Going to the forest for mushrooms is interesting and exciting, but not always we can find for this time in the bustle of modern life. But there is a solution: you can grow them at home. This will require some knowledge, materials and patience. The main task for the mushroom grower is the acquisition of mycelium. Its value is difficult to overestimate. Mycelium hyphae are a kind of network of vessels that collect nutrients from the soil and transport them to the fruit bodies of the fungus. An edible, terrestrial part of them grows from special nodules throughout the mycelium.
Mushrooms quickly capture the entire territory, which is suitable for their growth. This opportunity is given by the tubular (similar to the circulatory system) structure of the mycelium. In addition, such a system allows you to quickly recover when even a large number of fruiting bodies are destroyed.
A vivid example of unicellular fungi is yeast. They have no mycelium due to the transition to dwelling in liquid, nutrient-rich environments.
Today we will talk about how to create a favorable environment so that the spores of mycelium take root in it. It takes time, but the result is worth it.
How to grow mushrooms?
As a rule, amateurs, and even those who grow mushrooms for sale, use mycelium, purchased at specialized enterprises. There, under sterile conditions, spores are prepared, from which mycelium hyphae are then formed. This is a process requiring a special microclimate. Mycelium in the form of pure cultures is transferred to cereal grains, and the process of growing mycelium begins. The room is ventilated with filtered air, in addition, excessive pressure is maintained so that air containing microorganisms does not penetrate into it. This is required so that moldy and other harmful mushrooms do not settle on the grains and do not spoil the culture. However, fungal mycelium can be grown in more primitive conditions. Below we describe the entire process so that you can use this method at home.
What are the strands of mycelium?
This is a system of branching tubes, hyphae, with apical growth and lateral branching. It can be cellular and non-cellular. Many edible mushrooms have structures that perform conducting functions. The filaments of mycelium, or cords, consist of hyphae located in parallel and in places tightly pressed against each other. On the mycelial cords are the rudiments of future fungi. Later, the fruiting bodies themselves appear there. Scaffolds spread throughout the substrate, completely covering the entire territory favorable for growth. Accordingly, the mycelium at home will occupy the territory provided to it. The larger it is, the more fruiting bodies you get.
Simple lab
Based on the fact that it is impossible to create production conditions at home, let's try to equip the conditions suitable for mushrooms from improvised materials. The cultivation of mycelium requires a spacious room, clean and convenient for cleaning. The ratio of humidity to air temperature is very important. Too dry and cool rooms will greatly reduce yield, but, conversely, heat and high humidity stimulate mold growth. Optimum humidity is 60-70 percent. Often, a basement is used for these purposes, the mycelium feels good here. The mushroom picker is undemanding to light, but it’s worth installing moisture sensors. The air temperature should be 20-24 degrees, the optimal mode can be maintained with a simple heating device. It is very important that there is no dust and drafts, as this contributes to the infection of the mycelium by microorganisms and spores of harmful fungi.
Optimal is a small basement block with an area of 1.5-2 meters with a plastic shelf. Do not forget that for now we need to get a pure culture, which we then place on the substrate. For work you will need glass containers with lids, a nutrient medium, a plate for sterilization, as well as tweezers, pipettes, clean plastic cups. As a pure culture, you will need to take pieces of fruiting bodies. They should be washed well beforehand.
Preparation of the nutrient medium
We are moving smoothly to how to grow mycelium. As a nutrient medium in which pieces of mushrooms are placed, potato-glucose agar and agar on malt extract are used. You can buy them ready-made or cook them yourself. Wort agar is made on the basis of 1 liter of beer wort, 20 grams of agar agar are added to it and boiled until completely dissolved. In hot form, it must be poured into sterile vessels, and then tightly closed with lids. After the medium has cooled, the lid is lifted and a piece of healthy tissue of the edible fruit body is introduced.
After about 2-3 days, white fluff will appear in the vessel. This is the mycelium. But such a result can be achieved only in conditions of compliance with sanitary standards. However, at home, it is difficult to comply with all the subtleties, so often red, green, gray or mold fungi appear in the vessel, as well as mucous colonies of bacteria. In order not to take risks, it is better to discard the contents and try again. However, insignificant inclusions are permissible; the main thing is that half of the entire nutrient surface is occupied by pure mycelium of the cultivated fungus. Then in 2-3 weeks it will grow on the entire surface and completely suppress all other forms of mushrooms. It is this moment that characterizes the end of the most difficult stage, then - a matter of technology.
What is mycelium?
Mycelium requires placing it in a nutrient medium, after which rapid growth begins. However, there is confusion in the definitions of what is mycelium. Some call it a substrate infected with mycelium for further cultivation. According to other sources, the mycelium is the mycelium itself, that is, the body of the fungus, crushed and planted in a substrate.
Let us agree that the mycelium is a substrate in which the mycelium has already been settled. He only waits when they begin to sprout in straw, sawdust, on logs or cardboard. That is, mycelium is necessary for the transmission of mycelium to these substrates.
Getting Mycelium
So, you have the mycelium of a cultivated mushroom. It is very important, but a substrate is needed in which it will grow and form fruiting bodies. This is the same as if you had seeds to be sown in fertile soil. Most often, lovers prefer to use cereal mycelium, that is, to sow it on the highest quality cereals. For this you need any grain, it can be wheat, corn or another. It must be mixed with water in a proportion of one to two (2 parts of water) and boiled for 15-20 minutes. After that, it is scattered on a clean towel and left to dry. Next, gypsum is added in an amount of 1.3% of the total volume, in addition, calcium carbonate (0.3%) will be required. Pure cans are filled with the resulting mixture in ¾ volume. The container must be wrapped with foil, closed with a lid and sterilized in the oven for at least two hours at a temperature of 120 degrees. After the jars are completely cooled, you need to add 3-4 pieces of a nutrient medium. After about three weeks at room temperature, the grains are completely covered with a network of white tubes. Now a handful of this grain can sow any substrate that you have at hand.
Other types of mycelium
Mycelium can be grown on sawdust. It is cheap and affordable. For this, sawdust is sterilized by boiling or calcining in the oven. It is advisable to use medium-sized sawdust of fruit trees. After sterilization, several pieces of the nutrient mixture with sprouted white fluff of mycelium are placed in a container with them. After the mycelium from small sawdust, it can be populated in logs, straw or cardboard. Often, a plastic sleeve is clogged with sawdust in the production , and a pipe or log is obtained that is suitable for growing mushrooms. Sawdust is very convenient, but completely non-nutritious, therefore it requires various additives so that the mycelium has the ability to grow fruiting bodies. To do this, bran or any other source of nitrogen is added to the bags. But grain mycelium is much more nutritious, we have already described its preparation.
If you want to populate a log with mycelium, it is better to use a dowel or mushroom sticks. This is a dense stick of pressed sawdust, wood chips. Mycelium is very easy to place in a hole in a log. Having already studied wood material, he will quickly move to growth. The main condition for selection is the correspondence of the material to the substrate. For large logs, dowels are well suited. The mushroom picker on sawdust or grain perfectly populates the open substrate, this is sawdust, cardboard and straw. At the same time, do not forget that each mushroom prefers different conditions. Oyster mushroom will grow well on sawdust and straw, but champignon prefers a more nutritious environment, such as grain.
Champignon cultivation technology
Most often, champignon mycelium is grown on the street. But in fact, the conditions in the room are more stable, which means they can allow you to harvest a richer crop. Basements and garages, sheds and dugouts are suitable. You can use a regular greenhouse, sheltered from direct sunlight. The room must be ventilated, the optimum temperature is above +15 degrees. Humidity should also be controlled, excess moisture leads to mold growth, not fungi.
We have already said that champignon mycelium loves a nutrient substrate. Compost prepared on the basis of fresh manure (no more than 25%) and straw is great for these purposes. Please note that simply mixing these components is not enough. Composting is a must, this is a complex biochemical process. In the course of it, a complex of substances is formed that is ideal for champignon and not suitable for its competitors. Properly prepared compost is the basis of the crop, so prepare a compost pit, pour components into it, cover it tightly with mowed grass and leave it for the winter. In the spring it can be used for growing mushrooms.
So, the substrate is ready, the room is waiting, it remains only to grow mycelium. Using the described methods, you can prepare it yourself or purchase it in a store. Consumption - 500 g per square meter of area.
Oyster mushroom cultivation
If you are new to mushroom cultivation, then you should start with this variety. The fact is that oyster mushroom mycelium grows very quickly, that is, it has a serious advantage over mold fungi. Not even a very professional substrate and violation of the growing conditions are likely to give excellent results. It is very simple to make a substrate block, it can be a plastic bag densely packed with sawdust and other wood materials. However, to grow a good crop of fruiting bodies is somewhat more difficult than preparing a substrate.
Oyster mushroom mycelium is quite demanding on humidity and air temperature. To get a good result, it is necessary to ensure constant access to moist fresh air. Remember when oyster mushroom begins to grow? In autumn, when it is already cool and humid in the morning. To get a stable crop, you need to purchase a special installation - an ultrasonic humidifier. It produces cold vapor, or fog. Many people are faced with the fact that the blocks populated by oyster mushrooms and placed in the garden yield crops only in autumn or in rainy and cool weather in summer.
The basis of the substrate should be sawdust, shavings and chips. Pearl barley is often used as a nutritional supplement. For 2.5 kg of substrate, 300 grams of cereal and husk of sunflower are usually taken. The substrate must be boiled, and a minute before the end of cooking add cereal. When the mixture cools down, carefully strain it and place it in a plastic sleeve, tie at both ends. After a day, re-pasteurization is carried out. For this, the substrate blocks must be kept above the steam for 6 hours. After that, the mycelium is added to the cooled substrate. To do this, several cuts are made in the bag, into which a teaspoon of grain mycelium is inserted. After 20-30 days, the block will completely turn white and will be ready for fruiting. Now one side of the plastic block opens and it is mounted vertically.
To summarize
As you can see, there is nothing complicated in growing mushrooms at home. Mycelium can be bought in a store or fully grown independently. This process is not too long and complicated, but requires great accuracy and compliance with the basic rules. To speed it up and bring the long-awaited moment of harvest closer, use ready-made mushrooms, which are sold in specialized stores. This will reduce the time of forcing fruit bodies by at least two weeks.
Do not forget to monitor the cleanliness of the mycelium, a large amount of mold, rot and other formations in the substrate indicates that the process was disturbed, which means that the use of such material for further planting in the substrate can be dangerous.
Try for the first time to grow oyster mushroom mycelium. This mushroom is unpretentious. If you time planting it in a substrate by the beginning of autumn, you can get a rich harvest right in the garden, without creating special conditions.
If mushroom picking is primarily associated with the smell of needles and forest silence, then get ready for a walk. Such an event is remembered for a long time, and fresh air, rich in oxygen, will help restore health and gain strength for a long working week.