Grow mushrooms at home in the basement

Recently, such an occupation as mushroom growing has become more and more popular. Most people want to grow mushrooms on their own for their own needs or as a small business. And it is worth saying that this is completely simple to do, since mushrooms are quite unpretentious and do not require much effort when growing. If you have a free basement, then this article will focus on growing mushrooms in the basement.

Features of growing mushrooms in the basement, advantages

Growing mushrooms in the basement means the year-round availability of this product, the opportunity to constantly pamper yourself with delicious and fresh mushrooms. In addition, the idea of ​​a mushroom growing business looks very attractive. A business based on home growing mushrooms in the basement is a great option for additional income. A business idea has its advantages, namely:

• mushrooms do not need special attention when growing them, respectively, there is a lot of free time;
• cultivation does not require special knowledge and skills;
• all the materials necessary for cultivation are very simple, they can be obtained at home, and, if necessary, bought ready-made;
• minimum financial investment.

With good results, mushroom growing can grow from a hobby into a main source of income. It is very important to grow a good and high-quality product, conclude supply contracts with shops, restaurants, canteens.

Cellar varieties

For growing in basement conditions, all the same mushrooms that are usually grown in large greenhouses and mushroom pickers are suitable. Only oyster mushrooms and mushrooms can be grown in the basement. The latter, in specific cases, will be more whimsical. The thing is that champignons love light, therefore, for their cultivation, powerful lamps of diffused daylight will be needed, which should illuminate myceliums 12-13 hours a day. The easiest way is to grow oyster mushrooms in basements - they do not like light, the dampness of the basement and low air temperatures suit them.

What should be a basement for growing mushrooms

Before starting to grow mushrooms, the cellar must be prepared accordingly. It will not be enough just to plant mycelium in the drawers of the cellar and leave the light on.

Preparing a cellar for growing mushrooms involves a number of operations, which include:

Lighting... It is worth considering that for the cultivation of each type of mushroom, individual lighting is required. If you are going to grow several types of mushrooms at the same time, the basement will need to be divided into light zones. Champignons love more light than oyster mushrooms. In specialty horticultural stores, you can purchase fluorescent lamps for the greenhouse, in which the brightness and sharpness of the lighting will be adjusted.

Ventilation. All mushrooms, without exception, love fresh air. The problem with the cellars is that the air in them is damp and rotten. To avoid the formation of mold and mildew on the walls, it is necessary to install special hoods in the room, which will take in bad air and supply fresh air.

Humidity and temperature. Air humidity for growing mushrooms should be 65% - 95%. But with the temperature regime it is a little more complicated. Champignons are more thermophilic, the optimum temperature for growing them is 13 ° - 29 °, while oyster mushrooms feel comfortable at 12 ° - 25 °. Therefore, in order to grow several types of mushrooms at the same time, the room must also be zoned into temperature zones. For heating, it is best to use water systems with a temperature controller. They are easy to install, more economical, and most importantly, they do not dry out the air in the room.

Zoning. As already mentioned, the room is divided into zones according to the lighting and temperature conditions. This can be done using ordinary plastic or polyfiber partitions, which retain moisture and temperature well. It is important, as convenient as possible, to determine the area for growing each type of mushroom.

Disinfection. To avoid the formation of mold, the room must be disinfected. This is best done after all the building steps, before planting. To do this, use special sulfur checkers with which the room is fumigated. If the basement is old, it is best to spray all surfaces with a formalin solution. In the absence of disinfection, mushroom flies, ticks or nematodes can attack the mushrooms, and the crop will be lost. You will have to change the substrate, disinfect the room, and these are additional costs.

Shelving. The best option for the manufacture of shelving is durable plastic. Constant temperature conditions and high strength will quickly render wood and metal unusable, so plastic is an ideal option - it does not rust or rot. In garden centers, you can buy ready-made shelving that you just need to assemble indoors.

Other equipment. This group includes containers for placing the substrate and planting myceliums. Special underlays for shelvingthat you may need if in the basement not warm enough... Also worth mentioning about watering... It is strictly forbidden to water the mycelium with a direct stream of water - this leads to the debate of the substrate, and the mycelium may die or rot. To do this, use special sprayers (manual and automatic)that irrigate the soil. If the lighting is too bright and unadjustable, you may need a special the cloth, which is hung over the shelves to to avoid direct light hitting the formed myceliums.

Video: a room for growing oyster mushrooms in the basement

Important! The floor of the room must be concrete. If there is none, it is recommended to make a screed. The earthen floor is a breeding ground for harmful bacteria and parasites that will attack crops. Be sure to cover the walls with a solution of lime and copper sulfate. This will additionally protect your plantings from parasites, which are often found in mushrooms.

How to grow mushrooms in your basement

For each type of mushroom, individual needs are taken into account when growing, namely, air temperature, humidity and lighting. Today, oyster mushrooms are considered the most popular for cultivation, the favorites of all generations are champignons.

Note! Sometimes on the Internet you can find information about growing porcini mushrooms at home in the basement, but this is pure deception, do not see each other.

So, what are the characteristics of growing in the basement for each of these species? Let's try to figure it out.

Champignons

The main task is to prepare a nutrient substrate in which the mushrooms will grow. To prepare the substrate, you must use straw, horse or cow manure, urea or ammonium nitrate, gypsum or alabaster, superphosphate and chalk, as well as water. Next, mix all the remaining ingredients in certain proportions.A more accurate recipe for preparing a substrate can be found in the article "Growing mushrooms at home"... The compost takes more than 3 weeks to prepare. The finished compost is laid out on racks in a dense layer and left for a day so that it evenly warms up to the room temperature, namely: 23 C ° - 25 C °. Next, the mycelium is planted in warm soil. It takes about 10 days from planting to the first shoots. The temperature at this time should be at least 28 ° C. After germination, the temperature is lowered by 8 - 10 degrees. Lighting is always kept at the same level (12 hours of light daily). The first crop can be harvested after 14 days from the date of sowing. It is necessary to irrigate myceliums every two days. The fruiting period of champignon mycelium lasts 40 - 45 days.

Video: growing mushrooms in the basement

Oyster mushrooms

The optimal substrate for growing oyster mushrooms is a wooden bar. This is a very affordable material that you can make yourself. To do this, it is necessary to prepare bars (wooden stumps.) They are partially cleaned of bark, deep cracks are made and soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate. Then the tree becomes infected with mycelium. Any trees will do, with the exception of conifers. Most often, shavings or sawdust of deciduous trees, dry straw, husks from seeds and other organic debris are used as a substrate. These are all commercially available at any gardening store. Ready-made substrates can also be purchased there. Next, this substrate is mixed with mycelium and placed in a felt bag, which is hung on a rack. The room temperature must be at least 22 ° C. When the first shoots appear, the temperature is lowered to 13 ° C. Oyster mushrooms are undemanding, and bright lighting is harmful to them, therefore, they must be illuminated with very weak and diffused light for no more than 5 hours a day. Within 10 days after sowing, you will be able to harvest the first crop. The fruiting period of oyster mushrooms is up to two months. You can find more detailed instructions on growing oyster mushrooms in this article.

Video: growing oyster mushrooms in the basement

By the way! The substrate in which the mushrooms grew cannot be reused. It makes an excellent organic fertilizer for flowering plants in your garden or houseplants.

White mushroom

It is one of the most demanding mushroom cultivation that you can never grow at homealthough on the internet you will find many articles and videos about successful breeding. Here's one of those instructions.

You will get such a harvest of porcini mushrooms if you only go around the whole forest!

“The substrate for their planting should completely mimic the landscape of their place of birth, namely: forest soil. For this, dry ground twigs, leaves, field grass and dried moss are suitable. The prepared dry substrate is laid out on the racks, in a thick and dense layer. It should be well dried, but in no case ripe or damp. Next, the mycelium is planted and the soil is properly irrigated, after which it is covered with garden paper. Bright light is harmful to mushrooms, therefore, before the first shoots, the paper remains on top. The room temperature should be at 18 ° C. The fruiting period of mushrooms is short - only 30 - 35 days. Porcini mushrooms take a very long time to sprout and take root. From the moment of sowing to the first shoots, it can take up to 40 days. And in the process of growth, mushrooms may need additional fertilization (if the growth of mushrooms has stopped). "

By the way, if you still have doubts, then you can read more about growing porcini mushrooms at home. in this article.

But remember, you will never grow porcini mushrooms in unnatural conditions.

Based on the above information, it can be understood that growing mushrooms in the basement is not such a difficult task. It is important in this matter to competently approach the organization of the process itself and the equipment of the room (basement).With the right lighting, temperature and timely watering, even amateurs without much experience can grow high-quality mushrooms. A well-prepared substrate and high-quality mycelium play a key role in mushroom growing. Mushroom growing is a great example of how a hobby can grow into a profitable business.

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 champignons 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 completely picky about the conditions.

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 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

Growing 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 mushroom growth height 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 cells 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 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. Examine the room for insects (it is 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 for 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 still 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 the possibility of concluding 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 buying 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 have correctly considered 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 decent 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. It is also impossible to 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 shelving for mushrooms, 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 do not 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 for 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 mushrooms

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 champignons 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, remove cobwebs, dirt and completely get rid of mold.

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 close 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 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 match, 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

To date, 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 cost less 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 the mycelium is removed from the refrigerators a day before planting.

Spores are mushroom seeds. They can also be used by a mushroom picker, but 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 mushroom substrate

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 provides high yields of mushrooms. Instead of horse dung, you can use cow dung or replace it with bird droppings.

Important! Only manure from horses that ate hay, and not green mass, can be used to grow champignons.

But not fresh fertilizer is used as a substrate - for mushrooms, it is compost, that is, a fermented product, is needed. 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 need to 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. In the last batch, plaster or alabaster is poured.

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 find out 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 and caring for mushrooms

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

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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 disinfector 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 a lot of videos in the public domain, 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 champignons, 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. To do 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, which 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 phenomenon 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 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 abundant harvest, an 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 placed in the 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.