Growing mushrooms at home. Growing champignons at home for beginners (in the basement, in the country) Growing champignons at home
Champignons are quite common mushrooms that do not need additional advertising and are widely used in modern cuisine. They are used freshly picked, for the preparation of a large number of dishes and consumed in canned form. Various dishes are perfectly complemented by the pleasant and delicate taste of champignons, and their aroma brings its own unique notes. Mushrooms are an extremely useful product, containing microelements and vitamins necessary for the body. They contain a large amount of protein that is easily digestible by humans, so champignons are in great demand during the fasting period as a substitute for meat, and are widely used for dietary nutrition. The organic combination of low calorie content and rich composition allows you to stick to a diet without compromising the state of the body.
Mushrooms grow on almost all continents, preferably in the steppe and forest-steppe regions. They are found in open spaces of meadows and forests, and prefer well-moistened and manured soil.
Outwardly, young champignons growing in nature are white or gray-white in color, with a spherical hat, under which there are white plates. More mature mushrooms have an umbrella-shaped hat with pink plates, they darken and become brownish or light brown. It is desirable to collect and eat young specimens that have a characteristic membrane under the cap. More than a thousand years ago, champignons were among the first mushrooms to be cultivated, growing them on special lawns. Over time, it was noticed that these mushrooms grow well in dark and damp basements. In modern conditions, this popular mushroom is grown on special farms. Its production is put on an industrial basis, the whole mushroom industry is engaged in the cultivation of champignons. Through the efforts of breeders, about 50 cultivars have been bred, slightly differing in color, cap structure and shelf life, all of them are hybrids of white champignon. Delicious, nutritious and fragrant, champignon is widely used in the kitchen and is used to prepare various dishes. Such popularity of the mushroom interested fans of this product and caused a desire to grow champignons at home. Forest mushrooms are an excellent product only if they are collected in places remote from possible sources of pollution, since, being osmotrophic, they very intensively absorb and accumulate all harmful substances from the soil and air. A good alternative is purchased champignons grown in artificial conditions that do not contain substances harmful to health. The ideal option for using an environmentally friendly product is champignons grown on their own. This will allow you to save a lot on the purchase, do an exciting job and get a healthy and tasty result, the quality and freshness of which you can be sure of. Growing champignons at home is not a simple and easy task. This will require patience and the correct fulfillment of some basic conditions that ensure intensive growth and productive results. To do this, you will need to bring the growing conditions closer to the environment of their natural habitat. The factors that need to be monitored when growing champignons at home include: the correct composition of the compost, the organization of the proper microclimate, timely watering, and the fight against possible pests and diseases. An important condition is excellent ventilation of the room, mushrooms need a lot of fresh air. Champignons in the process of growth produce carbon dioxide, its excess leads to disproportionate elongation of the stem. The presence of light does not matter for the yield of mushrooms, so they can be safely grown in a basement or a closed shed. You can use any dark corners of the greenhouse or garage where no other crops can grow. The main thing is to ensure good air circulation in such conditions. Due to the high humidity required for the intensive growth of mushrooms, the room can be prone to infection by various pests and diseases that thrive in such an environment. Therefore, all surfaces must be disinfected with high quality using formalin solution and lime with copper sulphate. An excellent harvest when growing champignons at home can be obtained on specially prepared soil, called compost, it must be generously seasoned with organic fertilizers. The compost laid for ripening should not touch the ground, it is desirable that air access is from all sides. Be sure to cover it with a canopy from the sun and rain, the compost should be moist, but excess moisture can interfere with the fermentation process. To obtain high-quality compost, the optimal size of the pile in which it will ripen is 1.5/1.5/1.5 meters, this will ensure a good combustion process. A small amount of compost is not even worth trying, because a good fermentation process requires a large volume. It is better to choose the street as a place for making compost, because carbon dioxide and ammonia are released during the fermentation of the substrate. If a room is chosen for composting, then it must be provided with good ventilation. The compost matures within three weeks. During this period, it must be mixed 3-4 times, for uniform burning of the substrate, and well moistened. To enrich the composition, during the first mixing, crushed lime is introduced, during the second - superphosphate, and during the last - crushed gypsum or alabaster. During the fermentation process, the compost can heat up to 55-70 degrees, when the process ends, the temperature drops to 20-24 degrees and the characteristic smell of ammonia disappears. The finished compost becomes brown in color, does not stick to the hands and springs when squeezed, the straw becomes soft and easily torn.
Factors affecting yield
With the creation of certain favorable circumstances, the cultivation of champignons at home can be carried out all year round. To do this, a room is selected in which it is possible to ensure that the temperature regime is maintained within 15-25 degrees and a sufficiently high humidity of the air, at least 80-90%.
In the autumn-summer period, growing champignons in the country can give a good harvest. To do this, a bed is created from special soil in a shaded place. To protect the mycelium from drying out and waterlogging, the bed is covered with a film or roofing material, this creates a certain microclimate in the bed.Composting
The most difficult and responsible stage of growing champignons is the preparation of compost. Mushrooms are demanding on the composition of the soil on which they are grown. Its main components are horse manure and wet straw, at a rate of 4/1, respectively. These components are laid in layers alternately, the number of layers is about four of each component. To improve the composition between the layers add a small amount of superphosphate and urea. Horse manure in compost gives the best yield, but if necessary, it can be replaced with any other animal manure or chicken manure.
Champignons are fairly common mushrooms. They are mass grown for use in the food industry, in particular in cooking. Entrepreneurs build their business on their breeding, which brings good income. But experienced farmers prefer champignons grown at home. Read about it in the article.
What is in the soil?
Is it possible to grow champignons at home? Of course, this is within the power of a farmer or owner of a private farmstead without any experience. The main thing is to stock up on knowledge in this matter and follow the instructions clearly. The most time-consuming process in the cultivation of mushrooms is the preparation of the soil. For an area of \u200b\u200bmycelium of three square meters, 100 kilograms of ingredients of plant origin will be required, which include the following:
- Straw.
- Cereal grains, you can use rye or wheat.
- Fallen plant leaves.
- Tops from tomatoes or potatoes.
In addition, the composition of the soil should include:
- Horse or cow manure in the amount of half a centner.
- Water - 300-400 liters.
- Urea and superphosphate in an amount of two kilograms each.
- Gypsum - seven or eight, and chalk - five kilograms.
You can prepare another composition using bird droppings. Here are the other ingredients and their quantities:
- Litter and straw - by centner.
- Water - 300 liters.
- Gypsum, alabaster - as in the previous composition.
- Urea - two kilograms.
The process of making compost
First you need to make a collar with the same dimensions (one and a half meters) in width, length and height. It is with this ratio of parameters that combustion will properly occur. The compost will mature in two to three weeks.
How to grow champignons at home? First you need to plant them in the soil, which is prepared as follows: all components of plant origin and straw must be soaked for a day. At the same time, they and manure should be laid in layers, and the straw should be watered abundantly. The components contained in the pile must be thoroughly kneaded and moistened once a week to ensure proper combustion. During the first kneading, crushed lime is added to the compost. The second time - superphosphate. Then mixing is carried out with the addition of crushed gypsum or alabaster. Each time after mixing, the resulting stack is covered with a film.
It should be borne in mind that during the preparation of the soil, an unpleasant odor similar to ammonia and carbon dioxide will be released. Therefore, it is better to cook outdoors. But at the same time, protection from sunlight and precipitation is needed. If you organize the process indoors, it should be well ventilated.
How to grow champignon mushrooms at home? To do this, you need to take into account important points, without which this process is impossible. First of all, a supply of compost is made, since it is needed in large quantities for growing mushrooms. In the process of its preparation, the temperature can reach from 53 to 70 ° C. When the combustion process is completed, the thermometer will drop to 21-25 ° C, and the unpleasant smell will disappear. The finished soil has an elastic structure and brown color. It does not stick to the hands, the straw can be easily torn.
How to properly compost?
When the preparation of the soil is completed, proceed to another procedure - its laying. First you need to choose the containers in which the mushrooms will be grown. They can be racks, wooden boxes, plastic containers, bags. The compost mass is laid out in prepared containers in a layer, the height of which should not exceed 22 cm.
Types of mycelium
The seed material of mushrooms is called mycelium. It is grown at home or in laboratories. Mycelium is of two types:
- Compost - this type of seed is stored for a long time at zero temperature, about a year. For a plot area of one square meter, 500 g of mycelium will be required.
- Grain - this composition is more effective than the first. Seed material of this species germinates better and gives greater yields. Its consumption for the same area is less, only 330-350 g. But this mycelium has a significant drawback: a short shelf life. Its properties are preserved only for half a year. Keep seed in the refrigerator.
If champignons are grown for commercial purposes, it is better to buy planting material. But some are confused by the conditions in which it was grown, and therefore do it on their own. To obtain the material, you need to sow spores or isolate it from the fruiting bodies, and then place it in a specially prepared medium: agar wort. Its preparation is carried out according to the following technology:
- First you need to mix beer wort (one liter) and agar-agar (20 g) with boiling water.
- After dissolving the ingredients, the composition is poured into test tubes for a third of them. Then the containers are plugged with cotton swabs and placed in an autoclave for 30 minutes at a temperature of 101 ° C and 1.5 atmospheres.
- The test tubes are placed not straight, but obliquely, so that no more than 3.5 cm remains before the plugs. Now it remains to wait until the wort hardens.
- After that, spores or a piece of the fruiting body must be added to the test tubes, while maintaining sterility.
- The containers should be kept in a thermostat or a dark room at a temperature of 24 ° C until they are overgrown. After a couple of weeks, the nutrient medium will be mastered by mycelium. This means that they are completely ready for landing.
Usually this composition is used by mushroom pickers for growing mycelium at home, although there are also its substitutes: agar with oats, carrot agar.
Technology for the proper cultivation of mushrooms
Mushrooms at home can be grown using mycelium. To do this, it needs to be properly planted, and in the room to correctly select the temperature and humidity conditions. Under these conditions, the first harvest can be obtained in a year.
If the planting material is grain mycelium, grooves should be made in the soil 30 cm deep and 50-60 cm wide. The distance between the pits should be 20 cm. In order for the temperature to normalize, you need to leave them for two or three days and only then lay the mycelium. To arrange the body of the fungus, a checkerboard pattern is used.
If compost mycelium is used for planting champignons, the technology is different. The bottom of small pits is covered with drainage. Compost is placed on top, in which the mycelium is placed. After that, the planting material is closed by him. Subject to all the rules, taking into account high-quality mycelium, in seven days we can expect the appearance of new threads-branches.
After 21 days, you need to lay out moist soil on top of the beds 25-30 cm thick. If the layer is larger, the bodies of the mushrooms will block, their germination will not occur soon.
In order to observe the temperature regime in the room where mushrooms are grown, it is necessary to temporarily install sheds or cover the soil with straw. If a white coating appears on the compost, then it needs to be moistened. After watering the soil, the canopy or straw is removed.
The first harvest will not have to wait long, only 45 days. You need to collect mushrooms as soon as they ripen, since the yield period is short, only three to four days. The next fruiting period should be expected in three to four months. The harvests of the first waves are the richest.
Champignons in bags
How to grow champignon mushrooms at home? There are many possibilities for this. Each farmstead has outbuildings, cellars. They are adapted for growing mushrooms. However, you can grow champignons at home in bags made of polymer materials. This method has been used in many countries for a long time. It allows you to get large volumes of mushroom crops.
Bags can be made independently from a transparent polymer film of various capacities. For growing at home, 25-kilogram ones are more suitable. But the main criterion for choosing bags is the convenience in performing work on growing mushrooms. And for it to be successful, you need to properly arrange the bags in the room. This is done in many ways, but the most common are:
- According to the principle of chess placement. With this method, the usable area is not used only by 10%.
- Parallel placement of bags. In this case, the loss of area is even greater - 20%.
This can be compensated by deep bags, which contain more substrate. And the space between the unusual beds is used for air circulation. There are different options for how to grow champignons at home. If everything is done with the observance of technology, you can achieve excellent results.
Harvest in bags
Mushroom picking time is the most pleasant time. Mushrooms ripen four months after planting the mycelium in the soil of the bag. When harvesting, you need to show maximum accuracy: you can’t cut the mushrooms with a sharp blade or other object, they need to be twisted. After that, the mycelium is sprinkled with a nutrient substrate and watered using a spray bottle. It will bear fruit for two weeks. During this period of time, champignons are harvested after two to three days. It is advisable to use fresh rather than frozen champignons for food. Mushrooms with light plates inside the cap are useful. If the mushrooms are old, then they will have a brown color, since toxic substances accumulate in such champignons, which can be poisonous.
Benefits of growing champignons in bags
These mushrooms are unpretentious, can grow in an open-air garden or indoors. But mushroom pickers with experience prefer to grow them in bags, since this method has several advantages:
- Pests and various diseases do not spread to the entire site, since if necessary, you can always remove a specific bag from the premises.
- Due to the mobility of unusual beds in the form of bags, mushrooms can be grown seasonally and permanently.
- When placed, bags can be placed in several tiers on special stands. This will save space. This is especially important when growing indoors.
- The cost of polyethylene bags is lower than plastic containers. This is important when growing mushrooms in large volumes.
The disadvantage of this technology is the use of manual labor. But if the scale of cultivation is small, it is not burdensome.
Mushrooms in the cellar
It is convenient to grow mushrooms in such a place, since the basement located underground has a stable microclimate. Here, labor costs for creating optimal conditions for growing champignons are much less than, for example, in greenhouses. It is not difficult to grow champignons at home in the basement, the main thing is to monitor the temperature and humidity conditions. During the incubation period, the air humidity should be 75%, not lower. If the basement is dry, use a humidifier. It is important to know that spores are activated at a higher temperature - from 24 to 28 ° C, and fungi germinate when it drops to 16 ° C. The basement must meet the following requirements:
- Have concrete walls.
- Wood flooring is strictly prohibited. The floor must be concreted, in extreme cases - cemented.
- The basement must be ventilated.
- To prevent fungi from damaging insects that can enter the basement, ventilation holes are covered with nets.
- Ceiling walls should be disinfected. Lime can be used for this.
- If the basement is large, it must be divided into zones: for the incubation period and for obtaining fruiting bodies.
How to grow champignons at home in the country?
Growing mushrooms in this way is much more difficult than, for example, in the basement. Here, the choice of a site for planting mycelium is of great importance. How to grow champignons at home? To do this, you need to find a place that is always in the shade, and the ground never dries up. A canopy is built over the site or a darkened greenhouse is placed in this place. How are champignons grown at home (photos are presented in the article)? Mycelium is planted according to standard technology. For champignons, an important condition for growth is the correct temperature and humidity. These indicators should be maintained, especially since mushrooms categorically do not tolerate heat. Equally important is the choice of substrate. Nutrients in it should be contained in large quantities, and carbon dioxide - in small. The best option is land that must be brought from the forest in advance.
Growing mushrooms in an apartment
This method is suitable for those who do not have a cottage or garden. The main task for such cultivation of mushrooms is to create optimal conditions under which they will grow normally and bear fruit. An example of how to grow champignons at home is presented step by step below:
- The first thing to do is to isolate any room in the apartment for growing mushrooms from those rooms in which people live.
- Measure humidity. It should be high, about 90%. If its readings are lower, you need to install a humidifier.
- To maintain the optimum temperature, the room is equipped with heaters and ventilation. With their help, the temperature regime will be maintained. It should be borne in mind that the mycelium germinates at 20 ° C, and the fruiting bodies - at 15 ° C.
- After preparing the premises, the selected containers are filled with the substrate.
- Mycelium is planted in them, covered with a film on top, which must be removed after the appearance of mushrooms.
- The soil is constantly moistened, it should not be allowed to dry out.
- When the time comes, the mushrooms should be collected.
Mushrooms are not only a healthy and nutritious product, but also very tasty. Therefore, since ancient times they have been used to prepare various dishes. Mushrooms are used to cook soups, roasts, salads, pates, snacks and much more. Of course, you want to pamper yourself with such goodies all year round. Then home-grown mushrooms come to the rescue. This option is suitable for those who do not like to go to the forest, stock up for the winter, or simply prefer to eat fresh. Since champignons are the most common mushrooms, in the article we will consider the question of how to grow champignons at home.
Useful properties of champignons
Excellent aroma, spicy taste - this is how champignons can be described in a few words. However, these mushrooms differ not only in excellent taste, but also in useful properties. So, what are champignons rich in, what is included in their composition?
- Protein. An important component due to which cells are updated and built.
- Various amino acids. They have a beneficial effect on many functions of the human body, including thought processes and memory. It turns out that if you know how to grow champignons at home, you can provide yourself with a year-round supply that makes our head work.
- Vitamins A, B, C, D.
- Phosphorus. Since champignons are rich in this element, they can easily replace fish if you do not like it.
Also, as an antiseptic, you can use the juice of these mushrooms for the rapid healing of cuts, wounds and ulcers. These are the most basic beneficial properties that champignons have.
Conditions for growing champignons
The technology of growing champignons involves the observance of some important conditions.
- Lack of sunlight.
- Moderate warmth. It is important to observe the temperature regime, differences are highly undesirable when growing champignons.
- Uniform and good ventilation.
- High humidity.
- A certain microclimate required at each stage of mushroom growth.
To meet these conditions and successfully grow champignons, special equipment may be required. We will return to this issue later, but for now we will consider the places most suitable for growing mushrooms.
Places for growing champignons
As mentioned above, several conditions must be met in order to have a successful year-round growing of champignons. At home, a basement, cellar, balcony or garage can be a suitable place, while mushrooms are planted in boxes or pallets.
Champignons are very unpretentious mushrooms, so they can be grown even outdoors in garden beds or in greenhouses. But in this case, the crop will be harvested only in the warm season.
How to grow champignons in the garden?
It is good to grow mushrooms in the garden, as they will be in the fresh air. But on the open ground it is more difficult to create the necessary conditions for champignons, and this must be taken into account, so it is better to cover them with a tarpaulin or make a canopy, a greenhouse. It will be great if your site has the most humid and shaded place. Compost is laid out on the bed, and then they do everything the same as when growing mushrooms at home.
Equipment for growing champignons
Substrate for growing champignons
This is considered the most difficult step in growing mushrooms. You may get a poor harvest if the substrate is not made correctly. So how should it be composed?
For the substrate, you will need mushroom compost, which includes: manure and straw from rye or wheat. Horse manure will give a high yield, but cow or bird droppings can also be used. It will be a plus if you add fallen, non-rotten leaves and some organic waste, since champignons are very “gluttonous”. Also, beet tops, sunflower seed husks, urea, chalk, gypsum, bone meal, bran and superphosphate are used as nutritional components. When compiling the substrate, the following proportion is observed: 75% manure and 25% compost.
How to grow champignons at home in a small area, 1.5 square meters? You can use the following compost formula.
- Straw - 50 kilograms.
- Urea and superphosphate - 1 kilogram.
- Gypsum - 4 kilograms.
- Chalk - 2.5 kilograms.
- Manure - 150 kilograms.
In total, a little more than 200 kilograms of substrate will turn out.
Straw must first be soaked for a day, then laid in layers with manure. Each layer of straw is best moistened with urea and superphosphate. Then everything is mixed and other nutritional components are already introduced. Now the substrate should be infused for about 20 days. We can talk about complete readiness when the unpleasant smell of ammonia disappears.
It is not necessary to adhere to this formula, there are other recipes for how to grow champignons at home.
When compiling the substrate, you need to be prepared for the fact that the fermentation process will begin, which is accompanied by specific smells of ammonia and carbon dioxide, so it is better to do this not indoors, but in the fresh air. The compost should be covered with a canopy to hide it from rain and sunlight.
Planting champignon mycelium
At home, it is better to grow sterile mycelium obtained in laboratories. They are easier to take root and multiply faster. Mushroom mushrooms come in different varieties, one type is consumed more, the other less. So, for 1 square meter of substrate, 400 grams of grain mycelium will be required, and manure - 500 grams.
When you have decided on the amount of consumables and bought it, you can proceed to the direct landing. First, you should measure the temperature of the substrate, the mark of about 25 degrees is considered the most optimal for mushroom mycelium.
So, how to grow champignon mushrooms? Holes are recommended to be made in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 20-30 centimeters from each other. The mushroom picker needs to be broken into small pieces and planted to a depth of 5 centimeters. The grain variety can simply be laid on the surface.
Mushroom mycelium care after planting
After replanting the mycelium, the conditions mentioned above must be observed. This is high humidity and fairly moderate heat. Moreover, these conditions must be met not only indoors, but also in the substrate. To keep it constantly moist, you can cover it with newspaper and spray it from time to time - then the compost will not be dry.
After about a week, the mycelium will begin to grow, then the substrate should be sprinkled on top with soil by 3-4 centimeters. The technology of growing champignons suggests that during this period it is necessary to slightly lower the temperature of the substrate to about 20 degrees, and in the room - to 12-17 degrees. Do not forget about good ventilation in the room, but drafts should not be allowed. In principle, that's the whole care of the mycelium.
Harvesting champignons
It is not enough to know how to grow champignons at home; harvesting also has its own nuances.
With good care, champignons bear fruit in waves for up to two months, during which time you can get mushrooms many times. You can start harvesting the first crop after 30 days.
Champignons are not cut like forest mushrooms, but are twisted out of the substrate. Then the empty hole is sprinkled with earth and moistened to create conditions for the emergence of a new crop. Mushrooms are not collected by everyone, but only “ripe” ones - these are those that have a stretched white film under the cap that connects the stem and the edges of the cap, and the plate has a pale pink color. Mushrooms with brown plates are not recommended to be eaten. If the film burst, then the mushroom is considered old. This should not be allowed, as this is very depleting of the mycelium.
Growing champignons - an idea for a business
Mushroom cultivation was popular back in the 18th century in European countries and not only, most often in Italy, France, America, Germany, Sweden, England and Belgium. In Russia, home production of these mushrooms began only in the 19th century, because our forests are already rich in edible gifts of nature.
Today mushroom cultivation is a business with a good profit. If you make simple mathematical calculations, then in one year you can get up to 6 crops. Of course, there will be additional expenses for equipment, electricity and heating. But in general, you can get a good income from the sale of champignons, you just need to know to whom to constantly sell the resulting crop.
It is not surprising that today such a niche as growing champignons is already occupied by entrepreneurs, because these mushrooms bear fruit abundantly, they are easy to grow, and the necessary raw materials (in fact, waste) can be purchased almost for free. Of course, you can try to break into this business, but you will have to make a lot of efforts to get a solid profit from it in the first months.
Now you know how to grow champignons at home, and what equipment is required for this. You can engage in large-scale production, or you can plant these mushrooms for yourself, for your soul, in order to enjoy them all year round. In any case, growing champignons is an easy and even interesting task.
The idea to make money growing mushrooms came to Russia after this business gained well-deserved popularity in Europe. Knowledge of how to grow champignons will help businesses that require accuracy, perseverance, work and certain investments to develop at a rapid pace.
Mushrooms can be grown extensively or intensively. In the first case, the mushroom is grown in natural conditions, and this approach gives a small yield. In the second case, champignon is bred in artificial conditions, and then there are prospects for high yields.
This method of growing mushrooms requires special tools and conditions.
Growing methods
There are few ways to grow champignons and depend on where the soil is located (in a box, on a shelf, in a garden bed or in a bag).
To grow champignons in a box, you will need the boxes themselves. They should be made of wood with a fungus treatment. A significant and not the only drawback of this method is the need to purchase expensive equipment, which makes it the least popular.
Growing on shelves also has a big disadvantage - there is a high risk of infection by pests and diseases through excess water flowing from the upper shelves.
The technology of growing in the garden is convenient if the mushroom grower has empty underground rooms. In this case, a greater amount of manual labor will be required, and the enclosed space is not only inconvenient for cleaning, but also greatly increases the possibility of contracting diseases. This technology is also unpopular.
The method of growing champignons in bags is recognized as the most effective. The financial costs here are quite feasible, there is no need to equip special premises. If a sack becomes infected with a disease, it is very easy to limit its spread by eliminating the affected part and protecting other sacs. Composting requires a lot of force, which is considered the only significant drawback of this method. Bags are placed on the floor in two patterns - chess or parallel. When installing according to a chess scheme, about 9% of the production area is lost, with a parallel one - up to 20%. These losses can be reduced by using deep bags. The space formed between the bags then contributes to the air circulation necessary for cooling the substrate.
With sufficient assets, you can invest in briquettes. This cultivation technology is fully mechanized and has good protection against the spread of infection.
Growing mushrooms in bags
Where to begin?
Initially, you need to decide which variety you want to grow, how much you can invest in this production, and what will be its scale (big business, additional income, a useful product for your own table without selling it)? Having answered these questions, you can proceed to the main thing - to start growing mushrooms at home. This process is quite laborious and will require patience, knowledge and following the instructions.
cultivation
The technology of growing champignons begins with the most responsible and difficult stage - the preparation of the substrate. Compost suitable for champignons is the most important basis for the high profitability of the enterprise, since champignon is very demanding on the quality of the nutrient medium. Here it is extremely important to make sure that the established rules are strictly observed, which will allow you to grow champignon without any problems.
The main components of the substrate are simple: horse manure (up to 80% of the total volume) and compost prepared from straw or rye seeds (wheat can be used). Instead of horse manure, mullein or bird droppings are also used (here you need to be careful - the fungus does not “love” it much, and there is a possibility of a decrease in yield levels). It is best to prepare the substrate outdoors, in a place protected from rain and sunlight.
To equip a mycelium with an area of 3 m², you will need 100 kg of straw, 2 kg of urea, 2 kg of superphosphate, up to 8 kg of gypsum, 5 kg of ordinary chalk, horse manure (3-5 times more in volume than straw). If bird droppings are used, the proportions will be different. It will take 100 kg of straw, 100 kg of manure, 300 liters of water, 8 kg of gypsum, alabaster (instead of superphosphate and chalk).
First, the straw is soaked for a day in water, after which it, together with manure, is stacked in layers (3-4 layers), adding urea and superphosphate. In order to grow a decent crop, it is important to re-moisten the straw during the laying process (300-400 liters of water per 100 kg of straw). Then everything is thoroughly mixed and the remaining components are added, observing the order. First, they mix for the first time and add gypsum, after the second time, superphosphate is used, and chalk is added between the third and fourth mixing.
After that, the “burning” of the components begins in the stack with an increase in temperature. After 20 days, when the ammonia has completely evaporated (this can be recognized by the absence of a characteristic smell), you can start growing the mushroom.
The scheme of preparation of the substrate for growing champignons
Mycelium bookmark
For planting seed, approximately 15 kg of compost is placed in polyethylene bags with special perforation and the mycelium is planted. You can get a good harvest of quality products only if you plant high-quality "seeds" or mycelium (sterile mycelium), which is grown in special laboratories. There are two types of mycelium - grain and compost. Although champignon from compost mycelium will give a smaller yield, it has its advantages: it is not so susceptible to negative factors, it is stored longer and retains its qualities perfectly. And yet in the production of grain mycelium is more popular.
Up to 400 g of grain and about 500 g of compost mycelium are consumed per square meter of beds. If you are going to grow champignon in bags, then about 800 g of grain mycelium is consumed per 100 kg of substrate. Lay the mycelium in layers (in the garden) or mixed (in bags).
Putting the mixture of substrate and mycelium in a plastic bag, leave it on the rack for 3 days, after which make 5-6 cuts in the bag and leave it in the dark at a temperature of 18-20°C. After 2-3 weeks, mushrooms will appear in the slots, then it will be necessary to transfer the bags to a ventilated and round-the-clock illuminated room with the same temperature and humidity above normal. Mushroom grows to marketable size in about 3-4 weeks. After harvesting, transfer the bags to the first room, and after a week the mushroom will begin to grow again.
When the mushroom bears fruit, it is necessary to monitor the humidity of the air (about 70-95%) and the temperature regime (substrate temperature 20-27 ° C). Avoid drafts.
grain mycelium
Champignons are one of the most common types of mushrooms. Next, we will talk in detail about growing champignons at home for beginners. As you can see for yourself, this process is quite simple, anyone can handle it. Although, of course, there are some subtleties in it that must be taken into account.
If you follow all the recommendations below, you can get a good mushroom harvest. It will be enough not only for itself, but also for sale. True, it is unlikely that it will be possible to breed mushrooms in a city apartment. It is better to do this in the country.
Necessary materials
The technology for growing champignons in the country is quite simple. But for its implementation, some materials and equipment may be needed.
- First of all, you will need a substrate - a nutrient medium in which mushrooms will be grown. How to create it and what is required for this will be described later.
- The second is mycelium, that is, fungal spores. This is planting material, an analogue of seeds in plants. You can buy it in stores that sell everything for the garden. There are two types: grain and compost. The first is produced in plastic bags, the shelf life is about six months. The second is in glass jars. It can be used for twenty days and yields less.
Equipment for growing champignons in general is not necessary. However, it greatly simplifies the process and increases the quantity and quality of the resulting mushrooms. It will be helpful to use the following:
- ventilation and heating system;
- water supply system;
- refrigerator for storing harvested mushrooms.
Growing champignons in large volumes requires the availability of equipment that allows you to mechanize some processes. For example, a lift with a winch and a conveyor.
Preparation
The first step is to prepare the substrate. This is the most difficult thing in growing mushrooms. And it is on this that the final result depends to the greatest extent.
For cooking, manure is used (preferably horse manure, but cow or bird manure can also be used) and straw in a ratio of approximately 4: 1, in the case of bird droppings - 1: 1. Due to the rather unpleasant odor of the components, as well as the release of toxic gases in the process, it is better to prepare the substrate in the air, for example, on an unused plot of land or a summer house. But always under a canopy that protects it from direct sunlight and precipitation. In extreme cases, you can also indoors, but non-residential and well-ventilated.
When using horse or cow excrement, eight kilograms of gypsum, five chalk, two urea and two superphosphate must be added to one hundred kilograms of straw. If birds are used, then about three hundred liters of water should be added to the same amount of straw, and chalk and superphosphate should be replaced with alabaster. Naturally, the figures are given for the convenience of calculations, and you need to do as much substrate as necessary. The result obtained in the above example is enough for about three square meters of mycelium.
First, the straw is soaked for a day. After that, it and manure are stacked on top of each other, three to four layers of each of the components. At the same time, the straw is additionally moistened, especially abundantly if bird droppings were used. Next, urea and a pound of superphosphate are added. After that, everything is thoroughly mixed, gypsum, the remaining phosphate and chalk are added. After adding each component, it is necessary to repeat mixing. In about a month, the nutrient medium for growing mushrooms will be ready.
Landing
So, the substrate is ready, now the mushrooms need to be planted. For one square meter of nutrient medium, you need about four hundred grams of grain mycelium or five hundred compost.
Before sowing spores, heat treatment of the substrate is recommended. After that, it must be cooled to twenty-five degrees Celsius. If everything is done correctly, the finished material will be elastic, slightly springy when pressed by hand. Now you need to put it in wooden boxes. The amount is calculated based on their area - about one hundred kilograms per square meter.
Actually landing is as follows. Holes three to four centimeters deep are made in the substrate with a peg at a distance of at least twenty centimeters from each other. Planting material is introduced into them: a handful of dry or a small lump of wet. If grain spores are used, you can also simply scatter them evenly over the surface and cover with a four-centimeter layer of substrate.
Next, the boxes are covered with burlap, which is sprayed with water as needed. Humidity should be high, about ninety percent, but you should avoid getting liquid on germinating mushrooms.
Growing in a basement or cellar
Growing champignons in a basement or cellar - in a word, indoors - is the most popular way to grow mushrooms in the country. This is where lighting equipment comes in handy. Mushrooms themselves do not require light for growth, but a person is not able to see in the dark, and caring for plantings with a lantern in hand will not be very convenient.
Watering mushrooms during the first month of growth is unacceptable. At this time, the mycelium grows, and any liquid that gets on it can lead to the death of the entire crop. However, the overall humidity in the room should be maintained at ninety to ninety-five percent. It is also impossible to allow the top layer of soil to dry out. To achieve this goal, a method is used with covering boxes with seedlings with burlap, which is regularly wetted with water.
The temperature inside the substrate should be maintained at twenty-five to twenty-seven degrees Celsius. This is the best option for achieving high yields. In principle, the temperature can be a little more or a little less.
It is important to remember that at a temperature of more than thirty and less than twenty degrees, growing champignons is impossible, since the mycelium dies.
In a month, the germination of mushrooms should begin. Since then, the order of care for them has changed. The burlap is removed from the boxes, sprouted champignons are sprinkled with a layer of soil. After that, it is watered, but not too plentifully. The substrate must be damp, but not wet. Further, before harvesting, it should be maintained in this state.
The total humidity of the air should be reduced to eighty percent, the temperature - up to fifteen - seventeen degrees. It is during this period that it is especially important to ventilate the room well. The air must be fresh and clean, but at the same time, drafts and active movement of air flows directly above the boxes with mushrooms are unacceptable.
Outdoor cultivation
But not everyone who plans to grow champignons in the country has the opportunity to use this indoor space. In principle, you can try to grow mushrooms in the open air, right in the garden. However, this will be much more difficult, since the requirements for care remain the same.
First you need to choose a place. It should be shaded, because bright light, especially direct light, harms the mushrooms. Also, over the entire bed, there must be a canopy to protect against precipitation.
The growing substrate in this case is buried in the ground to a depth of about forty centimeters. Its quantity is still one hundred kilograms per square meter. Spores are laid in it to a depth of no more than a centimeter, after which everything is sprinkled with soil. The bed must be covered with plastic wrap or the same burlap. It will be possible to remove it in a month, after the first shoots appear.
Growing champignons in the country in the open air is best done in the fall, when the temperature is kept at fifteen to seventeen degrees. This will solve the problem of care after the germination of the mycelium. And the film covering the planting up to this point will not allow the mushrooms to freeze during the period when maintaining a high soil temperature is required.
Using a greenhouse is the best way to grow mushrooms in the country. It is easier to organize ventilation in it, maintain the temperature and humidity regime without using special equipment.
Conclusion
So, growing champignons on your own in the country as a whole is not difficult. However, several important points must be taken into account.
- Firstly, this is the correct preparation of compost - a nutrient medium in which the mycelium will grow.
- Secondly, constant temperature and humidity. There should be no sharp jumps, even the transition to the second stage, which requires different conditions, should be carried out gradually.
- Thirdly, regular ventilation, maintaining clean air over seedlings. But without sudden movements of air above it and drafts.
Under these conditions, growing champignons in the country will be an easy task, giving a very decent harvest.
We also recommend
Coleus: plant varieties and care features Coleus species and varieties photo name
Cissus - home care for room birch Indoor flower cissus
We take care of bougainvillea indoors: secrets and recommendations
Do-it-yourself stone applique for children: we do it using the example of master classes
Lightness, elegance, reliability: learning to weave furniture from wicker, rattan and other materials Do-it-yourself rattan furniture step by step instructions
Myrtle: beneficial properties and harm, use and cultivation at home
Loading...