Growing oyster mushrooms in bags with husks. Oyster mushrooms: cultivation, care and proper harvesting. Growing oyster mushrooms on a substrate in a trench

Growing oyster mushrooms at home in bags not only provides a fresh, healthy product to the table. This exciting activity often becomes a hobby that brings additional income, or develops into a business. Home care for oyster mushrooms is simple, and high nutritional qualities provide mushrooms with continued popularity.

How to grow oyster mushrooms in bags

Independent home production is convenient in that a stable harvest can be obtained despite the weather or season. Knowing the characteristics of the growth of mushrooms in bags, it is realistic to plan the harvest by the right time.

Growing oyster mushrooms at home is a laborious but not difficult process. To obtain domestic mushrooms, you will need a small room, a set of simple devices and knowledge of several principles of cultivation.

Room preparation

Any premises where it is possible to create an appropriate microclimate are suitable for home production of oyster mushrooms in bags. It can be a cellar, basement, veranda, pantry or extension. important principle successful cultivation of oyster mushrooms in bags at home is the observance of sterility.

For disinfection, a solution of ordinary lime (4%) is required. The walls, ceiling, floor are treated with the composition and the room is closed for 24 hours. Then ventilate the room until the smell disappears completely, all surfaces dry out.

Growing oyster mushrooms at home in bags requires high humidity and a constant temperature. It is necessary to ensure the flow of fresh air, the flow of light. If there is no access to the sun, artificial lighting will be enough.

Necessary equipment

For cold rooms when growing in bags, it is worth purchasing a heating device, additionally insulating walls and floors. To control the constancy of the microclimate, you need a thermometer.

Direct sunlight is harmful to oyster mushrooms. Growing mushrooms in bags at home, it is enough to equip the room with fluorescent lamps.

To maintain humidity, conventional spray guns are often used. In the home production of oyster mushrooms for sale, modern air humidifiers are used, based on vaporization or fine spraying of water.

For ventilation when growing in bags, supply and exhaust ventilation can be equipped. In a small home, a household fan will do just fine.

Choice of bags

For home cultivation of oyster mushrooms, translucent plastic bags are chosen, with a wall thickness of about 70 microns. Special attention should be paid to the strength of the packages if it is decided to hang them on supports.

The size of the bags depends on the specific household conditions and may vary. The most convenient for home growing are packages from 40 * 60 cm to 50 * 100, with a minimum capacity of about 5 kg.

Buying mycelium

Seed material (mycelium) is purchased at garden centers or at enterprises for growing oyster mushrooms. By the industrial method, the mycelium is used for no more than 12 months, and then sold. She is able to bear fruit for a long time at home.

Important! Quality mycelium for growing in bags from the store has a yellow or orange color, without dark blotches, spots.

The mushroom picker, from purchase to use, must be stored in the refrigerator. Before planting, it is kept at room temperature for at least a day. They are kneaded without breaking the packaging, and sent to a room prepared for growing at home. This gradual warming protects the material from thermal shock.

Substratum for planting

You can find a ready-made substrate for growing in a store different types mushrooms. No less effective is the preparation of the mixture at home, so oyster mushrooms in bags will be more cost-effective, their production will be much cheaper.

Suitable raw materials:

Wheat or barley straw - are considered the best substrate for oyster mushrooms.
Buckwheat husks or sunflower seed husks - require minimal heat treatment.
Corn stalks and cobs - should be crushed before being bagged.

For growing oyster mushrooms on sawdust in bags, it is recommended to use only hardwoods. Mycelium does not grow well on coniferous wood with a lot of resins.

Comment! Too small sawdust cakes and does not allow the oyster mushroom mycelium to grow freely. Such a substrate is recommended to be mixed with larger fractions.

You can create a mixture of these components in any proportion when grown in bags. Sawdust is an exception. When using chopped wood at home, impurities should not exceed 3% by weight.

Preliminary preparation of the substrate when growing in bags:

steaming in water with an initial temperature of about 70 ° C from 5 to 6 hours (for husks and husks);
if possible, boil the mixture for about 2 hours (for straw and sawdust);
squeezing the substrate to a state where water does not flow, but oozes a little through clenched fingers (about 75% humidity);
it is useful to enrich the home mixture with urea and superphosphate, taking no more than 0.5% of each fertilizer;
limestone and crushed gypsum are mixed at the rate of 2% of the total mass.

If the mixture for bags is purchased ready-made, be sure to read the instructions on the package. Homemade oyster mushrooms, mushrooms, champignons require a different composition.

Formation of mushroom blocks

Oyster mushrooms in bags are grown in the form of blocks that replace the beds. The packages are filled according to certain rules, which speeds up the growing season and increases the home yield.

Principles of forming blocks at home:

The bags are filled with substrate and inoculum in layers. The nutrient mixture (about 5 cm) is laid first, the mycelium is thinly distributed on it. The layers are alternated and the substrate is left on top.
For 1 kg of the mixture when grown in bags, up to 60 g of mycelium is used. At least 200 g of mycelium are spent on a package with a capacity of 10 liters.
Oyster mushroom mycelium in bags is distributed so that most of it (up to 80%) is near the walls, the remaining amount is poured into the center.
Laying should not be loose: for 1 liter of volume - 0.5 kg of the mixture.
2/3 filled bags are tightly tied and small holes (up to 2 cm) are cut, placing them every 10 cm.

Important! The germination rate of mycelium at home depends on the number of layers. The more mycelium, the faster it matures.

How to care for oyster mushrooms in bags

The formed blocks are stored without access to light, the maturation of the mycelium takes place at a constant temperature from +18 to +23 ° C. Incubation period accelerates if the room is not ventilated. It is not necessary to water ripening blocks. In 10–14 days, the mycelium grows, the contents of the bags become white, and a characteristic mushroom smell appears.

Home incubation of oyster mushrooms is completed three weeks after planting. The room can be ventilated or the blocks can be moved to another location. Sprouted oyster mushrooms in bags will require a certain humidity, temperature and lighting.

Temperature and Humidity

The permissible temperature range for growing oyster mushrooms is quite wide: from 16 to 30 ° C. It is important to maintain the initial conditions at the same level for the entire period. Permissible fluctuations are no more than 2 ° C, otherwise the crop may die.

Comment! The color of oyster mushrooms depends on the growing temperature: at +20 °C, the caps are light, at +30 °C, they are much darker.

Humidity for home cultivation should not fall below 50%. The optimal indicators for the rapid growth of oyster mushrooms are from 70 to 95%.

The appearance of seedlings is evidenced by bumps on the bags, which are formed next to the holes. Young oyster mushrooms, collected in clusters, mushroom growers call muzzles. With their appearance, intensive irrigation of the bags begins.

How to water oyster mushrooms in bags

Mushrooms grown in bags do not require watering with a substrate for active growth. In home nurseries, the goal is to create a very humid microclimate. The muzzles emerging from the bags are able to grow to removable sizes in a matter of days. Moist air is sufficient for this.

Watering oyster mushrooms in bags is done twice a day. Substrate bags, floors and walls are sprayed manually, or special units are used. Open containers with water can be installed near the heating devices. A small home production can do without special humidifiers.

Important! The room where oyster mushrooms are grown is constantly filled with many mushroom spores - the strongest allergens. Wear a mask and goggles while working.

How to cut oyster mushrooms from a bag

Mordia are formed next to the holes. For their free growth, the incisions on the bags are expanded. Most often, homemade oyster mushrooms are ready for harvest in 5-7 days.

Thus, the first harvest can be obtained 40-45 days after planting. It will be 70% of the total fecundity of the block. The next wave of oyster mushrooms will be ready for harvest in 14 days (about 20%). The third crop per bag (10%) is expected in two weeks.

In order to get oyster mushrooms without loss, they must be properly removed from the bags without damaging the mycelium. Collection features:

oyster mushrooms are cut with a sharp knife with a thin blade (clerical is suitable);
mushrooms are removed in clusters, which prolongs the period of home storage;
leave several young oyster mushrooms from each family to prolong the growing season.

The amount of home harvest directly depends on the volume of the package. About 3 kg of oyster mushrooms are obtained from a bag weighing 10 kg.

Oyster mushroom storage

If the mushrooms are not used immediately, they will need storage containers. It is best to use plastic containers, packing up to 1000 g each.

Shelf life of homemade oyster mushrooms at different temperatures:

in room conditions without cooling - up to 24 hours;
in the refrigerator at +5 ° C, oyster mushrooms lie for 4 days;
-2 °C temperature increases shelf life up to 20 days;
freezing preserves oyster mushrooms for six months;
deep freeze (-18 ° C) - for a year.

Before storing, homemade oyster mushrooms are not recommended to be moistened, otherwise they absorb water, quickly lose their shape and consistency.

Difficulties in growing

Compliance with the rules does not always guarantee a plentiful harvest of oyster mushrooms. The main enemy of home plantations is mold, fungus, and fruit midge damage. The main cause of infections is an infected block or its waterlogging.

If any diseases are detected, the bag is thrown away completely, the room is washed, cleaned, disinfected. You can treat all surfaces with a solution of sulfate, and then whitewash the walls, the ceiling with the addition of copper sulfate to the lime.

In case of insufficient ventilation or waterlogging of the unit, fruit flies may appear inside. Then the bags are removed, and the cleaned room is fumigated with a sulfuric smoke bomb.

Warning! If an infected cluster is found with spots, pits, softening, darkening of the legs, the entire block is thrown away. The substrate is not reused.

If the block does not bear fruit, and the search of the bag did not detect diseases, poor-quality planting material may be the reason for the lack of a crop.

How to grow oyster mushroom mycelium

Non-germination can be detected only after a few weeks of labor and expense. Therefore, experienced mushroom growers try to grow their own, homemade mycelium. Usually it is produced by specialized laboratories, but it is possible to repeat all the steps in an ordinary kitchen.

The easiest way to breed mycelium on cereals. Pre-crushed grains are boiled for 15 minutes. All surfaces, vessels, devices are treated with alcohol for disinfection. You need to work with gloves.

Home production is divided into three stages:

uterine mycelium. Produced in a test tube with crushed grains, adding pieces of oyster mushrooms, taken close to the cap. Samples of the fungus are dipped in hydrogen peroxide, planted in culture medium, hermetically sealed. After 14 days, at room temperature, a white edge will appear - the uterine mycelium.
Intermediate fungus. It is grown on grains with the addition of chalk and gypsum (2 tablespoons of each additive per 1 kg of cereals). The jars are filled with a nutrient composition by 2/3 of the volume and the mother culture is planted. Having tightly sealed the vessels, leave for 2 weeks. During this time, the jar of grains will be filled with fresh edges.
seed material. The substrate is disinfected as standard and placed in sterile containers. Intermediate mycelium is planted in the mixture. They are waiting for its complete fouling with a white edge. Now the homemade mycelium is ready for laying in bags for growing oyster mushrooms.

Mycelium is able to germinate at any stage of production. But it is the observance of the full cycle that provides a large amount of cheap, high-quality planting material.

Conclusion

Growing oyster mushrooms at home in bags is a fairly simple process, accessible even to beginners. Experienced mushroom growers advise making the first forcing cycle from a small amount of mycelium in several bags. After making sure that all the rules are observed, you can proceed to mass production.

Growing technology on bags

The most popular. Even if your basement is full of potatoes and other vegetables, you can cover them, hang a bag or two with mushrooms. And none of the neighbors will look at your mini-production and sarcastically ask how the harvest is.

Cooking mycelium

After purchase, it is kept in the refrigerator at 3-4 degrees, a maximum of 3 months. If the package arrived by mail, it slowly cools down and is placed in the same refrigerator.
Before use, the mycelium is also slowly heated. If you throw it into the substrate cold, the unfortunate mycelium can die from thermal shock!
Carefully disassemble the mycelium bar into small pieces.
It is better not just to wash the table on which you will work, but to disinfect it, and put on rubber gloves on your hands.

Cooking sawdust (substrate)

For 1 kg of mycelium take 10 kg of sawdust.

Although, of course, it can also be:

straw (barley or wheat is suitable for you),
dry corn (cobs, leaves and stems, dried and cut into pieces no larger than 5 cm),
husks from seeds (sunflower) or buckwheat.

The main thing: the substrate should not rot!

For insurance, it is also disinfected. You can simply boil your sawdust in boiling water, or you can steam them (both dry and wet).

In order for the mushrooms to "hatch", the sawdust must be moistened. It is difficult to say the exact amount of water, look at them appearance: sawdust clenched in a fist should not drip, only spring. If you poured too much, let the water drain, and only then use the substrate.

Packing bags

The room for work (the bags will hang in it) must be thoroughly whitewashed with lime, this will disinfect the room. You also need to process the tools.
To begin with, take small bags - say, 5 kg each. They can be any color, not necessarily white or transparent.
Mycelium and substrate can be mixed on the table and then loaded into bags. Or do it the other way: fill the bag in layers. 5 cm of sawdust - 0.5 cm of the substrate, then again 5 cm of sawdust ...
Carefully cut holes up to 2 cm long in the walls of the bags - this is where your oyster mushrooms will look out. The larger the hole, the larger the "families" will be. Leave 10-13 cm between the slots.
Air should flow to the bags from all sides, so it is better to hang them by the “tail” to the hooks attached to the ceiling. Shelving is also a good option.

Germination of oyster mushrooms (incubation)

The first signs of fungi will appear in 10-20 days. But if the bag is transparent, you will see the threads of the revived mycelium crawling inside after 4 days.

But this is only on condition:

not too hot temperature (maximum 25 degrees),
high humidity (from 70 to 80%).

To cool the room and bags (they should not overheat), you can put a fan. But ventilation is prohibited.

Mushrooms also need wet cleaning - do it daily.

Harvest ripening

From the pantry, the bags are transferred to the basement. This is where mushrooms grow and cut.

Conditions that oyster mushrooms need now:

Low temperature (from 15 to 10 degrees).
Even higher humidity (up to 95%). A purchased humidifier, as well as regular spraying of walls and floors with water, will help to achieve these percentages. The main thing is not to get on the bags.
10, and even better - 12 hours of lighting (for this it is better to take fluorescent lamps, but some people use ordinary "Ilyich's bulbs" and are also satisfied with the result).
Regular airing (2-3 times a day).
Spraying "families" of mushrooms. Gently pour water on the hats, but so that all of it flows down and does not stagnate in the mushrooms, otherwise they will begin to rot. Repeat the procedure every day.

The first harvest can be harvested 1.5 months later (do not cut the mushrooms, but twist them - this way you protect the mycelium from rotting). Moreover, the next harvest needs to be expected much less - it will arrive in time in 15-20 days.

In general, one mycelium can produce 4 crops, but the largest are the first two.

Spent sawdust can be thrown away. Although if you have a garden, the old substrate can be used to fertilize trees and bushes.

Growing oyster mushrooms on chocks (that is, stumps)

If businessmen call the previous method intensive (since everything is growing quickly and in large quantities), but this one is extensive: slowly but surely.

Of course, this is not an option for making money, but rather for yourself. On a few fresh pieces of wood, you can grow mushrooms for the whole winter, and distribute 2-3 baskets to godfathers.

Suitable for you: linden, poplar, willow or aspen.

It's simple: water the stumps well, make deep cuts in the bark, place the mycelium there, put the chocks in the shade and wait until the mushrooms begin to peek out. And then - decide whether to let them grow to the size of chops or cut them off as babies, convenient for canning.

Just do not keep these stumps in a remote garden, otherwise the neighbors will still think that “it has grown by itself”, and they will cut your mushrooms on the sly.

This video will tell you more about this method:

Folk tricks: do-it-yourself mycelium

Not everyone knows, but mycelium is not necessary to buy.

You can make it at home. For example, using these tips:

And you can make it even easier if you have a basket of mushrooms collected somewhere. Use cleaning from them (cut off the lower parts with the ground). Mix them with a few pounds of wet straw and grow them as described above. Of course, the harvest will not be for sale, but your family will have enough.

You already have good experience work with greenhouse plantings of vegetables, and want to try your hand at other types of crops?

Then in this article you will find all necessary information for a beginner about what it is to grow oyster mushrooms at home in bags from scratch. It does not matter whether the process is of interest from the point of view of additional income from the sale of the crop, or there is a desire to please only relatives with fresh mushrooms - the essence of the process is the same.

What are oyster mushrooms and what are the ways to grow them

In nature, this fungus grows on old damp stumps, loves humidity and shade, so by creating the same conditions in the basement at home or in the country, we will be able to harvest several crops a year.

It is not necessary to grow it only in natural habitats. For growing oyster mushrooms, you can create optimal conditions at home.

There are 2 types of growing oyster mushrooms:

Extensive- this is when mushrooms are grown in natural habitats.
Intensive- when they are grown in artificial conditions, i.e. in special rooms equipped with everything necessary to maintain the right microclimate.

Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage of the extensive method is its complete dependence on the weather, as well as seasonality, the disadvantage of the intensive method can be considered the need for investment in the purchase of mycelium, special equipment for arranging a room with the necessary microclimate and other costs that are needed to ensure the right conditions for growing mushrooms.

If we talk about the advantages of both methods, then the advantage of the first (extensive) is the minimum cost, the advantage of the second (intensive) is getting a crop at any time of the year, and, accordingly, the possibility of making money on sales, regardless of the season.

in well ventilated and bright rooms. As a substrate on which mushrooms can grow fertilely, use:

Agricultural waste (chopped cobs, cereal straw, corn stalks, husks, sunflower husks);
Wood processing waste (paper, sawdust, tree bark, shavings);
Sugar cane waste and many other substrates containing lignin and cellulose.

In addition, from the point of view of profitability and ease of cultivation, there is a feature of the growth of oyster mushrooms - the mushroom grows in drusen, which allows you to harvest in the literal sense with one wave of your hand.

So, where to start breeding fresh mushrooms at home and how, if desired, to put them on stream production?

An easy way to grow oyster mushrooms in bags

There are a number of conditions, following which, we will 100% get an excellent result:

Basement with a suitable microclimate;
Opportunity to buy high-quality substrate;
Acquisition of mycelium from a trusted supplier;
Simple equipment for maintaining conditions during the growth of mushrooms.

Let's take a look at each point in order.

Room for substrate incubation and mushroom cultivation

If we are faced with the task of growing a trial batch for ourselves, there is no need to be puzzled by finding a large space. A basement room with an area of 50-60 m² is suitable, since professionals can place up to 200 kg of substrate per 1 m² - for this, the bags are hung on special racks.

Ideally, you need to have two rooms: a larger one with the possibility of good ventilation and natural light, and a smaller one without windows. But at first, mushrooms can be grown in one space.

Most importantly, consider the following factors:

The room should not be damp and even more affected by fungus or mold. This will completely destroy our efforts to grow oyster mushrooms, infecting them at the stage of the substrate. If there are concerns that the basement is just like that, we clean it, clean the walls and go through antifungal drugs - stain or special paint.

Important! You can bring the substrate after antifungal treatment no earlier than 10 days later!

The room temperature should not fall below 15°C and rise above 28°C, and the humidity may vary from 75 to 90%.

Purchase or step-by-step preparation of the substrate

Beginners are advised to purchase a ready-made bagged substrate so as not to bother with cleaning it themselves. It is the pasteurization stage that is accompanied by risks - poorly carried out, it will lead to infection of the entire mass with mold.

In case there are no options for acquiring a substrate, we prepare it ourselves using the following technology.

Pour sunflower husks and / or chopped straw or their mixture in equal proportions with cool water and gently stir for 20 minutes - this will clean and moisturize the dry particles.
Drain the mass and squeeze it out. We heat a new portion of water, bring it to a temperature of 80 ° C and fill it again.
We leave the husk in hot water under oppression for 4-5 hours, then drain and squeeze again. We try a handful with a hand - the particles should be moist, but not wet. The optimal indicator is 75%.
Liquid top dressing is added at this stage. Dry - a little earlier, during the cooling of the water. The dosage is calculated depending on the drug. For example, urea or superphosphate will need 0.5% of the total volume, and gypsum or limestone - 2%.

Acquisition of mycelium in bags

In fact, mycelium is the main component of our production process- without it, growing oyster mushrooms even on the highest quality, fertilized and disinfected substrate is impossible, since this is the vegetative body of the fungus, the very “seed” from which we will get as many as three crops in 2.5 months.

Accordingly, the acquisition of mycelium should be treated with special attention. It can be bought in mushroom farms, in gardening, in greenhouse state farms. When purchasing bags, we inspect them for dark spots, as this is a common mold that will suffocate oyster mushrooms in its bag and infect the rest with spores.

The normal color of the mycelium is yellowish, creamy, whitish, and the smell is the usual mushroom. Most often, mycelium suppliers pack up in polyethylene bags or containers made of the same material.

Equipment for growing oyster mushrooms from scratch

We don't need any serious equipment. A few ordinary 40-watt light bulbs or fluorescent lamps, thermometers for air and water, and a hygrometer for measuring indoor humidity will suffice.

If the room is cool, you will also need a heater, and if the air is dry, a humidifier. But a conventional sprayer will do the job just fine.

You will also need bags for packing the substrate mixed with mycelium. Their size is 40/60cm and 50/100cm. It is better to choose dark opaque ones, in which growth will go more actively. Even garbage bags will fit, but due to insufficient thickness, we put them one into another at least 4-5 pieces.

So, when we have all the necessary components, we can start growing oyster mushrooms.

How to grow oyster mushrooms at home in bags

Packing a mixture of mycelium and substrate

We bookmark either in a separate room adjacent to the future spreading or in it, but after closing the windows, if any, and eliminating ventilation. We thoroughly disinfect all surfaces, as well as the tools with which we will apply the mycelium.

We work in gloves, if there are allergic reactions, then in a mask, since fungal spores negatively affect health.

Mycelium stored in the refrigerator is taken out an hour before work. It is necessary that its temperature be equal to room temperature, since its difference will negatively affect and slow down further incubation.

We grind the mass of mycelium without removing it from the bag, simply crumbling it with our hands. Then we open it and mix it with a wet substrate at the rate of 3% of the weight of one serving. That is, 10 kg of a mixture of substrate and mycelium will have 300 g of a pure product.

You can also fill them in layers: 15-17 cm substrate, then mycelium. We alternate them to the top of the bag. This method will allow you not to mix the components separately.

When everything is ready, close the bags, leave them for a day. The next day, we cut polyethylene in several places at a distance of 20 cm from each other.

Incubation period

We leave the bags in the same room in which we laid them. It should not be illuminated, it is also impossible to ventilate it. We don't stack bags on top of each other. They can be hung or placed at a distance of 30-40 cm.

At a temperature of 22-25°C and a humidity of 75-80%, we keep the seeded substrate from 15 to 25 days. During this time, the husk should overgrow, and fruiting bodies of mushrooms will appear.

After that, we either transfer the bags to the next room - the spreader, or leave it right there, but change the conditions.

Oyster mushroom cultivation, fruiting stage

Mushrooms need:

Airing

If in the previous step carbon dioxide was good, now it is very harmful. We do not allow it to accumulate indoors. We provide good ventilation and fresh air supply.

To do this, several times a day in a small space, turn on the household fan along with the hood.

Lighting

We need to simulate a cloudy day, so one 40-watt incandescent or 5-watt LED bulb is enough, which is equal to 400 lumens for a 50 square meter room. We turn on the light for an 8-hour period.

Humidity

We maintain it by 80-85% by installing either a humidifier or using a sprayer. However, we make sure that water does not fall on the bags, and even more so does not collect in puddles on them or on the floor. 100% humidity will cause mold.

Temperature

We reduce it in comparison with the overgrowth stage and keep it at around 18-20 ° C.

If the conditions are met exactly, and the substrate and culture (mycelium) did not fail, the first crop will appear in about 2 weeks.

Drusen appear on the fruiting body from an incision in the bag. When they are ripe, we completely remove them from the environment, leaving no legs inside the package.

Harvesting

In the first harvest, we will get a little more than half of the total possible harvest from one block for its entire life cycle.

In another two weeks we will collect 20%, and in another 2 a little more than 10%. A block can bear fruit for up to six months, but the production is getting smaller each time, therefore, in order to receive income from growing mushrooms, they usually stop at 3 gatherings.

So, growing oyster mushrooms at home in bags only seems to be a very complicated process, in fact, if everything is done step by step and scrupulously approach the choice of raw material suppliers, there will be no problems.

The artificial cultivation of mushrooms has always been considered profitable and interesting business, but if 20 years ago the cultivation of certain mushrooms was practiced only by foreign farmers, then in the modern world there are more and more domestic mushroom growers. Today we will talk about how to grow oyster mushrooms in bags, because these mushrooms have become the second most popular after champignons.

Preparation and arrangement of an impromptu farm

Before proceeding to a detailed consideration of the process of breeding the culture we are considering, we note that this particular method is in demand among domestic mushroom growers, as well as those who want to harvest their own crop for personal purposes at home. The method does not require significant financial investments and the presence of sophisticated equipment, and also fully justifies the work with a rich harvest.

So, if you decide to try on the role of a mushroom grower, follow the recommendations below in stages:

You will need a separate room for organizing a farm. And if at first glance it may seem that the question is not worth a damn, then in fact you need to approach the choice of a place with maximum responsibility. For the active development of crop fruits, it is necessary to maintain a certain air temperature and humidity level on the plantation (as close as possible to the natural habitat). The main requirements for the microclimate are 21-29 degrees Celsius, 70-85 percent humidity, a good ventilation system or the ability to ventilate the room well naturally.
It is also important to choose or organize the right lighting yourself - the light should be dim, a direct hit sun rays can harm mycelium and fungi. The practice of already experienced specialists suggests that a basement, barn, cellar or greenhouse is best suited for such purposes.
When the area is determined, it is necessary to get high-quality mycelium - a damaged or spoiled mycelium is not able to produce a good harvest of mushrooms. Seed material is sold by companies engaged in the cultivation and sale of mushrooms on an industrial scale.

If all the points are met, you can get 3-4 kilograms from one kilogram of mycelium fruit bodies.

Duct tape from flies will not be superfluous

Substrate preparation

Let's return to our topic and analyze in detail how to grow oyster mushrooms in bags. Production can be established even at home, without any special equipment. Experts recommend that beginners do not “swing” at once on large lots, but conduct a trial sowing and evaluate whether the result will meet expectations. In addition, the mycelium cannot be stored for a long time, it deteriorates. As for the process itself, it is quite simple.

After the farmer has decided on a supplier of high-quality seed, it is necessary to start preparing blocks with a substrate. Of course, raw materials can be purchased in the same way as mycelium, however, environmentally friendly biomaterial can be made with your own hands.

The basis of the "soil" is most often taken wheat straw or buckwheat / sunflower husks. At the same time, the mycelium is placed in cold chambers, waiting for transplantation.
The selected raw materials are carefully processed thermally - disinfection is required in order to get rid of foreign microorganisms and fungi that may be in the straw (husk).
The straw is crushed to a homogeneous mass, where the average fragment size is 4-6 centimeters.
Re-treatment with boiling water is carried out - the base is boiled for two to three hours, after which it is cooled to 30-35 degrees and squeezed out in order to get rid of excess moisture.

The finished "product" becomes loose, pliable and soft. Spin phase up to certain level humidity is very important in the process, since a substrate that is too wet is unsuitable for growing mushrooms. Specialized laboratories measure humidity using specialized instruments, but at home, you can simply squeeze part of the substrate in your hand - it should not stick to your palm, and water should not drip from it.

Block bag forming

Once the substrate has passed all the necessary treatments, it is placed in pre-disinfected polyethylene bags, manually forming the so-called mushroom blocks. The minimum weight for one bag is 6 kilograms. It is necessary to carefully alternate the layers of the substrate with the mycelium in the ratio of 5 centimeters of "soil" to 0.5 centimeters of mycelium. The bottom and top layer is always the base. After the laying process is completed, the bags are tied, and "ventilation" is made in the walls. Cuts on polyethylene are needed not only to supply the substrate with oxygen, but also for the direct growth of fruiting bodies - through them, fungi will develop and germinate outward. The optimal distance between the "holes" is 10-12 centimeters.

About the climate

Next, the bags are placed in a room intended for a plantation, the air temperature in it must be maintained within 19-23 degrees. With sharp drops, the mycelium dies, and harvesting becomes impossible. It is also important to maintain a certain, fixed level of air humidity, to take care of the blocks. The substrate must be systematically irrigated with warm water (twice a day). The room itself should be cleaned daily using bleach. The incubation period of the mycelium is 14 days.

About light

It is important that the incubation takes place in complete darkness, the lighting is turned on after two weeks, when the growing season of the culture begins. From now on, simulated daylight should be provided for 8-9 hours a day, with each meter of the plantation receiving light emitted by at least a 5-watt lamp.

Airing

As for ventilation, it is also necessary only during active vegetation - there is no need to “drive” air during incubation. After 10-12 days of correct maintenance mushroom block should be completely overgrown with white mycelium, exuding an appropriate, pleasant aroma.

The first harvest of oyster mushroom pleases mushroom growers about 7 weeks after planting. The next one is 3 weeks later. Oyster mushrooms need to be twisted so that there is nothing left in the hole. Otherwise, the remains of the mushrooms may rot and thus you will then throw away the entire bag.

Harvesting fruits with a sharp knife - we do not recommend!

We looked at how to grow oyster mushrooms in bags according to all the rules. As you may have noticed, even an inexperienced agronomist can handle the process. If you have not tried yourself in this direction yet, take a chance and please your loved ones with a healthy, tasty mushroom harvest.

Video about block overgrowing

There are many ways to grow mushrooms at home. Depending on climatic conditions, location, types of mushrooms, goals and production volumes, various substrates are used for growing mushrooms. Mushrooms can be grown both for personal consumption, because it is an environmentally friendly always fresh product, and for sale for commercial purposes. First, however, you need to carefully study all the recommendations, starting with the characteristics and requirements for the growing conditions of the selected type of fungus.

What mushrooms to grow

The most popular among fans of homemade mushroom growing are champignons, then shiitake, different kinds oyster mushroom, Judas ear, straw mushroom, winter honey agaric. by simply using forest mushroom bedding and chopped mushrooms.

Mushroom Judas ear

Mushroom Judas ear (in China - muer, in Japan - tree jellyfish, in Korea - black fungus) is well known to Russian consumers. It is he who is sold in stores in small green boxes made in China. Heavily dried mushrooms, when soaked before use, increase in size by 5 times. This type mushrooms can be found in forests Far East. It has the properties of restoring the state of the body after overeating, eliminates diarrhea and flatulence. Since ancient times, after plentiful feasts, soup and a spicy appetizer from this mushroom were served.

shiitake mushroom

Very interesting woody shiitake mushroom . Eastern healers call it a storehouse of the most healing properties. This is confirmed by modern medicine. Shiitake mushroom can be grown in tree bark substrate.

All cultivated mushroom species are informally classified into "tree" and "soil". Tree mushrooms grow on tree cuts, chocks, fresh stumps or plant waste (honey mushroom, oyster mushroom). For normal life, the so-called. soil fungi will need soil, compost, long-term stored manure (this is almost all the remaining cap mushrooms).

Where to grow mushrooms

For mushroom cultivation, you can use the most unsuitable premises at home: pantries, insulated sheds, rooms and various outbuildings, and in the warm season you do not need to look for places on suburban area. Even the most unsightly corner, dampish, where there is no access to direct sunlight, will come in handy.

Attention! Do not grow mushrooms near fruit crops. Otherwise, you can get a crop of mushrooms by losing trees - they will be successfully populated and sucked out by new "pets".

Mushroom cultivation technology

The technology of home and garden mushroom growing involves the use of a substrate and a special planting material - mycelium. The purchased ready-made mycelium of the fungus is sown in a certain substrate, where, under specially established conditions, full-fledged mushrooms grow in 2-3 months.
At the same time, there are intensive (mushrooms in bags) and extensive (mushrooms on stumps) growing methods.

When growing mushrooms, it is important to follow all the requirements technological process especially in the absence of sufficient experience and knowledge.

Photo: the origin of fungal mycelium in test tubes

Mycelium for growing mushrooms

To begin with, it is worth purchasing mycelium, i.e. planting material. In the purchase of mycelium of almost any mushroom in this moment no problem. However, everyone's favorite champignons and oyster mushrooms are in the greatest demand. Mycelium is sold in specialized stores or firms. Most often, mushroom mycelium for sale is represented by glass or plastic jars, or in the form of a dense grain "brick" pierced with white mycelium. At the Far Eastern Research Institute Agriculture successfully produce high-quality mycelium of mushrooms: winter honey agaric, oyster mushroom, Elm oyster mushroom, shiitake, champignons, pestle, ringworm and a number of others.

Photo: planting material - mushroom mycelium, which is produced at the Far Eastern Institute of the Research Institute of Agriculture.

When purchasing planting mycelium, be sure to look at the production date, evaluate where and how it was stored in the store. After purchase, you must comply certain conditions storage. If you had to buy mycelium in advance, then before sowing it can be stored for 6-18 months at a temperature of +3 to -5 ° C.

substrate for growing mushrooms

For "tree" mushrooms, chocks and stumps will be an excellent substrate. It will not be difficult to prepare the substrate yourself, using wood chips, sawdust, straw, sunflower husks, the remains of corn stalks and cobs. For "soil" fungi, compost, rotted manure, garden soil, and other waste enriched with nitrogen are suitable.

Photo: growing oyster mushrooms on a substrate of straw and chopped pumpkin

Before use, it is imperative to disinfect any substrate by steaming it with boiling water (with the exception of manure) or in the microwave to avoid infection with molds and other harmful fungi.

Growing mushrooms in bags

It is quite convenient to grow mushrooms in various substrates - this is the so-called. intensive method. In the Far East, straw of grain crops and soybeans are more often used. Growing in this case comes in plastic bags.

Intensive method allows you to harvest mushrooms all year round, and the first mushrooms will delight mushroom growers in 2 months. However, there will be much more work and costs. This will require a specially equipped room with controlled climatic conditions. This method is applicable mainly for commercial production.

Photo: oyster mushroom Ilmovaya in a straw substrate

Growing mushrooms on stumps

A more common way, at least in the Amur region, is to grow oyster mushrooms on stumps or chocks, which should be fairly fresh, not rotten. This is the cultivation of mushrooms according to the so-called. extensive method, i.e. mushrooms grow as if in natural conditions. Of the trees, deciduous species are considered the best: forest beech, hornbeam, oak, poplar chestnut, maple ash. Poplar is considered the most common soft tree for sowing mycelium. True, and it will last no more than 4 years. In the conditions of the Far East, the use of aspen stumps and chocks (together with bark) shows good results.

Dimensions are recommended: diameter 20-40 cm, length 0.5-1.0 m. The wood should be moderately damp, so dried chocks or stumps should be moistened. It is best to harvest chocks in the winter-spring period. Further, in the center and on the sides of the chock or stump, several round holes should be made, 2-2.5 cm in diameter and 5-7 cm deep. You can make rip cuts of the same size with a saw.

Photo: growing mushrooms on stumps in a greenhouse

Planting mushrooms on stumps

In May, on the selected site for planting mushrooms on stumps, slightly loosen the ground and make a shallow hole in it, up to 8 cm. Pour the dried earth with water, then place in the center 1 tbsp. l. ready planting material (mycelium). On top of the mycelium, carefully place the prepared chock, preferably in the center.

Rake up the loose earth to the base of the chock, compact the soil and build around the base something similar to an earthen roller about 10 cm high. various pathogens) wet sawdust, toilet paper, plasticine, resin.

A liter jar of mycelium is enough to populate about 9-10 chocks in this way. In the Amur region, the method of installing chocks "whatnot" is practiced to a lesser extent. It has been established that the best results are obtained by the method of installing and dropping logs one by one at a distance of about half a meter from each other.

Stump mushroom care

From above, the prepared chock can be wrapped with a non-woven covering material such as spunbond or lutrasil, preferably black, so that the stumps and chocks “breathe”. In dry weather, it is advisable to water the chock with water on top of the watering can. Many people make the mistake of tying a tree with a film. Under it, mold fungi can form, the mycelium can simply rot.

Dropping chocks in the warm season is better in a shady place, protected from direct sunlight. Chocks can be shaded by planting rock crops like corn around, without pulling out tall grass. AT winter period chocks do not require additional care.

With the indicated preparation time, the first mushrooms will appear in September. At this time, it is desirable to carry out regular weekly watering. The maximum harvest should be expected in 2-3 years.