Growing mushrooms at home - instructions for beginners: a description using the example of oyster mushrooms, champignons, mycelium. The subtleties of this business (Photo & Video) + Reviews

Growing mushrooms at home is a fairly simple task and even a person who is completely unfamiliar with agriculture can handle it. It allows you to harvest mushrooms almost all year round, which can be both eaten and used for commercial purposes.

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Introduction

Current methods allow to simplify as much as possible growing process mushrooms, to make it not only extremely simple, but also cost-effective. In addition, new cultivation methods appear every year, allowing both to increase its efficiency and expand the range of cultivated crops. Theoretically, at home, you can grow practically any mushroomsHowever, at present, the lion's share of privately grown mushrooms is oyster mushrooms and champignons.

Mushrooms grown in the cellar

But the list of mushrooms grown at home does not end there. For a long time, methods of home cultivation of honey mushrooms, porcini mushrooms, shiitake, chanterelles and so on have been mastered. Consider the technology of their cultivation at home in more detail.

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Oyster mushroom cultivation

There are two main ways to grow oyster mushrooms. One of them involves the use of natural habitats. Although it allows you to harvest only 1 crop per year, in terms of investment, it is considered the most profitable.

oyster mushrooms

The second method, called intensive, involves the creation of an artificial habitat for oyster mushrooms. Almost all grown oyster mushrooms are obtained in this way, since it is not only universal, but also the most profitable based on the ratio of profit to unit mass.

Growing conditions

In a room that is planned to be used for growing mushrooms, the following conditions must be met:

The room must be airtight, however, if necessary, it will need to be ventilated. The room must have a heating system to maintain the required temperature. For small rooms, for example, a basement of a private Houses a conventional heater will suffice.

Preparation of substrate and mycelium blocks

Oyster mushrooms are grown in special bags, which are a mixture of mycelium and substrate. You can either buy these bags or make your own. In terms of cost, in the case of small volumes of grown mushrooms (up to 1 ton of substrate), there is not much difference.

Bags for growing oyster mushrooms

If it is decided to fill such bags on your own, then it is necessary to purchase oyster mushroom mycelium and prepare for the manufacture of the substrate with your own hands. It is recommended not to use a lot of mycelium as the first experiments.For the first experience, 2-3 kg is enough; from them you can get from 10 to 15 kg of mushrooms. The mycelium is stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of 2 to 4°C.

Substrates may include:

Sawdust and shavings are not the best options, because, in addition to oyster mushrooms, mold will also develop perfectly on them.

Substrate for oyster mushroom

For 2-3 kg of mycelium, 20 to 30 kg of substrate will be required. At the same time, it should be crushed to a particle size of 3-5 cm.

In some cases, heat treatment of the substrate is recommended to disinfect it from fungus and mold. It can consist both in boiling the substrate in boiling water, and in heating it to 100 ° C in some installation that maintains a constant temperature for 1-1.5 hours.

Mushroom blocks are formed in plastic bags, which are pre-disinfected in 2% bleach solutions. Usually, up to 10 kg per bag is used, sometimes 5 kg bags are used for convenience.

The bags are filled in the following way: every 5 cm of substrate alternately with 0.5 cm of mycelium. Moreover, the first and last layers must be filled with a substrate. After that, the bags are tied and their perforation is made (chess order, step from 10 to 15 cm), holes 10-20 mm.

pre-maturing

Mushroom blocks are placed in a room where their incubation period (up to 2 weeks) passes. The temperature at this time should be relatively high (not lower than +20°C). However, you should not be zealous, temperatures above + 28 ° C are detrimental to oyster mushroom mycelium. If the cultivation takes place in the summer, then the temperature in the room can be reduced using a simple fan, the air stream from which is directed directly to the bags with the substrate.

Oyster mushroom picker

The room is ventilated twice a day, but care should be taken that insects, especially flies, do not get into it. At this stage, no lighting is needed for the mushrooms. The threads of the mycelium become noticeable on the 4th-5th day of the incubation period. After about 1.5 weeks, the mycelium completely fills the bag and its color will become uniform light gray; this will create a characteristic mushroom smell in the room.

Fruiting

As soon as incubation is over, it is necessary to change the mode of life of the fungus for its fruiting; doing the following:

If everything is done correctly and the conditions are met, after a few days the first fruiting bodies of mushrooms appear. The fruiting time itself is from 1.5 to 2 weeks.

Optimal condition of oyster mushrooms for harvesting

In the last 2-3 days, the rate of cap fasting in mushrooms is maximum. It is this time that is considered the optimal collection time. In this case, it is better not to cut the mushrooms, but to break them off from the bag.

Second harvest

The first wave of the harvest will be completely over in 3 weeks. Indoors, airing and moistening the floor and walls continue. Two weeks later, the second wave of fruiting comes. The sequence of actions is exactly the same as in the case of the first.

In total, there can be from 4 to 6 such waves, however, the first two are the largest in number. harvested mushrooms. In total, the first two crops contain from 60% to 80% of the total oyster mushroom crop.

Late harvest examples (4th wave)

Usually, after the 2nd wave, oyster mushroom blocks are replaced with new ones. Old ones can be used as excellent fertilizers.

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Growing champignons

Champignon

Growing these mushrooms is a little more difficult than oyster mushrooms, however, with the right observance of agricultural technology, it also does not present any particular problems. The most time-consuming period in the cultivation of champignons falls on the preparation of the substrate. Let's consider it:

Substrate preparation for champignons

Its main component is compost. It consists of the following components:

In addition, the composition of the substrate also includes additional ingredients (the norms are indicated per 100 kg of straw):

The substrate is prepared outdoors or in a well-ventilated area, protected from the sun. Ventilation is essential, since during the fermentation of the components ammonia and carbon dioxide are released. Thus, if you take 100 kg of straw, you will get about 400-450 kg of substrate; it is enough for a mycelium, occupying an area of ​​​​up to 3 square meters. m.

Substrate for champignons after cooking

When using chicken manure, the composition of the substrate will be slightly different:

In any case, the mixture is prepared as follows: straw is soaked for a day, then straw and manure / litter are stacked in piles (3-5 layers of one and the other mixed). At the same time, each layer of straw is moistened and a pound of superphosphate and urea are gradually added evenly.

After that, the whole heap is mixed 4 times, while the remaining components are added to each of the mixings:

When everything is mixed, the fermentation process will begin. In this case, the temperature can rise to + 70 ° C; The compost is ready for use after about 3 weeks. In the process of preparation, the volume of the substrate may slightly (up to 10-15%) decrease.

Planting mycelium

In order for champignons to grow without problems, it is advisable to use only sterile mycelium grown in laboratory conditions as seed material. There are two options for mushroom mycelium: compost and grain.

The first is available in glass jars. Its shelf life is about a year at zero temperature. It is less susceptible to negative environmental influences, however, its yield is slightly lower. Grain mycelium is traditionally packaged in bags; its shelf life is six months at a temperature not higher than +4°C.

grain mycelium

At 1 km. m (which corresponds to about 100 kg of substrate) requires about 300 g of grain or 500 g of compost mycelium. As in the case of oyster mushrooms, pasteurization of the substrate by heating it to 100°C is mandatory.

At the end of this procedure, the cooled substrate is poured into boxes no more than 30 cm deep. After that, mycelium is planted in them. Approximately a handful of grain or compost mycelium is laid to a depth of about 4-5 cm. The location of the holes is staggered; step 25 - 30 cm. Grain mycelium can generally be distributed evenly over the surface and sprinkled with a layer of substrate to the same depth.

Humidity during the planting of the mycelium should be about 80%, and the temperature should be about 20-25 ° C. The control of these parameters is important for the normal growth of the mycelium. Also, as in the case of oyster mushrooms, it is permissible to moisten the walls and floor of the room, but moisture should not fall on the mycelium.

Incubation

After about 1-2 weeks, the mycelium grows and the substrate requires covering with a special cover soil to a depth of no more than 3 cm. The composition of such soil may be as follows:

Or like this:

Approximately 1 sq. m will require from 30 to 30 kg of cover soil.

In 3-5 days after covering the substrate with topsoil, it is necessary to reduce the temperature in the room to 12-15°C and start watering it (necessarily with a small amount of water, preventing it from entering the substrate). You need to ventilate the room 2-3 times a day, but the rest of the time it should be airtight.

Harvesting

Approximately 2 weeks after incubation, the first mushrooms appear. The guidelines for collecting them are very simple: mushrooms are harvested while they have a thin, not torn film connecting the skin and the edge of the cap.

Commercial cultivation of champignons

Fruiting itself lasts from 8 to 14 weeks, while the number of harvest waves exceeds 6. The waves come one after another at intervals of 1 week or less. From 1 sq. m (100 kg of compost) is removed up to 10 kg of mushrooms. Three quarters of the total harvest is taken from waves 1-3.

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Growing mushrooms on rotten wood

This method of cultivation is suitable for most forest mushrooms, which include mushrooms, chanterelles, shiitake and others. According to agricultural technology, all mushrooms are approximately the same, the differences are only in some minor nuances. This type of cultivation is extensive, as it lasts long enough and repeats the conditions natural for mushrooms in their environment.

Growing mushrooms on cut wood

As wood, you can use felled oak, chestnut or hornbeam. At the same time, it is desirable that the wood is not infected with spores of any other fungi. Before laying the mycelium in the wood, holes are drilled in it in a checkerboard pattern (usually 2 rows with a step of 20-25 cm and 10-12 cm between the rows). Hole depth - 4-5 cm, drill diameter - 10 mm.

Incubation can occur quickly, or it can (like shiitake) last quite a long time - about a year. The next step is to stimulate the mycelium to grow fruiting bodies. In nature, this function is performed by rains; in our case, it is necessary to start removing the stumps from the woodpile and start pouring water on them.

This can be done immediately for all pieces of wood, roughly calculating the time of incubation of planted mushrooms, or you can start doing it in parts at a time close to the end of incubation. In any case, it is necessary to control the growth of the mycelium and its readiness for fruiting.

Shiitake mushroom on a log

Such a method of cultivation does not give such a quantity of yields from one mycelium in 3-4 months, however, mushrooms grown with its help are as close as possible in composition to natural ones grown in the forest. In addition, harvesting such artificial mushroom farms can take up to 5 years or more.

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Tea mushroom

Description

This organism is a so-called medusomycete - a symbiotic structure, which includes yeast and acetic bacteria. The former are mushrooms without mycelium, so the name "kombucha" albeit partially, but justifies itself.

At home, tea mushrooms are contained in three-liter jars, less often in other containers. In industrial cultivation, the mass of this organism reaches several centners. From the point of view of zoology, kombucha is a film of these microorganisms located on the surface of the water and consisting of several layers.

Kombucha in a jar

The growth of the fungus occurs when feeding it with sugar.Yeast ferments this sugar, decomposing it into less complex components: ethanol and carbon dioxide. Bacteria convert some of the ethanol into vinegar, and the resulting substances are used to form new generations of yeast and acetic acid bacteria. The organism grows from the bottom layer, the topmost is the oldest. The layers located between them are the place of sugar transformation.

Growing new kombucha

You need to start with the future habitat of the organism.

For this we need the following components:

First, it is washed and the jar is sterilized for a couple. At the same time, strong tea is prepared.

The concentration of tea should be high, so the following composition is recommended:

Tea is poured into a three-liter jar and cooled to room temperature. At the same time, it should not contain tea leaves or undissolved pieces of sugar. After that, the membrane of the fungus is placed in the jar and the neck of the jar is closed with gauze or a bandage. Sometimes it is recommended to add 2-3 teaspoons of mother tea solution along with the membrane.

Laying the membrane of the fungus in tea

The jar is placed in a warm place, protected from direct sunlight and drafts. Recommended temperature: from +22°С to +25°С. In about 1-2 weeks, the fungus will grow enough to be ready to produce a drink.

Sometimes during this period the mushroom will sink to the bottom; this is normal, because the first few days there is not enough carbon dioxide in the mushroom to keep it on the surface.

Care

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Truffles growing

Given the high cost of mushrooms, they have long been tried to grow artificially. The most successful is the so-called Australian technique. It requires fairly large areas and is very expensive, however, due to the high cost of truffles, it is quite justified.

Truffles after the first year of cultivation

Truffles are grown on large areas, 1 hectare or more, and the number of plants infected with truffle mycorrhiza can reach up to 500. In a year, the truffle harvest will be about 4 kg per 1 hectare, and in 5-6 years it will already be about 20 kg per hectare.

Growing preparation

It is best to infect seedlings of oak or hazel with mycorrhiza. It is necessary to use seedlings, and not young (and even more so, not old) plants. In order for mycorrhiza to form without problems, the seedlings are kept in greenhouse conditions for some time.

When seedlings reach a length of up to 20 cm, it is considered that the mycorrhiza has formed enough to survive the transplant. The soil where young trees with mycorrhiza will be transplanted should be neutral or slightly acidic. It must be fertile and must contain calcium compounds.

Truffle farm in the field

The soil before planting is carefully dug and processed. No fertilizer is produced to prevent the death of mycorrhiza. Given the large areas of cultivation, seedlings are planted at intervals of 4x5 or 5x5 meters.

Such distances are due to the fact that the overgrown mycorrhiza of one truffle occupies an area of ​​​​about 20 square meters in a year. m. Landing is best done in the spring, when there is no threat of frost. There should be no coniferous trees, poplars or willows nearby. The planting depth of young infected plants is up to 75 cm.

Care

900 grams white truffle

Each seedling is mulched in a diameter of 40-50 cm and covered with plastic wrap. During the first two years, weeds must be removed around all planted plants.

The site should be protected from rabbits and pigs, which are able to find and destroy the entire crop on the site in less than a couple of days. Any other fungi should be removed from the site and ensure that there is no invasion of weevils or cockroaches. In case of insect attacks, it is recommended to use insecticides.

Harvesting

When spores ripen in a truffle, it is ready to be harvested.

Usually, tubers are located at a depth of about 20-30 cm from the surface. An indicator that there are mushrooms is the presence of truffle flies on the site.

When digging a truffle out of the ground, you can use ordinary garden shovels for small plants

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Business Perspective

Let's try to evaluate a business based on the cultivation of mushrooms. For this, we will use the data of the average estimate of the cost of raw materials and finished products using the example of oyster mushrooms. Oyster mushrooms are the cheapest mushrooms, so their profit per unit of mass sold will be minimal; in other mushrooms (for example, champignons), it will be slightly higher.

Farm for growing oyster mushrooms in several tiers

Let's evaluate the income. The yield of oyster mushrooms is on average 30% of the mass of the substrate with mycelium. The substrate is capable of producing two crops before losing its effectiveness. Therefore, up to 600 kg of oyster mushrooms can be collected from one ton of substrate. The average price of these mushrooms is:

Now the costs:

• The average cost of a ton of substrate for growing oyster mushrooms is about $50/t
• The amount of mycelium per ton of substrate can be several kilograms
• Its cost will approximately be about $25/t.

In the cost of mushrooms, additional costs must be taken into account. They can be both production-related (humidification, fertilizers, lighting, etc.) and overhead (transport, advertising, other contract-forming costs). If an average estimate is made, then about $40/t can be allocated for the former, and $25/t for the latter.

Thus, the total cost of growing mushrooms from one ton of substrate is about 130-140 dollars. Taking into account taxation and possible costs to personnel, we find that the net profit from oyster mushrooms is about 250-270 dollars per ton.

It is best to place bags of substrate in several levels. With a sufficient height of the room, their number can be equal to three; in normal, so to speak, home conditions, two levels are usually used. Thus, the profitability of oyster mushrooms per unit area is $4 per square meter. meter with a bunk arrangement of bags with a substrate and 6 dollars / sq. m. with a three-tier.

Similar costs for champignons give indicators of about 350 dollars per ton of substrate.

The high profitability of mushroom farms makes them very attractive for private business. But that's not all: in countries with problems with food production or with a scarcity of the range of products, mushroom cultivation is the main filler of the protein market.

Mushroom farm for the production of oyster mushrooms in the DPRK

Anyone can start a mushroom business. The main thing is to agree in advance on the channels for the sale of finished products, or to deal with this sale on your own. As in any business, there are small nuances here: for example, in the spring (during Lent), the consumption of mushrooms increases, and their prices rise slightly, and so on.

VIDEO: Mushroom cultivation technology

Growing mushrooms at home - instructions for beginners: a description using the example of oyster mushrooms, champignons, mycelium. The subtleties of this business (Photo & Video) + Reviews