How to grow mushrooms at home in a cellar?

Often, the owners of summer cottages want to turn every square meter into a useful one. For example, a cellar or basement can be transformed from a storage place for a crop to a place to grow it. Today we will tell you how to grow oyster mushrooms in the basement, as well as champignons.

What should be the basement

When deciding how to grow champignons in the basement, first of all, you should think about providing the necessary conditions. As already mentioned, cultivation in a cellar or basement will be optimal for mushrooms. Some people try to grow oyster mushrooms and mushrooms in a house or apartment, but it is almost impossible to create comfortable conditions for the growth of mushrooms in a living room. Some mushroom pickers resort to planting in a brick garage, which can be a good substitute for a cellar.

Thus, growing mushrooms in the basement is currently the most economical and least labor-intensive of the above options. However, to get a rich harvest, you will have to carefully study the technology of cultivation of oyster mushrooms and mushrooms.

Necessary lighting

Growing champignons in the basement does not require any sunlight as mushrooms grow best in complete darkness.

Proper ventilation

Mushrooms in the basement require the correct microclimate, which is ensured by constantly maintaining the level of ventilation, temperature, and so on in the same indicators.

The ventilation system should not be open windows and doors that create drafts. Supply ventilation may also be insufficient to provide the culture with a constant supply of oxygen. The best option is a forced ventilation system, when metal gratings and fine-mesh nets are installed on the air outlets, protecting the plants from the invasion of rodents and insects.

Humidity and temperature

When growing mushrooms and oyster mushrooms, it is important to ensure a constant room temperature and a high level of humidity. Champignons and oyster mushrooms in the basement are grown at a temperature of 12 to 27 ° C and a humidity of at least 65%.

To maintain the temperature in the basement, a thermometer is installed, as well as a heating system (warm floor, heaters). Since all artificial sources of heat dry the air very much, you will have to maintain the humidity manually, having stocked up with polyethylene and a sprinkler.

Zoning

The cultivation of champignons in the basement can be carried out in the most modest conditions in terms of area. To save usable space and plant as much planting material as possible, the construction of racks is recommended. The materials used are metal, plastic and wood. However, it is better to choose stainless steel as a metal, and treat wood with impregnations against rotting, which is inevitable in conditions of high humidity.

Sometimes bags, wooden boxes, wood chunks are used as a device for mycelium. All these options are possible to use, however, they are more troublesome.

Disinfection

In preparation for growing mushrooms in the basement, the disinfection stage is perhaps the most important. Insects and fungal diseases are enemies of the crop. The main source of all problems is high humidity. Therefore, if the walls are earthen or wooden, the development of the fungus is inevitable.

In this case, it is important to ensure the maximum remoteness of the room from the ground and natural wood. For this, the floors are poured with concrete, and the walls are laid out of bricks, plastered and treated with an anti-fungal solution. The ceiling is whitewashed with a solution of lime and copper sulfate. The entire room is disinfected (for example, with formalin, fumigated with a sulfur stick) before each new planting. All elements of the arrangement are also carefully treated with antiseptics, and dishes and small parts are boiled.

Cultivars for cultivation

Not every farmer is ready to grow labor-intensive varieties of mushrooms. Oyster mushrooms and mushrooms are chosen as the best option for cultivation at home. However, among them there are different varieties.

Growing oyster mushrooms provides an opportunity to choose among many "home" species. These include Common Oyster, Oyster Oyster, Horned, Late and White Elf. There are other hybrids, but they are not much different from each other. Oyster mushrooms are very undemanding to soil and fertilizers, they give large yields and are resistant to infectious diseases.

Among the champignons, there are a number of hybrids that are offered by large nurseries and mushroom farms. They differ in size, shape and color, but are similar in taste and vegetative characteristics.

Substrate preparation and planting

There are two ways to prepare the substrate - buy ready-made in the store or do it yourself. Prepare the substrate a month before planting the mycelium, and use as ingredients:

• horse manure (if not, then cow or chicken droppings);
• straw;
• urea;
• superphosphates and fertilizers containing ammonium;
• chalk;
• gypsum or alabaster.

Horse manure and straw are preliminarily disinfected from parasites. Then the straw is soaked in a warm solution of water and ammonium nitrate for 24 hours. After the expiration of time, the straw is shifted with manure, moistened with ordinary warm water and left for several days, after which the composition is thoroughly mixed. Then gradually, at intervals of 3-4 days, the remaining ingredients are added, which are also mixed each time. When the temperature of the mixture has dropped to 25-23 ° C, the compost is ready for use.

The mycelium is bought in special stores, where it is grown under sterile conditions.

There are two types of mycelium - grain and compost. Make sure there are no green or black spots on it at the time of purchase.

After laying the substrate, you can start growing mycelium. For this, the compost mycelium is placed in pits up to 5 cm deep, located at a distance of 15–20 cm from each other. The laid mycelium is filled up and watered. The grain mycelium is simply scattered over the surface of the substrate.

Care and cultivation

During the development of mushroom filaments, the optimum temperature is 22-27 ° C, after their appearance it drops to 12-15 ° C. The first mushroom filaments appear 2 weeks after planting, after which the planting surface is covered with a mixture of peat, leaf earth and limestone (5: 4: 1).

Mushrooms love moisture, for which the first 2 weeks they are sprayed every 3-4 days. For this, the surface of the substrate is covered with polyethylene and sprayed with warm water. Further, it is better to suspend frequent hydration so as not to cause rotting of the mycelium.

Harvesting

The first wave of harvest awaits you 12-16 weeks after planting, and regular fruiting will last for the next 10-16 weeks. After each ripening, the mushrooms are carefully twisted, and a small layer of earth is laid in their place. After each harvest, the substrate is watered with a solution of water and superphosphates.

Video "Technology of growing mushrooms"

This video will show you how to grow mushrooms at home.

If you have a basement in a private house, you can use the cellar to store products from your backyard, or you can grow it there. It sounds incredible, but there are many types of vegetables and plants grown in basements.

A well-equipped cellar is suitable for growing mushrooms, as well as herbs such as parsley or dill, truffles, growing oyster mushrooms, porcini mushrooms, strawberries and strawberries, and much more. If desired, such production can be perceived as a business with considerable income.

The most common, in addition to growing oyster mushrooms in the basement, are champignons. Consider ways to grow champignons in your basement.

How to grow mushrooms in your basement

The technology for growing champignons in the basement of a house is one of the common technologies for growing mushrooms underground and does not require complex preparatory work.

All over the world underground mushroom growing is perceived as the norm, and in our conditions such a method of obtaining mushrooms is also quite possible. Special requirements, except for good ventilation, are not required, since the basement has an optimal microclimate and a slight change in humidity and temperature indicators.

Usually, an ordinary cellar is adapted for growing champignons, it is only important that its walls are concrete. The floor is concreted or poured with a cement screed. To avoid the appearance of mold and fungal infections, the walls and ceiling are whitewashed with lime with the addition of copper sulfate.

Ventilation holes or pipe outlets are mounted with a special fine-grained mesh so that small pests do not penetrate into the room during the warm season.

Features of home cultivation of champignons

Growing champignons is not a difficult job, but it requires certain knowledge and proper skill in the technologies used.

There are a number of factors on which the harvest of mushrooms depends - this is the correct compost, timely and sufficient watering of the mycelium, maintaining an optimal microclimate, fighting pests and various kinds of diseases.

If all these conditions are met, growing mushrooms in the basement is quite laborious.

Preparing a room for growing mushrooms

The cellar must be isolated from drafts that interfere with maintaining a certain temperature and humidity of the underground. Before growing mushrooms, it is important to equip proper ventilation, since carbon dioxide is replaced by oxygen at the chemical level.

Carbon dioxide is generated by the decomposition of the compost substrate. As a rule, the supply and exhaust air exchange circuit is equipped. Its arrangement in the basement requires special attention.

The cellar room is pre-disinfected, since fungi are vulnerable to a variety of diseases and infections. As a rule, I use sulfur fumigation, whitewashing of surfaces with lime with vitriol, or spraying with a 4% formalin solution.

The soil in the basement is also treated from possible infection, and the bottom of the surface, where the compost will be, is lined with some material on which the breeding itself in boxes will take place.

In front of the entrance to the basement, a disinfection box is installed, filled with sawdust with a disinfecting impregnation. After all the work, the room is ventilated and the main work begins.

Substrate preparation

When growing mushrooms at home, preparing the substrate is one of the most time consuming steps. There are quite a few open source videos out there, as it is a rather complicated process. It is necessary to follow exactly the instructions for its composition in order to get a good harvest.

A quarter of compost is made of rye or winter wheat straw, and the rest is diluted with horse manure. For 1 centner of straw, 2 kg of urea and superphosphate, 8 kg of gypsum and 5 kg of chalk are taken. After that, horse manure is introduced and approximately 300 kg of substrate are obtained.

This amount is sufficient for 3 square meters of cultivation. If it is impossible to get horse, poultry or chicken droppings are used. But this will negatively affect the yield of mushrooms, which are very whimsical to the basis for growing.

The substrate is made outdoors under a canopy. The straw must be soaked in water for a day and stacked under a canopy along with manure. It is recommended to use urea and superphosphate for impregnating the layers. Then the whole mass is thoroughly mixed, with the addition of other components to the substrate.

Immediately after mixing, the fermentation process begins, and after three days the temperature in such a stack rises to 70 degrees above zero. The height of such a mass is about a meter, as well as the length. The length is about 1.2 m. After three weeks the compost is ready.

The technology of growing champignons in the basement

To obtain a plentiful and healthy harvest, it is necessary to use only sterile mycelium as the main material. They are grown in special laboratories, and for 1 square meter of substrate it is necessary to take 0.5 kg of compost mycelium or 0.4 kg of grain.

Planting mycelium

Immediately before planting, it is required to check the substrate again for springiness. For this, a handful of mycelium is taken and lowered to a planting depth of 5 cm. The holes are positioned 20 cm wide in a checkerboard pattern relative to each other. The grain mycelium simply crumbles over the surface.

Mycelium care

During the entire rooting period, it is necessary to maintain the temperature and humidity (70-95%) in the cellar. For this, the box with the mycelium is covered with newspaper and constantly sprayed with a spray bottle. The substrate temperature should be at least 27 degrees above zero.

After a week, you will notice an increase in the mycelium. At this stage, the surface is covered with a layer of 3-4 cm of soil. This will bring the temperature down to 12-17 degrees. At the same time, the surface is also constantly moistened and drafts are not allowed.

Harvesting

After 3-4 months, the first crop is ready for harvest. Collect only those mushrooms whose caps have a stretched white film under the surface that connects the stem of the champignon with the edges of the cap. Mushrooms with a brown plate are discarded and not eaten in any way.

There is a certain nuance when collecting champignons - they are twisted out of the mycelium, and not cut off. The fruiting period is about two weeks, during which up to 8 harvest waves are harvested. The yield is about 12 kg per square meter. Approximately 70% of the total harvest falls on the first three waves.

Champignon disease prevention and pest control

By fulfilling the mandatory requirements for planting, caring for the mycelium, diseases inherent in mushrooms can be avoided. But it is better to play it safe and carry out treatment to prevent infection.

At the very initial stage, one of the preventive measures was the disinfection of the basement or cellar, equipment and tools - everything that affects the growth and yield of mushrooms.

When composting, it is necessary to exclude the ingress and interaction of compost with the soil. The compost is prepared on a paved area or asphalt. During the growth of mycelium, the indicators of aeration, humidity and temperature should be monitored. Overheating of the compost is unacceptable.

The material to be coated is an excellent breeding ground for fungus or mold, the multiplication of various microorganisms. Must be thoroughly steam treated.

All work with the mycelium begins in the same sequence as when planting. It is necessary to clean the area around the cultivated mushrooms - mushroom residues, manure, pieces of substrate mixture, etc.

If the disease has nevertheless penetrated the slender rows of mushrooms, then it must be localized and cleaned up as soon as possible. The most common occurrence is brown spotting - brown and cinnamon unpleasant spots appear on the snow-white caps of mushrooms.This spreads very quickly, so it is very important to rush into processing.

Another type of fungal disease is their mummification - they become covered with a gray coating, dry out and have an unpleasant odor.

The source of infection can only be covering material, compost substrate or remnants of previously harvested mushrooms. As soon as a container is hit by something, it should be immediately isolated from others.

Halogen has proven itself well in the fight against bacteria in the form of various solutions. The rows of mycelium are spilled with its 1% solution. Growing mushrooms in the basement is not limited to champignons, it is quite possible to grow porcini mushrooms in the cellar on your own.

How to grow porcini mushrooms in the basement

Just like champignons, porcini mushrooms grow well in an artificial environment. For their bountiful harvest, intensive reproduction technology is used.

Room preparation

The preparation of the cellar for the cultivation of porcini mushrooms is very similar to the scheme of preliminary work on the reproduction of the mushroom mycelium.

There are slight differences in temperature and humidity indicators. Such mushrooms love temperatures around 12 degrees Celsius and humidity around 80%. He is also picky about oxygen, so the room must be thoroughly ventilated.

The incubation period of the mushroom does not require light, but as soon as the fruits appear, provide them with sufficient lighting for at least 5 hours a day. There are no requirements for the light source - it can be both artificial and natural lighting. The power of the lamps does not need to be very high in order to avoid overheating from such light.

Seedling

For high-quality seedlings, the best options would be to use special mycelium grown in laboratories. This method is called Dutch, since it is the technologists of this country that are recognized as the best in the propagation of porcini mushrooms.

The use of wild natural material will not sprout, but if there is a special desire, you can take a chance by collecting the fruits or soaking the mycelium in water.

Landing

Porcini mushrooms are propagated in boxes or bags filled with substrate. Experts recommend using exactly boxes with a substrate. Its composition is standard - a mixture of hay, husk of seeds or corn cobs, an admixture of sawdust. This mixture is sterilized and packed into boxes in layers.

The bags or boxes themselves are placed at a distance of 5-6 cm from each other. In the bags, cuts are made for ventilation.

The room temperature should be raised to 25 degrees Celsius, no lighting is required. It is also not worth ventilating the room, but make sure that the humidity is not more than 90%. After germination, the temperature is lowered to 10 heat, and a series of airings begins.

Twice a day, the mycelium is irrigated with warm water. They turn on the lighting for 5-6 hours, in which case the harvest will be ready in 3 weeks. Work on cleaning the premises from debris should become permanent, you need to strive for sterile cleanliness.

Outcome

Growing mushrooms in a basement, cellar, or other artificial environment is relatively risky. Myceliums exist in symbiosis with the root system of trees and without them they may simply not take root. But if it is still possible to master the method of artificial cultivation, then within several years a stable harvest of juicy, tasty and healthy fruits will be provided.

Growing champignons in the basement is most often perceived not as a business idea, but as a strange hobby of an amateur gardener. However, with such an occupation, you can really make a profit! To do this, you just need to competently approach the matter: draw up a business plan, calculate profitability and investments, assess risks.

If you are interested in the idea, let's get down to the debriefing!

Where to start a business?

Growing mushrooms in the basement of a residential building is a very real idea for implementation. Why not, because the microclimate is fully consistent with the conduct of such an activity, and mushrooms are not picky about the conditions at all.

A step-by-step algorithm for organizing a business can be presented as follows:

1. Understand the technology of growing mushrooms.
2. Prepare a basement for placement of seedlings.
3. Disinfect the premises.
4. Buy mycelium.
5. Purchase compost or raw materials for its production.
6. Plant the mycelium in the substrate.
7. Control temperature and humidity levels.
8. Harvest according to the prescribed rules.
9. Find points of sale and sell the product.

We will analyze each point of organizing the cultivation of mushrooms in your own home.

Business registration

The cultivation of mushrooms as a business (in the basement) must be officially registered. Unless, of course, the volume of your production is limited by the limits of "a batch for yourself, a batch for neighbors."

When it comes to business specifically, and especially about implementation through retail outlets, cafes, etc., you cannot do without documents.

Do not worry if you haven’t come across this question before. It's pretty simple. Let's represent your actions in the form of a step-by-step algorithm:

1. It is necessary to register an individual entrepreneur. To do this, you need to go with your passport to the nearest tax office.
2. As an indication of the activity, you choose agricultural production and sale.
3. With this type of work, you can count on a single agricultural tax - 6%. This is a very profitable taxation option.
4. The room for growing mushrooms is subject to inspection by the employees of the phytosanitary inspection. The basement must have a permissible background radiation. After verification, you will be issued a certificate.
5. Also in the phytosanitary inspection, you will check the goods before selling. No serious client will cooperate with you without a certificate of quality. The validity period of one certificate is the "life" period of one batch of compost. You will provide this data during registration.

Next, let's take a closer look at the conditions for growing mushrooms in the basement.

What conditions are required for work

The cultivation of mushrooms in the basement of a private house follows the same principles as in any other place. We'll talk more about the technology later. Now let's figure out what conditions are necessary to get a bountiful harvest of mushrooms.

Growing champignons in the basement of a garage or other room presupposes a solid, solid building. We will analyze the rest of the requirements in stages:

• Contrary to popular belief, the floor should be covered with concrete, not dirt.
• The room itself is maximally isolated from the environment, excluding the possibility of contamination sources from outside.
• Another difference from other types of vegetation grown for sale: champignons do not need a constant source of light. This translates into substantial savings in equipment and utility bills. It is enough to hold one lamp in the basement to work with convenience.
• Even in a small area, it is possible to organize the cultivation of a significant amount of the crop. To do this, the containers are installed "in layers", placing ordinary racks in the basement. The growth height of the mushrooms is small, which allows you to make tiers at a short distance.
• It is important to consider this feature: the mushroom compost will emit unpleasant carbon dioxide. It is unpleasant because it leads to mustiness. And mushrooms do not tolerate such a situation. Establish an efficient ventilation system to avoid problems.
• Do not overdo the ventilation of the room. Drafts are also the enemy of your seedlings. It is also worth installing a mosquito net with small meshes on the ventilation holes to prevent insects from getting inside.
• Mushrooms, however, are unpretentious to the temperature regime. Try to maintain an "even" level, that's enough. In summer, a fan is used if necessary. Growing champignons in a basement in winter may require installing a heating system (if the room is very cold).
• Control the humidity level in the cellar.It can be reduced by ventilation, and increased by a simple spray bottle with water.

What preparation of the premises is needed before growing?

Like many other mushrooms, mushrooms are susceptible to diseases and parasites. Growing in the basement (the technology of the process is, in fact, extremely simple) requires careful preparation of the place before work begins. Preliminary work consists of disinfecting the room, treating surfaces, removing mold and even a chance for its appearance in the future. If you do not approach this issue carefully, the crop can be spoiled. It's a shame to destroy a case for several months out of sheer laziness, isn't it?

If you do not want to check the resistance of fungi to a harmful environment, prepare the territory like this:

1. Explore the room for insects (important if vegetables were previously stored in this cellar). If you find at least a few individuals, be sure to process chlorophos.
2. All surfaces are covered with lime, to which copper sulfate is added.
3. Use a sulfur stick to fumigate the room.
4. Also, the space is sprayed with a 4% formalin solution.
5. Want to insure yourself? Take a deep container of sawdust and sprinkle it with disinfectant. Place the box at the entrance to the cellar. It will serve as an additional barrier for pests.
6. After carrying out the manipulations, carefully check the basement. Otherwise, you can harm not only the seedlings, but even your own health.

Sometimes simple airing does not give much results. This indicates the fact that you need an additional ventilation system. For example, you can put additional fans above the racks with mushrooms. As your business expands, it makes sense to invest further in installing air purifying filters in the ventilation system.

Champignon cultivation technology

What is the principle of planting champignons? Growing in the basement (process technology, to be more precise) has some features:

• Zoning. It is recommended to divide the basement into two parts - for the incubation period and for direct distillation. The fact is that you will need to observe different temperature conditions. Zoning the space will greatly facilitate the task.
• As mentioned, each period needs its own temperature. For cultivation - 23 ° C, distillation - 12-17 ° C.
• Carefully follow the composting conditions indicated on the packaging. Horse manure is considered the best base. When using it, an increased yield is noted.
• A self-made substrate will always be better than a purchased one. But to save time and effort, it can still be purchased.

Growing process

When all the conditions for growing mushrooms in the basement are met, you can proceed directly to the process. The easiest way for beginners will be to imagine it in the form of a step-by-step algorithm:

1. We plant the mycelium in the substrate. Typically, entrepreneurs purchase mycelium ready for planting to grow at home. Most often it is a base grown in special laboratories in which ideal conditions of sterility are maintained. They buy mycelium for planting through intermediaries - on the Internet, in All for Garden stores, as well as directly from suppliers.
2. It is very simple to calculate the required amount of mycelium: 1 m2 - 500 grams of "living" medium. If you decide to grow mycelium from spores, you need 400 grams.
3. The planting process is not very different from the usual one: you need to make holes about 5 cm deep. Properly prepared compost will feel a little springy. Keep a distance of at least 15-20 cm between the holes. Place a piece of mycelium in each hole.
4. For planting spores, holes do not need to be made. The seeds are simply poured evenly onto the ground. The mushroom pickers will pave their own way.
5. During the incubation period, the entrepreneur's task is to monitor the level of humidity and temperature.How to do this is described in more detail below.
6. For permanent moistening of the earth, you can cover it with paper (cloth) and moisten it.
7. 10-12 days after planting, cover the substrate with another layer of earth - literally 3-4 cm. The earth is prepared in a special way: peat + lime + soil in a ratio of 5: 1: 4.
8. The incubation period will end in 4-5 days. During this time, regularly moisten the air and soil with a spray bottle.
9. The next growing period is forcing. At this time, the temperature in the basement is lowered to 12-17 ° C. Sometimes this is difficult to achieve, it is much easier to move the racks to another room. For this, in the section above, it was proposed to zone the basement.
10. The mushrooms will start growing soon. Follow the rules for collecting them and do not over-ripen the mushrooms.

Sales channels

A rare person in our time does not use champignons. Growing at home in a basement can meet the needs of one family of mushrooms. But when it comes to business, of course, it is necessary to establish distribution channels. Finding clients is the secret to the success of this endeavor.

Growing champignons in a basement rarely involves a large amount of mushrooms harvested. Therefore, the surplus that family members do not use can be sold in the nearest market.

If the business is nevertheless put on stream and you want to find a more "solid" sales market, consider the following options:

• It is not necessary to sell the mushrooms directly to those who consume them. Using intermediaries can reduce your profits, but it will provide you with a steady stream of orders. Whether such a scheme is beneficial in your case, decide for yourself.
• Shops, supermarkets, cafes and restaurants can act as an intermediary for the sale of mushrooms.
• If you get a solid harvest, it makes sense to look for an opportunity to conclude a supply agreement with manufacturers of semi-finished products (champignons can be part of pancakes, pizza) or cookery.
• A good idea for promotion is to create your own website. On it you can post useful information for the consumer about mushrooms in general and champignons in particular. The price list, potential discounts, terms of delivery of products to customers, contact information are also indicated there.

Calculation of financial investments

Growing champignons in the basement, which is positioned as a business, will be quite cheap. Of course, it all depends on the resources you have and the planned production volumes. However, the absence of the need to pay for the rent of the premises is already a big plus!

It is also important to note that by growing champignons, an entrepreneur frees himself from such a large cost item as the purchase of equipment. It is on technology that the lion's share of the budget is usually spent when organizing a business.

Consider the remaining cost items for 1 cycle of mushroom cultivation:

• raw materials for the manufacture of 1 ton of compost - 1000 rubles;
• mushroom mycelium - 500 rubles;
• creating the necessary conditions in the basement - 2000 rubles.

In total, we get the amount of 3500 rubles. As you can imagine, this is a ridiculous price to pay for starting your own business, albeit modest.

Profitability and payback of the mushroom business

If you correctly took into account all the requirements for growing white champignon in cellars, each mycelium can bring you 5-8 harvests. It is worth noting that only the first three will bring the main amount. Typically, the growing cycle is 1-2 months.

Follow these rules when harvesting:

• Control the state of the mushrooms - they must not be allowed to overripe.
• It is easy to determine the right moment for collection - the bottom of the champignon hat is covered with a white film.
• Champignons that are grown at home are not cut, remember this! They just need to be gently twisted around their axis and taken out.
• When you get the mushroom, sprinkle it with earth.
• If you follow simple rules, new mushrooms will grow for several more weeks.

Let's calculate the estimated profit from the business:

• 1 ton of compost is 200 kg of mushrooms, if all conditions have been met;
• 1 kg of this type of mushroom is now estimated at 100-150 rubles;
• profit from 1 harvest cycle - 20,000-30,000 rubles.

As you can see, the ROI is 100%. The investment will pay off within a few months.

What risks await an entrepreneur?

Growing champignons in the basement of a house, like any other business, involves certain risks for an entrepreneur. You need to know them and, if possible, minimize negative consequences.

• Although one cannot speak of high competition in this area, it is difficult to find a stable sales market. Start building partnerships before harvest, as the product spoils pretty quickly. You can familiarize yourself with the ideas for finding buyers above.
• Champignons are not particularly whimsical mushrooms. However, they are also susceptible to disease, as well as other factors affecting yield. Monitor compliance with all growing rules and the condition of the mycelium.

Growing champignons in the basement is a worthy business option at home. It has a number of advantages at once: low competition, minimum starting budget, 100% profitability, ease of planting and caring for mushrooms. However, it is possible to get decent revenue only if the entrepreneur establishes a permanent sales channel. If you find enough buyers or one, but wholesale, you can recoup your investment and make a profit after the first harvest.

And be sure not to be too lazy to draw up a business plan before starting to implement the idea in order to make calculations in detail and outline the work scheme.

Almost every owner of a private house also has a basement. Usually, the basement is used for storing vegetables and fruits, seaming and conservation are lowered there. But the basement is suitable not only for such standard purposes - here you can also grow mushrooms, or, more precisely, champignons. To do this, you can use both the basement already available on the site, or build a cellar from scratch.

What is the peculiarity of growing champignons in the basement, and how a novice mushroom picker can grow a decent harvest without making gross mistakes - this will be an article about this.

What should be a basement for growing mushrooms

As mentioned above, mushrooms can be grown even in the basement where vegetables and seals were previously stored.

However, for the event to be successful, the basement must meet certain requirements:

1. All basement surfaces must be isolated from the "outside world", that is, the walls, floor and ceiling of the basement in no case can be earthen. It is best to use concrete as a filling of the floor, and the walls and ceiling can be laid out of bricks, blocks or sheathed with wood. Insulation is necessary in order to protect the basement from the penetration of rodents and insects into it, as well as to prevent a sharp increase in humidity during periods of heavy rainfall, for example.
2. Champignons need a certain air temperature, so the owner of the basement must provide the possibility of airing or conditioning the room in extreme heat, as well as heating for the winter period. As heaters, for example, it is convenient to use warm floors made of infrared film - it is enough to spread the canvas around the perimeter of the basement, and the mushrooms are provided with a comfortable temperature.
3. Compost for mushrooms in the process of decomposition releases a lot of carbon dioxide, and mushrooms, like any plants, need oxygen. Therefore, the task of the mushroom picker is to provide ventilation of the cellar. A conventional supply ventilation system may not be enough, in which case you will have to install a forced ventilation system in the basement. You can not overdo it with airing, because drafts are destructive for champignon seedlings.
4. Ventilation ducts and shafts must be closed with metal grates to protect the basement from rodents, as well as mosquito nets with a fine mesh so that insects do not get inside.
5. Champignons do not need light - like all mushrooms, they grow in complete darkness. This fact, of course, allows you to significantly save on utility bills and makes mushroom cultivation a very profitable business. In the basement, it is enough to install a couple of ordinary lamps, which they turn on only when they are working with mushrooms.
6. Even a small basement area is not considered a problem, because mushrooms can be grown on multi-tiered racks or shelves. It is better to make racks from metal, only it should be painted regularly to prevent corrosion. Wood is also suitable as a material for making mushroom shelves, but high humidity in the basement will lead to rapid decay of the wood. To protect the racks, they are treated with antiseptics, regularly repeating the impregnation.
7. The humidity in the basement should be high, and its level depends on the stage of development of the mushrooms. You can control the humidity in the basement by ventilating or irrigating the floor and walls of the basement with water.

Growing champignons in the basement is good because you don't need large material costs to re-equip the cellar. The owner only needs to insulate his cellar in order to equalize the summer and winter temperatures. As insulation for walls and ceilings, you can use foam or mineral wool, for example. Rodents and mold do not start in these insulating materials, they are safe from increased basement humidity.

If the mushrooms are grown all year round, you will have to take care of heating the basement - this will be the biggest expense item, because the rest of the mushrooms are quite unpretentious.

Advice! It is much easier to correctly calculate the humidity level and temperature in the basement if the cellar is specially built for growing mushrooms. In addition, the new premises do not need disinfection.

Cellar preparation for champignons

So, it was decided to grow champignons in the cellar already available on the site or under the house. First of all, it is necessary to completely empty the basement, since mushrooms do not tolerate neighborhood, the presence of vegetables or fruits will be destructive for them.

Now the walls of the basement are insulated and insulated, and the floor is poured with concrete. If the cellar was already insulated and warm, it must be thoroughly cleaned, cobwebs, dirt removed and mold completely removed.

Important! The walls and ceiling of the basement where the mushrooms are grown must be dry, without condensation drops.

Now you need to equip ventilation and, if necessary, take care of heating.

The time has come for disinfection, the method of which depends on the state of the cellar:

• in the basement, where food was previously stored, there is a high probability of the appearance of fruit gnats, bugs or larvae. A chlorophos solution, which is used to treat all surfaces of the room, as well as racks and shelves, will help get rid of insects in the basement.
• if there is mold or mildew, you need to paint the walls and ceiling with lime. A greater antiseptic effect can be achieved by adding copper sulfate to the lime.
• the basement can be rid of all pests with a sulfur checker, which is bought in an agricultural store. The checker must be placed in the center of the basement, set on fire and tightly closed all doors and dormer windows. In this state, the cellar is left for a day.
• another good remedy is a 4% formalin solution, which is used to treat the walls of the basement.

After any treatment, the basement must be thoroughly ventilated, otherwise there is a risk of suffering yourself from the action of disinfectants. And such compositions are unlikely to be useful for champignons.

Attention! Ventilation, by the way, will help to identify possible ventilation problems. If the pungent smell does not disappear for a long time, you need to think about strengthening the ventilation system.

Further protection of champignons from parasites is to install a box with sawdust near the entrance to the basement, which has been pre-moistened with formalin or other special agent.

To make it convenient to work, as well as for the "comfort" of the mushrooms themselves, it is recommended to divide the basement space into several separate zones. Ideally, there should be three such compartments:

• The first is used for incubating mycelium, that is, for germinating fungal spores. Here the temperature should be constantly maintained at 25-27 degrees, and the humidity should not fall below 85%.
• In the second "room" there are racks with already growing mushrooms. Here it is permissible to drop the temperature to 17-19 degrees, and the humidity to 65%.
• The third area of ​​the basement is optional, it is used for composting.

When the basement space is organized, processed and cleaned, you can proceed directly to growing mushrooms.

The technology of growing champignons in the basement

To grow mushrooms, three factors are needed:

• planting material;
• substrate;
• conditions suitable for the development of mushrooms.

Only if all three components coincide, the mushroom picker will be able to get a good harvest and remain "in the black."

Attention! You can grow mushrooms for your own needs without any permits and documents. But, if the mushrooms are sold, registration of an individual entrepreneur, sanitary inspection of the basement and examination of finished products are required.

What mushrooms grow from

Today, more than 50 types of champignons are known, not all of them are suitable for growing at home: a novice mushroom picker should pay attention to the most unpretentious varieties that give high yields.

You can buy mushroom planting material in specialized online stores or in agricultural supermarkets.

Advice! For the first experience, beginners can use ready-made briquettes consisting of champignon substrate and mushroom mycelium. All that remains is to get the briquettes out of the film, put them on racks and moisten them regularly. In the future, it is better, nevertheless, to prepare the substrate yourself, as it will be cheaper and increase the yield.

For planting champignons in the basement, you can use mycelium or grain spores of mushrooms. The mycelium is produced in special laboratories and is a mushroom embryo. This product can be frozen for long-term storage, and a day before planting, the mycelium is removed from the refrigerator.

Spores are mushroom seeds. They can also be used by a mushroom picker, only mushrooms should be planted with spores somewhat differently than with the help of mycelium - the seeds are evenly scattered over the surface of the substrate and are not covered with earth, but only moistened.

Compost or substrate for mushrooms

The composition of the mushroom compost may differ slightly depending on the type of mushroom. Precise recommendations on this matter are easy to find on packaging with mycelium or spores.

Horse manure is an ideal basis for mushroom compost, it is this component that ensures high yields of mushrooms. Instead of horse dung, you can use cow dung or replace it with bird droppings.

Important! You can only use horse manure for growing mushrooms, which ate hay, and not green mass.

But not fresh fertilizer is used as a substrate - for mushrooms, it is compost that is needed, that is, a fermented product. To prepare such a soil, you will need:

• manure;
• straw of wheat, barley or rye;
• urea;
• superphosphate;
• ammonium nitrate;
• gypsum, chalk or alabaster.

To prepare a substrate for growing champignons in the basement, you must perform the following sequence of actions:

1. Place the straw in a trough or other container and cover with warm water so that the straw is completely covered. Leave the straw to swell for a day - as a result, the volume should increase by 2-2.5 times.
2. Lay manure and wet straw in 15-20 cm layers - you will get high stacks of 7-8 layers.Each layer is additionally moistened with warm water.
3. After 4 days, the compost is mixed with a pitchfork and urea and superphosphate are added to it - now a pungent nitrogen smell will appear.
4. Stir the compost every 3-4 days, gradually adding all the other ingredients.
5. Gypsum or alabaster is poured into the last batch.

Composting consists in the process of fermentation - fermentation and processing of active components of manure. The whole process will take about 25-30 days. The readiness of the substrate will be indicated by its pleasant smell without nitrogen impurities and a brown tint.

Advice! A thermometer will help you easily know when the mushroom compost is ready. If the mass is still fermenting, the temperature inside the stack will be 50-70 degrees. Reducing it to 24 degrees indicates that mushroom mycelium can already be planted in the substrate.

Planting mushrooms and caring for them

The finished compost is placed in plastic or wooden boxes with a layer of about 20 cm. Now the seeds are sealed: 5 cm holes are prepared according to the 20x20 cm scheme and poured into each of them with a little crushed mycelium, covered with a substrate. Boxes of champignons are placed on the basement racks.

Watering champignons is strictly prohibited, but they need constant high humidity. This can be achieved by covering the boxes with newspaper or cloth and regularly dampening the cover with a spray bottle.

After a few days (5-7 days), white strings of myceliums should appear, which means that it is time to cover the seeds with a layer of special earth:

• 5 parts of peat;
• 1 part of chalk;
• 4 parts of treated soil.

The period of germination of the mycelium is called incubation, it lasts about 10-14 days and ends with the appearance of white peas - champignon rudiments. When the body of the mushroom grows, the stage is called pasture, during this period the boxes are taken out to a cooler room.

Growing mushrooms in a cellar takes 1 to 1.5 months. In one compost and from one mycelium, you can grow mycelium, which will give from 5 to 8 harvests. Only the first three harvests of champignons will be full-fledged, each next time the harvest is poorer.

Attention! Champignons should never be cut with a knife - there is a high risk of infection in the "wound". Therefore, the mushrooms are slightly twisted and pulled out of the substrate, and then the leg is trimmed. The "stump" sticking out of the ground should be covered with compost.

Outcomes

Growing your own mushrooms in your basement can be a great family business. After all, this production does not require the connection of communications, the purchase of special equipment or expensive raw materials, in addition, the mushroom picker does not have to pay for the rent of the production area. Such a business pays off after the first harvest.

But the beginner must take into account all the "wishes" of the mushrooms: prepare the basement, arrange ventilation, maintain the temperature and humidity, and prepare high-quality compost. Only then will the myceliums in the basement please him with a good harvest.

• Cellar handle
• How to choose curtain hooks
• Do-it-yourself barbecue made of metal
• How to get rid of mold in your basement