Mushroom Elements

Button Stage: The whole immature mushroom, resembling a small round white body.
Cap: The top part of the mushroom which supports the gills, also called the pileus.
Carmelization: A chemical change that helps bacteria in compost to reproduce, forcing the temperature to go as high as 160o to 170 oF, the compost turns a rich brown color and the straw in it breaks into small places.
Casing: A layer of peat, peat mixed with soil, or loamy soil 1 to 1 ½ inches thick, thick is applied over the mycellial growth on the compost.
Compost: A mixture consisting of decayed organic matter that support organic matter that supports mushroom growth.
Fungus: An organism that grows in living or dead organic matter, varying in size from microscopic to very large, includes molds, mildews, rusts, smuth, and mushrooms.
Gills: The radiating plates forming the undersurface of the mushroom cap; also called the lamella (plural; lamellae).
Gypsum: A mineral used to amend soil and make plaster of paris; also called hydrous calcium sulfate.
Mature stage: The fully developed mushroom the cap has expanded and the gills are actively producing spores.
Mycellium: The mass of interwoven filaments that forms the vegetative portion of a fungus, often growing in soil or organic matter.
Organic matter: Material that is produced by the growth of animals or plants.
Spawn: Pure cultures of mycellium prepared especially for starting mushroom growth in compost.
Spore: A cell produced upon mushroom gills from which new mushroom develop.
Stem: The stalk of a mushroom upon which the cap sits, also called the stipe.
Two by four lumber: Pieces of wood of variable length that are 2 inches thick and 4 inches wide.
Veil: A thin layer of organized mycelium covering the immature gills of the mushroom.
Veterinarian: A person qualified and authorized to treat diseases and injuries of animals.