Mycelium grow mushrooms in straw. All means are good: how to grow champignons on sawdust and straw. The process of sprouting mycelium during the incubation period

“Dear editor!

I sincerely thank you for such a useful and people need newspaper. For a simple rural worker, she is an indispensable adviser. I wish you creative success and prosperity.

Also, I have a question for you. I heard that oyster mushrooms can be grown on ordinary bales of straw, which are previously kept in water for some time. Tell us more about this technology.

Valery Pavlovich Nedelko,Chernivtsi»

Dear Valery Pavlovich! Thank you for your kind words and love for our newspaper. We are happy to discuss topics of interest to you.

Growing oyster mushrooms on straw bales

Indeed, there is a way to grow oyster mushrooms on straw bales. And in fact, it is initially soaked - “sour”.

Why is this being done? The fact is that oyster mushroom mycelium is very sensitive and grafting mycelium in classical cultivation on straw bales (even if it is of perfect quality), i.e. simply by pouring water, mycelium damage by mold fungi is possible. To deal with this, we developed new way: a bale of straw is subjected to anaerobic fermentation, similar to how it happens when sauerkraut. During fermentation, microorganisms create an acidic environment. In this environment, unwanted fungi and bacteria cannot exist, but this does not apply to oyster mushrooms. Its mycelium can spread in fermented (fermented) straw, dominating competing organisms.

For this method, any straw of cereal crops is used: winter and spring wheat, barley, oats, rice. The main thing is that it should not be treated with antifungal agents or herbicides.

So, it is important to initially decide which species you want to grow: gray-blue oyster mushrooms, with dense pulp or light brown, more tender. It is also important to plan the timing of the harvest. The best time for laying mycelium of summer oyster mushroom is May and June, winter - from July to September.

Straw fermentation process

To obtain straw that does not contain unnecessary microorganisms, we subject the bale to a fermentation procedure before grafting. Then it is completely immersed in water for several weeks. Do not allow the bale to come into contact with oxygen. Therefore, it is necessary to use a large container (a rainwater barrel or an old bathtub). To prevent the straw from floating up, install the weight.

Building a container

Under the container, you can build a large box, which is lined with a strong plastic film or wrap a bale of straw in a fairly thick (at least 0.2 mm) film.

You will need a rectangular piece of film with a length of at least 2.5 m. The bale is laid on straw and all four corners are folded at the top. To fill the briquette with water and allow the gases formed during fermentation to escape, a hole must be left on top.

You can, for example, pull the corners of the film around a short and wide plastic tube. Tie the whole structure thoroughly and firmly so that the water pressure does not separate the ends of the film.

Additional stability of this temporary container can be given by wrapping it several times with adhesive tape (scotch tape). Now you can fill the "design" with water from the hose.

Whatever container you use, it is important that the bale is always covered with water. It must be checked regularly, and if necessary, immediately add water.

Straw fermentation process

How quickly the fermentation process ends depends on the temperature. At an average temperature (about 20 ° C) it will pass in 2 weeks, at 15 ° C it will last a week longer, and at 10 ° C it will go with great difficulty. Of course, straw can also be fermented in the cool season if the container is installed in a room with a constant temperature.

In summer, a semi-shaded place is ideal. In a bale that has been in the water for a long time, the straw acquires a light yellow color and has a sour smell.

Now it is necessary to let the water drain, for about a day, and then inoculate the mycelium.

Cultivation of oyster mushrooms. Mycelium grafting

It should be noted that in this method it is not worth using oyster mushroom grown on straw, as it grows poorly. It is better to take a planting mycelium grown on wheat grains.

They planted a mushroom picker, wrapped it in foil, pierced it with pitchforks

To inoculate the mycelium, it is necessary to make holes (15-20 cm deep) on the upper and side surfaces of the bale with a sharp peg. Then, in these holes, add seed (2-3 tablespoons of planting mycelium). Cover holes with straw. At the same time, it is necessary to maintain cleanliness and disturb the sensitive mycelium as little as possible. The remaining grains are scattered over the straw.

Freshly grafted bales are wrapped in plastic wrap, in which about two dozen holes are made with a fork.

During the growth of oyster mushrooms, the film prevents ventilation, resulting in an increase in the content carbon dioxide secreted by mycelium, and in this environment, fungi develop better. In addition, the film protects the bale from rain and prevents rapid drying.

Temperature regime

In order for mycelium to grow rapidly in straw, the temperature should not be below 15 ° C. It is better if it is from 20 to 25 ° C. However, the temperature in the straw bale must not exceed 30°C, otherwise the mycelium will die. In a shady place, the bale is unlikely to get so hot.

The temperature can be controlled with a thermometer. If necessary, you can remove the film for a while until the temperature is below 30°C. Depending on the temperature, after 3-5 weeks, a bale of straw is overgrown with oyster mushroom mycelium.

Ripening and harvesting

Now the bale must be transferred to his permanent place. Or you can leave it here. The film must be removed. In prolonged rainy weather, you can cover the bale with perforated film or build a simple canopy. In dry weather, the surface of the straw must be constantly slightly moistened, otherwise small mushrooms may dry out. No more than 1 liter of water is poured onto a bale of straw at a time.

Depending on the weather and temperature, the first small fungi appear after 2-3 weeks. It takes about 10 days for them to reach harvest maturity. It is best to pick mushrooms when the edges of their caps take a horizontal position. Most often, oyster mushrooms grow in bushes.

When most of the specimens are ripe, the entire bush is carefully torn off. Over the next 2-3 months, if the temperature remains suitable for this type of mushroom, several waves of oyster mushrooms follow.

The culture of oyster mushroom is quite frost-resistant. In winter, oyster mushroom can bear fruit through December, without requiring heating.

The exhausted bale of straw crumbles. Such straw can be used in the garden for loosening. From one bale of straw you can get 4-5 kg of mushrooms.

Possible mistakes when growing oyster mushrooms

Growing oyster mushrooms can end in complete failure if a bale of hay is flooded with water.
Long rains are also a cause of failure if the bale is not well protected.
If instead of white mycelium you find green, red or yellow threads, then molds have settled here. The reason may be insufficient cleanliness of work, contaminated straw, improper fermentation or sterilization. Severely affected substrate must be destroyed.
When growing oyster mushrooms on hay bales, hay dung beetles may appear first, but oyster mushroom mycelium usually overcomes them.
Oyster mushrooms hardly suffer from worms, unless they are allowed to overripe.
Slugs are a great danger: they can destroy small mushrooms overnight with almost no residue. Therefore, the place where the bales are located must be enclosed in the form of a ring of wood ash or small sawdust. The long-known "beer traps" can serve well.
Mice love planting mycelium and deftly pull out delicious grains with mycelium from freshly grafted bales of straw. So it is necessary to put mousetraps in a timely manner.
If indoor oyster mushrooms have disproportionately long legs, there is a lack of air or light - perhaps both.

Dear Valery Pavlovich and all our readers! Growing at home is now very popular. And the method, which we talked about in this issue of the newspaper, will certainly be of interest to many. As for the results, they will always be successful if you do things with great desire, love and good thoughts.

Andrey Pashkovsky

Growing oyster mushrooms is a very interesting and exciting process. But you can make mistakes in any business.

The technology for growing oyster mushrooms is divided into two types: extensive (growing in natural conditions under minimal cost) and intensive method (growing in artificial conditions).

Therefore, before starting work, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of these mushrooms. Each gardener grows oyster mushrooms in his own way, since the rules and methods, the technology of this process depend on the conditions of production and personal experience mushroom lovers.

Substrate preparation work

Growing oyster mushrooms is not possible on ordinary soil, for this you need a substrate. For its preparation, the following components are needed:

sunflower husk;
sawdust of deciduous trees.

The substrate must necessarily meet certain quality criteria in order to ensure proper cultivation oyster mushroom

Sunflower husk should be:

fresh;
without foreign impurities;
not very wet (no more than 30%).

To grow one mushroom block, you need to use 25 liters of dry substrate. If you measure in buckets, you get 2.5 buckets.

Oyster mushrooms are grown in special beds. To create them, you need to buy plastic bags measuring 350x750 mm. First you need to measure the area where oyster mushrooms will be grown, then calculate how many bags you need for such an area. Bags do not need to be processed, they are immediately ready for use.

When the beds are ready, you need to start buying mycelium. Without mycelium, mushrooms will not be able to grow, since it is the beginning of the fungus.

Mycelium is the vegetative body of actinomycetes (bacteria) and fungi. This raw material is necessary in order to start growing oyster mushrooms.

To create one mushroom block, you need 150-200 g of such raw materials.

Mycelium storage at home occurs:

during the day at a temperature of +20 to +24 degrees;
three days at a temperature of +15 to +18 degrees;
14 days (two weeks) at temperatures from 0 to +2 degrees;
Within a month at a temperature of -2 to 0 degrees.

So that the mushrooms can grow faster, a growth stimulator and activator is added. Growth stimulants are organic substances that can increase yield by 30% and significantly speed up the growing process. Usually, powder additives are used at the stage of substrate treatment, and liquid additives are added to the substrate before sowing the mycelium.

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How is the substrate properly processed?

A bioactivator (1-2%) is added to the substrate. You can replace bioadditives with slaked lime and grain waste. All this is mixed up. The mixture is placed in a polypropylene bag and tied.

Next is soaking (pasteurization). To do this, a bag of organic matter is placed in a container and filled with hot water, the temperature of which should be + 65-70 degrees. In water, the substrate should be soaked for about 3 hours, then for about 8 hours the water should be allowed to drain from the substrate. Its temperature should drop to + 20-26 degrees.

Inoculation is the process of seeding mycelium. Mycelium should be moist and loose. The conditions for the mycelium must be strictly observed: the temperature before planting should be room temperature (+21 degrees), so 3 hours before planting it must be removed from the refrigerator.

It is necessary to knead the mycelium with clean hands and put it in a clean, disinfected dish.

If you decide to buy oyster mushroom mycelium, it is important to follow a few simple recommendations. It is better to buy from trusted suppliers by purchasing trial lots. Take an interest in the variety and strain of the fungus (label on the package), the percentage and rate of grain fouling, mold resistance, and shelf life.

At the time of inoculation, the mycelium should be at room temperature. Planting is easiest with two people. One person should hold the bag, the other should pour the substrate into it and add a little mycelium in the ratio of 150-180 g of mycelium per 7-8 kg of substrate. The mixture must be thoroughly mixed. You will get one mushroom block.

You can plant as many blocks as you like. It all depends on how much space and raw materials are available for growing oyster mushrooms. The contents of the bag must be crushed by hand, compacting the substrate, there should be no space left at the bottom of the bag. As a result, the bag is tightly tied.

We put mushroom blocks in the room for a day. Next, we make holes in the corners of the bag to drain unwanted moisture and make cuts throughout the bag to let air in.

Here now mushroom blocks completely ready for growing oyster mushrooms. Another block is called mushroom beds.

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The process of sprouting mycelium during the incubation period

Normal growth of mycelium takes place at room temperature, with periodic ventilation and the presence of light. Watering is not required.

The most important conditions for the growth of mycelium is the correct temperature regime.

After a couple of days, white spots will appear on the substrate. These are mushrooms. So, the process of growing oyster mushrooms went to the right direction. Blocks should be placed vertically, at a distance from each other. The instructions for sprouting mycelium states that if the temperature inside the block is above 26 degrees, then ventilation of the room is necessary. It should be remembered that the temperature in the room is 4 degrees lower than inside the bag. If the temperature drops, then the conditions for the growth of mycelium will be unsuitable.

After a week, the surface of the substrate acquires a light brown hue, and after two weeks, the substrate turns into a dense white block.

Fruiting begins due to slits in the bag, where air enters, after about two weeks.

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fruiting processes

Blocks for growing mushrooms are installed in rows, and the diagonal distance between them should be about a meter, but other block arrangements are possible. Selectively, the fruits do not need to be cut. After cutting the first crop, the second will appear in a week.

One of the ways to introduce mycelium: Holes are drilled or filed in the bar, into which the mycelium is introduced, the holes are plugged with moss on top or sealed with adhesive tape

Features of growing oyster mushrooms royal

A very popular and tasty mushroom is called royal oyster mushroom, its hat is larger than that of a regular one. It contains 3 times more protein than other vegetables.

Climatic conditions necessary in order to grow mushrooms, called royal oyster mushroom:

The substrate during the incubation period should have a temperature of 24 degrees.
Humidity in the mushroom block is 70%.
The incubation period lasts about a month.
The concentration of carbon dioxide should be from 5 to 20 thousand ppm.
It is necessary to ventilate the room.
Lighting is not required.

When the time comes to fruit formation, the following conditions are necessary:

The air in the mushroom block should be 17-19 degrees.
Humidity - 95%.
The duration of fruit formation is about a week.
The concentration of carbon dioxide in the air should be between 500 and 1000 ppm.

When fruiting, the following conditions are needed for the existence of oyster mushrooms in a mushroom block:

Temperature - 14-16 degrees.
The air humidity inside is 85-90%.
Fruiting takes about 8 days.
Airing the room is essential to maintain such conditions and for better fruiting.
Lighting should be between 200 and 500 lux.

There are two cycle waves during mushroom fruiting when the pH of the substrate is:

From 7.5 to 8.0 during humidification.
From 6.5 to 7.0 during the replanting of the substrate and mycelium.

Compacted mushroom blocks are placed on the shelves of the incubation room so that the perforated sides do not rest against the wall, having good air access.

Substrate Raw Material:

Straw.
Tree sawdust.
Chopped corn stalks.

Other materials are also possible: grain bran (bean flour) or soy flour, slaked lime, crushed chalk, and limestone.

A different composition of the substrate is possible, each has its own instructions.

First option:

40% - sawdust;
58% - wheat or rice straw;
1% slaked lime;
1% plaster.

Second option:

75% sawdust;
20% straw from rice and wheat;
3% legume and grain bran;
1% slaked lime;
1% plaster.

Third option:

88% cotton;
10% straw from rice and wheat;
1% slaked lime;
1% plaster.

Fourth option:

55% crushed corn cobs;
25% sawdust;
18% wheat and rice straw;
1% slaked lime;
1% plaster.

The process of moistening the substrate is carried out for several days. In this case, the substrate must be thoroughly mixed until completely moistened. Temperature conditions - not lower than 15 degrees Celsius.

During the period when the substrate is moistened, the pH level should be from 7.5 to 8.0.

After moistening the substrate, it must be mixed and put into special containers - collars. The substrate must be in piles for at least 3 days. The formation of mushroom blocks occurs with the help of low-pressure polyethylene bags.

The sterilization process takes place at 100 degrees. The required amount of mycelium at the correct pressure and air temperature is 750 ml per 35 substrate mushroom blocks. Their weight is approximately 2.5 kg.

Straw bales, of course, can be watered in the same way as it is done when growing stropharia, and then grafted with oyster mushroom mycelium.

However, its mycelium is more sensitive than the mycelium of the ringworm. Even if the straw is of perfect quality, the application of this simplest method may well lead to the defeat of the mycelium by mold fungi.

To cope with this, they developed a new method: a bale of straw is subjected to anaerobic fermentation, similar to what happens when sauerkraut is fermented.

During fermentation, microorganisms create an acidic environment. In this environment, unwanted fungi and bacteria cannot exist, but this does not apply to oyster mushrooms.

Its mycelium can spread in fermented straw, dominating competing organisms.

As already mentioned in the section on stropharia. only straw that has not been treated with antifungal agents or Roundup herbicide should be used.

Unlike stropharia, you cannot buy oyster mushroom grown on straw, as it grows poorly. As a rule, planting oyster mushroom mycelium is grown on wheat grains.

One package usually contains 2 liters of mycelium, about 1 liter is required per bale of straw (1 liter of planting mycelium weighs approximately 650 g). Oyster mushroom mushroom in the refrigerator is stored for a short time. At a temperature of 2-4 * C, it will last from 3 to 4 weeks.

So it is advisable to purchase it no earlier than 2 weeks before the planned inoculation, and first of all check its quality. Oyster mushroom mycelium usually coalesces into dense lumps. Shortly before vaccination, the lump must be divided into pieces of a suitable size, if possible without touching the delicate mycelium with your hands. It is best to do this in a closed package.

Before purchasing a mycelium, you need to decide what type of oyster mushroom you want to grow. The choice may be determined by external criteria, for example, whether you like blue-gray mushrooms with dense flesh or light brown, more tender ones.

You also need to think about when it is more convenient for you to harvest: in summer, winter, or almost all year round? In the latter case, there are also two possibilities: either to grow a year-round crop, or to deal with both summer and winter varieties.

The best time for laying mycelium of summer oyster mushroom is May and June, winter - from July to September. Year-round species can be planted from spring to autumn. For better growth, oyster mushrooms require more moisture than stropharia. Therefore, it is necessary to find a place for her in the shade.

Straw preparation

In order to obtain as far as possible a microorganism-free straw, the bale must be fermented before grafting. To do this, the bale must be completely immersed in water for several weeks. Do not allow it to come into contact with oxygen. T

o there will need a fairly deep container, for example, a rain barrel or an old bathtub. A dry bale of straw may float. To prevent this from happening, you need a load.

If there is no suitable container, you can build a fairly large box, which is lined with a strong plastic wrap. If there is neither a ready-made container nor a home-made box, you can wrap a bale of straw in a fairly thick (at least 0.2 mm) film for fermentation.

You can, for example, pull the corners of the film (foil) around a short and wide plastic tube. The entire structure must be thoroughly and firmly tied so that the water pressure does not separate the ends of the film.

Additional stability can be given to this temporary container by wrapping it several times with adhesive tape. Now you can fill it with a hose.

Whatever container you use, it is important, as already mentioned, that the bale is always covered with water. It must be checked regularly and, if necessary, immediately topped up with water. How quickly the fermentation process ends depends on the temperature.

At an average temperature of about 20 * C, it will pass in 2 weeks, at 15 * C it will last a week longer, and at 10 * C it will go with great difficulty. Of course, straw can also be fermented in the cool season if the container is installed in a room with a constant temperature.

In summer, a semi-shaded spot in the garden is ideal. In a bale that has been in water for a long time, the straw acquires a light yellow color and has a sour smell. Now it is necessary to let the water drain, for about a day, and then it will be possible to inoculate the mycelium.

Inoculation, germination phase

Vaccination is carried out in the same way as for ringworms. For each hole, you will need 2-3 tablespoons of planting mycelium. At this stage, it is also necessary to keep cleanliness and disturb the sensitive oyster mushroom mycelium as little as possible. The remaining grains are scattered over the straw.

Freshly grafted bales of straw are wrapped in polyethylene film, in which, for example, about 2 dozen holes are made using a pitchfork.

Oyster mushroom differs from another stropharia feature: with its growth, the content of CO2 increases. The film prevents ventilation, as a result of which the CO2 released by the mycelium does not evaporate immediately.

In addition, the film protects the bale from rain and prevents rapid drying. In order for mycelium to grow rapidly in straw, the temperature should not be lower than 15 * C. It is better if it is from 20 to 25 * C, however, the temperature in a bale of straw should not exceed 30 * C, otherwise the mycelium will die. In a shady place, the bale is unlikely to get so hot.

In semi-shaded - you can control the temperature with a thermometer, if necessary, remove the film for a while until the temperature drops below 30 "C. Depending on the temperature, after 3-5 weeks, a bale of straw is overgrown with oyster mushroom mycelium.

The bale must now be moved to its final location. The film must be removed, otherwise CO2 causes deformation fruit bodies. With a slight lack of fresh air, oyster mushrooms grow with long legs and funnel-shaped hats.

At high concentration CO2 often produces only white growths. Therefore, in prolonged rainy weather, it is better to cover the bale with perforated film.

But you can also build a simple canopy. In dry weather, the surface of the straw must be constantly slightly moistened, otherwise small mushrooms may dry out. No more than 1 liter of water is poured onto a bale of straw at a time.

Ripening, harvesting

Depending on the weather and temperature, the first small fungi appear after 2-3 weeks. It takes about 10 days for them to reach harvest maturity.

It is best to pick mushrooms when the edges of their caps take a horizontal position. More often, oyster mushrooms grow in bushes, the fruiting bodies of individual mushrooms are connected to each other on the common base of the stem.

It makes no sense to separate larger mushrooms, because small ones can die because of this. When most of the specimens are ripe, the entire bush is carefully torn off. Over the next 2-3 months, if the temperature remains suitable for this type of mushroom, several waves of oyster mushrooms follow. On bales grafted in autumn, mushrooms often begin to appear only next year.

The culture of oyster mushroom is quite frost-resistant. In greenhouses, winter oyster mushroom can bear fruit through December, without requiring heating.

The exhausted bale of straw crumbles. Such straw can be used in lard for loosening the soil. From one bale of straw, you can expect to get 4-5 kg of mushrooms.

Causes of possible failures when growing oyster mushrooms

Growing oyster mushrooms can end in complete failure if a bale of hay is flooded with water. Long rains are also a cause of failure if the bale is not properly protected. If instead of white mycelium you find green, red or yellow threads, then molds have settled here.

The reason may be insufficient cleanliness of work, contaminated straw, improper fermentation or sterilization. Severely affected substrate must be destroyed.

When growing oyster mushrooms on hay bales, as in the case of ringworms, dung beetles or peppers may appear first, but oyster mushroom mycelium usually overcomes them. Oyster mushrooms hardly suffer from worms, unless they are allowed to overripe.

Slugs pose a great danger: they can destroy small mushrooms almost without a trace overnight, and mushroom growers will then wonder why mushrooms do not want to appear from a well-grown mycelium.

From snails and slugs, the measures already mentioned in the description of methods for growing ringworm help. Mice love planting mycelium and deftly pull out delicious grains with mycelium from freshly grafted bales of straw. So if necessary, it is necessary to put mousetraps in a timely manner.

If indoor oyster mushrooms have disproportionately long legs, there is a lack of air or light - perhaps both.

Growing oyster mushrooms does not require large expenditures (neither financial nor time). However, in order to achieve good yields, certain rules must be observed for the premises where mushrooms are grown and for the quality of the substrate.

Culture methods

Any cellulose-containing material can be used to grow oyster mushrooms: straw, hardwood sawdust, paper are suitable for this purpose. Existing methods allow the cultivation of oyster mushrooms both in special rooms and on summer cottages and also grow mushrooms at home.

All methods of growing oyster mushrooms can be divided into extensive and intensive. Extensive methods include cultivation in natural conditions. Intensive methods are the cultivation of mushrooms in special rooms where the appropriate atmosphere, lighting and humidity are maintained.

intensive method

The intensive method means that the cultivation of oyster mushrooms takes place in a room where the necessary microclimate is artificially created. When using this method, it becomes possible to grow oyster mushrooms throughout the year in large quantities. Mushrooms develop in 8-10 weeks. This means that up to four mushroom crops can be harvested per year.

The technology is quite complex, it is suitable only for industrial production.

Straw of cereal crops, as a rule, is the basis for creating a substrate. Suitable for this purpose: wheat, rye, millet, oats. In addition, corn stalks and stalks can be used, as well as rice straw and sunflower husks.

Special substances are also added to the substrate, which are well absorbed by oyster mushroom mycelium. As a rule, these are components containing nitrogen, for example, grass meal. The addition of such substances increases the yield by 35-40%.

The substrate in the preparation process passes through grinding, moisturizing and heat treatment. It is crushed in special mechanisms - feed cutters. Then comes the moisturizing step.

Substrate moistening

Pasteurization (soaking) is carried out with hot water (+65°-70°C). Water must completely cover the substrate

In order to moisten the straw, it is poured with water and placed in a special container. Straw stalks have a waxy layer that prevents moisture from penetrating, so it takes several days to fully hydrate. You can speed up the process by using hot water.

Check the readiness of the substrate by squeezing it in your hand. In this case, water appears between the fingers of the palm.

Heat treatment

In order for the growing process to proceed correctly, it is necessary to protect oyster mushrooms from competitive microflora. The substrate contains microorganisms that will inhibit the growth of fungi. Therefore, it must be sterilized. For this purpose, they resort to heat treatment or pasteurization.

The usual is heat treatment, which is heating the substrate to a certain temperature and keeping it in this state for some time. Sometimes they just soak it in boiling water. The duration of the process is about an hour. The essential advantage of this method is that it eliminates the previous step - soaking, which saves time.

As a rule, boiling water is used in small enterprises where there is not much material to be processed.

Pasteurization

Substrate pasteurization chamber: 7 - supply ventilation channel; 2 - air purification filters; 3 - control valves; 4 - internal air clearance channel; 5 - air duct; b - fan; 7 - distributing channel; 8 - substrate; 9 - exhaust ventilation channel

In large-scale production, the substrate is more often subjected to pasteurization, as this allows you to completely eliminate the development of microorganisms in the material and makes mushroom growing as successful as possible.

The room for sterilization is an oblong box, the width of which is 2-4 m, and there is a special vapor-proof coating on the walls and ceiling.

Above the floor, at a height of 50-60 cm, there is a wooden grate on which the substrate is laid. Further, low-pressure steam is supplied to the room through the air duct using a powerful fan. Requires circulation of fresh air and steam. Excess air is removed through another air duct, where the exhaust fan is located. To control the situation in the chamber there are devices that measure temperature and pressure.

During pasteurization, the substrate slowly heats up to 60 degrees, then cools down to 50-55 degrees. It stays in this state for 15-18 hours, while fresh air circulates in the room all the time. Then the material is cooled to 25-30 degrees.

The duration of the process depends on the density of the substrate. It takes 50-60 hours to process straw, 120-140 hours for bark and shavings.

Pasteurization is very important in mushroom production, because without such treatment, the oyster mushroom mycelium ends up infected with microorganisms that subsequently inhibit the mushrooms.

After processing, the substrate is placed in plastic bags, boxes or special containers. Then the material is inoculated with fungal mycelium.

Substrate laying and cultivation

At the stage of inoculation, cleanliness should be observed and the sensitive oyster mushroom mycelium should be disturbed as little as possible. Freshly grafted bales of straw are wrapped in polyethylene film, in which, for example, about 2 dozen holes are made using a pitchfork

Inoculation is carried out simultaneously with the placement of the substrate in containers or bags. As a rule, oyster mushroom seeds are placed in layers, first 5-7 cm of substrate are placed, then a layer of mycelium, etc.

After that, the bags are closed, and the boxes are covered with foil or film, in which a hole has been made. Then they are placed in a special room, where the necessary conditions are maintained. Humidity should be high (90-95%), and the temperature can vary between 18-22 degrees. Oyster mushroom mycelium develops within 20 days, although germination can take place even faster if the temperature in the mushroom block, that is, the container with the substrate, is higher.

After 5 days, you can see a white coating, which is a sign of the development of mycelium. On the tenth day, the surface of the substrate acquires a white or cream tint. This means that the oyster mushroom mycelium penetrates the substrate to the full depth.

It is important to remember that there must be fresh air in the room, otherwise yeasts and bacteria will develop, preventing the growth of oyster mushrooms.

By the end of mycelium development, the material turns into a dense homogeneous mass, which is called a mushroom block.

The cultivation of royal oyster mushroom is somewhat different in technology, which is very much appreciated because it promotes the processing of cholesterol in the body. It grows much slower than other mushrooms. In general, the technology in this case is the same as in the cultivation of other species, but it is necessary to compost the substrate and use a cover mixture to control the temperature.

Fruiting

To grow fruiting bodies, mushroom blocks are transferred to a room where the necessary microclimate is also created, the main components of which are lighting, temperature (18-20 degrees), humidity (90-95%) and fresh air.

Long rows are formed from mushroom blocks, 1 meter high and 60 cm wide, a passage is left between the rows for personnel access to seedlings. The floor and walls of the growing room are constantly treated with water so that the air humidity is high. Mushrooms appear in 10-15 days.

Harvesting

Oyster mushrooms ripen in clusters, they are twisted out of the substrate or cut off at the base so as not to damage the mycelium. After 10-15 days, the second wave of harvest appears.

There can be up to four harvest waves during the fruiting process, but the largest number of mushrooms is harvested during the first.

After fruiting is completed, the mushroom blocks are removed, and the growing room is disinfected with a chlorine solution, closed for several days, and then thoroughly ventilated. Then you can download a new batch. Up to four such cycles can be performed per year.

The most profitable is the cultivation of champignons in the village, when there is own farm and pets. Useful products of farms are sawdust and manure. Using these resources, you can significantly minimize the cost of production. In other cases, you need to think about the possibilities of purchasing much-needed raw materials, and given high demand sometimes it is not easy to get several tons of manure. However, if desired, suitable inexpensive sources can be found. By the way, farmers who start such a business are entitled to good subsidies from the state.

In addition to the premises and raw materials, you will need equipment, especially if you plan to produce compost yourself. After all, loading 20 tons of compost manually is unlikely to succeed. It is necessary to have a tractor, the necessary equipment and workers to maintain the mushroom farm.

Sawdust as an alternative to straw

Mushrooms grow on a specially prepared substrate. The yield largely depends on the quality of its preparation. The two main components of the substrate are manure and straw. They are used in a 1:1 ratio. Sawdust can be used instead of straw. This is done extremely rarely, but in recent years this method has become increasingly popular.

If a woodworking shop is located near the farm, then getting sawdust is much easier and cheaper than straw. But there is a very important point here: wood waste should only be from hardwood. Given that at the sawmill they usually cut everything in a row and do not separate the sawdust, it is more correct to purchase raw materials from conifers.