
Myko:nect - How Clara Schmidt rehabilitates soils with her mushroom cultivation
An interview with Clara Schmidt about the beauty and effect of mushrooms
In 2022, Clara Schmidt founded a laboratory for mushroom cultivation, Myko:nect, in the middle of Düsseldorf's Kaiserswerth district, which is commonly known for its medieval imperial palace, upscale Michelin-starred cuisine and idyllic beer gardens. With her company, Schmidt is realizing her ideas of a sustainable approach to nature. The mushroom expert researches the most energy-efficient methods of cultivating mushrooms and their mycelia and makes it her mission to teach the craft using the latest knowledge.
You founded your company Myko:nect at the beginning of last year. When did you first come into contact with mushroom cultivation?
I took a permaculture course in Portugal two years ago and came across the subject of mushrooms in a roundabout way. When I delved deeper, I came across the books by Paul Stamets1 and was absolutely fascinated. It may sound a bit pathetic, but my life has changed in a big way since then. I immersed myself in the world of mushroom cultivation and set up my own business, Myko:nect. I first had the idea in January 2022 and started here in my lab at the end of 2022.
What fascinates you about fungi?
I find it fascinating that fungi form an underground network. We're talking about very large organisms that communicate underground and exchange nutrients with plants. Fungi are not just the visible part, the fruiting body that comes to the surface. The mycelium, the invisible network, is much larger. Some of my course participants are not aware of this. I am also fascinated by the beauty, healing power and effect that mushrooms have.

What uses do you see for your mushrooms?
Oyster mushrooms are edible - they are ideal as a meat substitute. The healing powder that I obtain from the lion's mane mushroom can be mixed into food, and tea can be made from the reishi mushrooms. (Editor's note: Lion's Mane and Reishi are considered superfoods. Lion's Mane, for example, is said to have a high content of minerals and trace elements). I use the substrate of wood shavings and rye on which my mushrooms grow and which is left over after I have harvested the fruiting bodies as fertilizer for my vegetable plants in the garden. Even after the harvest, it is still interspersed with mycelia, and although I only started using the substrate just under a year ago, the vegetables are growing like crazy. I work in a circular economy. I only use wood from freshly cut trees from the surrounding forests. All added raw materials are from biodynamic cultivation and mostly of local origin. I use my vegetable waste and other organic waste to create my own humus in the cellar with the help of earthworms, which I then use when I rehabilitate the soil in my customers' gardens. Together with the mushroom courses, this is my main business.
Soil remediation?
Yes, I am asked to work in gardens where plants are either sick or not thriving. I bring in humus, build mushroom beds and mulch the soil with the mushroom substrate. I use nettle manure as a natural fertilizer. This also strengthens the plants' immune system. By deliberately colonizing certain fungi in nature and introducing biomass, I enrich the soil with important nutrients and free it from toxic pollutants. In this way, plants can grow healthily and be cured of diseases.

Are there any fellow campaigners for the idea in Düsseldorf?
Not many yet. Instagram is helping me a lot at the moment. I meet a lot of like-minded people there and can network. It happens as organically and seemingly effortlessly as I can observe in my mushroom networks (laughs).
What do you teach in the mushroom courses?
My basic knowledge about mushroom cultivation and I give an insight into what mushrooms can do. I sell self-produced grow kits and show how to grow mushrooms yourself. I also talk about the possibilities of soil remediation.
How do you find your customers?
It's by word of mouth. I once gave a talk at the Im Schiffchen restaurant. After that, it developed very organically.

What role does Düsseldorf play in your company?
Düsseldorf is my home, my family lives here and they are very supportive of my work. I have found peace and quiet. Since I've lived in Kaiserswerth, I'm relatively rarely in the city center. I have everything I need locally.
Do you see any other sustainable approaches in the city? Is there a kind of scene?
Yes, definitely. In Heerdt, there is the Ökotop community and solidarity agriculture, or Solawi for short. Both take a sustainable approach.
What would be your dream?
My utopia is that we work together more again. Nature thrives on give and take. We humans mess up the system by not giving back to nature as much as we take from it. My specific, personal dream: I would like to move to the countryside and live self-sufficiently. Even now, I eat almost exclusively my own vegetables, completely avoid industrially processed food and compost all my leftovers.
Where do you find closeness to nature outside of work?
I like to go to the Ratingen forest. It's a wonderful place to switch off.
1Info: Paul Statmets is an American mycologist who offers various mushroom products with his company.
Fun fact: In the sci-fi series "Star Trek Discovery", there is a character named after the mycologist. The fictional Paul Statmets in the series is a scientist who deals with mycology and physics. He is also one half of the first queer couple in a "Star Trek" series to be openly gay.
Interview: Ilona Marx
Photos: Markus Luigs