Mushrooms
Mushrooms are fungi growths that get
their nutrients from the medium or substrate they grow out off. They can be
classified alongside other fungi like beetles, leafcutter and others.
The cultivation of fungi is referred
to as fungi culture and unlike plants that use photosynthesis mushrooms
reproduce via spores. Fungi spores germinate into tiny mycelium that are
threadlike in appearance.
They are joined together form a
honokaryotic mycelium and later the fruiting mushrooms. The mushroom is the
fruiting fleshy fungus that grows above or bellow ground However, not all
mushrooms are edible and some are even poisonous.
Mature mushrooms come in different
shapes, colors and sizes. They need early harvesting before they produce spores
that disperse and start the process all over again. There are many types of
edible mushrooms some of which shall be covered bellow.
Edible Mushrooms
Edible mushrooms are those that we
can eat without getting sick. They are loaded with good nutrients and vitamins that
are beneficial to us.
Edible mushrooms are eaten as part
of a meal, used as a drug or in traditional medicine Mushrooms should only be bought through
reputable stores and avoid foraging or picking mushrooms in the wild.
Familiar looking mushrooms might be poisonous
and dangerous. The list of edible mushrooms includes shitake, oyster mushroom,
Enoki mushrooms, and Cremini mushrooms.
Others are Portobello, morel
mushrooms, Porchino mushrooms, Truffles, Chanterelle mushrooms, and black
trumpet amongst so many others.
List
of edible mushrooms and there characteristics
1 Cep mushroom is a creamy fleshed
mushroom with a brownish cap and a delicious meaty taste
2 Portobello is a very popular
mushroom that has a rich meaty flavor
3 Morel mushroom
4 Cremini mushroom
5 Emokitake mushroom
6 Shitake mushroom
7 Oyster mushroom
8 Truffles and many more
How
to Start a Mushroom Farm
The first consideration when starting
a mushroom farm is the quality of your compost or substrate. The composting is very
important if you want good yields at the end of the day.
After you have taken care of composting then
the next consideration is spawning. When you have taking care of the spawning then
you do the casting and pinning before cropping.
The stages are important and necessary
to attain a good yield. Therefore, learning the stages which is dependent on
the type of mushroom you a growing.
Mushrooms grow in different mediums
so choosing the particular medium for it to thrive is important. If you try to
grow mushrooms in the wrong medium they will not grow.
Compost
Treatment
1Get horse dung
2Add organic material
3 Add organic waste
4Add nitrogen supplements
5 Turn to aerate
6 Sprinkle water to keep moist
7Allow ammonia dissipate before
using the compost
Substrate,
Recipes and Nutrients
substrate
|
mushroom
recipes
|
nutrients
|
log
|
wild mushroom ragout
|
vitamin B5
|
straw
|
shahi mushroom
|
vitamin D
|
coffee grounds
|
mushroom risotto
|
protein
|
cereal straws
|
mushroom samosa
|
The
compost
Compost is basically decaying waste
which is used as a plant fertilizer. It is used to grow mushrooms or grow
things like vegetables in your garden.
Composed is usually decomposed
matter such as organic waste such as food waste. Others are decaying
shrubs/grass and elements rich in carbon-nutrient material.
It can take up to two months to make
nice compost while you wait for nitrification to occur. Good compost would have
water, oxygen, nitrogenous material, and carbon. Your compost is very important
because its function is to provide lots of nutrients that would help your
mushroom grow nicely.
You can source your own compost
instead of trying to make it from scratch. If you like, obtain horse or cow
manure or using wheat bedding. Wheat straw bedding works nicely and helps
certain mushroom types grow well.
To prepare your compost for the
mushroom place the compost on a slab preferably concrete. This is to condition
the material through aeration by regularly turning the compost.
Water is also essential in this
processing of making the compost because the material should remain highly
organic. Spread a generous amount of gypsum and nitrogen supplements over the
compost which is then mixed.
The amount of compost and labor put
into the process greatly depends on the scale of your mushroom farm. Large
mushroom farms might need specialized equipment to turn the compost but for a
small home farm you can use a shovel.
During the turning and watering
process you need to add gypsum, hardwood bark, bean hulls, and water to get a
nice consistency in your compost. Water aids the composition of the compost as
the matter goes through fermentation while lots of amino acids, carbon dioxide
and heat evaporate leaving more robust compost.
The reason you have to pay so much
attention to compost is because it is the food source of the mushroom. Good
composed compost contains oxygen, nitrogen and other elements like having lots
of moisture including carbon hydrates.
So all the elements that is required
in good compost is oxygen, nitrogen, moisture provided by the microbes in the
compost breaking down the mound.
Which
answer is untrue?
- sterilized substrates are best
- spawn are inoculated before they form mycelium
- Some mushrooms have hallucinogenic properties
- Mushrooms can germinate from seeds
How
do you know when you have good compost?
Conditioning the compost involves
sprinkling sparingly at ousted and turning the compost on few days interval
according to the heat displacement of the pile. A good compost pile should have
added supplements.
It should have fairly rigid and
dense sides while retaining a softer interior full of moisture and well
aerated. Ensure that bugs, insects, fungi and some pathogenic microbes are
destroyed by using a process of pasteurization while controlling the variable
temperature.
While working on you compost you
will notice variable heated temperatures usually within the range of 155f to
185f (Fahrenheit) due largely to the microbes processing the pile. By
increasing and lowering the core temperature you can achieve good compost that
is rich in nitrogen, aerated and devoid of insects and bugs.
It takes about two and a half weeks
for the compost to be ready. Remember compost has an obnoxious ammonia smell so
where it’s located is important.
The obnoxious ammonia indicates that
your compost isn’t ready you must wait till the smell dissipates. The choice of
compartment in which you want to keep your compost depends on what you have
available, plastic containers, wooden boxes, or cast beds.
Mushroom Spawn
Substrate such as straw, wood
cutting, compost, wood logs is where you cultivate mushroom spawn. The
substrate depends in the type of mushroom you are planting.
Different mushrooms need certain
substrates to thrive and grow so find out which substrate best complements the
mushroom type you want to grow. It is better to buy the spawn from mushroom
farmers who have gone through the process of inoculation and handling the
mycelium.
So it’s easier for a new mushroom farmer to
buy ready to grow mushroom patches and plug spawns, but if you are adventurous
you can develop sterile culture skills.
A spawn is when mycelium colonize a
grain, so the farmer scatters the spawn into his compost by aid of specialized
equipment or manually and mixed into the organic material.
Proper distribution is important and
the humidity levels should be maintained so the spawn has a moist surface to
grow.
After fusion growth occurs with a
rise in compose temperature. The mushroom famer should lower the temperature if
it exceeds 76F.temperature and moisture is the main indicators that encourage
proper growth of the spawn
Casting and Harvesting
Casting
When casting you need to maintain an
even spread while allowing moisture to remain in the compost. The farmer should
maintain an average temperature between 74F and 75F for growth to occur.
During pinning the carbon dioxide
levels should be controlled as appropriate, farmers should learn the proper
levels if they are to get a good yield.
Harvesting
Harvesting happens in repeated
cycles and the matured mushrooms are cropped according to the bloom cycles. The
process should last between two to three months.
Remember mushrooms can’t grow in
direct sunlight so a special ventilated place should be prepared to grow your
mushrooms. Mushrooms grow in different mediums depending on the type of
mushroom you want to grow.
When you medium is ready you add
your spawn, spread and mix while regulating the temperature and humidity.
Mushroom farming isn’t science fiction but gaining knowledge and experience
would increase your confidence and profit making.
Marketing your Mushroom
Sell your produce in store,
supermarkets, and the open market. Try trade fairs and commodity fairs to sell
your mushrooms.
Other customers are restaurants,
hotels and food outlets.
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