Cultivation of mushrooms according to the intensive technology of oyster mushroom. Growing oyster mushrooms at home is the mushroom kingdom! The process of forcing fruiting bodies

Today I would like to talk about how to grow oyster mushrooms. Everyone knows perfectly well that oyster mushrooms and champignons are mushrooms that we buy in supermarkets, because they are sold fresh. Why not try growing them yourself? You don't have to be a mushroom grower to do this. It will be enough to follow a certain sequence of actions and you will succeed.

So, if you are seriously considering growing oyster mushrooms, then you need to purchase mushroom mycelium. Fortunately, now there should not be any problems with this, since you can also make a purchase on the Internet, and there are plenty of companies that grow mushrooms, sell them and sell everything that is necessary for growing. If you are a beginner mushroom grower, then 1 kg of mycelium will be enough, let's say for an experiment. Perhaps something will not work, not like it, why overpay? Mycelium should be stored at a temperature of + 2-4 ° C, for which a refrigerator is quite suitable. Let's start with the preparation of the substrate.

Preparation of the substrate for oyster mushrooms?

To prepare the substrate, you can use various components (raw materials), namely: corn cobs, barley or wheat straw, buckwheat husks, sunflower. So, for example, when using straw, it must first be crushed so that the substrate is as dense as possible, because in nature oyster mushrooms grow on trees. Naturally, the material for the substrate must be clean, there should not be any traces of mold. About 10 kg will be enough.

The probability of contamination of the substrate with various harmful organisms can be reduced to almost zero by first subjecting it to heat treatment. The substrate is poured into a container of sufficient volume, completely filled with water and boiled for about 2 hours. After this treatment, drain the water and let the substrate cool down to 25-28 ° C. Speaking of humidity: the substrate should be moist, but not so much that water flows from it.

We form blocks from the substrate

The next step in the cultivation of oyster mushrooms is the formation of blocks, since mushrooms are grown with their help. The blocks are usually plastic bags stuffed with substrate. We divide our 10 kg in half, i.e. 5 kg for two packages. Again, do not forget about disinfection - we place the bags for a couple of hours in a bleach solution (1-2%). Next, we form packages - our future mycelium: we fill them with layers of substrate and mycelium. The substrate layer is 5-6 cm, mycelium is 0.5 cm on top, and so on until we fill the bag. The top layer is the substrate. After filling, we tie the bag and make holes 1-2 cm long like a chessboard after 10-15 cm.

Incubation period - oyster mushroom ripening

Once the packages have been prepared, they should be placed in the proper conditions. The incubation period is about 2-3 weeks. Indoors, it is necessary to maintain the temperature in the region of + 18-22 ° С. In addition, you need to provide ventilation (several times throughout the day). It is necessary to take measures to combat the flies. Adhesive tapes usually do a good job of this. During the first few days, the substrate will heat up. The main thing is to monitor the temperature in the bags: it should not be higher than +30 °C. Otherwise, the mycelium will simply disappear. To lower the temperature, you can use the same fan, because we are not talking about growing oyster mushrooms on an industrial scale. During this period, lighting is not necessary. After 10-12 days, the mycelium will grow completely throughout the substrate, which will look like a homogeneous mass.

Fruiting oyster mushroom

The next stage is fruiting, which we all have been looking forward to. If you have reached this process, then you can draw conclusions about the correctness of the work done. However, fruiting is not yet harvesting, so the following series of actions must be performed:

We reduce the temperature in the room to + 10-15 ° С;
unlike the incubation period, lighting for 8-10 hours using fluorescent lamps will now be required;
increase air humidity to 90-95%;
the room should be ventilated about 4 times a day.

How to grow oyster mushrooms?

Many may wonder - how to maintain the required humidity? To do this, you can spray both the floor and the walls with water, and water should not get on the substrate itself. If all conditions are met, then in the near future it will be possible to observe the appearance of small fungi, although it is still difficult to call it mushrooms. The fruiting period is about two weeks. Since in recent days the caps have increased significantly in size, this period is considered optimal for harvesting. It is worth noting that mushrooms need to be twisted out of the substrate, and not cut off, as many are used to. This also applies to picking mushrooms in the forest. The fact is that when cutting the mushroom, harmful organisms penetrate through the remaining leg, which damage the mycelium.

After you collect the first crop of oyster mushrooms, the room is well ventilated and then we are waiting for the second crop. Time is about two weeks. As for the subsequent conditions for growing oyster mushrooms, they remain the same as previously described. Up to 4 crops can be harvested from such “mushroom mushrooms”, with the first two being the most productive. After the fourth harvest, the contents of the bags will have to be replaced, unless of course you want to continue growing oyster mushrooms. As can be judged from the material described above, growing oyster mushrooms is not particularly difficult. In fact, mushroom growing is quite an exciting activity, because it's nice to see mushrooms grown by one's own hands on your table.

Mushrooms are a popular and healthy product that our housewives are well aware of. Growing oyster mushrooms at home will not only allow you to cook delicious meals for the whole family, but also get a stable source of income. This type of business is highly profitable.

Technologies for growing oyster mushrooms at home

Growing mushrooms is a useful hobby and a profitable business

Oyster mushrooms give a high yield. With 1 kg of these mushrooms, you can get 3 kg of mycelium in a short time. They are unpretentious to the place of growth and feel good in a small area. Such conditions will not affect the yield.

Growing oyster mushrooms can be a profitable business. To engage in this type of business, it is enough to have a garage or basement at your disposal. You can also grow mushrooms for your own consumption. For this purpose, an ordinary window sill is suitable.

There are two growing technologies:

• intensive;
• extensive.

The first option involves the growth of mushrooms in artificial conditions. Intensive technology allows you to get a crop in equal quantities throughout the year. But in this case, you will need to purchase special equipment in order to maintain the microclimate necessary for the growth of mycelium. This will incur financial costs.

An extensive method is to grow mycelium in natural conditions. This technology does not require significant capital investments. But the yield depends on the season and climatic conditions.

How to grow mushrooms in an intensive way

Site preparation

Oyster mushrooms must be grown in a sterile room. To do this, pre-treatment with 1% chlorine solution or lime is carried out. The temperature must be maintained at +18 °C..+26 °C. If there are ventilation systems in the room, they should be turned off for the laying period. Doors must be tightly closed.

Selection and processing of the substrate

Any dry organic matter is suitable as a substrate for growing oyster mushrooms.

For oyster mushrooms, you can use various plant residues. It can be:

• stalk and stalks of corn;
• sawdust of non-coniferous wood;
• vine;
• reeds;
• sunflower husk;
• wheat and rye straw.

Any available material will do. If straw is used as a substrate, it must be crushed. This can be done with an ax or a knife. Straw is crushed to 5-10 cm. This procedure will help to avoid the formation of voids, the presence of which adversely affects the yield.

Important! You can use only fresh straw that does not smell like mold.

The next stage of preparation is heat treatment. Under natural conditions, oyster mushrooms do not grow on the substrate, since various microorganisms, including mold, prevent their development. High temperature treatment eliminates these mycelium competitors. You can do this in two ways:

• using pasteurization;
• sterilization method.

For home cultivation, the first method is used. The substrate is placed in a metal container, poured with boiling water, tightly closed with a lid and left for 2-4 hours. Please note that it must be cooled before being put into bags.

Sterilization involves the use of autoclaves and is applied in a production environment.

Formation and installation of blocks with mycelium

Mycelium blocks for oyster mushrooms are formed from bags or boxes

1. For growing oyster mushrooms, you can use plastic bags or boxes. It is necessary to pay special attention to the size of the container so that the substrate does not dry out and also does not overheat. The size of bags should correspond to 50x100 cm, boxes - 20x40x60 cm.
2. For planting, a substrate is used, the temperature of which is +20 ° C ... + 30 ° C. Mycelium should not be added to a hotter mass, this can lead to the death of the mycelium.
3. If oyster mushrooms were in the refrigerator, they must be kept at room temperature for a day before planting.
4. Then they are placed in a container and crushed by hand until the grains are separated.
5. Observe the sterility of planting material. Work with rubber gloves disinfected with 1% sodium hydrochloride.

There are two ways to introduce mycelium:

1. In accordance with the first method, the mass is formed in several layers, alternating the substrate with planting material.
2. The second method involves uniform mixing of the components:

• when using bags, shake them after filling;
• then the neck is wrapped with the upper part in order to achieve a snug fit of the substrate to the surface;
• on both sides you need to make 12 holes, each with a diameter of 10 mm. Seal the neck with tape;
• the amount of mycelium should be 3-5% of the weight of the substrate. It is allowed to increase the mass of oyster mushrooms up to 7%;
• after packaging, the containers are placed in a place for germination.

Important! The amount of fungi relative to the substrate must be at least 3%, otherwise there is a possibility of mold.

Video: forming mushroom blocks

Mycelium care

To ensure a good harvest, it is necessary to observe temperature conditions, as well as maintain the required level of humidity.

Oyster mushroom growth is carried out in two stages:

• incubation;
• fruiting.

The duration of the first is 14-18 days. During this time, the temperature in the room must be at the level of +24 ° C, humidity - 75-90%. There is no need for lighting or ventilation. After a few days, a white coating can be seen on the surface of the substrate mass.

Important! Avoid overheating, this can cause the appearance of a mycelial crust. The presence of such an education will lead to a decrease in yield. A crust can also appear due to planting an excessive amount of oyster mushrooms.

If an unpleasant odor emanates from the substrate mass with mycelium, moisture is released and black, orange or green spots appear, then this indicates infection with mold or bacteria. Such bags or boxes must be immediately removed from the premises.

The second stage of cultivation is fruiting. During this time, the temperature regime in the room is changed, ventilation and lighting are provided to the mushrooms. There are two strains of oyster mushrooms:

• shockless;
• shock.

For mushrooms of the first category, it is necessary to provide a temperature level of +20 ° C. After 5 days, the indicator begins to decrease to + 15 ° C. This process is carried out gradually and lasts 5-6 days. Oyster mushrooms with a shock strain need a more significant decrease in temperature. During the first 2-3 days of fruiting, they should be within 4-5 ° C. Then the temperature is raised to +12 °C..+16 °C and maintained at this level throughout the entire period.

At this time, mushrooms need ventilation. They emit carbon dioxide, which must be removed. As a result of oxygen deficiency, the fruit bodies are deformed and lose their presentation. But excessive ventilation should also be avoided, dry air is especially harmful to mushrooms. Under its influence, small fruits dry out, and hats are deformed in large oyster mushrooms.

When creating lighting, you need to focus on the size of the room. A 100W light bulb is used in an area of ​​15-20 square meters. Lack of light leads to intensive development of the stem, while the fruiting body does not grow to the required size.

The humidity level should not fall below 70%. When growing a small number of oyster mushrooms, they can be sprayed with a spray bottle. Direct moisture to the fruiting bodies.

Breeding oyster mushrooms by the extensive method

Preparing stumps or logs

Stumps for growing oyster mushrooms

To implement the extensive method, wood species are used on which oyster mushrooms grow in nature: poplar, birch, aspen, beech, oak, hornbeam. The length of the logs should be 25-30 cm.

Important! Do not use wood with a diameter of less than 15 cm. This will negatively affect the volume of the crop.

The logs are placed in water, where they are soaked for a week. Wood should have a moisture content of 80-90%. Freshly cut logs do not need to be subjected to this procedure.

Mycelium sowing

Sowing begins at the end of winter or with the onset of spring. Logs form vertical columns up to two meters high. A layer of grain mycelium 1-2 cm thick is applied to the upper end of each woody piece. The next log is placed on it, which is subjected to a similar treatment. One piece of wood will require 70-100 g of mycelium.

Video: instructions for sowing mycelium

Planting stumps in the ground

Planting a stump for oyster mushrooms in the ground

1. In May, logs that have already overgrown with mushrooms are placed in the soil. To do this, choose shaded places near trees. If there is no suitable site, it can be created using awnings.
2. Each log is deepened by 10-15 cm.
3. The segments are arranged in rows. Between them you need to keep a space of 50 cm.

Mushroom Colony Care

During the incubation period, the columns are covered with burlap or straw to maintain the required level of humidity. For this purpose, it is not recommended to use film material - it prevents the penetration of air, which is necessary for the development of fungi.

Wood will be overgrown with mushrooms for two months. In the room where logs with oyster mushrooms are installed, the temperature should be at the level of +10 °C..+15 °C. The air must be humidified, but water should not get on the wood. During fruiting, care involves moderate watering of the soil in dry weather.

Harvest and storage

When using stumps, the harvest is less plentiful than when planting in bags

Oyster mushrooms bear fruit several times. With intensive cultivation, the first harvest is obtained in 10-14 days, it makes up 70% of the total amount. During the second fruiting, 20-25% is collected, during the third - 5-10%. Oyster mushrooms can continue to produce a crop, but its quantity will be insignificant.

Important! In economic terms, it is advisable to collect mushrooms only during the first two fruitings.

Mushrooms grown using the extensive method begin to harvest in August or early September. In the first year, about 600 g of oyster mushrooms are obtained from one log. Pieces of wood for the winter period are left in the same place. After a year, the number of mushrooms increases. One log gives 2-2.5 kg of oyster mushrooms. The most abundant harvest is obtained during the second and third years of cultivation.

Oyster mushrooms bear fruit in bunches. In the process of collecting, you need to cut them off completely, leaving even small mushrooms. If the splice is damaged, they will not develop. For storage use boxes, boxes or baskets.

Video: harvesting from stumps

The storage time depends on the temperature. At +2 °C..+4 °C, oyster mushrooms will not lose their appearance and taste properties for two months. Being in a room where the temperature reaches +7 ° C, this period is reduced to 1 week. And at room temperature, mushrooms are stored for no more than a day.

If you decide to grow oyster mushrooms not only for your own consumption, but also for organizing a business, you need to think about ways to implement it. You can sell products in several directions:

1. One option is vegetable markets. To attract the attention of potential buyers, use an advertising stand.
2. Another area of ​​sales is catering. Offer free product samples first. If the quality of the mushrooms meets the required level, you will not have to look for other marketing options.
3. You can also sell oyster mushrooms to supermarkets and grocery stores. But here, be prepared to face significant competition. You may need to lower your prices. But if the sales volumes are large, this will increase the profitability of the business, and also justify the discounts.

Breeding oyster mushroom does not require significant material costs and great effort. Anyone can organize home production, even without experience in this area and special knowledge. Following the step-by-step instructions, you will get a quality harvest, which will allow you to organize a profitable business.

Growing oyster mushrooms is a truly unique process, and all because for this purpose agro-industrial waste is needed, thanks to which it is possible to grow high-quality mushrooms rich in proteins, amino acids, minerals necessary to maintain the health and full functioning of the human body.

Another indisputable advantage of oyster mushrooms is their low calorie content and the complete absence of cholesterol, which is dangerous for our body. Since mushrooms contain a large amount of polysaccharides, they do not lose their shape with any type of cooking, which makes them look even more appetizing. Due to their unsurpassed qualities, in the old days these mushrooms were called "ishvin", which is translated from Old Russian as "valuable". Even our ancestors realized that this mushroom is beneficial for the body and began to use it for food.

You can quickly and relatively easily grow oyster mushrooms on sawdust and shavings, as well as on any type of wood. The easiest way is to grow mushrooms on stumps that remain after cutting down any tree species in the forest, on a personal plot, etc. However, in recent years, the cultivation of oyster mushrooms has been actively carried out on an industrial scale.

Oyster mushrooms grow quickly and are resistant to pests, which is why the cultivation of mushrooms in an industrial way is gaining momentum every year. These mushrooms, unlike the same champignons, are much easier to grow and they are less expensive in terms of resources, which won the hearts of farmers.

So, let's move on to the most important thing and find out how oyster mushrooms are grown under industrial conditions. It is divided into the following technological stages, consisting in:

1. Preparation of the substrate component.
2. Inoculation of the substrate component.
3. Sprouting block with substrate.
4. Drive out the mushrooms.
5. Harvest.

Substrate component preparation process

Growing oyster mushrooms primarily depends on the preparation of the substrate component. It must be of high quality, otherwise there will simply be no harvest. Industrial mushroom producers use cereals, corn cobs and stalks, non-coniferous sawdust, sunflower husks, grape vines or reed stalks as a substrate component.

In order to avoid mold in the substrate, it is treated at high temperatures before sowing, pasteurizing the material. In nature, along with oyster mushrooms, mold also grows, competing with it in development, making mushrooms weak and often unsuitable for food.

In the industrial production of oyster mushrooms, sterilization of the substrate is not carried out, since it will not be possible to maintain complete sterility at all stages of cultivation. It can be provided only in the laboratory, and this is very costly and simply pointless.

Amateur mushroom pickers who grow oyster mushrooms on their own in the country or at home pasteurize the substrate, just like in production. To do this, polyethylene bags with a thirty-centimeter layer of substrate are taken, filled with boiling water, wrapped and aged for two to four hours. The pasteurization temperature should not be below fifty-five degrees and above sixty. After pasteurization, the substrate is left to ripen at a temperature of forty-eight to fifty degrees for seventy-two hours. After the time has elapsed, it is cooled to twenty-five degrees, and only after that the mycelium can be planted.

Substrate Component Inoculation Process

In a substrate cooled to twenty-five degrees, a mycelium is planted. The temperature regime should not exceed the declared one, since the mycelium may die. Before planting the mycelium, especially if it was stored in a refrigerator, it must be kept for twenty-four hours at room temperature. When planting mycelium in the substrate, complete sterility must be observed. Before planting the mycelium, the container in which it should be placed must be disinfected. Sterile gloves must be put on the hands, having previously treated them with a 1% solution of sodium hydrochlorate. It is necessary to introduce mycelium into the pasteurized substrate component in layers or evenly mixing the mycelium with the substrate.

The substrate component is placed in polyethylene bags or in other selected containers. Before placing the bags on the shelves, shake them a little and seal the neck with adhesive tape so that the substrate adheres well to the walls of the burlap. On the sides of the bags, it is necessary to make holes with a diameter of ten millimeters for perforation. Each bag carry up to fifteen kilos. After filling the bags with the substrate component with mycelium, it is necessary to place them in a humid, well-ventilated room for germination. In industrial conditions, such premises are prepared in advance so that future mushrooms feel “comfortable”

The process of germination of blocks with a substrate component

This process is called incubation. It lasts from fourteen to eighteen days. During this time, the entire prepared block substrate sprouts with mycelium. For this period, light and ventilation are not of particular importance. The optimal microclimate is to maintain a temperature of twenty-four degrees and a humidity not higher than seventy-five percent and not lower than ninety. If the substrate temperature is higher than the room temperature, the walls will begin to condensate.

Such a problem is fraught with many troubles. A crust (stroma) can form on the mycelium, which will significantly reduce the yield of future mushrooms. It can also appear as a result of overheating of blocks with a substrate or in an excess of introduced mycelium.

Violation of the microclimate can also lead to the appearance of mold, leading to the death of oyster mushrooms. It manifests itself in the appearance of orange, black and green spots on bags with mycelium. If this happens, the employees of the enterprise remove the affected bags, ventilate the room and level the microclimate to the required norm.

The process of forcing fruiting bodies

Oyster mushrooms can bear fruit, maybe in another room. But often the cultivation of mushrooms in an industrial way involves the entire process from sowing to harvesting in one room. For this purpose, experts simply change the temperature and humidity, following the growth of mycelium.

Three days after laying the bags with the substrate and mycelium into the room, the temperature is reduced to seven degrees and this mode is maintained for ninety-six hours. Such a temperature shake is done so that the oyster mushrooms begin to bear fruit. After the time has elapsed, the temperature is raised to fifteen degrees and kept stable until harvest.

The optimal lighting for the normal growth of oyster mushrooms is eight thousand lux for twelve hours. To grow oyster mushrooms, it is imperative to comply with all of the above requirements. If there is a lack of light during the growth of mushrooms or if the level of carbon dioxide is exceeded, the mushrooms will have long and deformed legs, and in the worst case, they will simply stop growing.

Oyster mushroom has a wave principle of fruiting. If all the optimal conditions for the growth of oyster mushrooms are observed, then a couple of weeks after the bags with mycelium are transferred to the prepared room, the first wave growth will begin after three to four weeks. He will bring seventy percent of the harvest. In the next two to three weeks, the second wave of fruiting will pass and bring the remaining thirty.

Harvest process

Oyster mushrooms are cut from the very surface of the substrate component. You need to cut off all the mushrooms, leaving them is not recommended. During harvesting, watering the mushrooms is not necessary. This is done in order not to overmoisten the soil and not to stain the crop. Dirty mushrooms do not store well and quickly begin to deteriorate.

Cut oyster mushrooms are stacked in wooden boxes forty centimeters high. In boxes, the mass of mushrooms should not exceed fifteen kilograms. Store them at a temperature of two to four degrees. This mode allows you to save mushrooms for up to two months. If the temperature is higher, then the mushrooms will be stored for a maximum of a week.

When the last crop is harvested, the substrate is removed, the room is washed and disinfected. Then there is preparation for the next cycle of fruiting. The whole process from inception to fruiting takes two to two and a half months.

Growing oyster mushrooms on a mini-farm in Tula

The oyster mushroom farm is located in Tula in the village of Arkhangelskoye. The farm has been operating for more than ten years, but is still the only one of its kind for growing oyster mushrooms in central Russia. Farmers have chosen this type of mushroom due to the fact that oyster mushrooms are very popular among the population.

Today's article is about growing oyster mushrooms at home. This mushroom successfully grows not only in the wild and in specially equipped places at home.

The shaded areas of the garden are perfect for growing this natural delicacy. Oyster mushroom belongs to the family of saprophytic fungi. They feed on non-living organic material. In the wild, oyster mushrooms are found on hardwood trees. Mushroom lovers have noticed that these mushrooms are much faster to grow on a specially prepared substrate than to find them in the wild.

Types of oyster mushrooms

Oyster mushroom feeds on inanimate wood and is found on stumps, fallen trees and dead trunks. This mushroom gained its fame after it began to be bred “at home”. Cultivated varieties of winter oyster mushrooms were bred from wild mushrooms - oyster mushrooms. They were named so because they bear fruit at temperatures ranging from 4 to 15°C. For the same reason, they are suitable for growing in the autumn-spring period.

The color of the fruit bodies of winter oyster mushrooms is very diverse: gray, blue, steel or dark brown. The pulp of mushrooms is dense, white, fragrant.

Summer oyster mushrooms originally from Florida. They bear fruit at higher temperatures of +15-25°C. In the hottest time of the year, when the temperature rises above + 28 ° C, the mycelium temporarily stops the formation of fruiting bodies. Summer oyster mushrooms, painted in colors from light brown to yellowish or almost white, have delicate mushroom formations.

For year-round cultivation of oyster mushrooms, the closest relative is better suited - oyster mushroom(Pleurotus pulmonarius). It forms mushroom bodies in the temperature range +6 +28°C. Her gray hat can be painted in various shades from light to dark. This fungus begins fruiting in spring and forms on the substrate until late autumn.

Oyster mushroom(Pleurotus comucopiae) - as a wild mushroom grows and is grown as a cultivated mushroom in the Far East. He is gray

Wild-growing species of mushrooms in nature reproduce by spores. Mushroom growers, in "home" conditions, grow mycelium from these spores. Mycelium is a seed material from which mushrooms are then grown in a cultural way.

How to grow mycelium yourself

You can grow oyster mushroom mycelium at home. To do this, you need to prepare some tools and containers: test tubes, pipettes, tweezers, a thermometer, an alcohol lamp. From the materials you will need:

• potato,
• carrots or oats
• agar,
• 5% glucose solution,
• hydrogen peroxide.

It is important to remember that after each action with any tool, it must be treated with a disinfectant solution.

We will make a nutrient substrate for obtaining a mother culture with our own hands. We take potato-glucose, oatmeal or carrot agar as a basis. The prepared nutrient "broth" is poured into test tubes and subjected to sterilization. Prepared test tubes with a nutrient medium are installed obliquely, increasing the surface area.

For independent production of uterine mycelium, pieces of the mushroom cap are used. Before placing a piece of hat in a nutrient medium, it is disinfected in 3% hydrogen peroxide. A disinfected piece of a mushroom cap is placed on a frozen nutritious broth. A cork burned over a fire closes a sterile test tube.

After 14 days of storage of test tubes in a darkened room at a temperature of +24°C, mycelium will grow in test tubes, which is transferred to the substrate.
To grow high-quality mycelium at home, it is necessary to ensure sterility:

1. Treat the work surface and tools with a disinfectant solution.
2. In the room used, quartzization is carried out for at least 20 minutes.
3. Tools are fired over an alcohol lamp.
4. Hands are wiped with an antibacterial agent.

The intermediate mycelium of oyster mushroom is grown on grains of any cereals. The grains are boiled for 15 minutes, then they are dried. Calcium carbonate and gypsum are added to the dried grains.

In a glass jar with a capacity of not more than 1 liter, the resulting grain mixture is poured into two-thirds of the volume and sterilized. A certain amount of grown mycelium is added to the cooled sterile grain mass. Now leave the grain mixture for two to three weeks. The resulting mycelium can be stored for 3 months at 0 +20 degrees.

Properly grown, propagated intermediate oyster mushroom mycelium is a lush white bloom with a pleasant mushroom aroma. From the intermediate mycelium, according to exactly the same technology (on grain), the sowing mycelium is grown.

Add 1 tablespoon of intermediate mycelium to a liter jar. The resulting mycelium is sown with a substrate to obtain a crop of mushrooms.

At home, it is very difficult to comply with all sterility requirements for obtaining mushroom mycelium, so it is easier to buy ready-made mycelium for sowing on a prepared substrate.

Oyster mushrooms at home in bags

Oyster mushrooms grow on almost any household waste. Any straw, cabbage stalks, corn stalks, sunflower seed or rice husks will do. The prepared material is crushed, mixed with gypsum and ground limestone (2% by weight of the substrate) and simple superphosphate, and urea (0.5% each).

The mixture is steamed with boiling water for 2-4 hours, then the humidity level is reduced to 75%. It is not difficult to determine the required level of humidity - water should not drain, but when pressing on the substrate, a certain amount of water should stand out.

Fill 3/4 of a 50L polyethylene bag with the prepared hot substrate and tie off the open side. When the substrate cools down to 25-28°C, seed mycelium is added to it. It is covered with a substrate by 10-15 cm. After that, holes of 15-20 mm in size are cut in the bag film in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 15 cm.

4-5 days after sowing, signs of mycelium growth will appear on the surface of the substrate. 8-10 days will pass and the white fluff will turn light brown, and plexuses of threads will appear on the substrate, which will tell you that the mycelium is ripe. Normally, the temperature of the substrate must be maintained no higher than + 28 ° C.

The bags with the substrate are installed vertically or suspended in a room with a temperature of 12-15°C and lighting of about 70-100W for 10 hours a day. Maintain constant humidity at 90%.

Oyster mushrooms on sawdust

In order for oyster mushrooms to grow on sawdust or shavings, they are poured into the furrow with a layer of 15-20 cm and spilled with a suspension of fungal spores. The sowing mycelium is introduced into the prepared holes, with a depth of 5 to 7 cm. After the mycelium is introduced, they are covered with a substrate, covered with a film on top and the edges are pressed down. The mushrooms that appear are ready for harvest in 2-2.5 months.

Oyster mushrooms on a stump

Grain mycelium is used to grow oyster mushrooms outdoors. Its layer of 1.5-2 cm is applied to the surface of the stump. Then the stump is covered with plastic wrap, the edges are pressed to the ground. The best time for this is the beginning of April.

For 10 stumps you will need about 1 kg of grain mycelium. It is safer to introduce mycelium into 3-4 cm cuts and 5-6 cm wide. You can drill holes of the same depth and 1.5-2 cm in diameter. The surface is covered with fresh sawdust, the holes are closed with corks made of wood. The stump is covered with polyethylene, the edges are sprinkled with a layer of earth.

Harvest can be harvested in 3.5-4 months. On such a stump, mushrooms grow for 5-7 years. Then the stumps crumble.

How to grow oyster mushrooms in the basement

The basement used for growing mushrooms must be frost-free, the air humidity maintained in it must be at least 60%.
Fruit bodies of mushrooms are formed at a temperature of +5 degrees. The final temperature for growing mushrooms is + 30 degrees.

Active growth and harvest

It is very interesting to observe the growth and formation of mushrooms - they grow quickly. You can involve children in the process of growing oyster mushrooms, they will have a lot of impressions.

With the onset of the first oyster mushroom embryos, the substrate is watered every other day, illuminated for 6-7 hours with fluorescent lamps with a power of about 100 watts. Daily, 2-3 hour ventilation. After the formation of the first mushrooms, water even more often. Water from the bottle is poured directly into the bag, untying it from above. Oyster mushrooms themselves are sprayed twice a day.

Bags in the spring, with the onset of stable heat, are taken out into the street, but they must be covered with a dense, opaque material. With the onset of active growth of mushrooms, the bags are untied and left open, but not in direct sunlight.

Mushrooms are cut when they grow up to 10 cm. They grow to this size in 3-5 days.
After a while, the yields collected from the bag begin to fall. Such a bag is taken to a dark place. After 1-2 months, the harvest of mushrooms from the "rested" bag can be harvested again.

The contents of bags on which mushrooms no longer grow can be used to fertilize vegetable beds - very good compost ripens in bags.

Is it profitable to grow oyster mushrooms for sale

It is possible to benefit from growing mushrooms for sale in the subsidiary farm. But this requires a lot.

1. We need premises. Not very hot up to +30°С in summer and not freezing in winter. The premises must be ventilated and have lighting. Before growing mushrooms, any room must be treated from foreign fungi - mold.
2. If you grow mycelium for growing mushrooms yourself, then you need a lot of time, because. the process is quite labor intensive. You can buy ready-made, but you need to be sure of the quality of the purchased material.
3. You can make bags with the substrate yourself and sow them with purchased mycelium, but this requires a sufficient amount of raw materials for the substrate.

4. You need to have enough time for constant care of plantings - watering, airing, monitoring the condition of the substrate. When mold appears, such bags must be urgently removed.

5. Also. Mushrooms release spores into the surrounding space, which are sure to get into the lungs when breathing, and this is very harmful to health.

6. But the most difficult thing, as in any business, is to enter the market with your product. Oyster mushroom is healthy and tasty, but perishable. It takes a lot of effort to sell it to the store. It is especially difficult to establish a mutually acceptable price - so that the goods do not stay in the store and bring profit to the manufacturer. In turn, the store may require a quality certificate.
But if there is a desire to do this business, if you think over the solution of emerging problems in advance, then with not the largest investments you can get a good income.

Even if you just grow a few kilograms of mushrooms for your family, you will get a lot of pleasure and feed your relatives.

Now you can grow oyster mushrooms at home instead of buying them from the store. Wish you luck!