Growing oyster mushrooms at home is carried out according to the established process. In this case, you do not need to spend money on the purchase of mushrooms, in addition, it will not be scary to consume them in food, since they certainly will not be poisoned.
Before starting the procedure, for a start it is advisable to study the technology of growing oyster mushrooms at home. In this article we will study it in detail.
First of all, it is necessary to prepare two rooms. In one, oyster mushrooms will be grown at home, the second is intended for the incubation period. It is quite acceptable to use the same room for this. In this case, it is worth adhering to a certain microclimate level and regulating the degree of air humidity.
What is useful
- Nutrient medium. Ready-made, pre-packaged for sale.
- Mushroom seeds - mycelium. It is important to check the expiration date.
- Fan. Suitable household.
- Antiseptic. Medical alcohol or chlorinated solution.
- Protective gloves, gauze mask, pointed knife, strong plastic bags.
Of course, you need to have perseverance (the process is quite long) and the desire to try the oyster mushrooms obtained personally.
Important criteria for the premises
For the cultivation of oyster mushrooms at home, a separate room should be allocated. It is not necessary to allocate a room in the house. Cellar, basement, shed perfectly fit. For the incubation stage, a microclimate of approximately 26 degrees of heat should be maintained, the degree of humidity should not exceed 70%.
Particular care must be taken to ensure cleanliness. It is not necessary to wash everything around with bleach, you can use a sulfur-smoke bomb or simply cover all vertical surfaces with whitewash with the addition of copper sulfate. In this case, alien mold does not form.
The most important condition when growing oyster mushrooms at home is that all ventilation openings must be closed with a network with small cells. Otherwise, the flies can fly into the smell of mycelium and spoil the mushroom plantation.
For the time of germination and collection of mushrooms, the moisture content in the room air is necessary in the region of 80-95%, the temperature is not more than 18 degrees heat.
Important! Basement or cellar - the most suitable place. In these rooms, constantly moistened, and a warm microclimate can be created using a household radiator.
Substrate preparation
As a nutrient for growing oyster mushrooms at home from scratch, you should choose any substrate with a cellulose content. It is she who creates the breeding ground for mycelium. Experienced mushroom growers use sawdust, small twigs or shavings. Beginners can try the substrate, consisting of:
- from barley straw;
- husks of sunflower seeds;
- corn shoots, leaves;
- wheat straw;
- buckwheat husks;
- ears of peeled corn.
First you need to carefully sort out the manufactured raw material. The substrate needs to be clean and dried. The formation of mold or the smell of rot indicates that the raw material is not suitable for the propagation of fungi.
After selection of the substrate, it is necessary to boil the raw materials. This will make it possible to protect against harmful microorganisms, insect larvae, and at the same time saturate it with moisture. For this, raw materials are placed in a metal pan, pure water is poured. Then bring to a boil and cook for about 40 minutes. Then let cool for three hours.
After that, excess water is poured, the raw material is placed under a press or suspended in a cloth bag.
When the mixture cools to a temperature of 24-26 ° C, it is worth proceeding with the landing.
Important! For the best effect, a small amount of fresh yeast is added to the raw materials on the eve of the planting. Approximately 50 g per 15 kg of total weight.
Planting stock
Growing oyster mushrooms at home for beginners is a fascinating and interesting thing. First you need to buy "seeds" - mycelium. Today it is much easier to purchase them - there are many online stores with delivery to any city. But there are also local firms. For beginners in mushroom cultivation, who are afraid of failure, it is enough to purchase 1 kg of mycelium. As a result, it will be possible to get about 3 or 4 kg of mushrooms. Prepare the raw material in advance. The mycelium can be stored in a cooling chamber for up to 2 months, it is forbidden to store in a freezer. Also, do not allow the mycelium to get on the skin, therefore, it is better to open the package in protective gloves.
When buying, you need to be guided by these appointments:
- Review supplier reviews.
- First, a new supplier should buy a trial quantity of planting stock.
- Examine all information about the selected variety, the time of germination of the mycelium, and resistance to mold formation.
- Check expiration dates.
- After delivery, check the temperature of the mycelium - it should be approximately +20 degrees Celsius.
- There should be no black or green spots on the mycelium. Seeds should be light orange with yellow.
Important! If planting material was purchased long before planting, then it can be stored in the refrigerator for 9 days. Acceptable temperature is in the range of 3-5 degrees.
Important points before landing
The substrate is prepared, the seeds are acquired and have already been sedimented for 24 hours at room temperature.
The most important thing when growing oyster mushrooms at home is that the air should not blow from anywhere in the room. Mushroom spores are almost weightless and will fly away instantly.
Instruments are used only sterile. To disinfect a knife, dense packets, hands, for example, with a solution of laundry soap, or treat with an antiseptic. Hands are preferably protected with gloves. By all means use a gauze bandage. Otherwise, spores by inhalation will fall into the lungs, which can cause allergies.
Consider further the cultivation of oyster mushroom mycelium at home.
Landing
- The mycelium is crushed without opening the package.
- Raw materials are poured into a plastic bag.
- A vegetative body is laid on top with a thin layer.
- Repeat the layers to the top of the bag.
- The bag is tightly closed.
To grow mushrooms intensively, you need to lay the mycelium closer to the walls of the package than to the middle.
An easier way to grow oyster mushrooms at home is allowed. The raw material is poured into bags prepared in advance; small holes are made in them with a knife. Through them, the mycelium is laid, then these holes are sealed.
Important! No need to use big bags. Mushrooms still sprout only outside. The most acceptable volume should hold approximately 5-8 kg of the finished mixture.
Germination stage
After preparing the bags, the atmosphere is important for them, where it is dark, warm and calm. In the incubation room, the air temperature should be 18-20 ° C. At high temperatures, the substrate will overheat, the vegetative body may die. It is forbidden to ventilate the room, the emitted carbon dioxide is exclusively necessary for the germination of oyster mushrooms. You can use a fan that cools the packages without creating drafts.
A day after the bookmark, previously made incisions are opened. If the mycelium was laid in layers, then it is imperative to cut the packet with a sharp knife. The cuts should be vertical 2-3 cm long, about 5 mm wide, the gap between them - 10-12 cm.
Packages should not hang next to each other. You need to leave a gap of about 7-9 cm.
The duration of germination should depend on the species, is from 16 to 24 days. Detailed information is provided by the supplier-manufacturer.
Bags need to be regularly examined. The formation of black spots, an unpleasant odor reports that devices and materials were not properly disinfected. The usual state is the light, almost white color of the contents, a distinctive pleasant aroma of mushrooms.
Important! Inspections should be carried out extremely quickly. Each hit of light during this period is harmful to the mycelium.
Highlights of the First Fruiting
The main thing when growing oyster mushrooms at home in bags is not to miss the moment of the appearance of mushroom primordia. You will notice them immediately. Gray tubercles appear on a white background. Then the packages of mushrooms are moved to another place or the conditions are changed in the same:
- The temperature is lowered to 10-18 degrees.
- Increase air humidity up to 90-95%.
- Add artificial lighting lasting at least 8 hours per day.
- The room must be ventilated at least 4 times a day.
For the period of the first fruiting, the main factor is air humidity. But keep in mind that mushrooms cannot be directly irrigated. Otherwise, rot may form before the mushrooms grow. An ideal option would be spray irrigation of all surfaces of the room. At the same time, it must be controlled so that water does not get on the mushrooms and bags.
Important! To get mushrooms with a light shade, set the indoor microclimate at 12 degrees. To obtain mushrooms with a dark tint, the microclimate must be warm, up to 18 degrees heat.
Second fruiting
After the first harvest, bags of soil are not thrown away. Oyster mushroom is able to produce from one planting up to 5 crops. In this case, the mycelium needs to be provided with rest, the break is about two weeks, then it gives a new portion of the crop. It is important to maintain the same conditions during the break. Thus, the mycelium will bring the crop for four months.
If it is not possible to allocate a room, there is another technology for growing oyster mushrooms at home. A completely alternative option is the reproduction of mushrooms on stumps.
Growing oyster mushrooms on stumps at home
To do this, you will need:
- Smooth stumps of non-resinous trees.
- Planting material.
- A secluded darkened place on the site.
- Burlap, film.
- Passion for the process.
Wood material needs strong, without signs of decay and drying out. Prior to use, it is necessary that it lies no longer than 10 months. Put logs in water for three days, place under a press so that they do not rise to the surface. Further, holes are made in the wood, you can make them a drill. Holes up to 1.5 cm wide, up to 7 cm deep. They planted the planting material, plugged with moss on top. If there is no drill, then you can remove the top layer of wood and spread the mycelium on top. To keep it tight, it is allowed to nail cloves. The planting process is carried out in early spring. Before being transferred to the garden, the poles are stacked on top of each other and covered with cloth and polyethylene on top. It is important to regularly air and inspect to prevent mold. After some time, the mycelium will completely cover the stump. As soon as it gets warmer, around May, the logs are transferred to an open area. It is worth choosing a darkened place: under the shade of trees, on the non-sunny side of the building. The poles are placed vertically, while seated a few centimeters in the ground. Under them you can lay leaves and soaked barley grains.
Care for plantations of mushrooms is necessary only in dry and hot weather: carefully water the point near the stumps. If you follow all the rules, the first crop can be obtained by the end of summer. Mushrooms will produce crops until mid-autumn, it all depends on weather and climatic conditions. For the winter period, logs must be covered with leaves and small branches. The most suitable are birch leaves and branches. They have bactericidal properties and will not allow rot to form. Naturally, this method is not intended for industrial production, but it is quite suitable for home growing. Growing oyster mushrooms at home on stumps makes it possible to have a good crop at low costs.
A few points
We suggest considering some tips:
- Growing oyster mushrooms at home must be carried out in a gauze mask. Mushrooms produce spores that lead to an allergic reaction.
- Harvesting is done not by cutting from the base, but by twisting from the ground. When cutting, there is a chance of introducing bacteria, in this case, you can forget about the subsequent harvest. The rest of the roots also harm the mycelium, a lot of moisture goes through the slices.
- At the first detection of mold on one of the bags, it is necessary to immediately isolate it from other bags so that they do not have time to become infected.
- The spent substrate will serve as a good top dressing, do not dispose of it. Fertilizing a garden or a vegetable garden with them is an excellent solution. In addition, the remains of the substrate will be able to produce a small crop if placed near water or in the shade of trees.
- When grown in a cellar or basement, the first two fruitings are more fruitful. On wood, the highest yield occurs in the second or third year of cultivation.
Conclusion
Oyster mushrooms are the most suitable mushrooms for reproduction in domestic conditions. They are quite unpretentious. Maturing conditions are easy to maintain, including at home.
There are two methods for growing them. One of them requires minimal effort, but the result will be a long wait for fruiting. For another, it is necessary to equip the room, but it will be possible to quickly get a considerable amount of mushrooms.
You should choose a method that will be more acceptable, and confidently proceed with the landing. In this case, the result will meet all expectations.
As a business, growing oyster mushrooms at home is very beneficial.