How to grow oyster mushrooms at home in Almaty?

GROWING CHAMPIGNONS

Champignon can be grown in the spring and summer in the beds, and in the fall and winter - indoors (mushrooms, greenhouses, cellars, cellars, hotbeds, etc.), where it is possible to maintain a more or less constant temperature - plus 12-18 ° and humidity within the range of 65-85%.

The nutrient medium (substrate) for them is fresh horse manure with straw bedding or a mixture of horse and cow manure with rye or wheat straw. In the absence of cow manure, you can add chicken manure or pig manure to the substrate, and instead of straw - fresh fallen tree leaves, corn stalks. Old rotted manure and rotten straw are not suitable for the substrate. No light is required for the growth and development of champignons. They grow well and bear fruit in the dark.

Substrate preparation. If the substrate is laid from horse manure with litter, then it should first be laid in a cone-shaped pile and watered with water or slurry, bringing the moisture content to 60-70%.

Then add ammonium sulfate to it at the rate of 3 kg per 1 ton of manure. Cover the pile with straw, mats or burlap so that water does not evaporate from it and the manure begins to warm up. Ammonium sulfate is added to enhance the activity of bacteria involved in the decomposition of manure.

After five days, the manure should be thoroughly shaken (interrupted) with a pitchfork so that it mixes well and warms up evenly. At the first shaking, gypsum is applied at the rate of 4 kg per 1 ton of manure. Then every five days you need to shake it up 2-3 times. By the end of the preparation, the substrate should become a homogeneous mass of dark brown color, devoid of the smell of ammonia. The straw in the substrate should tear easily. Such a substrate is considered ready for laying.

To prepare a substrate from wheat straw with chicken droppings, you need to add 400 kg of chicken manure, 25 kg of urea and 60 kg of gypsum to 1 ton of straw.

First, the straw should be mixed with 150 kg of chicken manure and 25 kg of carbamide (in solution). Spray it with water for 10 days. During this time, 1 ton of straw should absorb about 2500-3000 liters of water. Then the straw must be piled into a pile, sandwiching it with chicken droppings (250 kg per 1 ton of dry straw).

The first break is carried out on the fourth day after the soaking of the solo. In this case, the full rate of gypsum is introduced. The second cut on the eighth day, and the third on the eleventh. On the thirteenth day, the substrate is ready for laying.

If the substrate is prepared from a mixture of horse and cow manure with straw, then it is laid in a pile 2-3 m wide and 1.5 m high, then moistened with water. At the first interruption, places that were not sufficiently moistened are watered with water and ammonium sulfate is added (3 kg per 1 ton). During the third change, gypsum (5 kg) and superphosphate (3 kg per 1 ton of mixture) are added.

Soil laying. In a closed room, mushrooms are grown on an earthen floor, on ridges or on shelves, as well as in wooden boxes, which are stacked on top of each other in stacks of 2 m or more.

On the earthen floor, the ridges are arranged with a size of 50x50 or 75x75 cm.The prepared manure is first laid with a layer of 45 cm thick, then compacted with a rammer to 30 cm.On the sides of the ridge, they are leveled and compacted with a shovel.

Manure is placed on racks in a layer of 30-45 cm, and then compacted evenly so that its surface is even and smooth.

Mushroom growing boxes come in a variety of sizes. The most convenient boxes are 100 cm long, 50 cm wide, 25 cm high. They are stuffed with manure so that after compaction the layer thickness is about 23 cm. The manure is compacted with manual rammers.

In the open ground, the laying of ridges begins in early spring, as soon as the soil thaws and warms up. Manure is laid directly on the ground, as in a greenhouse, or in a trench 20-25 cm deep. A slightly shaded place for laying is chosen. Sheds are made over the beds to protect against waterlogging during rain and from direct sunlight.

Planting mycelium. After laying the soil, it is recommended to measure the temperature of the substrate daily. When at a depth of 4-5 cm it drops to 27-28 °, you can start planting mycelium.

The best planting material for the mushroom culture is a sterile mycelium grown in special laboratories. Such a mycelium can be purchased at the "Seeds - by mail" store. The highest yields are given by mushrooms of two varieties: two-spore brown and two-spore white.

In the laboratory, the mushroom mycelium is grown on manure or grain of cereals (wheat, oats, rye). Dung mycelium weighing 1-2 kg is sold in cans, and grain - in one-liter milk bottles or in one-two-three-liter cans.

For 1 m2 of dung mycelium, 400-500 g are consumed, and grain-300-400 g.

Before planting, the dung mycelium is broken into pieces the size of a walnut or a pigeon's egg weighing 15-20 g and laid out in a basin or sieve in one layer so as not to wrinkle. Pieces of mycelium are planted in the ground in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 20x20 or 22x22 cm.

The landing technique is simple. In the designated place, the top layer of the soil is raised with a sharp peg, a depression is made under it, into which a piece of mycelium is inserted so that after planting its upper edge lies 2-3 cm below the surface of the substrate.

If grain mycelium is used for planting, then first a layer of substrate (about 3 cm) is removed from the surface of the ridge, and then the mycelium is evenly scattered. After that, it is sprinkled with compost and lightly crushed to create contact between the grains of mycelium and the substrate.

Wild mycelium can be used for planting. It is necessary to look for it in those places where mushrooms grow: near farmyards, near manure and compost heaps, near greenhouses, in dumps, etc.

The mycelium should be dug out where the fruit bodies of these mushrooms appear in abundance.

The prepared pieces of soil should be densely penetrated with cobweb branches of the white mycelium, have a pleasant mushroom smell, and not have any traces of damage by pests and diseases.

Planting wild mycelium is carried out in the same way as manure.

Care for mushrooms. After planting the mycelium, the room temperature must be maintained within 24-26 °. Under these conditions, the mycelium grows deep into the soil and gives a good harvest of mushrooms. At higher temperatures, the mycelium grows in the surface layer and forms fewer fruiting bodies.

The moisture content of the substrate should be about 55-60%.

If the soil dries up, the mycelium grows worse. To prevent this, the substrate should be moistened by evenly spraying water from a backpack or garden sprayer. This must be done carefully, not allowing water to penetrate inside the manure mixture and damage the mycelium.

After 10-12 days, when the mycelium grows well, the temperature in the room should be reduced to 18-20 °, and the soil surface should be covered with earth. The land should be soddy, loamy or sandy loam, fine crumbly structure, sufficiently moist. Before sprinkling, it should be passed through a screen with 1–2 cm holes. The soil should be sprinkled evenly. Its layer should not exceed 3-4 cm. In this case, in no case should it be compacted, as this can impair the access of air to the mycelium.

Further care for mushrooms consists in maintaining normal temperature (about 16-20 °), air humidity (80-90%) and earth layer (up to 60%), as well as regular ventilation of the room to remove accumulated carbon dioxide.

35-40 days after planting the mycelium, the first fruiting bodies of the mushrooms appear.

Fruiting lasts two to three months.

CULTIVATION OF SUMMER STUMP

Summer honey agaric can be grown in the forest on birch, aspen, alder, pine and spruce stumps, as well as on pieces of wood of these species. The cultivation of summer honeydew in the forest does not pose a danger to the trees growing nearby, since it is a typical saprotroph and is not capable of parasitizing on living wood.

Growing honey agaric on stumps. The best results are obtained when stumps are infected with pieces of wood with mycelium of the fungus taken from dilapidated stumps where summer honeydew grows abundantly. It is not difficult to prepare these pieces during the mass fruiting of the mushroom. They must be cut out from the zone of active growth of the mycelium, that is, from areas where there are many fruit bodies. Pieces of graft wood are placed in the holes drilled in the stumps, or attached with nails on their end surface. To protect it from drying out, the grafting wood must be covered with moss or spruce branches.

Infection of stumps in this way can be carried out throughout the growing season, avoiding only hot and dry weather. The best time for this job is spring or fall.

The fruit bodies of the summer honey fungus appear on stumps one to two years after infection. On medium-sized stumps, honey agaric bears fruit for five to six years, and on larger stumps up to eight years.

Growing mushroom on chocks. Summer honey agaric can be successfully grown on round wood chocks 30-40 cm long and more than 15 cm in diameter. They are harvested in spring or autumn from freshly cut trees.

Infection of chocks with mycelium of summer honey fungus is carried out in the same way as a stump. Spores are injected into a hole drilled in the end or lateral surface of the chock, and pieces of wood with the mycelium are nailed onto the smooth end surface. After infection, the chocks are recommended to first stand for three to four months in a dark room with a temperature of 15-20 ° so that the mycelium develops sufficiently, then dig them into the ground on the site in an upright position to a depth of 20 and 50 cm from each other. Holes where spores are introduced, as well as pieces of graft wood, are covered with bark, shingles or moss. The soil near the chocks is systematically moistened and covered with a layer of sawdust to protect it from drying out.

A plantation of a culture of honey agaric on chocks can be laid on a personal plot, in a collective garden, etc. Infected chocks bear fruit twice a year: in early summer and in autumn. Fruiting lasts two to three years.

Growing mushroom on wood waste. It is of interest to grow summer mushrooms in indoor or greenhouse conditions on wood waste: sawdust, shavings, wood chips, etc. Mushrooms are grown in glass jars or flower pots. To prepare the nutrient mixture, take 1/3 of sawdust and 1/3 of small shavings. For 1 kg of such a mixture, 7.5 g of starch, 25 g of oat and corn flour, 15 g of bean flour are added. Sawdust and shavings are pre-scalded with boiling water, then mixed with nutritional supplements, mixed thoroughly and jars are filled with this mixture. After that, the jars with the substrate are pasteurized in a tank with boiling water for an hour.

When the substrate has cooled to 30 °, it is infected with the mycelium of summer honeydew. To do this, use pieces of wood permeated with the mycelium of this mushroom.

Summer mushrooms can be grown in wooden crates and plastic bags. It is better to diversify the composition of the substrate by using malt, beer wort, potato pulp, vinasse, etc. as nutritional additives.

In the described way, in room conditions, it is possible to grow winter and autumn mushrooms, deer mushrooms, black-edged creepers and other wood-destroying mushrooms.

Growing oyster mushrooms

Common and horn-shaped oyster mushrooms can be grown in the forest on stumps, dead wood of willow, poplar, maple and other species. Oyster mushroom grows especially well and bears fruit on elm and elm. Oyster mushrooms are not able to parasitize on living wood and therefore are not dangerous for forestry.

Infection of wood with mycelium of oyster mushrooms is carried out in the same way as when growing summer mushrooms, that is, using pieces of wood taken from stumps or trunks where these mushrooms grow in abundance.

At home, oyster mushrooms can be bred on chocks 30-35 cm long and more than 15 cm in diameter. This work should be started in early spring - in April or May. Lumps are sawn from freshly cut wood that contains a sufficient amount of moisture. Infection of chocks with mycelium is carried out on the same day when they are sawed. For infection, grain mycelium is used, which can be purchased in specialized stores.

The chocks are first placed vertically on top of each other in a basement or other cool room. The upper end of each lump is infected with mycelium and the next lump is placed on this end with an uninfected end. The height of the pillar is brought to 2-2.5 m. On top of the stack of chocks are covered with thick boards, on top of which a layer of straw is placed, and on it - a layer of soil 20 cm thick. In the basement, where the chocks are stacked, the relative humidity of the air should not be lower than 90 %. If the basement is dry, it should be moistened, but so that water does not get on the chocks.

After two to three months, when the mycelium on the chocks develops well, they are removed from the basement and pinned so that the lower part of each chock is a few centimeters in the soil. It is advisable to sprinkle sawdust around the buried woods to prevent them from drying out. The oyster mushroom plantation is located in a rare forest or in a clearing, protected from direct sunlight. The place for the plantation is chosen near sources of clean water, which is necessary for watering the soil around the buried woods.

One to three weeks after digging, the first crop of mushrooms appears on the chocks. Fruiting of oyster mushrooms on chocks (under favorable conditions) lasts from three to five years.

GROWING WHITE MUSHROOMS

Amateur mushroom growers in Ukraine use the following method of growing porcini mushrooms. A pit 30 cm deep and 2 m wide is dug on a site shaded by trees. It is filled with a nutrient mixture of a special composition. The mixture is prepared a month before the bookmark. It consists of fallen oak leaves collected in spring, rotten oak wood (5% by weight of leaves) and pure horse manure without bedding (5% by weight of leaves). The leaves are placed in a heap in layers of 20 cm. Each layer is sprinkled with wood dust and horse manure and watered with a 1% solution of ammonium nitrate.

After seven to ten days, when the mixture warms up to 35-40 °, shovel it until a homogeneous mass is obtained.

The prepared nutrient mixture is placed in a pit in layers of 10-12 cm, sprinkling each layer with a six-, eight-centimeter layer of garden soil. The total thickness of the poured soil is brought to 50 cm. In the middle, the bed is made slightly higher so that water does not linger on it.

Planting is carried out with pieces of mycelium taken from the forest. The landing pits are staggered, at a distance of 30 cm from each other. The mycelium is harvested in an oak forest, in places where porcini mushrooms (oak form) grow. Around the mushroom found, they cut out layers of soil 20-30 cm in size, 10-15 cm thick with a shovel. These layers are cut into five to ten pieces and planted to such a depth that above the piece of wood there is a layer of earth 5-7 cm thick. slightly moistened, covered with leaves and shields to maintain constant moisture.Mushrooms appear next year.

CULTIVATION OF WINTER STRAW

winter mushroom, found throughout the wild in Europe, Asia, North America, Australia and Africa. Grows on tree trunks and stumps. Fruiting bodies of winter honeydew are small with a dark amber cap 20 - 35 mm in diameter, with a long - sometimes over 100 mm - thin cartilaginous stem. There is no ring on the leg. A characteristic feature: dark brown, almost black soft pubescence at the bottom of the leg. Under artificial conditions, the fruit bodies of the winter fungus can grow white or almost white.
This mushroom was cultivated in Japan several centuries ago under the name "endokitake". In nature, the main nutritious substrate of the fungus is wood. At the same time, he is rather indiscriminate to tree species, the main thing is that water is well absorbed. The moisture content of the substrate for the winter mushroom should be about 65%.
Honey mushrooms have excellent taste, are suitable for all types of processing and are very decorative. You can also "plant" them on clumps buried in the ground.

An excellent tool for uprooting stumps in the country or in a personal plot. It is enough to add substrate mycelium to the stump and harvest honey agarics for several years. During this time, the wood will collapse and the issue of uprooting the stump will disappear by itself.

CULTIVATION OF SHIITAKE

Shiitake is a traditional delicacy mushroom in Southeast Asia. For more than a thousand years, Shiitake has been cultivated on tree stumps in the temperate mountainous regions of China, Japan and Korea. Currently, the popularity of shiitake has increased even more due to the valuable medicinal properties discovered in this mushroom. Over the past 40 years, the global production of shiitake has grown more than 30 times and reached 450 thousand tons per year. Along with the traditional technology of growing shiitake on stumps, the intensive technology of cultivation on sawdust enriched with nutritional supplements is becoming more widespread. Japan has been the leader in shiitake production for many years, followed by China and Korea. In the United States, shiitake cultivation began in the early 70s, and now the volume of production has reached almost 3 thousand tons per year. Shiitake has excellent taste and aroma, pleasant pulp texture and is rightfully the king of cultivated gourmet mushrooms. The development of the technique of cultivating shiitake on sterile sawdust makes it possible to expand the boundaries of cultivation much wider than the natural habitat of the fungus or the tree species inhabited by it. In Russia, in recent years, there has been a growing interest in the possibility of growing this exotic mushroom. Only 4-5 mushroom farms are engaged in the cultivation of shiitake in small volumes. There is not enough experience in cultivation, the consumer market is not developed, there is no available information on the technologies of cultivation of shiitake, strains and their characteristics. This article contains the basic information necessary for the first steps in the process of mastering various technologies for growing shiitake.

• Mushroom cultivation. In a summer cottage, in an apartment, in a garage - I. Stenin, N. Stenina - a unique reference and practical guide for professionals and amateurs - Moscow-Saint Petersburg, Tsentropoligraf, MiM-Delta, 2002 - 48.3 Mb

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Oyster mushroom is a tasty and healthy mushroom. It is much easier and cheaper to grow it than champignons. Growing oyster mushrooms as a business does not require large investments, so it can be recommended to everyone who has a desire to start their own business, and the start-up capital is small.

Properties of mushrooms

To more confidently enter the market with your offer, you need to know well the properties of the product. Oyster mushrooms are very nutritious and in this respect are not inferior to porcini mushrooms. They can be fried, salted and pickled, added to soups and salads.

In addition to amino acids, these mushrooms contain vitamins. Home grown, they are an excellent and environmentally friendly source of protein, especially for those on a vegetarian diet. Some experts believe that eating oyster mushrooms lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of cancer.

Technology

Growing oyster mushrooms at home is a business that requires some skill and experience. You will need any non-residential premises - a barn or basement, a substrate that will serve as soil, as well as planting material - mycelium.

Sawdust is used as a substrate, which can be collected at the nearest sawmill, or straw. And mycelium can be bought at any specialty store. As you can see, at first you can only spend on the purchase of seeds. You will also need large plastic bags.

The soil

Moisten the straw or sawdust. This can be done in a special fodder steamer, but if it is not there, then just pour the soil into the bags and pour boiling water over - about two buckets per bag. In addition to straw and sawdust, sunflower husks, bran, corn stubs are suitable.

You can also purchase ready-made blocks of substrate, already sown with spores, but doing everything yourself is somehow safer. One ton of prepared soil will require about 8 kilograms of seeds.

Sowing

After the substrate has cooled to 20-25 degrees, it is mixed with the mycelium in layers or evenly and the bags are again filled with it. Tied bags are placed on racks in a dark and warm (up to 25 degrees) room. After three days, several holes need to be made in each bag through which the mushrooms will grow. In this form, they need to be left for two to three weeks.

Growing

In two weeks, mushroom spores should turn our sawdust into a real mycelium. Clusters of small mushrooms will appear in the holes. This means it's time to move on to the next step. You need to add light, fresh air and moisture. The recommended temperature at this stage is from 10-15 degrees, humidity is 80-85%. Now all that remains is to wait for the mushrooms to grow up, and you can start harvesting.

Collection

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Oyster mushrooms grow quite quickly, and in a week they will reach their presentation. The size of the cap is 6–10 cm, the leg is 1–4 cm. After collecting, the bags with mycelium should rest for a week - they are again transferred to a dark room. Then the mushrooms begin to grow again. Two or three crops can be harvested from one planting. After that, the substrate is replaced with a new one.

The spent substrate can be sold to the population, because it is excellent for fertilizing a vegetable garden and as feed for farm animals. Therefore, your production will be waste-free.

Implementation

To prevent mushrooms from spoiling, you need to prepare for implementation in advance. The product is stored in the freezer at zero temperature until it is sold. Potential buyers can be found in supermarkets, markets, restaurants and cafes. To avoid loss of presentation during transportation, take care of the packaging material. Small plastic trays and cling film are best for this.

What to do if the deadline is running out and you can't find a buyer? You also need to be prepared for this in advance. Mushrooms can be sold not only fresh, they can be dried, frozen, pickled. It will be easier to sell various types of finished products, especially since their shelf life will no longer be limited to a few days.

Since the cost of a kilogram of mushrooms is low, your products will delight customers with an attractive price. Consider also the seasonality - at the end of summer and autumn, mushrooms are not so rare, but in winter the demand and prices for fresh oyster mushrooms will grow.

Registration

If at first you will grow oyster mushrooms for yourself or sell to friends and acquaintances, you will not need paperwork.

But when selling large quantities of goods to stores, documents are needed, so by this time you should already have a registered company. The easiest way is to organize an individual entrepreneur. You will also need to hand over your products for examination in order to receive various certificates:

• declaration of conformity to GOST;
• phytosanitary certificate;
• radiological protocol;
• a guide for the storage and transportation of mushrooms.

Be prepared to pay taxes as well. Since growing oyster mushrooms as a business is an agricultural industry, you will need to pay a single agricultural tax, which is 6% of your net profit.

In the future, the business can be expanded by building a good greenhouse with shelving, lighting and humidity and temperature control. Thus, mushrooms can be grown all year round.

Oyster mushroom growing technology: Video

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Growing oyster mushrooms as a business idea

Medvedev's home business Growing mushrooms at home.

Extensive Method of Growing Oyster Mushrooms on Stumps. At Home.

Growing oyster mushrooms. Business idea in a garage or basement.

Is it possible to grow oyster mushrooms at home? This question worries many people who want to provide themselves with adequate nutrition. He especially worries those who have the opportunity to open their own commercial production of such a demanded product.

Interest in growing mushrooms at home is constantly spurred by the development of biotechnology. Now, in order to grow mushrooms, it is not necessary to drag the rotten trunks of dead trees. Scientists offer people more affordable and effective methods.

What mushrooms need to be happy

All mushrooms are divided into two large groups. In one there are those who feed on dead organic matter, in the other - parasites, that is, fungi that can break the resistance of a living organism, using its nutrients to their advantage.

Almost all edible mushrooms feed on dead organics. Only some of them spread their hyphae in the soil and in the layer of fallen leaves, while others make their way through the organic matter of dead wood. And it doesn't matter that the same oyster mushrooms grow on seemingly living trees. They simply feed on the part of the tree that has already died out.

Thus, mushrooms, like animals, feed on organic matter. Most of them prefer dead and decaying plant bodies. For complete happiness, that is, for the spread of hyphae and the formation of fruit bodies, each mushroom, in addition to organic matter, needs moisture and heat. Many mushrooms are not demanding to the temperature - + 15-20 degrees is enough for full growth. But high humidity is a must. First, in a humid environment, the destruction of organic matter is better. Secondly, fungal spores can form and develop only at high humidity.

Where is it better to grow oyster mushrooms

There are two approaches to growing these mushrooms. One of them is the use of a primordially natural material - tree trunks. The second, more popular one, is associated with the cultivation of mushrooms on the basis of a loose substrate, placed in plastic bags.

Both options can be used when growing oyster mushrooms at home. However, logs of wood are usually more convenient to use outdoors, and bags can be placed in the basement, greenhouse, and even in an apartment if you want to give up some of the living space to mushrooms.

The most popular and really the best place is a good deep and spacious cellar, where it is possible to maintain a stable temperature and humidity regime.

How to prepare the substrate

The nutritional resource for growing this mushroom in bags is divided into two types.One grows mycelium (analogous to seedlings), on the other, fruit bodies are obtained.

As a rule, at home, plastic bags with:

• sawdust;
• wheat or barley straw;
• husk of sunflower seeds;
• chopped corn cobs;
• buckwheat husk, etc.

For beginner mushroom growers, it is better to work with material from buckwheat, sunflower and corn. This substrate is easier to prepare, and most importantly, it is destroyed faster by hyphae, which allows you to grow more fruit bodies.

The main requirement for the substrate is its sterility. The problem is that organisms start up in dead organics that quickly destroy it, suppressing the growth of what we grow.

The main competitors of oyster mushrooms are mold fungi and putrefactive bacteria. Wet dead plant organic matter in the warmth can quickly become moldy or begin to rot rapidly as the substrate temperature rises to unacceptable values ​​(+ 30-40 degrees).

In order to prevent the capture of the resource by competitors, it is necessary to disinfect both the premises and the substrate. The room must be treated with special antifungal drugs or bleach. After that, the underground or shed is closed for two days, and then ventilated.

The material that you have chosen for growing mushrooms must be heat treated. For this:

• place husk, straw or sawdust in a large saucepan;
• fill it all with water so that there is at least 20 cm of water on top of the substrate;
• heat to a boil;
• boil for at least two hours;
• cool;
• drain the water;
• squeeze out the substrate;
• dry it slightly.

That's it, the substrate is ready for use. It should not be forgotten that the finer the particles of the substrate, the better the mushrooms will grow on it. For example, straw or pieces of cobs larger than 5 cm will be poorly destroyed by hyphae, and mold can settle on their surface.

Despite the fact that mushrooms need to grow in dampness, a substrate that is too wet will destroy the mycelium. Its readiness is determined very simply. To do this, the raw material must be clenched in a fist - if water pours, then continue drying. Achieve a state in which only a few droplets appear from the fist.

A plastic bag is also disinfected. It is best to rinse it with a weak solution of bleach or potassium permanganate. Only this should be done a few days before the settlement of the mycelium. Otherwise, the disinfectant will kill the mushroom seedlings.

The bag is filled in layers - 0.5 cm of mycelium is placed every 5 cm of the substrate. However, there is a prerequisite - the first and last layers must be from the substrate.

After the bag is full, its neck is tied, and then small holes are cut in a checkerboard pattern every 10 cm.

How to grow mycelium

It can be bought from a trusted manufacturer, or it can be grown as seedlings. The growing algorithm consists of the following stages:

• sterilize all used instruments and utensils;
• caps of maternal oyster mushrooms are washed in hydrogen peroxide, and then broken into small pieces;
• chopping up nutritious ingredients - carrots, potatoes or oats;
• the nutrient mass is poured with 0.5 l of water with the addition of 20 g of agar-agar;
• this substrate is put on low heat and boiled for about an hour;
• the finished mass is filtered, poured into test tubes, placing them with a slight slope;
• a piece of the caps of the mother mushroom is placed in each test tube;
• the tubes are closed with a cotton stopper.

Now the tubes can be removed in a dark and warm, but not hot place. If the inoculum is good, then in two weeks mycelium will begin to grow in each test tube. This material is placed in plastic bags.

The most important rule for the production of mushroom seedlings is complete sterility. Spores, of course, can germinate in any conditions, but they cannot survive in the presence of mold or bacteria.

How to care for seedlings

What is striking about growing mushrooms is the speed at which your labor starts to pay off. The incubation period lasts about 20 days. During this time, the hyphae grow inside the bag. This whole process is visible through polyethylene.

During this period, the temperature must be maintained at + 25-27 degrees, humidity - at least 80%. In addition, regular cleaning should be carried out to prevent the development of mold.

After the hyphae begin to grow actively, the temperature in the room must be reduced to 15-20 degrees, and the humidity, on the contrary, must be increased to 90%.

During this period, it is time to turn on the lighting. Daylight hours for mushrooms should last about 8 hours. Parts of the mushrooms protruding above the bags should be regularly sprayed with spray guns. The water temperature should be at least 20-25 degrees. The air should not be stagnant now, ventilation should be carried out every day.

Harvesting

Fruiting bodies begin to appear approximately 7-10 days after the start of active mycelium growth. The growth of fruit bodies to the desired size lasts about 5 days.

Thus, you can harvest the first crop in a month after the formation of a bag with mycelium and substrate.

At first, the yield of mushrooms is high, then it begins to fall. To increase the performance of each bag, it is necessary to send the substrate with mycelium to rest by placing the bag in a dark and cool place. The duration of the rest is a month. After that, the mushrooms can be harvested again in the same quantity.

You need to collect carefully, cutting off the mushrooms at the very base. In order to reduce mycelium damage, the cutting should be done with a sharp knife.

Since oyster mushrooms grow in a dense group, you need to cut off the entire group at once. In this form, mushrooms are not only easier to separate, but also kept fresh longer.

The frequency of harvesting from each bag is 20-30 days. Gradually, the nutrient properties of the substrate are depleted, and the yield decreases. Now you need to form a nutrient medium for the mushrooms again. At the same time, the substrate that has served its life can be used in the garden as an excellent fertilizer.

Extensive and intensive growing methods

The above is the most popular home intensive method of growing mushrooms. It does not require large spaces, and most importantly, it allows harvesting all year round.

The extensive method is simpler, but it is limited to the warm season, since it is carried out mainly in the open air. In order to get a large harvest, you need to use large areas.

The extensive method uses non-coniferous tree trunks. Usually they take oak, poplar, beech, hornbeam, willow, elm. It is better to have a set of trunks of different trees on your plantations in the open air, because mushrooms grow faster on soft wood (poplar, willow, hornbeam), but their yield is lower. On hardwoods (oak and beech), oyster mushrooms reach the stage of fruiting bodies later, but fruiting occurs more abundantly and longer.

For the extensive cultivation of mushrooms, it is best to use freshly cut trees. Since they a lot of moisture. If you have to use dry wood, then before sowing the mushrooms, it must be saturated with moisture, soaking in water for at least seven days. Only then will the oyster mushroom mycelium be able to spread through the wood.

The tree should be cut into blocks of 30-40 cm long. It is best to use trunks with a diameter of at least 30 cm. On thin trunks, the yield will be low. On too thick wood blocks, the mycelium will grow for a long time.

Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. The intensive method requires more labor and the presence of closed spacious rooms. The extensive method is good because there is no need to fiddle with the substrate - once prepared, blockhouses can serve as a source of a healthy and tasty product for a long time.

Video review of growing oyster mushrooms on stumps

Some tips for the mushroom grower

In order for your mushrooms to be competitive in the market, you need them to look good. The fruiting bodies of oyster mushrooms should be:

• fresh, that is, moist, but not wet;
• fleshy and sturdy;
• clean with a well-pronounced mushroom smell;
• at the fracture white without the presence of other shades;
• standard size (head diameter from 5 to 8 cm, leg length 3-5 cm).

In fact, all these requirements correspond to a product with the best nutritional and medicinal properties.

You should not try to grow several types of mushrooms on one block of wood. It turns out this only with professionals who are well versed in the biological characteristics of different types of mushrooms. Usually such attempts end in low yield of any kind. After all, mushrooms of different types require different conditions of detention. In addition, they will certainly compete, that is, suppress each other.

And finally, novice mushroom lovers should be warned. If you have allergies, then it is better to refrain from this type of agricultural production, because you will have to breathe air filled with fungal spores, fumes of rotting organic matter, etc.

Oyster mushrooms are wonderful mushrooms. They are valued both in cooking and in medicine, so growing them is a pleasant, interesting and profitable business. However, even mushrooms do not grow by themselves. Their cultivation requires time, labor, resources, and most importantly - knowledge about the intricacies of the development of mushrooms.

Growing oyster mushrooms in bags is becoming popular. This is not surprising, because the technology is quite simple, and the mushroom yield is good.

Following all the tips, everyone can get a harvest of about 3 kg of mushrooms from 1 kg of mycelium.

Choosing a room for growing oyster mushrooms in bags

To grow mushrooms, you need to pick up suitable premises... The yield and the success of the entire enterprise directly depend on this.

This seemingly simple question needs to be approached thoroughly. It should be borne in mind that in their natural environment, mushrooms grow in humid and well-ventilated places. Therefore, for growing at home, you need to choose a room that will best meet all the requirements.

1. The humidity level in the room should not be lower than 50%. The optimum humidity is considered to be 70 - 90%.

2. Lighting can be artificial or natural, but in the first weeks the blocks should not be exposed to sunlight.

3. The room temperature should be above 20 degrees, but not more than 30C.

4. Ventilation in the room must be good so that fresh air can be supplied to them during the entire period of mushroom growing.

It is possible to place mushroom blocks in a basement, greenhouse or shed, but the approach must be individual.

Technology for growing oyster mushrooms in bags (photo)

Traditionally, oyster mushrooms are grown at home in mushroom blocks. Each block contains seed and substrate. Subject to the required temperature and humidity, the growing process is not a hassle.

How to choose seed

Mycelium or seed is purchased from enterprises that grow mushrooms. On an industrial scale, the seed is not used for more than 12 months, it is replaced with a new one. The spent mycelium is sold to the public. The price for it is quite low, just what a beginner needs. As a rule, such planting material still bears fruit well.

To begin with, do not buy too much planting material, as it quickly deteriorates. Before planting, the mycelium is stored in the refrigerator in the vegetable compartment. With good care, 1 kg of raw materials will give about 3 kg of oyster mushrooms.

Important! In a short time, one bag can yield three harvests.

Preparation of substrate for growing oyster mushrooms in bags

Today, buying a substrate for oyster mushrooms is not a problem, but experienced gardeners prefer to produce it on their own.This requires special knowledge and experience.

1. The basis for the substrate must be environmentally friendly, without chemical impurities, since the mushrooms absorb everything.

2. The composition must necessarily contain minerals.

3. Sawdust-based substrate is not suitable for beginners, as it complicates the growing process.

The basis for the substrate is the husk of sunflower, buckwheat, wheat or barley straw. Raw materials must be clean and disinfected, free of mold.

Prepare the substrate as follows:

• the selected base is disinfected;

• grind the base into fractions up to 5 cm;

• re-disinfect;

• wring out.

In order to completely exclude the contamination of the substrate by pathogenic organisms, fungi and mold, it is subjected to heat treatment. The base is disinfected for two hours, after which the water is drained and the substrate is cooled to a temperature of 30C.

Disinfection goes like this:

1. Prepared and crushed raw materials are poured into a large metal dish.

2. Fill with water in a ratio of 1: 2.

3. Bring to a boil and cook for 2-2.5 hours.

The finished base should be soft and damp. However, a waterlogged substrate is not suitable for growing oyster mushrooms. When the base is compressed, only a little moisture should be released from it.

Formation of mushroom blocks

Oyster mushrooms are grown in mushroom blocks that resemble a kind of garden bed. Blocks are formed from the substrate, which is placed in polyethylene bags. They are disinfected and dried in advance. The volume of the bag should not be less than 5 kg.

The base is laid in layers, alternating with mycelium. Experienced mushroom pickers advise putting a 0.5 cm thick mycelium every 5 cm of the substrate. In this case, the first and last layer of the block is the substrate. Stack tightly, but do not ram.

Next, each bag is tied tightly and holes are cut in it for the growth of mushrooms. The incisions are made at a distance of 10 cm from each other, preferably in a checkerboard pattern. After that, the blocks are lowered into a dark basement for incubation. It lasts two weeks, throughout the entire incubation period, the temperature in the room is maintained within the range of 19-23C.

Growing and caring for oyster mushrooms in bags

Caring for oyster mushrooms is quite simple and does not require special skills. One has only to adhere to the recommendations for growing.

Temperature regime

Temperature is an important aspect when growing oyster mushrooms in bags. It must be constant throughout the entire cultivation. Temperature fluctuations are allowed by no more than 1-2C. A more significant decrease or increase in temperature has a detrimental effect on mushroom seedlings.

It is interesting! The color of the cap of the oyster mushroom depends on the growing temperature. If the mushrooms grew at a temperature of 20C, then the caps will be light. Darker caps can be obtained when the room temperature is around 30C.

Air humidity

When growing mushrooms at home, the moisture level is of great importance. To maintain moisture in the room, an automatic irrigation system is installed. The substrate with mycelium is irrigated at least twice a day, while using only warm water.

In addition, so that the mycelium does not get sick, the room is cleaned daily with chlorine.

Lighting

During the incubation period, the mushroom blocks should be kept in the dark. Then they need additional lighting for at least 8 hours a day. Lighting devices are hung so that for each square meter of area there is at least 5 watts.

Ventilation and ventilation

During the incubation period, mushroom blocks do not need ventilation and fresh air. The emitted carbon dioxide increases the humidity in the room and creates favorable conditions for the growth of mycelium.

With proper care, the mycelium should completely cover the block after 10 days. The mycelium turns white, the characteristic mushroom smell prevails.

The incubation period lasts 20-25 days, after which the room is regularly ventilated.

Possible difficulties when growing oyster mushrooms in bags

Even if all the rules of cultivation are followed, some mushroom blocks do not bear fruit or give a very small yield. How to be?

In this case, the block must be sorted out. Check the substrate for mold and mildew. If it turns out that the mycelium is infected, then the block is immediately discarded.

Oyster mushroom harvest

You can harvest the crop as early as 1.5 months after planting. Cut off the mushrooms at the very base, trying not to damage the caps, while using a sharp knife.

Mushrooms are harvested not individually, but as a whole family. This allows you to extend the shelf life of oyster mushrooms. The re-crop is removed in 2-3 weeks.

Despite the fact that growing oyster mushrooms in bags is not yet very popular, the technology has nothing complicated and secret. With a little experience, every gardener will be able to pamper his family with delicious mushrooms.