Is it possible to grow mushrooms at home at home?

Champignons are quite common mushrooms. They are massively grown for use in the food industry, particularly in cooking. Entrepreneurs build their business on their breeding, which brings good income. But experienced farmers prefer home-grown mushrooms. Read about this in the article.

What is included in the soil?

Is it possible to grow champignons at home? Of course, this is within the power of a farmer or owner of a private backyard without any experience. The main thing is to stock up on knowledge in this matter and clearly follow the instructions. The most time consuming process in mushroom cultivation is soil preparation. For a mycelium area of ​​three square meters, 100 kilograms of plant ingredients will be required, which include the following:

• Straw.
• Cereal grains, you can use rye or wheat.
• Fallen leaves of plants.
• Tops from tomatoes or potatoes.

In addition, the composition of the soil should include:

• Horse or cow manure in the amount of half a centner.
• Water - 300-400 liters.
• Urea and superphosphate in an amount of two kilograms each.
• Plaster - seven to eight, and chalk - five kilograms.

You can prepare a different formulation using poultry manure. Other ingredients and their quantity are taken here:

• Litter and straw - centered.
• Water - 300 liters.
• Gypsum, alabaster - as in the previous composition.
• Urea is two kilograms.

Composting process

First you need to make a collar with the same dimensions (one and a half meters) in width, length and height. It is with this ratio of parameters that combustion will properly occur. The compost will mature in two to three weeks.

How to grow mushrooms at home? First, you need to plant them in soil, which is prepared as follows: all components of plant origin and straw must be soaked for a day. At the same time, they and manure should be laid in layers, and the straw should be watered abundantly. The components contained in the pile must be thoroughly mixed and moistened once a week to ensure proper combustion. At the first mixing, crushed lime is added to the compost. Second time - superphosphate. Then mixing is carried out with the addition of crushed gypsum or alabaster. Each time after mixing, the resulting stack is covered with foil.

It should be borne in mind that during the preparation of the soil, an unpleasant odor will be emitted, similar to ammonia and carbon dioxide. Therefore, it is better to do cooking on the street. But at the same time, protection from sunlight and precipitation is needed. If you organize the process indoors, it should be well ventilated.

How to grow champignon mushrooms at home? To do this, you need to take into account important points, without which this process is impossible. First of all, a stock of compost is made, since it is necessary in a large volume to grow mushrooms. During its preparation, the temperature can reach from 53 to 70 ° C. When the combustion process is over, the thermometer will drop to 21-25 ° C, and the unpleasant odor will disappear. The finished soil has an elastic structure and a brown color. It does not stick to your hands, and the straw can be easily torn apart.

How to properly lay out the compost?

When the preparation of the soil is completed, they begin another procedure - laying it. First, you need to select the containers in which the mushrooms will be grown. They can be racks, wooden boxes, plastic containers, bags. The compost mass is laid out in prepared containers in a layer, the height of which should not exceed 22 cm.

Mycelium types

The seed of mushrooms is called mycelium. It is grown at home or in laboratories. There are two types of mycelium:

• Compostable - this type of seed is stored for a long time at zero temperature, for about a year. For an area of ​​one square meter, 500 g of mycelium will be required.
• Grain - this composition is more effective than the first. Seed material of this type germinates better and gives larger yields. Its consumption for the same area is less, only 330-350 g. But this mycelium has a significant drawback: a short shelf life. Its properties are preserved only for half a year. Keep the seed in the refrigerator.

How to grow mushroom mycelium at home?

If the mushrooms are grown commercially, it is better to buy planting material. But some are embarrassed by the conditions in which it was grown, and therefore they do it on their own. To obtain the material, you need to sow spores or isolate it from the fruit bodies, and then place it in a specially prepared medium: wort agar. Its preparation is carried out according to the following technology:

• First you need to mix beer wort (one liter) and agar-agar (20 g) with boiling water.
• After dissolving the ingredients, the composition is poured into test tubes for a third of them. Then the containers are plugged with cotton swabs and placed in an autoclave with a temperature of 101 ° C and 1.5 atmospheres for 30 minutes.
• The tubes are not placed straight, but obliquely, so that no more than 3.5 cm remains to the plugs. Now it remains to wait until the wort hardens.
• After that, spores or a piece of the fruiting body must be added to the test tubes, while maintaining sterility.
• Containers should be kept in a thermostat or dark room at a temperature of 24 ° C until they are overgrown. In a couple of weeks, the nutrient medium will be assimilated by the myceliums. This means that they are completely ready for landing.

Usually this composition is used by mushroom pickers to grow mycelium at home, although there are also substitutes: oat agar, carrot agar.

Correct mushroom cultivation technology

Champignons can be grown at home using mycelium. To do this, you need to plant it correctly, and in the room you need to correctly select the temperature and humidity mode. If these conditions are met, the first harvest can be obtained in a year.

If grain mycelium is the planting material, grooves 30 cm deep and 50-60 cm wide should be made in the soil. The distance between the pits should be 20 cm. In order for the temperature to normalize, you need to leave them for two to three days and only then lay the mycelium. A checkerboard pattern is used to locate the body of the mushroom.

If compost mycelium is used for planting champignons, the technology is different. The bottom of the small pits is covered with drainage. Compost is placed on top, in which the mycelium is placed. After that, the planting material is closed by it. Subject to all the rules, taking into account the high-quality mycelium, in seven days you can expect the appearance of new branching threads.

After 21 days, you need to lay out moist soil on top of the beds 25-30 cm thick. If the layer is larger, the bodies of the mushrooms will be blocked, their germination will not occur soon.

In order to maintain the temperature regime in the room where the mushrooms are grown, it is necessary to temporarily install sheds or cover the ground with straw. If a white bloom appears on the compost, it means that it needs to be moistened. After watering the soil, the canopy or straw is removed.

The first harvest will not take long, only 45 days. You need to pick mushrooms as soon as they ripen, since the yield period is short, only three to four days. The next fruiting period should be expected in three to four months. The harvests of the first waves are the richest.

Champignons in bags

How to grow champignon mushrooms at home? There are many possibilities for this. Each courtyard has outbuildings and basements. They are adapted for growing mushrooms. However, you can grow mushrooms at home in plastic bags. This method has been used in many countries for a long time. It allows you to get large volumes of mushroom harvest.

Bags can be made by yourself from transparent plastic film of various capacities. For growing at home, 25 kg are more suitable. But the main criterion for choosing bags is the convenience in performing work on growing mushrooms. And for it to be successful, you need to correctly arrange the bags in the room. This is done in a variety of ways, but the most common are the following:

• According to the principle of chess arrangement. With this method, the usable area is not used only by 10%.
• Parallel bag placement. In this case, the area loss is even greater - 20%.

This can be compensated for by deep bags, which are filled with more substrate. And the space between the unusual beds is used for air circulation. There are different options for how to grow mushrooms at home. If everything is done in compliance with the technology, you can achieve an excellent result.

Harvest in bags

The mushroom picking time is the most enjoyable time. The mushrooms ripen four months after planting the mycelium in the soil of the bag. When harvesting, you need to be very careful: you cannot cut off the mushrooms with a sharp blade or other object, they need to be twisted. After that, the mycelium is sprinkled with a nutritious substrate and watered using a spray bottle. It will bear fruit for two weeks. During this period of time, the mushrooms are harvested in two to three days. It is advisable to use fresh, not frozen mushrooms for food. Mushrooms with light plates inside the cap are useful. If the mushrooms are old, they will have a brown color, as these mushrooms accumulate toxic substances that can be poisoned.

Benefits of growing mushrooms in bags

These mushrooms are unpretentious, they can grow in an open-air garden bed or indoors. But experienced mushroom pickers prefer to grow them in bags, since this method has a number of advantages:

• Pests and various diseases do not spread to the entire area, since if the need arises, you can always remove a specific bag from the room.
• Thanks to the mobility of the unusual bag-shaped beds, mushrooms can be grown seasonally and continuously.
• During placement, bags can be placed in several tiers on special stands. This will save space. This is especially important when growing indoors.
• The cost of polyethylene bags is lower than plastic containers. This is important when growing mushrooms in large quantities.

The disadvantage of this technology is the use of manual labor. But if the scale of cultivation is small, it is not burdensome.

Champignons in the basement

It is convenient to grow mushrooms in such a place, since there is a stable microclimate in the basement located under the ground. Here, the labor costs for creating optimal conditions for mushroom cultivation are much less than, for example, in greenhouses. It is not difficult to grow mushrooms at home in the basement, the main thing is to monitor the temperature and humidity conditions. During the incubation period, the air humidity should be 75%, not lower. If the basement is dry, use a humidifier. It is important to know that spores are activated at a higher temperature - from 24 to 28 ° C, and fungi germinate when it drops to 16 ° C. The basement must meet the following requirements:

• Have concrete walls.
• Wooden flooring is strictly prohibited. The floor needs to be concreted, in extreme cases - to cement it.
• There must be ventilation in the basement.
• To prevent fungi from damaging insects that can enter the basement, the ventilation holes are closed with nets.
• Walls with ceilings should be disinfected. For this, you can use lime.
• If the basement is large, it must be divided into zones: for the incubation period and for obtaining fruit bodies.

How to properly grow mushrooms at home in the country?

Growing mushrooms in this way is much more difficult than, for example, in a basement. Here, the choice of a site for planting mycelium is of great importance. How to grow mushrooms at home? To do this, you need to find a place that is always in the shade, and the soil never dries up. A canopy is being erected over the site or a darkened greenhouse is erected at this place. How mushrooms are grown at home (photos are presented in the article)? The mycelium is planted using standard technology. For champignons, an important condition for growth is the correct temperature and humidity. These indicators should be maintained, especially since the mushrooms categorically do not tolerate heat. The choice of substrate is equally important. It should contain large amounts of nutrients and small amounts of carbon dioxide. The best option is land, which must be brought from the forest in advance.

Growing champignons in an apartment

This method is suitable for those who do not have a summer cottage or vegetable garden. The main task for such cultivation of mushrooms is to create optimal conditions under which they will grow and bear fruit normally. An example of how to grow champignons at home is presented step by step below:

• The first thing to do is to isolate any room in the apartment for growing mushrooms from those rooms in which people live.
• Measure moisture. It should be high, about 90%. If its readings are lower, you need to install a humidifier.
• To maintain the optimum temperature, the room is equipped with heaters and ventilation. With their help, the temperature regime will be maintained. It should be borne in mind that mycelium germinates at 20 ° C, and fruiting bodies - at 15 ° C.
• After preparing the room, the selected containers are filled with the substrate.
• Mycelium is planted in them, covered with a film on top, which must be removed after the appearance of the fungi.
• The soil is constantly moistened, it must not be allowed to dry out.
• When the time comes, the mushrooms should be harvested.

Mushrooms are not only a healthy and nutritious product, but also very tasty. Therefore, since ancient times, they have been used to prepare various dishes. Soups, stews, salads, pates, snacks and much more are made from mushrooms. Of course, you want to pamper yourself with such delicacies all year round. Then home-grown mushrooms come to the rescue.This option is suitable for those who do not like to go to the forest, stock up for the winter, or simply prefer to eat fresh. Since champignons are the most common mushrooms, in this article we will consider the question of how to grow champignons at home.

Useful properties of champignons

Excellent aroma, piquant taste - this is how you can describe champignons in a few words. However, these mushrooms are distinguished not only by their excellent taste, but also by useful properties. So, what are mushrooms rich in, what is included in their composition?

1. Protein. An important component through which cells are renewed and built.
2. Various amino acids. They have a beneficial effect on many functions of the human body, which include thought processes and memory. It turns out that if you know how to grow mushrooms at home, you can provide yourself with a year-round supply that makes our head work.
3. Vitamins A, B, C, D.
4. Phosphorus. Since mushrooms are rich in this element, they can easily replace fish if you don't like it.

Also, as an antiseptic, you can use the juice of these mushrooms to quickly heal cuts, wounds and ulcers. These are the most basic beneficial properties that champignons have.

Conditions for growing mushrooms

The technology for growing champignons presupposes the observance of some important conditions.

1. Lack of sunlight.
2. Moderate warmth. It is important to observe the temperature regime, the drops are extremely undesirable when growing mushrooms.
3. Uniform and good ventilation.
4. High humidity.
5. A specific microclimate required at every stage of mushroom growth.

To meet these conditions and successfully grow mushrooms, special equipment may be required. We will return to this issue later, but for now we will consider the places most suitable for growing mushrooms.

Places for growing mushrooms

As mentioned above, several conditions must be met in order to achieve successful year-round mushroom cultivation. At home, a basement, cellar, balcony or garage can be a suitable place, while mushrooms are planted in boxes or pallets.

Champignons are very unpretentious mushrooms, so they can be grown even outdoors in garden beds or in greenhouses. But in this case, it will be possible to harvest the crop only in the warm season.

How to grow champignons in the garden?

It is good to grow mushrooms in the garden, since they will be in the fresh air. But in the open field it is more difficult to create the necessary conditions for mushrooms, and this must be taken into account, therefore it is better to cover them with a tarpaulin or make a canopy, a greenhouse. It will be great if there is the most humid and shaded place on your site. Compost is spread on the garden bed, and then everything is done the same as when growing mushrooms at home.

Inventory for growing mushrooms

1. Mushroom mushroom. Of course, nothing will work without her. Therefore, you first need to decide where to buy the mushroom mycelium.
2. A place to grow. The options have already been listed above. Most often, the basement is preferred, since it is there that it is easiest to create suitable conditions.
3. Shelving. They can be anything: iron or wooden. It doesn't matter: the boxes of mushrooms won't be heavy.
4. Capacities where mushrooms will be planted. For this, you can use, for example, boxes, pallets, baskets.
5. Fans. Suitable for ventilation and temperature reduction.
6. Hygrometer. It is needed to monitor the humidity in the room. The optimal indicator is from 50 to 80 percent.
7. Thermometer for temperature control. It should be between 12 and 20 degrees Celsius.
8. Substrate. Let's consider how to compose it correctly.

Substrate for growing mushrooms

This is considered the most difficult stage in mushroom cultivation. A poor harvest may result if the substrate is not compiled correctly.So how should you compose it?

For the substrate, you will need mushroom compost, which includes: manure and straw from rye or wheat. Horse manure will yield high yields, but cow or bird droppings can also be used. It will be a plus if you add fallen leaves that are not rotten and some organic waste, because mushrooms are very "gluttonous". Also, beet tops, sunflower seed shells, urea, chalk, gypsum, bone meal, bran and superphosphate are used as nutritional components. When compiling the substrate, the following proportion is observed: 75% manure and 25% compost.

How to grow champignons at home in a small area of ​​1.5 square meters? You can use the following compost formula.

1. Straw - 50 kilograms.
2. Urea and superphosphate - 1 kilogram.
3. Gypsum - 4 kilograms.
4. Chalk - 2.5 kilograms.
5. Manure - 150 kilograms.

In total, a little more than 200 kilograms of substrate will turn out.

The straw must first be soaked for a day, then lay it in layers with manure. It is better to moisten each layer of straw with urea and superphosphate. Then everything is mixed and other nutritional components are already introduced. The substrate should now be infused for about 20 days. We can talk about complete readiness when the unpleasant smell of ammonia disappears.

It is not necessary to stick to this formula, there are other recipes for how to grow mushrooms at home.

When compiling the substrate, you need to be prepared for the fermentation process to begin, which is accompanied by the specific smells of ammonia and carbon dioxide, so it is better to do this not indoors, but in the fresh air. The compost should be covered with a canopy to hide it from rain and sunlight.

Planting mushroom mycelium

At home, it is better to grow sterile myceliums obtained in laboratories. They take root more easily and multiply faster. Mushroom mushrooms are of different varieties, one type is consumed more, the other - less. So, for 1 square meter of substrate, 400 grams of grain mycelium will be required, and manure - 500 grams.

When you have decided on the amount of consumables and bought it, you can proceed to direct disembarkation. First, you should measure the temperature of the substrate, the most optimal for the mushroom mycelium is considered to be about 25 degrees.

So how to grow champignon mushrooms? The holes are recommended to be staggered at a distance of 20-30 centimeters from each other. The mycelium needs to be broken into small pieces and planted to a depth of 5 centimeters. The grain variety can be simply laid on the surface.

Care for mushroom mycelium after planting

After replanting the mycelium, the conditions mentioned above must be observed. This is high humidity and moderate heat. Moreover, these conditions must be met not only indoors, but also in the substrate. To keep it constantly moist, you can cover it with a newspaper and spray it from time to time - then the compost will not be dry.

After about a week, the mycelium will begin to grow, then the substrate should be sprinkled with soil on top by 3-4 centimeters. The technology for growing mushrooms suggests that during this period it is necessary to slightly lower the temperature of the substrate to about 20 degrees, and indoors - to 12-17 degrees. Do not forget about good ventilation in the room, however, drafts should not be allowed. In principle, that's all the care of the mycelium.

Harvesting champignons

It is not enough to know how to grow champignons at home; harvesting also has its own nuances.

With good care, champignons bear fruit in waves for up to two months, during which time you can get mushrooms many times. You can start harvesting the first crop after 30 days.

Champignons are not cut, like forest mushrooms, but are twisted out of the substrate. Then the empty hole is sprinkled with earth and moistened to create conditions for the emergence of a new crop.Not all mushrooms are picked, but only "ripe" ones - these are those that have a stretched white film under the cap that connects the leg and the edges of the cap, and the plate has a pale pink color. It is not recommended to eat champignons with brown plates. If the film is broken, then the mushroom is considered old. This should not be allowed, as it greatly depletes the mycelium.

Growing champignons - a business idea

The cultivation of champignons was popular in the 18th century in European countries and not only, most often in Italy, France, America, Germany, Sweden, England and Belgium. In Russia, home production of these mushrooms began only in the 19th century, because our forests are already rich in edible gifts of nature.

Today mushroom cultivation is a profitable business. If you make simple mathematical calculations, then in one year you can get up to 6 harvests. Of course, there will be additional costs for equipment, electricity and heating. But in general, you can get a good income from the sale of champignons, you just need to know to whom to constantly sell the harvest.

It is not surprising that today such a niche as mushroom cultivation is already occupied by entrepreneurs, because these mushrooms bear fruit abundantly, they are easy to grow, and the necessary raw materials (in fact, waste) can be purchased almost for free. Of course, you can try to break into this business, but you will have to work hard to get a solid profit from it in the first months.

Now you know how to grow mushrooms at home, and what equipment is required for this. You can start production on a large scale, or you can plant these mushrooms for yourself, for your soul, to feast on them all year round. In any case, growing champignons is not difficult and even interesting.

Champignons today have become the kind of mushroom that is available for growing at home. The time between planting the mycelium in the substrate and obtaining the first fruits is minimal. No special conditions are required for mushroom cultivation. It is enough just to provide a cool room with high air humidity. A basement or cellar is fine.

Champignons can be grown both for personal use and for sale. But it is important to know that the substrate for their growth when wet exudes a rather strong odor. It is not advisable to keep it in a residential area.

Where and on what do mushrooms grow?

The very first and most important step in the successful cultivation of mushrooms is the correct preparation of the substrate. It must be prepared with high quality in compliance with all stages.

The mushroom substrate consists of:

• 25% compost (wheat and rye straw)
• 75% horse manure

There is experience in growing champignons based on chicken manure or cow dung, but you should not expect a high yield in this case.

The substrate is prepared in an open space on the street or in a well-ventilated room, since ammonia, carbon dioxide and moisture will be released during its fermentation. Additional additives per 100 kg of substrate are:

• 2 kg of urea
• 2 kg superphosphate
• 5 kg of chalk
• 8 kg of plaster

As a result, we get almost 300 kg of the finished substrate. With such a mass, you can fill a mycelium with an area of ​​3 square meters. m.

If a decision is made to prepare compost based on chicken manure, then the proportions will be as follows:

• 100 kg of straw
• 100 kg of litter
• 300 l of water
• Gypsum
• Alabaster

The procedure for preparing the substrate is as follows.

1. Straw is soaked in a large, spacious container.
2. The straw is laid in alternating layers with manure. There should be 3 layers of straw and 3 layers of manure.
3. Straw in the process of laying in layers is moistened with water. Three layers of straw (100 kg) will take about 300 liters.
4. During the laying of the layers, urea (2 kg) and superphosphate (0.5 kg) are gradually added in small portions.
5. Mix thoroughly.
6. Add chalk and the remainder of superphosphate, gypsum.

The resulting substrate is left to undergo the decay process.In this case, the temperature in the mixture will rise to 70 degrees. After 21 days, the compost will be completely ready for further use.

Planting material

When purchasing planting material, you should not save. Therefore, they acquire only the highest quality mycelium (mycelium). It must be grown under special laboratory conditions. Today mycelium producers present two types of planting material:

• Compost mycelium
• Grain mycelium

Grain mycelium is produced in plastic bags. Store it for about 6 months at a temperature of 0 to 4 degrees. Grain mycelium is used at the rate of 0.4 kg per 100 kg of substrate (mycelium area is 1 sq. M).

Compost mycelium is sold in glass containers. Its shelf life depends on the temperature. At zero degrees, it can last for about a year, but if the temperature is at 20 degrees, then the mycelium must be used within 3 weeks. Compost mycelium is used at the rate of 0.5 kg per 1 square meter of substrate. Its yield is much lower than that of grain.

A properly prepared substrate will surely spring when pressed. Before placing mycelium into it, it must undergo a pasteurization (heat treatment) process. After heating, the substrate cools down to 25 degrees. A mycelium of 1 square meter is laid with about 100 kg of substrate with a layer of about 30 cm.

Planting mycelium and caring for mycelium

They take a piece of mycelium the size of a chicken egg and burrow it into the substrate by about 5 cm. Each portion of mycelium is placed at a distance of 20 cm from each other. A staggered arrangement is used for landing.

Another method involves uniform distribution (dusting) of the entire surface of the substrate with mycelium. You also need to deepen by no more than 5 cm.

Further actions are to provide the necessary conditions for the engraftment and germination of the mycelium. Air humidity should be kept at around 90%. The substrate must also be kept moist at all times. To prevent it from drying out, the myceliums can be covered with sheets of paper. Watering the substrate is carried out through the paper. An important condition for mycelium engraftment is a constantly maintained substrate temperature at a level of 22 to 27 degrees. Any temperature deviations from the norm must be adjusted immediately.

The germination time of the mycelium is approximately 7 to 14 days. After this period, the substrate needs to be sprinkled with a casing layer of soil about 3 cm. It is prepared independently from one part of sand and nine parts of peat. About 50 kg of casing layer will be consumed per square meter of mycelium.

The covering layer is kept on the substrate for three days, then the air temperature in the basement or cellar is reduced to 15-17 degrees. The cover soil is moistened with a spray bottle, and the room is constantly ventilated. Drafts are not allowed.

Harvesting

The process of self-cultivation of champignons in a cellar or basement is not too complicated and time-consuming. The period from planting to harvesting the first crop is 120 days. Only those mushrooms in which the plates under the cap are not yet visible are suitable for eating. Those mushrooms that are large are overripe, and dark brown plastics are forbidden to be used for food. They can cause poisoning.

The mushroom must not be cut, but carefully plucked with a twisting motion. The resulting depression is sprinkled with a covering substrate and moistened.

The mycelium will bear fruit for about 2 weeks. The number of crops harvested during this period is 7. Up to 14 kg of crop is harvested from one square of the area.

Growing mushrooms in bags

For growing champignons in large volumes for sale through retail chains I use polymer bags. This method has received its recognition in many countries. With its help, a large harvest is obtained.

1. For the manufacture of the bag, a polymer film is used. The capacity of each bag varies from 25 to 35 kg.
2. The bags should be of just such a volume that it is convenient to work with them. In addition, the correct arrangement of the bags affects the number of mushrooms grown. They are usually staggered or parallel.
3. So when installing bags with a diameter of about 0.4 m in a staggered arrangement, only 10% of the usable area will be lost, while their arbitrary installation gives losses of up to 20%.
4. The height and width of the bags may vary. You need to proceed from their conditions and convenience of work, as well as the physical capabilities of the basement (cellar).

The method of growing mushrooms in bags is less costly, since they do not require specially mounted shelves or containers to place them. If it becomes necessary to use the area of ​​the room as efficiently as possible, then a multi-tiered system can be created for the location of the bags. The advantage of this method also lies in the speed of dealing with emerging diseases or pests. The infected bag can be easily removed from healthy neighbors and destroyed, while if the mycelium is infected, it will have to remove its entire area entirely.

It is important to remember that growing mushrooms is a rather laborious process. If champignons are grown for sale, then it is impossible to do without the use of agricultural machinery to facilitate the work of the workers.

Experienced mushroom pickers can list a large number of methods they have tested for growing mushrooms on their own in a basement (cellar). Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. The main thing is adherence to the cultivation technology, strict adherence to all instructions and requirements. The result is the achievement of the desired result and obtaining a rich harvest of mushrooms.

How to grow mushrooms at home (at home)

To grow mushrooms at home, you need to fulfill several very important conditions: carefully study the technology, be patient and have a suitable place. Dealing with mushrooms is not as easy as you might think after reading some of the articles. The slightest violation of technology, at best, will cause a sharp drop in yield, at worst, it will result in wasted time and financial resources.

Growing champignons

Champignons can be grown in open beds, if climatic conditions permit, but you need to prepare yourself right away, so that this method will only allow you to try mushrooms grown with your own hands a few times. There is no need to talk about any preparations for the winter - the harvest will be too small. It is much more profitable to grow mushrooms in basements or cellars. You can do such a thing all year round, it becomes possible to fully provide mushrooms not only to your family, relatives and relatives, but also to start selling. And cultivation of champignons is a very profitable business with proper organization of labor.

Growing champignons at home

We'll take a quick look at both growing methods, but first we'll talk about the very important preparatory steps.

Compost components

The most time consuming, difficult and important stage is composting. As experienced summer residents say, the success of the whole business depends on the quality of the compost by 50%. What is compost made of?

Manure. The ideal option is horse manure, only it contains a full set of elements necessary for the development of mushrooms. Unfortunately, nowadays it is a big problem to find horse manure, you have to replace it with chicken manure (the best replacement option) or manure from any domestic animals.

Horse manure as fertilizer

Straw. The ideal option is winter wheat or spring rye. There is no such straw - take oatmeal, in the last place is barley. Keep in mind that deviations from ideal composting options will inevitably reduce mushroom yields, all things being equal.

Important. The straw should only be fresh, golden in color and with a pleasant "bread" smell.

Straw

Straw is an important source of carbon and some part of nitrogen; without these elements, mushroom protein synthesis slows down or does not occur at all.

Mineral supplements. These include, first of all, gypsum, which enriches the compost with calcium and improves its physical structure. Bone meal, urea, brewer's grains and other elements can be added to the compost. Of course, you need clean water.

Very important. It is strictly forbidden to pour chlorine in tap water for composting. The compost can only be watered with rainwater, or, in extreme cases, well water.

The data on the amount of each element in the compost are given in the table.

Number of components

What kind of compost to prepare, everyone must decide based on the availability of components.

Making compost for mushrooms

If you think that mixing all the ingredients is enough to make compost, then this is a big mistake. Quality compost, from which you can expect a return, is obtained as a result of a complex biochemical process. The result should be a lignin-protein substrate that is optimal for mushrooms. What are the main requirements to follow?

1. The area where the compost is supposed to be made must be isolated from the ground. It can be concreted, asphalted, covered with thick rubber, foil or other materials. The main thing is to completely exclude the possible penetration of spores of fungal pests, they are always in the ground.
2. If it is warm outside, then the compost can be prepared in the open air; you only have to cover the area with any rain canopy. Otherwise, it is impossible to regulate the moisture content of the compost, and this is a very important indicator.
3. To soak a ton of dry straw, you need about 20 m3 of water, and to fully prepare the same amount of compost, you will need another 10-15 m3 of water. We have already said that the use of tap water is prohibited. In total, up to 35 m3 of water is needed for a ton of compost. A ton of compost is not very much, in terms of volume it will be up to 2 m3, this amount is enough for growing mushrooms on an area of ​​about 10 m2. Amateur mushroom growers should know that if there is not enough straw (100-200 kg), the fermentation process will not start, all attempts to make real compost will actually turn into useless mixing of ingredients.

   The main stages of compost preparation

4. The height of the pile must be at least two meters with a width of at least one and a half meters. Only such dimensions will create conditions for the preparation of compost; after the filling, fermentation processes will begin, characterized by an increase in temperature. For the process to proceed normally, the pile must be thrown over after 5–7 days. The temperature in the pile should not drop below + 40 ° С, optimal values ​​are + 60 ° С. An anaerobic gap with a temperature of + 80 ° C is formed in the center, here the development of bacteria slows down or stops altogether. If necessary, during the interruptions, the compost is moistened and mineral additives are added to it.

   Champignon-chest

5. Depending on the weather, the size of the pile and the specific elements used for laying, it will be necessary to make up to 5 breaks of the pile, the time interval between them is 3-5 days. The recommended compost moisture content should be ≈ 70%.

Good quality compost should be soft, without the pungent smell of ammonia. As you can see, composting is not as easy as it might seem to inexperienced summer residents.

Substrate for champignons

Adding mycelium

Mycelium

The resulting compost must be poured into wooden boxes ≈ 20 centimeters deep, the length and width are chosen taking into account the size of the shelves or places in the beds. The introduction of mycelium (inoculation) should be done only after the compost temperature has dropped to + 24 ° C.Immediately after sowing, the temperature begins to rise slightly, which becomes an additional stimulus for the germination of fungal spores.

Wooden trough for the formation of beds

The temperature of the compost must be constantly monitored, if it rises above + 30 ° C, then it can be dangerous for seedlings, you need to take emergency measures to lower it. The simplest and most effective way is airing. One square meter of area will require 600-800 gr. mycelium. Before sowing, the mycelium must first be warmed up to room temperature, then chopped thoroughly, broken up the breasts and in this form put into the compost. How to do it?

1. In the myceliums with prepared compost, prepare indentations of ≈ 5 cm. Make the holes in a checkerboard pattern, remove the honey with them 20 cm.
2. Pour about 20-30 grams into each hole. mycelium, cover the grooves with compost.

Another sowing method is also allowed. The prepared mycelium is evenly mixed with the top layer about ten centimeters thick.

The process of growing mushrooms

After sowing the mycelium, the boxes or beds should be covered with polyethylene film, in this way it will be possible to exclude the rapid drying of the surface. The temperature of the compost should be checked periodically at a depth of about 15 cm, it should be within + 24 ° C.

The first survival check can be performed one week after sowing. To do this, you need to carefully raise the top layer, if the mycelium is clearly visible, then everything is going fine. Under optimal conditions, two weeks are enough for the full development of the mycelium.

Gobtirovka

To increase the yield, you need to do a grubbing - applying wet earth to the rows of champignons. This layer of the earth has several functions:

• protects the bottom compost from drying out quickly. This is a kind of mulching, only with the help of soil;
• significantly stimulates the development of the fruiting bodies of the fungus. Mycelium develops excellently without a gobtirovanie, but few fungi appear;
• regulates the percentage of carbon dioxide in the compost and maintains temperature values.

Instead of natural soil, peat can be used to cover the top layer of the boxes. The main thing is that the cover materials have neutral acidity.

Very important. The covering mixture must be sterile, otherwise the mycelium can become infected with diseases and pests. To achieve the required performance, it can be steamed, spilled with boiling water or roasted in the oven. Select the method taking into account the amount of covering material and your individual capabilities. Before use, the ground must be abundantly moistened, the humidity is at least 70%. It must be applied in a layer up to three centimeters, the surface must be leveled.

Practical advice. Keep in mind that reducing the casing layer to a thickness of 1 cm will reduce mushroom yield by 30%. At the same time, an increase in this layer to 5 centimeters has no effect on the yield. Do not skip this operation, it is of great importance.

Growing mushrooms in blocks

After 7 days, the mycelium begins to germinate in the casing layer, during this period it needs to be loosened up a little. You can find them in stores, if such a purchase option is not possible, then use the Internet services. The application rates for nutritional supplements are indicated by the manufacturer.

Harvesting champignons

Champignon harvest

Intensive fruiting of mushrooms begins 14 days after the introduction of the casing layer, during this period the temperature must be lowered to + 15 ° C. If it is higher, then the mushrooms will be small, on a thin stem, the caps will open quickly. If the temperature is lower, the growth of mushrooms will slow down significantly. Light mushrooms unnecessarily, on the contrary, they give better yields in complete darkness.If direct sunlight falls on the caps, then the quality of the mushrooms is significantly reduced.

Photo cultivation of champignons at home

Important. During this period, you need to carefully monitor the humidity of the air, it should be ≥ 80%. You can increase the humidity by any means, up to spraying the surfaces of the boxes.
If during the period of intensive fruiting there are drafts in the room, then the caps will dry out, and deep cracks will appear on the surface. This significantly impairs the appearance of the mushrooms.

Science claims that one kilogram of mushrooms needs ≈ 2 liters of water. Watering should be done in between fruiting waves. Watering the boxes must be very careful, moisture that gets on the caps causes stains on the caps. It is recommended to ventilate the room immediately after watering, this will help the moisture to quickly evaporate from the mushrooms surface.

How to grow champignons

The largest crop is harvested from the first three waves, later the ripening period increases, and the weight of the crop decreases. Three collections give more than 70% of the total. It is not recommended to keep mycelium after the sixth wave; it is economically expedient to make new plantings of mycelium. As soon as the mushrooms are removed, the surface of the earth must be thoroughly cleaned; if trimmings or overripe mushrooms remain on it, they cause an outbreak of various diseases and the appearance of pests.

After the sixth collection, when giving birth, the old compost must be removed, the boxes must be disinfected. Old compost is an excellent fertilizer for all vegetable crops. Bury it in the beds.

Video - Growing champignons

Fight disease

It must be remembered that fighting diseases is much more difficult than preventing them. In addition, fungal diseases have an extremely negative effect on crop yields. In order to minimize the risk of disease, it is necessary to thoroughly disinfect the boxes for myceliums and prepare the compost correctly. Pay close attention to the cover material.

Practical advice. When the first signs of the disease are found, the container with the mushrooms must be removed; you should not risk all the crops. After removal, try to cure the mushrooms, if this is difficult for you, then throw the substrate into the beds and use it as fertilizer for other crops.

Video - Growing champignons. Business idea

Conclusion

As practice shows, only three out of ten novice mushroom growers manage to get an acceptable harvest in the first season. Keep this in mind, remember that growing mushrooms at home requires care and experience.

Video - Growing champignons at home