Growing mushrooms at home in Ho Chi Minh City is a practical and popular trend, as they are both nutritional and ornamental.

With the use of pesticides increasing, urban housewives have taken to growing their own vegetables at home, such as bean sprouts and “rau muống” (morning glory or water spinach).

Mushrooms have now been added to the list.

Unlike other homegrown vegetables, a pot of mushrooms of different shapes and colors can double as an ornamental decoration in the home.

At her 50m² apartment in Tan Phu District, N., an accountant, is growing her first batch of mushrooms and eagerly awaiting the harvest.

She said that growing mushrooms is as easy as other vegetables and flowers, as all she does is water them.

According to Tran Thi Thanh Hoa, of Phu Gia Co., which recently began selling trays of mushrooms for home growth in the local market, mushrooms can typically be harvested 8-10 times.

However, if growers do not water them enough, particularly in air-conditioned rooms, or do not know enough about their unique characteristics, they will not flower.

The mushrooms should be put in moist places and kept away from drafts or sunshine.

The plants thrive on sawdust from rubber trees, which is mixed with corn, rice or wheat bran, and must be watered on a daily basis.

It takes at least 7-10 days to be able to harvest the mushrooms.

The Biology Department of the HCMC University of Science is also cultivating and selling trays of various kinds of mushrooms, including “hoang kim” (corn mushrooms), “bao ngu” or “hoa hong” (oyster mushrooms), and “hao thu” (monkey head mushrooms).

The “hao thu” mushroom has yet to be available at local markets and supermarkets.

Assc. Prof. Pham Thanh Ho of the HCMC University of Science said that with such ornamental mushroom trays, he wanted to change the eating habits of locals and offer them easy access to a nutritional food that can be used in several delicacies.

He added that his department is now working to improve the look of the mushroom trays by wrapping them in nicer paper, adding to their ornamental appeal.

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