Content
Growing oyster mushrooms Is a very real home business.
And this type of private entrepreneurship is gaining momentum today.
Is it profitable to grow oyster mushrooms?
If everything is done correctly, it is very, very profitable.
The average profitability of breeding oyster mushrooms in Russia is 40%. Although it is possible to achieve a profitability of more than 100%.
Like any other home business, growing oyster mushrooms requires not only some initial investments (however, very small) and labor, but also, which many forget, knowledge.
Every business has its own subtleties and tricks!
Let me present you with a detailed practical training course, the result of my SEVEN YEARS (!) Practice in this business
Growing oyster mushrooms at home
Detailed Technology for Home Business
Using the materials of the training course, you can grow 300-500-700 or even 1000 kg of fresh mushrooms per month, depending on your capabilities and desires.
At the same time, knowledge of all the tricks of this business, gleaned from this course, will allow you at least double your profit all other things being equal!
At one time, I made mistakes that deprived me of profit. Improper lighting, sales difficulties, pests ...
But all this is in the past, but here is what I was able to achieve today:
I have adjusted stable sale of oyster mushrooms to the shops of my city, and now I am constantly only increasing production volumes.
I work for myself, without bosses and in a relaxed atmosphere. And mine work brings me pleasure.
I have mine own home businessthat won't let me down.
Now I am a regular supplier of oyster mushrooms to several stores and supermarkets in my city, purchase orders are scheduled many months in advance.
But in order to achieve such results, over these seven years I shoveled mountains of literature on growing oyster mushrooms, I did not climb out of the Internet for days, looking for any information on how to grow mushrooms correctly, how to make your home business more profitable and profitable. A lot of effort was spent, of course there were mistakes, there were victories and defeats. Looking back in time, I understand that with some initial knowledge, I could have avoided all of this.
Do you want to achieve similar results? Then I am ready to reveal my secrets to you.
A huge array of useful practical information and nothing more!
Keeping my first steps in mind, I willingly share my experience with beginners. Therefore, I collected all my knowledge about mushroom business in a detailed training course that will help you avoid mistakes and build your own oyster mushroom home business without unnecessary effort and waste.
Today I want to share my experience with those who, like me, would like to start their own home oyster mushroom growing business, but does not know any technical issues or peculiarities of cultivation. This is why I gathered all my experience in running a home business for growing oyster mushrooms on one training disk.
Everything that is described there, I use every day in my work. This disc will prevent you from making those mistakes that I made during the formation of the business, while losing a lot of money.
The course is called "Growing oyster mushrooms at home"... From it you will learn about the intricacies and secrets of growing oyster mushrooms, get advice from my practical experience, which have proven their effectiveness over many years of use.
Disc materials will help to obtain high yields and reduce the cost products. Using these materials and starting the cultivation of oyster mushrooms, you can organize a cost-effective, competitive, promising and profitable production.
The training course consists of the following sections:
1. Growing oyster mushrooms.
2. Making mycelium.
3. Pests and diseases.
4. Implementation of mushrooms.
5. Addresses and telephones.
6. Bonus.
In fact, you get not just a very detailed training course, but a turnkey business for growing oyster mushrooms!
With this disc, you do not have to waste precious time looking for the necessary information, and then, at your own risk and peril, check it for practicality. All my many years of experience are in front of you.
And, as you know, reliable information is a solid foundation for any business!
Share this page with your friends! Thank you!
In search of ideas for their own business, many come to growing oyster mushrooms at home. In this post, we'll take a closer look at the costs, ROI, and feedback of these activities. Is it worth the effort, or do you need serious investment and a large enterprise?
Advantages and disadvantages
This business is in many aspects an ideal option for beginners to get acquainted with entrepreneurship. It requires a minimum start-up capital and allows you to start working with small volumes, increasing them over time. Moreover, it is possible to grow mushrooms at the very beginning and exclusively for personal use, and as soon as the technology is debugged, enter the market.
The following advantages should also be noted:
- Mushrooms can be grown both in rural and urban areas.
- High demand for the harvest.
- The broadest opportunities for business development and expansion.
- No need for hired workers, at least in the first stages.
- No need for a wide range of business contacts.
- Relatively stable income.
Among the downsides is the problem with the sale of really large quantities of mushrooms (though the problem will not start soon, it all depends on the growth rate). You will also need at least minimal knowledge of the subject (you can accumulate it in the process).
One should also note such an important factor as seasonality. In summer and autumn, sales often decline, and starting from the middle of winter, when the population's own stocks run out, the demand grows.
Reasons for choosing oyster mushrooms
Leaving aside the nutritional value, taste and usefulness, it is worth noting that compared to the more popular chanterelles, honey mushrooms, mushrooms and others, oyster mushrooms are easy enough to grow, and the growth rate is high. If under natural conditions the harvest of mushrooms can be obtained in 2-2.5 months, then in artificial conditions this period is halved.
Crops bear fruit in several waves, the weight of one bunch can reach 200 grams, and the record holders grow up to several kilograms, or even more.
A separate plus is to note that the mushroom can grow on almost any substrate: on stumps, straw, sawdust, even sunflower husks. In some countries, oyster mushrooms are even grown on waste paper.Modern technologies make it possible to further expand this list.
Selecting a sales market
Among the most obvious options are:
- Self-sale in the markets. In this case, you will have to attend to the search for a free trading place, make and correctly place advertising, attract the attention of potential buyers. In this case, sales are proceeding at a retail pace. As an advantage - the ability to set your own prices with an eye on competitors, if any.
- Sales through grocery stores and supermarkets. In every large enough city there is a trading network or a separate point that will be interested in the wholesale purchase of mushrooms. Unfortunately, most often they offer very low prices. Over time, it will be possible to switch to more favorable terms of cooperation, and the recruited base of regular customers will remain with you, even if you break off cooperation with the outlet.
- Sale to restaurants. Mushrooms are traditionally in great demand in restaurants. The reason is simple - such establishments prepare only the freshest ingredients. Cooperation will allow you to quickly and profitably sell large quantities of mushrooms. The rest can be sold using the first or second method.
Needless to say, whatever option it ultimately decides to resort to, the grown mushrooms must be of the highest quality.
Company registration
Before starting work, you should register a business. To do this, you need to select the OKVED code 01.12.31.
This type of business implies three options for the legal form: individual entrepreneur, LLC or peasant farm, that is, a peasant farm. All three have their pros and cons. A form such as a personal subsidiary farm in this case will not work.
SP
Allows you to grow mushrooms and sell crops.
To register, you will need to pay a state fee in the amount of 800 rubles, apply for the transition to the USN or ESNH, and also prepare an application in form No. P21001, which will need to be certified by a notary.
You should worry about a photocopy of all significant pages of your passport in advance.
OOO
It gives the right to attract investments through loans for agriculture and through state programs.
To register, you must pay a state fee in the amount of 4000 rubles, submit an application No. P11001, prepare the charter of an LLC and a decision on its opening, certify copies of the passports of all founders with a notary, write an application for the transition to the selected form of taxation.
The authorized capital of the enterprise must be at least 10,000 rubles.
Documentation
Documenting your own farm has an important role in this matter. The mushroom business in Russia does not provide for a special certificate.
However, in order to become a successful seller of your products, you need the result of laboratory research. You can get it in the food laboratory. Its employees are often asked to additionally prepare a security protocol. For him, you will already need to do an analysis for the presence of radioactive substances and heavy metals.
Documenting the cultivation of oyster mushrooms on an industrial scale (albeit in your own basement) is an overhead and slow business. Moreover, the resulting protocol will need to be updated every 3 months.
Room selection
The choice of premises for creating a mushroom plantation should be carried out as responsibly as possible. It is preferable to choose places that are sufficiently humid, but not too hot. If we are talking about the very beginning of a business, then the basement or cellar of a house may be suitable. As the business develops, old cowsheds, vegetable stores and similar buildings can be purchased and refurbished. In extreme cases, you can buy a special greenhouse.
Room requirements:
- Residual moisture.
- High-quality ventilation, but without drafts (if no other option is suitable, you can make several holes in the lower part of the wall and stretch the hood).
- The ability to adjust the temperature (especially important in winter).
- Mandatory disinfection before planting.
A few words about the size of the room. The truck holds about 20 tons of compost for cultivation. In order to fully distribute it and put it into operation entirely, an area of over 200 square meters will be required. The internal space is divided into sections, in which multi-level (depending on the height of the ceiling) racks are installed.
Each farm must have at least two aisles. According to the first, the harvested crop will be exported, it can be made narrower, the second should be much wider - the soil will be loaded along it.
Additional premises include a boiler room, a couple of refrigerators for storing harvested mushrooms, an area for packaging and various technical premises: change houses, a toilet and others. As a result, the total area of the farm grows to nearly 1-1.5 thousand square meters. Of course, at first you can get by with more modest premises.
If you plan to grow oyster mushrooms all year round and completely on your own, you will have to provide for several additional premises:
- A room for inoculation, where mushroom blocks will form from the finished substrate in bags, into which the mycelium is sown afterwards.
- Incubation room for mycelium germination.
- Cultivation room for forcing the fruit body (the largest room, blocks are strung on rods, laid out on multi-tiered shelves or suspended).
Equipment
The first thing that is required is a high-quality ventilation and air conditioning system, which will be used to maintain optimal temperature and humidity conditions.
Hot water boilers are used for additional heating in winter. Ideally, it is recommended to purchase several complete climatic systems that will help regulate the atmospheric parameters for mushrooms at different stages of ripening.
Refrigerating chambers are used for storing finished products. It is very important that they only keep the mushrooms for a period of three days. In addition, they must be no more than half full for proper air circulation.
A large number of shelving units will be required for the premises. Also, depending on the specific variety, bags or boxes will be required for production.
Staff
The vast majority of responsibilities are assigned to the owner. It is he who, at least at the start, deals with delivery and sales issues. Very often at the beginning of work, when several relatives are engaged in the case, one is responsible for the supply, while the rest are engaged in the direct issues of cultivation, fertilization, planting, etc.
As the farm grows and mushroom production expands, this will become more difficult to manage. At a certain stage, inviting new employees to your small business will become an urgent need. However, there are no special requirements for employees in this matter - they only need to be conscientious, have no bad habits and have a medical record.
Considering that not a single educational institution in the country has a mushroom science department, it will be simply impossible to find a qualified specialist. Of course, there is always a chance that an experienced person will come across. In this case, it is highly recommended to set his salary depending on the output.
It is difficult to say what the total number of employees will be required for breeding. One assistant will be enough for growing oyster mushrooms at home. If we are talking about a yield per centner every day, then you will need to involve at least a couple of employees.
At the same time, they will only be engaged in the mushrooms themselves, while additional forces will be required to sell products, prepare raw materials for production and the position of an accountant. Of course, one person, if desired, can combine several roles.
Approximate calculation
An approximate analysis of the costs and incomes of a large enterprise can be seen in the table.
| Start-up costs | Sum | |
| 1 | Renting or buying a piece of land or building | 1,000,000 rubles |
| 2 | Purchase of equipment | 500,000 rubles |
| 3 | Company registration, advertising costs | 100,000 rubles |
| Monthly expenses | ||
| 1 | Employee salaries | 150,000 rubles |
| 2 | 5,000 rubles | |
| 3 | Service costs | 15,000 rubles |
| Income | ||
| 1 | Profit from processing at a wholesale price of 1 kg of mushrooms at 14 rubles | 1,400,000 rubles |
Two important points should be noted here at once:
- These calculations imply work with a large farm, which contains about 100 tons of compost for growing, in case of scale down, the costs will be lower.
- The data are given on the basis of one processing cycle, but there can be up to four of them per year.
Summarizing all of the above, it can be noted that the net profit for one two-month growing cycle will be up to 780 thousand rubles. As a result, according to experts, the full payback period of the oyster mushroom farm will be about two years.
Those interested can download another business plan for growing oyster mushrooms.
Competition and risks
The issue of competition should be noted separately. At present, its level on the market can be assessed as rather low, which, coupled with low requirements for starting a business, makes it especially beneficial for beginners. Imported products have recently left the domestic market, but the price level has remained, and the demand for mushrooms is constantly high.
Competition should be feared in large part from the larger commercial breeders. However, there are not so many of them on the market today, so there is no need to fear serious opposition to expansion. The risks in this area are also not too great, given the low investment requirements.
conclusions
The main advantage is high profitability. The advantage is that there is no need for significant investments at the initial stage. At the same time, the income is quite good - it reaches 650 rubles from each processed square meter in 1.5 months.
Another indisputable advantage is ease of learning. Oyster mushrooms require much less maintenance than other mushrooms, including champignons.
Experienced businessmen, however, do not deny the presence of a number of difficulties, but they all relate to the initial stages of establishing a process and sales. After settling these points, everything becomes much easier and all that remains is to collect and sell the crop.
Video: technology for growing oyster mushrooms.
Reviews
“Growing oyster mushrooms is a profitable business, as these mushrooms are always in demand. From personal experience, I would like to note that the extensive cultivation method brings greater results and, accordingly, profit. My farm reached its maximum productivity after 2 years of work ”- Nikolay.
“I doubted for a long time whether it was worth starting, but after some thought I decided to take a chance. At first they worked with the whole family, the four of them coped quite well for the first few years. At first there were many failures, it is very important to follow the cultivation technology, otherwise everything will be in vain. I learned over time. I would advise you to grow it on poplar stumps and immediately from the purchased mycelium ”- Marina.
“You need to start a business with a detailed acquaintance with the technology of the process, otherwise time is wasted. At first, while honing his skills, mushrooms went into their own food, and gifts to friends and acquaintances. A couple of years later, he formalized an LLC, began supplying to markets and restaurants. They are in great demand, so it is definitely worth doing this business ”- Stepan.
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Growing mushrooms at home allows you to pamper yourself with this tasty and healthy product all year round, and can also become an excellent source of additional income. Oyster mushrooms are one of the simplest types of mushrooms of their kind. Anyone who has decided to try their hand at mushroom growing can feel like a master growing oyster mushrooms. This variety is very unpretentious and does not require special care. Where is the best place to grow oyster mushrooms at home and what is needed for this? Let's try to figure it out!
Features of growing oyster mushrooms: necessary conditions and premises
Oyster mushrooms or oyster mushrooms are a unique species that can sprout on any soil, be it dry grass, thyrsa, coffee grounds or even cotton fabric. This stunted plant is able to extract nutrients from everything in its environment. Another advantage of the species is its fast growth rate. Already two weeks after sowing, the first crop can be harvested.
Growing oyster mushrooms does not require any special knowledge and skills. The best place for growing oyster mushrooms will be the basement or cellar of a private house. Oyster mushrooms are not thermophilic and do not need a lot of light. If you do not have a basement, they can be grown in a greenhouse in a country house or shed. Despite the simplicity and the absence of excessive maintenance of mushrooms, the growing room must be properly prepared.
The following equipment should be installed in the room and special conditions for growing oyster mushrooms should be created:
- Growing equipment (bags). The choice of equipment depends on the method of growing oyster mushrooms. The most convenient and economical option is bag cultivation. To do this, you need special supports with hangers on which the bags with the substrate are suspended. It is best to use plastic equipment, it does not corrode and is much cheaper. By the way, oyster mushrooms can also be grown on stumps.
- Room temperature. This mushroom does not need high temperatures, so there is no need to create a greenhouse. It will be enough to insulate the room and carry out thermal insulation to retain moisture. Naturally, elementary heating devices must be present so that the temperature does not fall below 13 ° C. An elevated temperature is necessary only at the initial stage after planting the mycelium (22 ° C - 25 ° C). Infrared lamps can be used for additional heating.
- Humidity. Oyster mushrooms are very fond of moisture, so the air in the growing room must be constantly humidified. It is very easy to do this using nebulizers or special electronic humidifiers. The humidity level should be around 70-90%.
- Ventilation and lighting. All mushrooms grow in the fresh air and oyster mushrooms are no exception. The room must be systematically ventilated. This can be done manually, or you can install special hoods that will deliver fresh air. Again, purchasing such equipment is expensive, so unless you plan to grow large quantities of oyster mushrooms for sale, it won't be cost effective. When it comes to lighting, you need to install fluorescent garden lamps. You won't need a lot of them, since this type of mushroom does not require a lot of light.
- Cleanliness and pest free. To grow a large, and most importantly, a healthy crop, the premises must be clean. If the basement is heated by groundwater, and there is fungus or bloom on the walls, this can seriously affect the yield. Mushrooms will hurt, light spots will appear on them, mushrooms will lose their density, become soft. To protect future plantings, it is necessary to disinfect the premises. First, they thoroughly clean the walls, ceiling and floor, remove all dirt and mold.Then, all surfaces are sprayed with a solution of sulfate, and the walls and ceiling are covered with a solution of lime and copper sulfate.
Video: a room for growing oyster mushrooms in the basement
Note! If there is a fungus in the room, it is better not to use it as a greenhouse. High humidity, which is necessary for growing mushrooms, will only aggravate the situation, the disease will affect crops, they will become inedible and poisonous.
How to grow oyster mushrooms at home: growing technology
Having decided on the location of the mushroom greenhouse, after thoroughly disinfecting the premises and installing the necessary equipment, you can proceed to the very process of growing the mushrooms. The technology of growing oyster mushrooms involves several stages.
Video: step-by-step instructions for breeding oyster mushrooms at home
Substrate preparation
The key to a rich harvest is a high-quality substrate. Although it is generally accepted that oyster mushrooms are indiscriminate in this regard, the soil should still be fertile.
The best substrates for breeding oyster mushrooms are:
- dry straw of wheat, barley and buckwheat;
- hardwood sawdust;
- sunflower seed husks;
- dried stalks and cobs of corn.
Choose the amount of substrate according to the amount of mushrooms you want to grow. So, one bag for growing oyster mushrooms is designed for 5 kg of substrate. All components of the substrate must be clean and dry, they must not have mold or rot, and they must not be rotten. It is best to disinfect the selected substrate by heat treatment. Next, you need to grind these components to a fraction of 4-5 cm and mix. Repeated heat treatment for two hours and squeeze out.
Actually, the substrate for growing oyster mushrooms is ready.
Selection and purchase of mycelium
For growing oyster mushrooms at home, it is best to use grain mycelium. It is very convenient to sow and does not require additional processing.
When buying mycelium, pay attention to its appearance. The grains should be yellow with a slight orange tint. It is strictly forbidden to buy mycelium on which dark spots are visible - this is the first indication of the presence of mold. You can also determine the quality of the planting material by smell, it must be fresh and smell like mushrooms. If you smell a slight ammonia smell, it means that the mycelium was stored incorrectly and has deteriorated.
Be sure to pay attention to the manufacturer's company, it is better if it is a well-known and large manufacturer in the seed market, read reviews of gardeners on the Internet. Do not buy large quantities of mycelium at once, take a trial batch. If the mycelium germinates without problems, forms good and healthy myceliums, you can purchase a large batch.
If you want to make your own oyster mushroom mycelium, then read this article.
Landing
Before proceeding with planting, the mycelium must be placed in a room where oyster mushrooms will grow for a day. This is done in order to equalize the temperature and the mycelium does not die from shock.
To grow oyster mushrooms in bags, it is imperative that it first be disinfected or thermally treated. An effective way of processing is washing with a solution of bleach.
The optimal volume of the bag should be at least 5 kg.
Further, the planting of oyster mushroom mycelium or the formation of mushroom blocks is as follows:
- There is a layer-by-layer filling of the bag with a substrate and mycelium. For every 5 centimeters of the substrate, there should be about 0.5 cm of mycelium. The top and bottom layers in the bag should be substrate.
- At the end of the filling of the mushroom block, the bag is tightly tied at the neck.
- Then small holes are cut at a distance of 10 cm from each other, with a diameter of no more than 2 cm. The cuts are best done in a checkerboard pattern.
Attention! The planting of mycelium and the cultivation of oyster mushrooms are carried out in separate rooms, since there is a high risk of infection of myceliums.
Video: how to make a perforation of a mushroom block
Further care
In the period from planting to the formation of myceliums, temperature room air should be 18 ° C - 20 ° C. As soon as they are visible first fungi formations, the temperature is lowered to 13 ° C - 15 ° C. This is the optimum temperature for growing all types of oyster mushrooms.
It is very important to maintain humidity air. Watering the substrate is strictly prohibited, since in wet soil the mycelium begins to rot. Even if the myceliums survive, all the mushrooms will hurt, rot and dark spots will begin to appear on them. To achieve optimal humidity in the room, you can hang wet sheets or any other wet cloth. Open containers with water are left near the heaters, in this way the moisture evaporates faster and saturates the air.
Harvesting
The fruiting period for oyster mushrooms is only 30 - 35 days, which is a very short period. The thing is that these mushrooms have a very high frequency of fruiting: every 7 to 9 days. That is, already 9 days after planting the mycelium, you can harvest the first full harvest.
It is customary to cut the mushrooms with a knife carefully so as not to damage the main root attached to the mycelium. When collecting mushrooms, absolutely all fruits cannot be cut from one mycelium. It is necessary to leave 2 - 3 of the smallest mushrooms on the stem, otherwise the mycelium may dry out and stop bearing fruit.
Video: how to properly harvest oyster mushrooms
Important! After the last crop of mushrooms has been harvested, the substrate and bags must be disposed of. They are not recyclable. The room is well cleaned, ventilated and disinfected. It will be possible to re-breed the mushrooms only 2 weeks after all the harvesting work.
Video: technology for growing oyster mushrooms
Oyster mushroom diseases and pests: control measures and precautions
It happens that during the fruiting period, the mushrooms begin to hurt. A variety of factors can be the cause of such diseases. If all disinfection work has been carried out in the room, diseases should not disturb the crop.
The main number of fungal diseases lies in the substrate... As a rule, bacteria enter along with wet and rotten straw.
Important! If you are not sure about the quality of the substrate, it heat treatedbefore planting the mycelium. It is placed in a large container and poured with boiling water, after which it is boiled for 2 hours, then squeezed and dried.
In a damp substrate, the mushrooms begin to rot, the legs darken and become soft. This disease is called dark rot. If, nevertheless, she overtook the plantings, it is necessary to remove all diseased plants along with the substrate.
Very often oyster mushrooms are attacked mushroom flies, a little less often - ticks. These parasites are also born in the mycelium when the air is too humid and the room is not ventilated. Light pits appear on the mushrooms, like small bites. Naturally, such mushrooms must be removed immediately, and the room must be disinfected. Do this with smoke bomb, which is left for a day in a hermetically sealed room, and then thoroughly ventilate it.
It is necessary to carefully monitor the state of the mushrooms from the formation of the mycelium to the last fruiting. If one of the myceliums is infected, the entire bag will have to be thrown away, and this will significantly reduce the yield increase.
Summarize. Based on all of the above, it can be understood that growing oyster mushrooms at home is a very simple but time-consuming process. To do this, you will need to purchase special equipment, prepare the premises and fertile soil, and purchase high-quality mycelium. Further, it all depends on your patience and hard work.With proper care, up to 9 kg of mushrooms can be harvested from one bag. Growing oyster mushrooms is a great option for getting your first experience in mushroom growing.
Video: how to grow oyster mushrooms at home
Before calculating your profitability and finding a space, think about the following points:
1. Mushrooms are living thingsthey require too much personal presence. In this business, it will not be possible to put a couple of machines, give instructions to employees of such a plan: “Put here, press this, get out from here, pack” and calculate the profit.
An oyster mushroom business, in addition to strict adherence to the technological map of cultivation, also requires understanding:
- microbiological processes occurring in substrates,
- the relationship between the physical phenomena observed in the chamber and biological ones occurring in the growing mushroom. Losses in yield, rejection of fruiting bodies of mushrooms by 95% depends on the correct layout of ventilation, placement of blocks, compliance with all microclimatic parameters (humidification, air temperature, the amount of CO2 - directly near the mushroom cluster).
And if you, after weighing well all the pros and cons, still decide to invest in this business, you will have to learn the materiel - do not believe those who say that growing mushrooms is easy.
2. Growing mushrooms Is PRODUCTION. Like any other, it requires start-up capital, special knowledge, skills and abilities.
3. It is better to work out a strategy for the formation and development of production with a specialist. He will take into account all the nuances of your specific case, offer a scheme for a convenient, logical, compact placement of all production facilities and equipment. But, even if you hire a competent technologist or design firm, you will have to delve into all the details, to the smallest detail, at least at first. After all, you need to know and understand not only the subtleties of production, but also the biological characteristics of the development of mushrooms.
4. Any, even the smallest "garage" economy, operating on purchased blocks, is easier initially to do correctly than to redo it later, having our own bitter experience of "full of bumps".
5. Oyster mushroom, of course, can grow "anywhere" and "as necessary" - as some online teachers promise - the sellers of audio discs. But in this case, you need to come to terms with the lack of productivity, forget about profitability - then it will be your hobby.
There is a lot of information about the mushroom business on the Internet, it is contradictory, and it is quite difficult to understand it. Many sites say that mushroom growing is a low-cost, profitable business; there are also calculations of profitability that promise you 100% per annum.
I can assure you that 100% profitability will not come earlier than after 2-3 years of doing the mushroom business. This is if you initially correctly equip the room for growing oyster mushrooms, install ventilation, calculate the substrate load, create a microclimate.
It is necessary to understand that this craft will become profitable only when your equipment provides conditions for the full development and growth of mushrooms, because profitability directly depends on the growth rate and quality of oyster mushroom fruiting bodies, as well as its yield.
For many, the opposite happens: focusing on the sweet promises of "profitable business plans for growing oyster mushrooms," newcomers to the mushroom business are making the nursery chambers wrong.
Many profitability calculations are based on the simplest household appliances - a 2 kW fan heater, an ultrasonic room humidifier, and an axial kitchen fan. Indeed, it costs a penny, but absolutely not suitable for the mushroom business. As a result, the first season passes with a deep monetary disadvantage. And the money has already been invested, maybe small, but significant for the mushroom grower!
Having convinced from their own experience that mushroom growing is not an easy job, mushroom pickers begin to look for reliable information, remodel their greenhouses, sheds, cellars.
Equipment for mushroom growing.Premises for growing oyster mushrooms.
The initial costs are substantial.
Moreover, regardless of the tonnage that you are going to grow, you will have to buy a system that provides a microclimate for oyster mushrooms. Its cost, of course, depends on the volume of the room, but most often it is more profitable to pay a little more, buy a more powerful system and grow more mushrooms - the profitability of production will be higher by reducing the cost of oyster mushrooms.
In winter and summer, the premises need a constant temperature (14-160C), high humidity (87-92%), a certain level of CO2 (as a rule, not higher than 900 ppm).
You cannot warm the air in the chamber with batteries along the walls - this greatly dries the air in the room, warm floors - this disrupts moisture exchange.
The stability of the parameters in the growing chamber is ensured by a ventilation system with air ducts, which will distribute prepared air through the chamber.
The air preparation system includes:
- two fans - forcing and exhausting, the power of which depends on the amount of substrate that is in the chamber (depending on the method of arranging the blocks for 1 ton of substrate, 200 to 300 cubic meters / h of air is needed),
- heat exchanger and air cooler,
- humidity maintenance system (nozzles, disc or ultrasonic humidifiers).
Depending on the region where you live, to receive 1 ton of mushroom per month (taking into account the heating of all premises of the enterprise), you need a boiler from 10 to 15 sq.
All this requires a lot of money.
The production of blocks also requires special equipment for the manufacture of the substrate.
Calculate yourself:
camera load with blocks and their location,
what settings are needed for a chamber of a certain volume,
how much does the equipment for growing oyster mushrooms cost,
what costs per month expect you,you can use these books.
Seasonality of sales of oyster mushrooms.
And it should also be taken into account that mushroom consumption is not uniform throughout the year.
From year to year, there are two periods of sales activity - the entire December with a peak in sales just before the New Year and the month before Easter, again - with a peak during strict fasting just before Easter.
In early May, demand drops sharply, throughout May, June, July, demand is extremely low, it grows slowly in August and September, and stabilizes in October.
In rainy years in the fall, the product price can be low for two reasons -
firstly, a large mass of forest mushrooms,
secondly, due to favorable weather conditions, the yield (and, consequently, the shaft) of the grown mushrooms increases. This fact must be taken into account when planning production.
Many, even small enterprises, prefer to preserve oyster mushrooms during a sales recession. Less often, drying is chosen, followed by the manufacture of mushroom powder.
If all this does not bother you, and you are determined to start -
To start growing oyster mushrooms
First of all, you need to decide what you will start from - from the area of the premises you have or from the number of mushrooms that you plan to grow in a month. Already, depending on this, look for a suitable room.
It is also necessary to immediately decide whether you will work on purchased blocks or make them on your own.
In the case of working on purchased blocks, you will need two types of premises - an incubator and a growing chamber (hall) (the so-called two-zone system) or at least three growing chambers (with a one-zone system) - if you bring in freshly made blocks that will hang the entire production cycle. The conditions for overgrowing blocks, and then fruiting, in this case, are regulated by the microclimate.
From 1 sq. m. area per month you can get 10-12 kg of mushrooms (with a single-zone system), and 12-15 kg with a two-zone system. But don't forget:
- with a two-zone system, you also need an incubator.
- the bags are in the growing chamber for more than a month! If you work in two waves, then about 40 -42 days with a two-zone system, 54-56 days with a single-zone system.
By the way, it is this time factor that is not taken into account when calculating profitability: because with a two-zone system, it is more correct to calculate the turnover of blocks not in a month, but in 40 days. Thus, if you work from September to April inclusive, then the revolutions will be not 8, but only 6. And the profitability of growing oyster mushrooms will be lower than you might expect.
The ratio of incubation and room for distillation of oyster mushrooms should be somewhere around 1: 2.5 -3.
With large areas of growing rooms, you will need several incubators (for ease of maintenance), the ratio can grow up to 1: 2.
Thus, if you have a room of about 100 sq. m., you can place there no more than 12-14 tons of substrate (this is about 1400 blocks of 10 kg each), plus you will need another room of about 40-50 sq.m. for incubation. You can get from this area about 1 ton of mushroom per month.
If you count mathematically, then there should be more, but ... unfortunately, in practice, it turns out no more than a ton, in some months (in October, sometimes in April) there may be 1.5 tons, then all the blocks are covered in bunches, as in this Photo.
But it is impossible to calculate the total profitability based on these figures. Higher yields can be obtained using fully automated growing chambers. This is aerobatics. Sensors, controllers, servos, a computer program - all this will cost about 80 thousand hryvnia (at least $ 3,000). It makes sense to install such automation if you plan to grow about 10 tons of mushroom per month.
If the blocks are made independently, premises for their production are also required. It is highly desirable that they be located separately from the growing chambers.
If this is not possible, and the entire production will be located under one roof, it is necessary to think over the block movement scheme in such a way as to maintain a low bacterial background at the enterprise.
Preparation of substrate for oyster mushrooms and various technologies for processing raw materials.
It is important to find a supplier of quality mycelium (also called mycelium). It is better to pay more for branded mycelium, which is made from the original uterine culture, than to buy cheaply a subcultured one: it is weakened, may have deviations from the culture of the strain. All this causes a delay in the development of blocks, their yield will be low.
The criteria for choosing oyster mushroom mycelium here.
Depending on the chosen development strategy for your farm, I help
- choose the optimal scheme for using the premises and the location of equipment in them,
- calculating the ventilation system
- I paint a technological map of the microclimate for all stages of development and fruiting of oyster mushrooms.
See the Consultation section.
If you have a small household mushroom farm, read the articles under the heading "Growing oyster mushrooms at home"
