooms to dry substrate (15% of 200g), a successful harvest over multiple flushes can yield in excess of 30g of dry mushrooms per RyzaPod. This consistency across species is why we advise that each RyzaPod will produce about 30g of dry weight mushrooms. While growers often get more than 30g per RyzaPod, we provide a conservative estimate to prevent unnecessary disappointment - mushrooms are organisms, not substrate conversion machines, and each grow is unique.
What This Means for RyzaPod Users
By specifying that each RyzaPod produces about 30g of dry weight mushrooms, we're providing you with a reliable benchmark, no matter which mushroom species you choose to grow. Here's why this matters:
Consistent expectations: Whether you're growing pioppino, shiitake, lion's mane, or any other species compatible with RyzaPods, you can expect similar overall yields in terms of dry weight.
Accurate nutrition information: Dry weight correlates more closely with the actual nutrient content of the mushrooms, giving you a better idea of the food value you're producing.
Storage and preservation: Many growers choose to dry their excess mushrooms for long-term storage. Knowing the expected dry weight helps in planning your harvests and storage needs.
Understanding Your Wet Yields
While we focus on dry weight for consistency, it's still helpful to understand wet yields. As a rule of thumb:
For every 1g of dry mushrooms, you can expect about 7-10g of fresh mushrooms.
This means your 30g dry yield from a RyzaPod translates to approximately 200-300g of fresh mushrooms.
Remember, this can vary slightly between species, but it provides a good general guideline. In particular, more “woody” consistency mushrooms like Reishi will have a lower wet weight, while still yielding a similar yield of dry mushrooms as other species.
How Can You Tell What a Mushroom Weighs?
There isn’t a dependable visual cue to determine the weight of dry mushrooms. The same gram can look very different depending on the species, whether it’s fresh or dried, and how it’s broken up.
If you’re measuring a specific dose or recipe amount, a digital scale is essential. Look for one that reads to the hundredth of a gram (0.01 g). They’re affordable, easy to use, and far more accurate than eyeballing.
Bottom Line
By focusing on dry weight yields, we at Ryza aim to provide you with the most accurate and useful information about your RyzaPod's production capacity. This approach helps reduce the confusion that can occur when discussing wet yields, which can vary greatly depending on species.
Happy growing, and enjoy your consistent harvests with RyzaPods!
