What is the structure of the mycelium. The structure of mushroom mycelium and its cultivation

What is a mycelium mycelium? What are the types of mycelium, how to choose and store them? There may be confusion here - some sources of information call the mycelium the substrate on which the mycelium was settled for further transportation and cultivation. Some people call the mycelium itself a mycelium - the body of the fungus, previously crushed and planted in a substrate for further settlement, but not both together.

I'm leaning towards that mycelium- this is a substrate inhabited by mycelium, which is waiting for it to be germinated soon on straw, logs, cardboard, and what else ... Read on the page for the types of substrate for growing. Mycelium is needed to transfer mycelium to these substrates.

Growing mushrooms from pure mycelium is not recommended. The exact amount of mycelium (which has already turned white on the substrate and is viable) can populate a much larger amount of the substrate than raw mycelium, which has yet to germinate into the substrate. The mushroom picker is easier to control, you can be sure of the result if you see live mycelium in the mushroom picker, and not naked porridge, which may not germinate for some reason. Next, we will deal with the pros and cons of different types of mycelium.

Types of mycelium

Mycelium on sawdust

Mycelium sawdust is sterilized. Deciduous trees are used, preferably fruit trees. The size of sawdust is several millimeters. A mushroom picker from small sawdust can be populated in logs, an open mushroom "bed", straw, cardboard and other substrates. Pressed dowels with mycelium are made from sawdust, which are hammered into.

Mushroom on sawdust, already overgrown with mycelium.

If sawdust were more nutritious, it would become an ideal mycelium mycelium. If you buy mycelium on sawdust, then most likely bran or some other source of nitrogen has been added to the bag. The main advantage of sawdust is in the size of their particles. Due to the fact that they are small, the mycelium is distributed more evenly and can colonize more substrate for growing mushrooms. Our mycelium on sawdust is not very popular, grain is much more common.

grain mycelium

Sterilized grains of rye, corn, wheat or millet are populated with mycelium. Grain mycelium can populate any kind of substrate. Grains are much more nutritious than sawdust, so a handful of grains can propagate mycelium to other grain myceliums, and not only. However, grain mycelium may not be suitable for growing in the air - birds, and even more so mice, will definitely smell the grains ...

Mycelium on corn (popcorn)

Mycelium on rye grains

Sticks with mycelium

Mushroom sticks are made from sawdust and even from the legs of mushrooms. This method of colonizing with mycelium is very effective for logs, cardboard, wood chips - everything that is made of wood.

Mushroom stick from pressed sawdust

Sticks with mycelium

Other types of mycelium

Wood shavings mixed with bran.
Suspension with mycelium.

What kind of mushroom is better? The main thing is that the type of mycelium fits the substrate. If you have logs for settlement - take mushroom dowels. Mycelium has already studied woody material, so its spores quickly colonize a stump or log.

The mushroom picker on sawdust will well populate logs enriched with sawdust bran, cardboard, straw.

The grain mycelium is suitable for decontaminated straw and sawdust.
Once you have decided on the type of fungus, do a little research on a suitable substrate. But, looking ahead, I’ll tell you that the usual gray oyster mushroom prefers straw or cardboard.

Buying and storing mycelium

Now there is a real boom in the mushroom business. Buying mycelium in the mycelium is not a problem - look for mushroom pickers on the Internet closer to you or with the best reviews. It is advisable to do without transportation by transport companies, since the living organism of the mycelium feels temperature changes, tedding, light and darkness, lack or excess of air ...

On sale there is a dry mycelium, in bags for seeds. But experienced mushroom pickers do not use such seeds - they say that it takes root disgustingly, wakes up very slowly, and so on. I will change my rules and make a link to a third-party resource with an article on the topic of dry mycelium. And I noticed that foreign sites do not sell any "dry" mycelium.

dry mycelium

The mushroom picker should be fresh, without yellow spots. Mold and other fungi compete for a nutrient medium, and the mycelium itself produces its own waste that poisons it. Before buying mycelium, you should have everything prepared.

If you notice errors in the article (on growing) - please write in the comments. There are many conflicting sources of information on mushrooms, so I really need your help and advice!

From this article you will learn what a mycelium is. This structure is an obligatory part of the representatives of the kingdom of wildlife, which occupies an intermediate position between plants and animals. Who are we talking about? Let's figure it out together.

Characteristic features of mushrooms

What do we know about these organisms? Their uniqueness lies in the fact that they combine the features of the two kingdoms. Fungi, like plants, are attached to the substrate, their cells contain vacuoles with a supply of nutrients. Animal features include a heterotrophic mode of nutrition, the absence of chloroplasts, and the presence of a chitinous membrane. Mushrooms reproduce sexually and vegetatively, but sporulation is the most characteristic.

What is a mushroom?

Many of us picked mushrooms. But what we are used to eating is called the fruiting body. What is a mushroom? If you dig up the soil near the base of the stem of the fruiting body, you can see many white threads. This is the mushroom. It is also called mycelium or vegetative body. The threads of the mycelium are called hyphae. They are closely intertwined.

Mushrooms are characterized by unlimited growth. Therefore, the mycelium can reach a length of up to 35 km. The mycelium grows apically - top.

Yeast

Not all mushrooms have mycelium. Yeast is proof of this. They are made up of round cells. They can join in chains, forming colonies. But it is not a multicellular organism. Each cell is capable of reproducing on its own by budding. First, a small protrusion forms on it, which gradually increases in size, and then completely separates. Such a cell passes to independent existence. The result of budding was seen by every housewife who prepared yeast dough. If its quantity increases, then the conditions for the reproduction of this type of mushroom are favorable.

Forms and types of mycelium

According to the structure of the mycelium, cellular and non-cellular mycelium are distinguished. The first is also called septate. Between its cells, which contain nuclei, there are partitions. These are the septs. They contain pores that can be simple or complex. The latter have hook-shaped outgrowths called buckles. They take part in the process of cell division.

In a non-cellular, or coenotic, mycelium, there are no partitions between the walls. Such a structure is one large cell that contains many nuclei. In actinomycetes, which are bacterial organisms, the mycelium can be represented by either one or many cells.

Depending on the structural features, several types of mycelium are distinguished:

Cords - formed by fused hyphae. Their function is to ensure the attachment of fungi to the substrate.
Films - a set of hyphae of a flat shape. Such structures are capable of secreting enzymes that break down and absorb the cellulose polysaccharide.
Rhizomorphs - are represented by thickened cords, the length of which reaches up to 5 m. This name of the mycelium is due to its similarity with rhizoids - filamentous structures of algae that attach them to the substrate. The structure of such mycelium is heterogeneous. Outside, there are dark dense hyphae, and inside - light and loose.
Stromas are a combination of hyphae of a fungus and host plant tissue, the main function of which is to store cells of asexual reproduction - spores.
Sclerotia - differ in the density of the plexus and a large number of threads. Such structures ensure the preservation of viability in adverse periods.
Rhizoctonia - with the help of thin threads, they provide both attachment and distribution of fungi.

So what is a mushroom? This is a set of filamentous formations of the fungus, which ensure its growth, reproduction and distribution. This structure is also called the mycelium, or vegetative body.

Each novice mushroom picker is interested in several questions. The main ones are:

What types of mushrooms can be grown, what are the pros and cons of choosing one or another type, growing features?
What is mushroom mycelium and where can I get it? What conditions are necessary for its successful cultivation?
What conditions are necessary for growing mushrooms at home, and perhaps how to increase the amount of mushroom harvest to industrial volumes?
What mistakes should never be made when growing mushroom mycelium on your own?

Let's look at each question in detail.

You can grow almost any mushroom on your own. Most often, mushroom pickers choose for self-growing: chanterelles, truffles, porcini mushrooms, honey mushrooms, milk mushrooms, mushrooms. Aspen mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms are also in demand.

But if you're new to mushrooms, it's worth starting with the ones that are the easiest to grow. These mushrooms include: champignons, shiitake, oyster mushrooms. They have high palatability and grow very quickly. You can cope with their cultivation without experience and certain skills, without applying supernatural efforts for this. In this case, you do not need large financial costs.

What is mycelium, how does it happen, and where do they get it

Mycelium is fungal spores, i.e. vegetative body of the fungus. It is made up of numerous finest fibers, which are called hyphae. The hyphae grow in and on the substrate, absorbing the nutrients necessary for fungal growth. Hyphae can have several colors: white, yellowish or brown. It is from these overgrown threads that mushrooms begin to grow.

Mycelium can vary in internal structure. Depending on this, it is divided into two types:

Coenotic (non-cellular)

A feature of its structure is the absence of partitions between cells. Those. in fact, this type of mycelium is one huge cell filled with a huge number of nuclei.

septate

A feature of the structure is the presence of nuclei between cells (they are called septa). Each cell can have one or more nuclei.

Also, the mycelium is divided into several types, depending on the nutrient base intended for the growth of the mycelium:

Substrate.
Liquid.
Grain.

Grain type of mycelium

All of the above types of mycelium can be purchased ready-made in specialized stores, or you can do it yourself at home. Mushroom spores sold in stores are produced in the factory - in sterility.

Mycelium, made independently, may not bring the desired yield or even be useless. The reason for this is the high risk of infection with pathogenic bacteria and fungal spores.

That is why it will be easier for beginners to grow mushrooms using ready-made, purchased mycelium.

Types of mycelium	Advantages	Flaws
substrate	The mushroom picker based on this mycelium lends itself perfectly to storage - it survives for 1 year at room temperature.	The mushroom picker based on this type of mycelium grows very slowly.
Liquid	It is very difficult to distribute into the substrate without damaging it. The growth energy is too low.	Self-cooking will be difficult for a beginner, because. will require certain skills, knowledge and costs for the purchase of special equipment.
Grain	Thanks to the nutrients contained in the grain, accelerated growth of the mycelium is ensured.	Not long stored. Hard to take root on wood.

Mushrooms can be grown in two ways:

extensive– i.e. in the natural environment, spending a minimum amount of money;
intense– i.e. in an artificial environment by investing an appropriate amount of money. However, it should be said that if this event is planned for the purpose of business development, this method pays off very quickly. With 1 kg of mycelium, it is possible to collect up to 3 kg of mushrooms.

How to choose a quality purchased mycelium

The choice of mushroom mycelium, if you decide to purchase a ready-made seed option, should be taken seriously. You can buy it at garden centers. It is worth choosing a trusted and reliable supplier. If you don't know these
consult with people who already have experience in growing mushrooms. Or ask the consultants at your chosen garden center for advice.

Do not buy a large batch of mycelium at a time - it is better to take a small amount for testing. If there are no special problems with growing this mycelium, you will get a crop that meets your requirements and will be satisfied with everything, opt for purchasing mycelium from this supplier. If something does not suit you, you should try to purchase mycelium from another manufacturer.

Be sure to check the packaging with mycelium. It should indicate the variety of the fungus, as well as its strain. The following information must also be indicated on the packaging:

percentage and rate of fouling;
mold resistance;
storage period.

Before placing the purchased mycelium in the substrate, it must be crushed without opening the package. The temperature of the mycelium should be equal to the temperature of the substrate. Otherwise, the mycelium runs the risk of being subjected to temperature shock, as a result of which its properties will be lost.

Note! Mycelium intended for sowing is stored in a refrigerator at a temperature of 3-4 degrees Celsius. Under no circumstances should it be stored in a freezer.

Each purchased pack of mycelium should be kept at a distance from the other. Thus, air flow will be ensured for each bag. Opening packages with mushroom spores ready for sowing must be accompanied by their parallel treatment with a disinfectant solution.

Important! The laying of the mycelium should be carried out strictly with gloves. A huge role for the successful landing and successful growth of the mycelium is the observance of sterility.

Recently, wood sticks infected with mycelium have come on the market. Their shelf life is about six months, subject to humidity above 50%. This innovation is also convenient for those who do not want to spend time preparing mycelium.

Self-production of mycelium from the body of the fungus and uterine mycelium at home

In order to get mushrooms without buying ready-made mycelium, you will have to produce any of the following types of mycelium yourself:

Uterine.
Mycelium from the body of the fungus.

The sowing of the mycelium must be carried out under conditions of complete sterility. This requires constant access to water, gas, and electricity.

To prepare the uterine mycelium, you must purchase: test tubes with cork plugs, an alcohol burner, tweezers, sterile gloves, wort, hydrogen peroxide, and agar-agar (it has a jelly-like form).

Do you grow mushroom mycelium yourself?

YesNot

The working area is carefully sterilized and taken for the manufacture of the medium intended for sowing:

If mold is observed in test tubes with mycelium, they should never be opened in a room with healthy inoculum. The contents of such test tubes must be discarded, and the container itself should be thoroughly washed with a disinfectant and hot water.

Making mycelium from mushroom bodies also requires preparation. It is impossible to store this type of crops after production. Therefore, take care in advance about the preparation of the substrate or wood cuttings - depending on which mushrooms you plan to grow. For the preparation of seed, it is necessary to use mushroom caps - the latter must be ripe. It is desirable that the hats are large. They must not be damaged in any way.

Prepared mushroom caps are poured with boiled water that has cooled to room temperature for one day. After the specified time, the water must be drained. Mash the soaked caps into gruel - this is the seed. Now the gruel can be laid in wood cuttings or in layers in the substrate. After planting, the mycelium should be in a room with high humidity, subject to a temperature regime of 23-25 degrees Celsius.

After the first shoots appear, the room temperature should be reduced to 12-18 degrees Celsius and maintained within these limits.

All the nuances of growing mushrooms indoors

For the successful development of the mycelium, it is important to properly prepare the room. It should contain shelves or racks for placing blocks and bags with mycelium. Alternatively, the bags can be suspended from the ceiling using special hooks. A well-thought-out ventilation system must be present.

Heat, light and ventilation - that's what you need for the development of mycelium!

The room must be heated - it is better that the heating takes place using gas. Using electricity will cost much more. And the temperature regime with gas heating is much easier to control. This is very important, since at different phases of growth of the mycelium, the temperature regime must be individual. Another important requirement for the arrangement of the premises is the presence of artificial lighting in it. But if we are talking about growing champignons or shiitake mushrooms, they grow well in dark rooms with high humidity.

It is desirable that the room intended for growing mushrooms was not built of wood. The wooden frame and floors will rot very quickly from the conditions that must be observed in this room.

If the cultivation of mushrooms is not planned on an industrial scale, a garage, a greenhouse, or any existing basement may well be suitable for placing containers with a mycelium.

The technology of growing mycelium in open ground

Indoors, any mushrooms can be cultivated throughout the year, creating all the necessary conditions. But some prefer to grow mushrooms in their garden plots. For this, it is recommended to choose the period from May to September. Mushrooms and forest mushrooms will take root best of all in open ground. For their successful cultivation, we recommend that you follow the tips below.

For open ground, forest mushrooms or champignons are better suited.

When planting mycelium in the substrate, it is important to observe the correct proportions. This process is observed by increasing the temperature of the substrate (ordinary sawdust or straw can act as its role). Therefore, an excessive amount of fungal spores introduced can provoke the death of the entire mycelium due to excessive overheating.

Having chosen a shaded place, they dig a hole with a depth of no more than 40 cm. At the same time, it is recommended to retreat from the tree itself, ideally by 50-70 cm. A substrate must be laid out in the prepared hole - it can be leaves, coniferous needles, and sawdust. The layer thickness should be within 20 cm. Seed material is placed on the prepared substrate, having previously mixed it with the soil: local and forest.

For good germination and yield, crops need to create conditions that are as close as possible to their natural growing environment. It is important to monitor soil moisture - it should be moderate. In no case should it be excessively waterlogged or dried out. The ideal solution would be to carry out drip irrigation to crops. The first harvest after inoculation (planting) of the mycelium can be harvested after 3 weeks.

Summing up

Growing mushrooms is an interesting activity. Perhaps, after trying once, you will realize that you want to do this all your life and make your hobby a profitable business. In order to start growing mushrooms, you do not need large financial influences. Start with the simplest - choose one of the unpretentious species. If everything works out the way you planned, go ahead and start growing more whimsical varieties.

Currently, the production of champignons and oyster mushrooms is quite a popular and profitable business. A good product is obtained from a high-quality and pure culture of mycelium, which, if desired, can be grown at home. The detailed information presented in the article answers the questions of what mycelium is and how to cultivate it correctly.

Mycelium or its other name, mycelium - the vegetative body of fungi (thallus) - is a system of the thinnest branching filaments or hyphae. Thallus is divided into two types:

substrate, designed to attach to the substrate and transport nutrients and water;
air, which forms reproductive organs above the surface of the substrate.

The network of hyphae that forms the thallus can, under favorable conditions, spread over long distances. You can see such plexuses in the soil with the naked eye, they look like a white cotton coating.

Thallus - a network of hyphae that looks like a white cotton pad

The fungus performs a number of important functions:

promotes attachment of organisms to nutrient substrates;
with the help of enzymes, it processes cellulose, obtaining from it substances available for growth and development;
has the function adaptations to the environment;
participates in sporulation and is responsible for the preservation of the resulting spores.

Mycelium is a very important organ, in addition to the transport and nutritional functions, it is responsible for the vegetative reproduction of organisms.

Types of mushrooms and what they look like

There are 7 varieties of the vegetative body:

Film, consisting of light, densely woven hyphae of different sizes. The main function is to attach to the substrate and obtain nutrients from cellulose.
corded, which is formed due to the fusion of hyphae and is responsible for the attachment and spread of fungi due to strong branching.
are powerful cord-like weaves of threads of different colors, which determine the resistance of organisms to adverse environmental conditions.
, consisting of thin and airy cord-like clusters of hyphae and serving for the attachment and distribution of organisms.
Sclerotia formed by tightly woven together and strongly branching threads. Like rhizomorphs, it helps to endure aggressive living conditions.
are formed in places of contact with the tissue of the host plant, tightly growing together with it, and are intended to preserve fungal spores.
fruiting body is the site of formation and maturation of spores of the fungus.

Thus, the mycelium is a unique formation involved in the distribution, nutrition and reproduction of fungi.

Why get mycelium

The main purpose of thallus cultivation is to harvesting edible mushrooms. As soon as people realized that the hyphae clusters perform the function of reproduction, they began to use parts of wild mushrooms for breeding them at home. But such a product did not give a high yield.

Over time, attempts began to grow pure cultures of mushrooms to increase their yield and sustainability. At the end of the 19th century in France, it was possible to obtain such a culture of champignons grown on a special sterile substrate.

The grown mycelium showed excellent growth characteristics. Using the technology of obtaining thallus in the laboratory, it became possible to produce cultivated mushrooms on an industrial scale.

How to get a quality mushroom

Before you start cultivating mushrooms, you need to find out where to get the mycelium from. The highest quality mycelium is obtained in laboratories. Such a product can be bought in specialized stores with good reviews.

If desired, the mycelium can be grown at home on its own, having properly prepared the substrate, providing comfortable environmental conditions and sanitation. It is quite possible to implement this idea.

The main requirement for successful cultivation of mushrooms at home is compliance with temperature conditions, illumination and cleanliness.

Do-it-yourself mycelium production is a suitable way for beginner mushroom growers, because it makes it possible to try the method on a small batch and at no great cost.

Features of cultivation technology

The technology of growing mycelium for the purpose of breeding champignons, oyster mushrooms, mushrooms involves the sequential implementation of several procedures.

First pure culture technique from mushroom spores is still widely used for the cultivation of high-quality mycelium, called uterine. This method allows you to grow pure strong crops that give a good harvest and have excellent characteristics.

The main task of the mushroom grower in obtaining the uterine thallus is to maintaining aseptic conditions, so as not to infect the culture with microorganisms present in the environment. Compliance with this rule guarantees a quality product with excellent taste properties.

Mature spores or part of the fruiting body are planted on a substrate, which is a sterile nutrient media wort agar, oat or carrot agar.

The media are prepared in test tubes, and after they have solidified, the culture is introduced there with a sterile instrument, which can be a wire or a knitting needle with a loop at the end. To maintain sterility, all manipulations are performed over the fire.

The tubes are sealed with a sterile cotton-gauze stopper and stored at a constant temperature. about 24 degrees within 2 weeks before the formation of a full-fledged mycelium. The mother culture in test tubes can be stored for a long time at a temperature 1-2 degrees with periodic reseeding (1 time per year) to maintain good properties of the mycelium.

The next step is receiving seed from compost or grain mycelium. The best quality compost is formed from the following ingredients:

manure, preferably horse or cow;
straw;
gypsum;
urea;
superphosphate;
alabaster flour.

Convenient to use as a substrate ready compost. It is placed in three-liter jars for 2/3 of the volume, a recess is made in the middle, the jars are rolled up with a metal lid with a hole of 2-3 cm in the middle. The hole is sealed with a cotton-gauze stopper and the containers are sterilized.

Under aseptic conditions, the uterine mycelium is planted in the compost recess through the hole in the lid, which is closed again after the end of the procedure. Cultivation of the seed mycelium is carried out similarly to the uterine mycelium.

For growing mushrooms at home, it is convenient to get grain mycelium. To do this, it is important to properly prepare the grain:

Boil the grain in water in a ratio of 1:1.5 for 30-60 minutes and cool it.
Dry the grain and place it in jars or polypropylene bags, filling them halfway.
Sterilize prepared materials.
Sow the mycelium, as in the case of compost.

Pure culture has the appearance of a white fluffy coating without green or brown spots. Ready sowing mycelium is used to grow mushroom crops on substrates.

The production of high-quality mycelium requires some skill and careful preparation of conditions. Therefore, before getting down to business, it is best to try to grow a small batch of culture and collect the first crop. The experience gained will be very useful and will allow you to evaluate all the pros and cons of a mushroom growing project.