Oyster mushroom is a tree saprophyte mushroom with up to 30 varieties, but only 10 of them are suitable for independent cultivation. In nature, fruits grow on dead or diseased trees, eating and destroying wood, utilizing it, turning it into a fertile layer of earth. Oyster mushrooms are unpretentious, however, to get a crop, it is worth exploring the question of how to grow them at home.
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Features and useful properties of home oyster mushrooms
The appearance of oyster mushrooms depends on the environment: the vertical or horizontal surface of the trunk, humidity, lighting, air temperature. The mushroom grows on a full-fledged leg or lateral, separately, in groups or in a cascade of hats on a common basis.
The size of the hat varies from 10 to 30 cm. The color varies from light gray to olive and purple. The shape is convex, with a curled edge, straightens with age. Often asymmetric, fan, as it grows on stumps and other vertical surfaces.
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The pulp is juicy and white, white plates pass to the leg, are pressed tightly against each other at a young age. Such oyster mushrooms should be collected for food, with age they become tough.
Calorie content is very low - 40 kcal, so the mushroom is suitable for dietary nutrition. It is convenient to use in the Lenten menu, it even replaces meat in salads. The composition is rich in proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. High digestibility allows children and the elderly to be added to the diet. For therapeutic purposes, oyster mushroom is advised to lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol.
Algorithm for growing oyster mushrooms in bags at home
Since mushrooms are not plants, window sills, garden soil, indoor light and humidity are not suitable for their cultivation. For example, for the mycelium to grow, it needs 25 degrees, and for fruiting it is necessary to lower the temperature to 15 degrees. Therefore, some investment in equipment is required. But in case of success, the mushrooms will be all year round, because indoors they bear fruit in all seasons.
The first thing you need to have is a room. It must be non-residential, since conditions will be created there that are distinct from those that are needed by a person or an animal. There you will need to carry out ventilation, moisturizing, disinfection. Therefore, a separate barn or basement is ideal.
You may be interested in:A veranda in the house is also suitable, and if in the apartment - then a glazed balcony on the sunny side, or a separate room that is not used. But here you need to know about the consequences: mushrooms will provide a persistent mushroom smell, high humidity and risk for allergy sufferers - often there is an allergy from mushroom spores. The room needs to be cleaned and whitewashed.
Substrate preparation
Since oyster mushroom is a wood mushroom, at home it needs to be provided with spent decaying wood and similar material for life and nutrition.Therefore, the substrate usually includes sawdust of hardwood, tops of corn, husk from sunflower seeds, straw and bran in any proportions. All this should be crushed so that the particles do not exceed 3 cm.
The next step is to disinfect the mixture to eliminate mold and harmful bacteria. To do this, first she is kept in the freezer, and then calcined in the oven or poured several times with boiling water. If possible, then for reliability it can be boiled over a fire.
Then the substrate must be placed in containers: barrels, boxes, bags and left for 12 hours for swelling and cooling.
Mycelium treatment
The mycelium should be kept at a temperature of + 3-4 ° C, a refrigerator is suitable for this. When the substrate is ready, the mycelium must be removed and allowed to warm naturally.
The table on which work will be carried out is disinfected, gloves are put on hands, hair is removed under a hat or scarf. It is necessary to minimize the chances of infecting the mycelium with bacteria that it does not need, so the mycelium must be treated with hydrogen peroxide.
Landing
The substrate should be mixed with mycelium in a proportion of 10: 1 and fill in clean, sanitized bags. Usually take plastic, color and transparency does not matter. Holes of 2 cm are cut through them every 10-15 cm, it is in these slots that the fruiting bodies will appear.
You may be interested in:Since the bag must be blown with air from all sides, it can be hung from the ceiling or prepared racks for the vertical installation of bags. Air temperature is required up to + 25 ° C, humidity - 70-80%. You can install a fan, but do not direct the stream of wind at the blocks. During the growth of mycelium, the bags need to be darkened, for example, closed with a curtain or a screen.
Through the holes made, mushrooms can be seen in 2-3 weeks. But the process will begin in just a few days, and if the bag is transparent, then you can see the growth of the mycelium. It is recommended that you keep your room clean by wet cleaning.
Harvest ripening
When the mycelium grows, it needs other conditions. The easiest way to change the room, move everything to the basement, where you can achieve the required performance. For ripening, it is important to create the following conditions:
- humidity 95%. This indicator can be achieved with a humidifier or regular spraying of air;
- air temperature + 10-15 ° C;
- 12-hour daylight: it would be ideal to install LED phytolamps, but they can be ordinary;
- airing the room 2-3 times a day;
- everyday "shower" on the mushroom caps, but do it carefully so that the water drains, and does not linger inside the base and does not cause rot.
The first crop can be harvested 1.5 months after laying, the second - weeks after 2-3. In total, you can expect up to 4 crops. Then the substrate needs to be changed and everything should be started all over again. Old bag filling is ideal as a fertilizer for the garden.
Growing oyster mushrooms on stumps.
If there is a homestead territory and a desire to breed oyster mushrooms for yourself, without an aim to earn money, then a less intensive option is suitable - cultivating on stumps, saw cuts of trees, the so-called "chocks".
Hardwoods are suitable for this: aspen, poplar, willow, linden. Like bags, on the logs you need to make deep cuts and put the mycelium bought there. Keep them in the shade and water, waiting for the first mushrooms. Then you can put stumps on the street in the shade: under the trees or the northern wall of the building - and periodically harvest.
Mushroom purchase kit
The popularity of oyster mushrooms and interest in its independent cultivation stimulates manufacturers to create new products. For beginners, a turnkey set may be suitable: a ready-made container with a substrate and mycelium.
How and where to order the material?
Buying a ready-made kit is not difficult: they are sold in gardening stores and specialized online stores. The set will definitely contain detailed instructions for using the purchase.
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The mushroom growing kit should be put in the place recommended by the instructions and moisturized to wake the mycelium. Recommended temperature, humidity and lighting should be maintained. When the first mushrooms appear, the box must be put into the light and in a colder place, for example, on the balcony.
Although such a compact set can be used in an apartment, it is worth remembering that it can cause discomfort in people or animals, especially sensitive ones. Yes, and the mushrooms can "not say hello", because in the living room there are a lot of bacteria dangerous for them. That is why it is better to keep a ready-made kit in a non-residential place.
Reviews
Some readers have experience using this kit. Here is what they write:
Oleg: “I decided to combine gardening with business and start cultivating oyster mushrooms. However, I heard a lot about allergies to spores. Such a set is an ideal option to test yourself. The purchase looked like a pretty cardboard box, inside - a bag with a substrate. He began to water, tried to be near him more often. I was lucky: allergies did not appear, so I switched to a more voluminous cultivation.
Anna: “My grandmother likes to go to the forest for mushrooms, but now her age does not allow her, so giving such a set was a good idea. On a cool veranda, a box produced fruit as promised by an advertisement. ”
Victor: “My experience is unsuccessful: 3 mushrooms were collected from the kit. I don’t know, maybe something is wrong with the mycelium, maybe it died during transportation - I ordered via the Internet - but the desire was completely lost. ”
Answers to widespread questions
You may be interested in:Growing oyster mushroom is quite interesting and even profitable. There are three ways to cultivate mushrooms at home: in bags, on stumps, and using a ready-made mushroom kit. Fans of oyster mushrooms can choose the most suitable option and soon get their own crop.
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