Greetings! The dream of many summer residents/owners of private houses is their own mushroom bed on their plot. However, growing mushrooms is not as easy a task as it might seem at first glance. It is necessary to create and maintain optimal conditions. One of them successfully set up a mushroom bed, sharing his experience with us - “ “. However, without good mycelium (mycelium), all efforts can go down the drain.
Mycelium (mycelium) is the vegetative body of a fungus, consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae.
In order to grow mycelium you will need:
Cut the cardboard into pieces according to the size of the container.
Let's put them inside and fill them with water. Place a small weight on top so that the pieces are completely submerged under water. Soak the cardboard for 20-30 minutes. It is necessary that the layers are easily separated from each other.
Add water and then divide the cardboard into layers.
Take a mushroom and cut the stem into tiny thin slices. They are the ones that will grow inside the cardboard.
Using the third photo you can match the size of the slice to the size of the nail.
Place the first corrugated layer on the bottom of the container. The corrugation will provide space for mycelium growth.
Arrange the slices evenly and fairly close to each other, and then cover everything with a sheet of cardboard.
We repeat these steps until the container is completely filled.
When the container is completely filled, close the lid and place it in a dark place at room temperature. You need to open the container every day to let in some fresh air. Without air exchange, carbon dioxide levels will rise and the mycelium will be limited in growth.
Thanks to the transparent container, you can observe the growth of the mycelium. After a few days, mycelium will begin to appear along the edges of the cardboard. It seems to seep through the cardboard, filling all the gaps and pores.
That's all. You can go start your own mushroom bed :)
To start propagating oyster mushrooms, first of all, you need to purchase mycelium. But this can be very difficult to do, since the materials that can be found on the market are not always of high quality. That is why you don’t have to waste money and time searching for suitable material, but do everything yourself. In this article we will tell you how to make oyster mushroom mycelium yourself.
Mycelium is the mycelium from which the oyster mushrooms themselves will subsequently germinate. This is the vegetative body of the fungus, which looks like many thin branched threads covering a large area. Under natural conditions, the mycelium can grow over many meters, while the mushrooms themselves occupy a very small area.
It may seem that the technology for growing mycelium requires the presence of special devices used for growing mycelium in laboratory conditions. However, if you can provide the mycelium with the necessary conditions, you can easily grow oyster mushroom mycelium at home.
First, let's prepare the necessary equipment: we will need several test tubes, tweezers, several pipettes, a thermometer and agar.
To get mycelium that is absolutely healthy and of high quality, take care of the sterility of the equipment and the cleanliness of the room itself. It is best to wipe the surface where the procedure will be performed with alcohol. The temperature (about 20 degrees) and humidity level should be stable, without sudden changes, there should be no drafts, and the test tubes with future mycelium should not be exposed to sunlight. Treat all instruments with steam or boiling water to ensure maximum sterility.
To prepare high-quality oyster mushroom mycelium at home, you need to choose the right planting material. Do not use mushrooms grown in the wild, because this way you cannot be sure of the quality of the future harvest. Choose varieties that suit your region and climatic conditions to protect yourself from unpleasant surprises.
Step by step instructions
The processed piece of oyster mushroom is placed in a test tube filled with crushed grains and tightly closed. Agar (carrot, potato, oatmeal) is also an excellent substrate. The test tube must be left in a room prepared in advance. If you did everything correctly, then after 2 weeks a fluffy white coating should appear. So, the result of the first stage is obtaining royal mycelium, and if everything worked out for you, we can proceed to stage number two.
At this stage we will tell you how to get an intermediate mycelium. It is grown using grains of various cereals. Before use, they are thoroughly boiled for 15 minutes, dried and mixed with calcium carbonate and gypsum. It is necessary to fill two-thirds of a glass container with grains (for example, a half-liter jar), and then the planting material obtained at the previous stage is placed in this substrate. Results should be expected in about 2–3 weeks, and the intermediate mycelium can be stored for up to 3 months. From such mycelium it will be possible to obtain the seed mycelium necessary for growing the mushrooms themselves.
Seed mycelium is obtained in the same way as intermediate mycelium. A new jar of substrate is prepared (it is best to take a 1-liter jar), where the intermediate mycelium is placed. After the mycelium grows, it will be possible to place it in the substrate where the mushrooms themselves will grow in the future.
The seed mycelium looks like a white coating with a characteristic mushroom aroma.
After the mycelium itself has been prepared, you need to choose a suitable place in which to store it. In industrial conditions, liquid nitrogen is used for these purposes, but when growing mycelium yourself, you need to look for an acceptable alternative. It is permissible to store the mycelium in the freezer, where it is possible to set the temperature within minus 20 degrees. This way the material will not deteriorate, and you can plant the mushrooms a little later.
After defrosting, the mycelium quickly restores all its properties and becomes usable again. But do not abuse this: repeated freezing of the mycelium leads to a deterioration in the quality of the material, and then you will not get a good harvest.
In addition, you don’t have to freeze the mycelium, but plant the mushrooms right away. To do this, pour 1 kg of substrate into a large plastic bag, and place the mycelium on top. The procedure is repeated several times, filling the bag to the top (the ratio should be 1:0.05). After this, place the block in a dark place with a temperature of about 20 degrees, and after a couple of weeks the block will become uniform and turn white. Then all that remains is to wait for the appearance of primordia, and after them - adult mushrooms, which can soon be collected.
From this video you will learn how to make your own soil for oyster mushrooms.
To grow edible mushrooms at home, you first need to take care of purchasing seed material (mycelium). However, any mushroom grower knows that it is not always possible to find high-quality seed material, especially in small quantities, because companies specializing in the production of mycelium sell it in wholesale quantities. What to do in this case? The solution is simple - make mycelium yourself.
The simplest method, accessible to any novice mushroom grower, of obtaining grain mycelium of any artificially cultivated mushrooms is as follows.
1. To 10 kg of purified dry grain of wheat or oats, rye, millet add 15 liters of water; cook the mixture for 15-20 minutes over low heat.
2. After cooking, the water is drained through a sieve, the boiled grain is dried a little, then 120-125 g of gypsum and 30-35 g of chalk are added. These additives regulate the acid-base balance of the environment (pH), acting as a protective buffer. In addition, gypsum helps to structure the grain mass, promoting better aeration of the substrate.
3. The grain is poured into clean vessels (1-liter milk bottles or 1-2-3-liter jars, flasks). The most convenient for growing mycelium are 1-liter bottles. The substrate should occupy no more than 2/3 of the vessel. Usually 350-400 g of grain is poured into 1-liter bottles. The vessels are closed with cotton plugs and autoclaved in industrial or household autoclaves. Even a regular pressure cooker can be used for sterilization.
4. Sterilization of the substrate is carried out at a temperature of 120-122 ° C for 1.5 hours while maintaining the pressure in the autoclave at about 1 atmosphere. After autoclaving, the pH of the medium should be 6.5-6.7.
5. The substrate is cooled to the sowing temperature (about 22-25° C).
6. Inoculation is carried out with sterile main mycelium grown in test tubes on an agar medium. Before transplantation, the tubes are slightly heated over a gas burner flame. When heated, the medium lags behind the glass and slides towards the downward opening of the test tube into the vessel with the substrate.
7. The mycelium, germinating, permeates the nutrient substrate in the incubation chamber at appropriately controlled temperature and humidity. The optimal temperature for its growth is 22-25°C; raising the temperature to 35°C destroys the mycelium. The most suitable relative air humidity for this stage should be in the range of 60-62%.
8. A week after sowing the mycelium onto the grain substrate, the contents of the vessels must be shaken. This prevents the grains from sticking together and accelerates the growth of mycelium.
9. A few days after sowing or after shaking, an infection may appear in the form of microscopic molds and bacteria, which enter when sterility is violated during the introduction of mycelium or during shaking (air with pathogenic microorganisms may be sucked in). Therefore, the nutrient substrate must be carefully checked regularly for the presence of infection.
10. After approximately 24-28 days, subject to microclimate conditions, the mycelium matures and can be used for growing mushrooms. It should be remembered that the mycelium should be stored in a cool place, preferably in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf at a temperature of 1-2°C, or in a cellar. However, it is best to try to use it as quickly as possible.
Mycelium is a mycelium that is planted in special soil. If the necessary conditions are met, the mycelium will grow, turning into edible mushrooms. This happens quite quickly, in about 6-8 weeks. At home, oyster mushroom mycelium can be prepared using cereal grains or wood. The first option, a cereal substrate, enjoys great success among mushroom growers.
Important! The closed flask is very carefully transferred to a warm, dark place (24 degrees plus). After 2-3 weeks, the material will be ready for planting in a special environment. The medium is also easy to prepare at home. This gelatinous substance, agar, is obtained from oats, carrots, and potatoes. This agar is sterilized and poured into a test tube, and when it cools down, a piece of mushroom is thrown into it.
We must remember! The entire process must take place in exceptional sterility.
Next comes the cultivation of the mycelium itself. High-quality cereal grains are boiled in water for about 15 minutes, dried and mixed with calcium carbonate and gypsum. After this, the mixture is poured into glass containers up to 2/3 of the volume and sterilized. Once it cools down, add a piece of royal mycelium. In two weeks at temperatures from 0 to +20 it will grow to the desired size.
The finished mycelium can be stored for up to three months. It is recommended to store the intermediate material in sealed bags.
Seed material is diluted in the same way as intermediate seed, only in larger volumes. Again, prepare containers, for example, plastic bags with substrate, and add a little intermediate product to each. The proportion for a liter vessel is one tablespoon. Ready mycelium can also be planted on stumps or dead wood.
Growing champignon mushrooms at home
The yield of oyster mushrooms greatly depends on how to propagate the oyster mushroom mycelium and the quality of the substrate. It is recommended to steam the soil material well in boiling water for at least two hours and squeeze it thoroughly. Permissible substrate humidity is 70%. High humidity is unacceptable.
To organize the production of mushrooms, a greenhouse, a barn, a garage and even a balcony will be suitable. You just need to create optimal conditions for the successful development of mycelium. This is a constant humidity within 85-90%, a temperature of about 15-20 degrees, good ventilation and lighting 9 hours a day.
Oyster mushrooms are the most successful mushrooms to grow, providing a quick harvest. From sowing to cutting the first mushrooms is only a month and a half. From one square meter of mycelium per month you can get up to ten kilograms of products.
The entire kingdom of mushrooms can be divided into three types: cap mushrooms, molds and yeasts. The first group of mushrooms is the most common; it is its edible representatives that are consumed by people and animals. Each of these groups is divided into various subspecies, differing in their characteristics, but their common feature is the uterine body, the scientific name of which is mycelium. You can learn how to grow and obtain oyster mushroom mycelium from this article.
Mycelium is the vegetative body of a fungus, which is capable of changing its structure, depending on the environment, by forming special organs. It has thin processes that create a whole network of microscopic fibers. These fibers penetrate into a variety of structures (tree tissue, bark, roots), into the substrate, dead tissue of living organisms, etc., in order to receive useful and nutrients from there for their growth. Mycelium is the mother material, which is produced from fungal spores in special laboratories. To understand more, it is worth briefly looking at its structure.
These are the three main elements of the structure of the intermediate mycelium. There are other structural elements that the mycelium forms as a result of its germination on a certain soil and in a certain environment.
The technology of growing oyster mushroom mycelium from grain at home is extremely popular among amateur mushroom pickers.
Oyster mushroom grain mycelium is usually produced in specialized laboratories, under sterile conditions and at the required temperature conditions. This guarantees quality, rapid growth and formation of mycelium. Naturally, the most productive will be the cultivation of oyster mushroom mycelium in special greenhouses, where all climatic conditions are met, in the presence of high-quality, professional equipment and specially trained personnel. But it often happens that people who want to grow mushrooms on their own and in small quantities do not have the opportunity to purchase mycelium of the desired type of mushroom in their region.
In such cases, it would be more rational to independently prepare oyster mushroom mycelium for home cultivation. The need for this may be due to the poor quality of the purchased material. This happens very often, because many intermediaries are aimed only at making a profit, without complying with all storage conditions. Such mycelium loses its properties and is not able to fully bear fruit. Therefore, more experienced mushroom growers prefer to prepare planting material themselves.
Based on this, we can highlight several advantages of home production of oyster mushroom mycelium:
The only one flaw homemade mycelium - long-term growth rate.
Growing oyster mushroom mycelium at home is not difficult. You need to be patient and have faith, as this is a long and laborious process. Most often, the vegetative body is grown on corrugated cardboard or on wood, but this will require large areas and special conditions. The easiest way to grow good mycelium is on a cereal grain substrate - grain. This is the technology that most leading manufacturing companies use.
The entire process of obtaining oyster mushroom mycelium can be divided into several stages.
The uterine body (spores) is the basis for the emergence and development of the mycelium as a whole. It is produced from the fruiting body of mushrooms, or rather their upper part (cap). It is under the cap of the oyster mushroom that the spores are found. Only fresh mushrooms are used for cultivation, without damage or disease.
Note! The most important thing in this matter is sterility. It is necessary to completely exclude contact of the mycelium and substrate with the environment. All instruments must be sterile, otherwise there is a high chance of bacteria developing in the substrate.
Here are step-by-step instructions for obtaining oyster mushroom royal mycelium.
Reminder! Developing high-quality oyster mushroom mycelium looks like a fluffy white coating that has the aroma of freshly cut mushrooms.
You can prepare nutritious soil for growing royal mycelium yourself. An excellent option would be oat or rye grains.
Important! To prepare the substrate, you should not use two types of grains. When interacting with each other, they can ferment, and the royal mycelium will disappear.
Step-by-step instructions for obtaining intermediate mycelium:
Important! If you notice that during the process of mycelium germination, dark spots and black dots begin to appear on the grains, this means that foreign bacteria are present in the substrate. Most likely, the substrate or working instrument was not sterile enough. Don't panic right away! Place the jars under the light of a quartz lamp for a day, this will help kill all bacteria and prevent their further spread.
Storing oyster mushroom mycelium is not very difficult, because... it is not a perishable product.
At a temperature of +1...+5 C on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator (in winter this can be the basement), oyster mushroom mycelium can be stored for up to 1 year.
Mycelium can deteriorate at temperatures above +30…+32 C.
There are also 2 more ways to store oyster mushroom mycelium for a long time. The first is storing it in a freezer at a temperature of -20 C, the second is placing it in liquid nitrogen. The second method is usually used in industrial settings. Therefore, for home storage of oyster mushroom mycelium, it is necessary to use a freezer.
Note! Repeated thawing and subsequent freezing can lead to material deterioration.
For more convenient storage, the mycelium can be packaged in vacuum bags, which are pre-heat-treated. They are placed in boiling water for 15 minutes, after which they are dried, and only then the seed itself is packaged in them. When storing this way, you need to be especially careful. If you have opened the package or its depressurization occurred due to a rupture, it is necessary to urgently disembark, otherwise the mycelium will become unusable. There is no point in repackaging.
Video: how to properly store oyster mushroom mycelium
As has already become clear, growing oyster mushroom royal mycelium at home is quite possible and very simple. A little patience and a responsible attitude to business are required. The main thing is that you will be 100% confident in the quality of your own planting material. An important fact is that the cost of such a product will be three or even four times lower than that of the products of large mycelium production companies. By following clear mycelium production guidelines, you can grow quality intermediate material for cultivation of oyster mushrooms.
Video: how to make oyster mushroom grain mycelium at home
barley or wheat straw. Also suitable:
chop to 5-10 cm.
disinfection
The finished base should be wet and soft
Oyster mushroom mycelium in packaging
19-23 degrees
premises open air
Sowing time begins in the spring when establishing positive
10 mm with recess on 5-6 cm
in the shadow
Aug. Sept
polyethylene sleeve perforation
2-3 pieces per rope Each other
Substrate briquettes
Advantages of the method:
no more than three 70 cm, and between the mushroom bags - 15-40 cm.
The mycelium is planting material
on wood or grain
in laboratory conditions
20 degrees
Growing mycelium in a jar
incubation
At this stage there is no ventilation
10-20 degrees 12 o'clock
75% 13-15 months.
Foods like mushrooms are valuable and nutritious foods. At home, growing oyster mushrooms and champignons has become widespread. Such cultivation guarantees the absence of carcinogenic substances and nitrates, which are easily absorbed by mushrooms.
The article tells you how to grow mushrooms and make oyster mushroom mycelium with your own hands.
The mycelium of any mushroom, including oyster mushrooms, is called its vegetative body, in other words, the mycelium, consisting of the finest branched root-threads. The development of mycelium occurs inside the substrate and on its surface. This extensive network can be obtained both at home and using laboratory methods.
In their natural habitat, mushrooms reproduce mainly by spores. In order to answer the question of how to make oyster mushroom mycelium within the walls of the laboratory, scientists tried several different methods.
At first, fragments of mycelium for propagation in greenhouses specially adapted for this purpose were taken from the forest, in places where mushrooms accumulated, and then planted in prepared soil. After it was completely intertwined with mushroom threads, the substrate was dried and ready for breeding. The qualitative characteristics of such material were weak, the mycelium degenerated and produced meager yields.
Later in France they found a way to remove mycelium from mushroom spores under artificial conditions, which was very limited in application and also did not take root.
The latest and generally accepted patented method was the cultivation of oyster mushroom mycelium on the grain of almost any grain crop, sawdust, and straw.
Oyster mushrooms are very unpretentious mushrooms that quickly produce crops. Already a month and a half after disembarkation, you can make the first collection. From a square meter of plot you usually get about ten kilograms of mushrooms per month.
Several methods can be used to grow this product:
To grow mushrooms at home, you can get mycelium in two ways: buy oyster mushroom mycelium, the price of which is currently about 150 rubles. per kilo, or make it yourself.
Oyster mushroom mycelium - mycelium - is planted in the substrate, where it will germinate. At home, you can grow oyster mushroom mycelium on wood or grain with your own hands. Cultivation occurs in three stages as follows:
To obtain a good harvest, it is necessary to properly prepare the soil for planting. The manufacturing technology requires that for this you need to grind dry and clean husks, straw and husks (barley or wheat), and then heat treat them. These actions will remove from the composition the insects that got into it during collection.
In order to thermally treat the substrate, it is placed in a large metal basin, filled with hot water (70 ° C) and boiled for a couple of hours, after which the liquid is drained and the mass is cooled to room temperature. To check moisture saturation, a small amount of the mixture is squeezed in a fist: for normal humidity (about 70%), little moisture or nothing at all should come out; overmoistening is not allowed.
For growing, both a greenhouse with stumps installed in it and large plastic bags on the balcony at home are suitable. Below we will discuss how to prepare oyster mushroom mycelium at home, plant and grow a mushroom crop. Oyster mushroom is the only mushroom that is easy to grow if all the necessary conditions are met.
To obtain royal mycelium, parts of the fruiting body of fresh mushrooms are taken. The oyster mushroom needs to be divided in half and a small piece cut out from the stem. Then it must be dipped in a solution of hydrogen peroxide for disinfection - the material is ready for planting in a nutrient medium.
Then the treated piece is placed in a container with a nutrient substance and closed with a stopper disinfected by fire. Such home production of oyster mushroom mycelium requires mandatory sterility, therefore, after processing, the material should not be touched with hands, but taken with auxiliary tools; the room must also be kept clean.
A closed container with seedling material placed inside in an inclined position is left in the dark for a couple of weeks.
The nutrient medium in this production can be agar from wort, carrots, oatmeal, potatoes or glucose. After preparation, it is sterilized, poured into containers and waited for it to harden, after which a piece of mushroom is added.
The second stage is the direct cultivation of oyster mushroom mycelium. The technology for producing intermediate mycelium of the oyster mushroom requires the use of cereal grains. For these purposes, healthy, high-quality grains are used, which are boiled for fifteen minutes in a ratio of material and water of one to two. Then the boiled grains must be thoroughly dried and mixed with calcium carbonate and gypsum.
Next, the mixture is placed in glass containers, filling them two-thirds, and sterilized. After processing, pieces of the nutrient medium prepared earlier are placed into the resulting substance. After two to three weeks, when the mycelium has grown, it can be stored, having first been placed in plastic bags. The mycelium can be stored for three months at temperatures from zero to twenty degrees.
Properly prepared intermediate oyster mushroom mycelium with your own hands, which is developed and viable, looks like a lush white coating that has a pleasant mushroom smell.
To plant seed mycelium, perform similar actions, sowing larger containers. To do this, add one spoon of intermediate mycelium to liter jars. This prepares the substrate for further growing mushrooms on it.
You can grow oyster mushrooms in an old barn, stone garage or other suitable room. The criterion for its selection can be considered:
After you have grown oyster mushroom mycelium with your own hands, you can begin planting it, which is done as follows. One kilogram of substrate is laid out at the bottom of a plastic bag, and a layer of mycelium is placed on top of it, and so on layer by layer until the very top. The weight ratio of the substrate and mycelium in the bag should be 1:0.05. The mycelium should be placed closer to the walls of the bag, in which slits should be made to allow air to enter. The weight of the finished block is 13-15 kg. 
After filling, the polyethylene blocks are left in the dark at a temperature of about plus twenty Celsius - a higher temperature can lead to the death of the mycelium, since inside the block it can be ten to fifteen degrees hotter.
After two weeks, the block looks like a white monolith. Before the appearance of primordia, the block is sprayed from time to time to maintain humidity and temperature conditions are strictly observed. After the appearance of primordia, after a couple of days they become full-fledged adult mushrooms. There is no need to water them during growth, but it is important to ventilate the room well. When the edges of the caps are aligned, the crop is ready to harvest.
In industrial conditions, the mycelium is stored in low-temperature conditions or in liquid nitrogen. This content allows you to maximally preserve the properties of the material and its germination without loss of quality. The process of freezing and subsequent defrosting for disembarkation is carried out slowly under the supervision of specialists.
For home production, it is best to store mycelium in types of refrigerators that allow the freezer temperature to be set within minus twenty degrees Celsius. This will allow the material not to deteriorate and lose its qualities.
After defrosting for a short time, the mycelium restores its vegetative functions.
It is important to avoid repeated sudden changes in temperature conditions, that is, defrosting and re-freezing. This can significantly deteriorate the quality of the mycelium, which, accordingly, will negatively affect the yield of the mycelium.
To successfully grow mycelium and mushroom harvest, the following rules must be observed:
In general, if you follow the rules and technology for growing oyster mushroom mycelium, and then the mushroom itself, you can achieve good results with not a very large investment of money and effort. With careful attention to the process, even a beginner can handle it.
The technology for growing and propagating oyster mushrooms at home with your own hands is quite simple; even an amateur can do it. However, before you get down to business and grow mushrooms, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the existing methods and requirements for the environment in which mushrooms will develop normally. We will tell you where to start and how to do the process from scratch, step by step, and even a beginner will find it easy to grow and plant mushrooms.
You can organize a place for mushroom cultivation in basements, cellars or specially designed rooms in your summer cottage. To cultivate oyster mushrooms, you need to create the following conditions:
Due to their properties, mushrooms absorb environmental elements, including toxins. Therefore, it is important that all surfaces in the basement are disinfected no signs of mold or pests. It is necessary to maintain cleanliness until the very end of the harvest.
When growing oyster mushrooms, it is important to maintain cleanliness until harvest.
The temperature regime in which oyster mushroom grows well is limited to 20 to 28 degrees.
There are several ways to grow oyster mushrooms at home. Each method has advantages and disadvantages, so it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with with all the subtleties of technology to choose the most suitable option for yourself.
The substrate can be purchased ready-made or prepared by yourself. The best raw material for oyster mushrooms is considered barley or wheat straw. Also suitable:
Components used are required chop to 5-10 cm.
Ready substrate for growing oyster mushrooms
Those who are just starting to master the technology of growing mushrooms at home are advised to refrain from using sawdust. This method is complex and has special requirements.
Before using the substrate, you should disinfection material. To do this, it is subjected to heat treatment.
Step-by-step procedure for disinfecting the substrate:
The finished base should be wet and soft, but you shouldn’t overdo it with water. The correct composition releases a minimal amount of moisture during spinning.
In addition to the substrate, seed material (mycelium) is placed in the bag. It’s not worth buying a lot of it at once; it spoils quickly. If you provide proper care, then from 1 kg of raw materials you can get up to 3 kg of oyster mushrooms.
The base is placed in bags in layers, alternating a ball of substrate with seed. The bags are filled tightly, but without compaction. After tightly tying the edges of the container, cross-shaped holes are cut on the surface of the polyethylene with a blade. They need to be placed at intervals of 10 cm in a checkerboard pattern.
Oyster mushroom mycelium in packaging
For 2 weeks the bag is lowered into the basement to undergo an incubation period at a temperature 19-23 degrees. Lighting is not required at this stage.
The main advantage of the method is the simplicity of the technology. However, poor fruiting or its complete absence is often observed. In such cases, you need to sort out the substrate and check for mold in it.
Mushroom picking begins 1.5 months after planting. Two crops are harvested from one bag.
There are two main ways to grow oyster mushrooms: intensive and extensive. In the first case, special premises with favorable conditions. The second method represents the technology of mushroom cultivation open air. The timing of harvest depends entirely on weather conditions.
If there is neither a fallow nor a cellar at the dacha, there is no need to be upset. You can grow oyster mushrooms directly on stumps or scraps of deciduous wood (chestnut, ash, poplar, beech, etc.).
Sowing time begins in the spring when establishing positive temperatures The trimmings are soaked for 1-2 days before use. This procedure is not performed with fresh wood.
At the dacha, you can use stumps to grow oyster mushrooms
Holes with a diameter of 10 mm with recess on 5-6 cm. Seed material is placed in the holes and covered with moss or adhesive tape. The stick-shaped mycelium just needs to be inserted into the hole and covered with plasticine.
A place for growing mushrooms is selected in the shadow under the dense canopies of trees. This is necessary to prevent oyster mushrooms from drying out during the warm season.
When using logs, it is necessary to dig holes and lay wet sawdust on the bottom. Next, soaked wood scraps are inserted into the prepared recesses and buried with soil to a third of the length (at least 15 cm). The interval between stumps should be 35-50 cm.
Further care of the mushroom beds consists of watering the soil around the preparations. The harvest time for oyster mushrooms often falls on Aug. Sept. Such a plantation will produce good growth for up to 5 years with the most generous fruiting 2-3 years after planting.
Substrate briquettes are polyethylene sleeve, tightly stuffed with filler. Pre-applied to the surface of the film perforation round or other shape. The holes can be spaced evenly throughout the block or cover only two sides.
In the first case, when fixing the briquettes, they should not be allowed to come into contact, unlike double-sided perforation, where the junction area does not have holes.
The most popular containers have the following parameters:
The density of the substrate in the sleeve, the level of humidity and the environment depend on the raw materials used and the method of its heat treatment.
There are many options for placing substrate briquettes. They can be hung 2-3 pieces per rope or hang each separately on the fittings. The weight of the bags is quite heavy, which ensures stability when storing blocks Each other. The result is a solid wall.
Substrate briquettes
It is also allowed to place briquettes on shelves in vertical or horizontal position A rope stretched from the back of the shelves acts as insurance against the substrate collapsing or falling. When growing mushrooms at home, the decision on the placement of bags is made based on the characteristics of the room.
Advantages of the method:
The disadvantage is the additional costs of purchasing substrate briquettes.
Briquettes or bags with substrate and seed in the basement or cellar can be placed on racks if space allows. The shelves themselves should be made of wood or rolled steel. Blocks are being placed vertical or horizontal.
Racks are manufactured in various designs. Craftsmen independently develop drawings, providing safety elements that prevent the bags from falling. One of the options is equipped with special pins on the shelves, on top of which the blocks are placed. Due to this, their stability increases.
Mushroom sleeves can be installed in several tiers, but no more than three. In this case, the distance between the racks should be 70 cm, and between the mushroom bags - 15-40 cm.
Racks for growing oyster mushrooms
When installing mushroom containers in 2 or 3 tiers, you need to leave at least 30 cm of free space under the lower blocks to ensure normal air circulation.
This method of growing oyster mushrooms is characterized by convenient care and harvesting. However, not all country basements and cellars have enough space to install shelving.
It is not difficult to purchase ready-made mycelium, but you can evaluate the quality of the purchase only after a few weeks. If a low-quality product is identified, it will no longer be possible to compensate for the costs of raw materials and energy resources, so many mushroom growers master the technology of producing mycelium on their own.
The mycelium is planting material, which is added to the substrate to obtain a mushroom harvest.
At home, mycelium is mainly grown on wood or grain. The method with wood is appropriate to use when subsequently replanting mycelium on stumps. Such seed material has a long shelf life and resistance to disease. The grain type is obtained by applying a mother culture to a substrate of cereal grains.
High quality mycelium is obtained in laboratory conditions. This process can be repeated at home by preparing special equipment in advance:
You will also need water, electricity, and gas to operate.
The devices and the surface on which the work is planned to be performed must first be treated with an alcohol solution for disinfection.
The tubes are tightly closed and stored in a room with an average level of humidity and a temperature of about 20 degrees. After 2 weeks, a white edge will appear in properly prepared test tubes. This is the uterine mycelium.
Growing mycelium in a jar
After replanting mycelium into the polyethylene holes, the bags are sent to incubation which takes up to 3 weeks. The temperature should not reach 30 degrees, otherwise the planting material will undergo heat shock.
At this stage there is no ventilation. The accumulation of carbon dioxide creates favorable conditions for the development of mycelium. All that is required is daily cleaning of surfaces using chlorine-containing products. This will help prevent mold from forming.
Next, the bags are placed in a specially equipped room with a temperature 10-20 degrees. The cooler the air, the less saturated color the cap turns out to be. Lighting should be 12 o'clock with an intensity of 5 kW per 1 m2. The mushrooms are watered 1-2 times daily with a special sprinkler.
In the room where mushrooms are cultivated, there is a high level of spores in the air, so work should be done with a mask and glasses. This will help prevent an allergy attack.
You can grow mushrooms in several briquettes, satisfying the needs of your family. But this type of activity, with a reasonable approach, sometimes becomes a means of additional income. Moreover, caring for mushroom beds is not considered difficult.
From 100 bags you get about 350 kg of oyster mushrooms
If you create optimal conditions for keeping mushroom briquettes (bags) and adhere to the established temperature regime, then you can actually remove 3-3.5 kg of mushrooms from one block. Respectively from 100 bags you get 350 kg of oyster mushrooms.
Taking into account the market value (approximately 130 rubles per kg), the income will be 45,500 rubles. Approximately half of the funds are spent on associated costs associated with creating conditions for the cultivation of mushrooms. Net profit will be 20,485 rubles. Profitability in this case is equal to 75% , payback - 5.2 cycles, which translated into months means 13-15 months.
If the dimensions of the premises allow you to place 200 bags, then the profitability increases to 82%, and the net income will be in the range of 40,000-41,000 rubles. The investment will pay off in just 3.4 cycles or 9 months.
The process of growing oyster mushrooms at home is quite exciting and educational. By gaining experience, you can gradually increase the volume, which will allow you to turn your hobby into a small business.
Getting oyster mushroom mycelium at home is the dream of any mushroom grower. Nowadays it is not difficult to buy it. However, it is not always possible to find a company that is 100% responsible for product quality. The fact is that such organizations work mainly with wholesalers and practically do not have time to monitor quality in such conditions.
You can find out that the product is “inoperative” only when the bags with the substrate turn green. But growing oyster mushrooms requires a certain amount of time and 40% of the costs go to the substrate. In this case, mushroom growers, not trusting unknown producers, grow mycelium with their own hands.
