Most mushroom spores love to grow on the moist surfaces of dead plants, especially when they’re scattered like checkers on a checkerboard. Spores germinate quickly in water. The problem is that most life on this planet also loves water. So when you immerse spores in water, other organisms, especially bacteria and protozoa, consume the fungi as food. The art of cultivation is to give the mushroom spores a head start, in advance of competition, to initiate the ever-increasing spiral of germination. Ideal spore dispersal is a balance between the conduciveness of the habitat and its background
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