Growing mushrooms at home is easy. You don't need any special knowledge or technology, just healthy felled wood or straw and patience. If we grow paradižnik, chili, peppers, lettuce at home... why not mushrooms?
The most common and easiest ways to grow mushrooms at home are: growing on straw and growing on stumps (wood).
Which method we choose depends on our preferences for the type of mushroom, time, and materials we have available.
For growing on stumps (wood) we need:
Of all the methods of mushroom cultivation, the simplest mushroom cultivation on fresh wood, as this method does not require sterilization of the substrate, which is essential when using other cultivation methods. Freshly cut tree logs and stumps are suitable for mushroom cultivation, but they must not be cracked. Sap should not be leaking from the stumps, as this often causes the mycelium to rot. If sap is leaking from the stump, it is best to wait a few weeks for the stump to dry. The bark should be undamaged, as undamaged bark prevents moisture from evaporating from the trunk and thus provides ideal conditions for the growth of the sub-mushroom (mycelium), while also preventing other unwanted fungi from accessing the wood.
Many types of mushrooms are suitable for growing on fresh wood. The easiest mushrooms to grow are Japanese oyster mushrooms (shiitake) and beech oyster mushrooms, as they are among the least demanding. However, it is possible to grow most mushrooms that grow naturally on wood (stumps, branches, trunks of dead or dying trees). Among the edible ones, in addition to oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus sp.) and shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula edodes), winter mushrooms (Flammulina velutipes), poplar mushrooms (Agrocybe aegerita), luminous mushrooms (Ganoderma lucidum) and others can be grown.
Hardwood from deciduous trees is best. (oak – for shiitake, beech, hornbeam, maple, alder…) because it gives the largest yield (beech wood yields half as much as oak). Softer types of wood decay faster and give a smaller yield. Coniferous wood is only suitable for growing certain types of mushrooms due to its specific composition.
The stump can be drilled around the entire perimeter in a zigzag pattern and We insert the mycelium on wooden plugs into the drilled holes in the stump. Once all the necessary plugs have been inserted into the trunk, it is best to coat the insertion points and the cut ends of the trunk with melted wax or paraffin. It can also be cut lengthwise, the entire surface sprinkled with mycelium on cereal grains and covered with a cut wooden disc. The stump prepared in this way must be protected from drying out, direct sunlight and animals that feed on the mycelium, so it is covered with plastic film and soil or leaves. The mycelium needs on average a few months to grow through the substrate.
When we notice white rings on the cut surface of the stump, the stump is overgrown with mycelium and we can remove the polyvinyl foil and soil, but it is often better to leave it partially covered. When weather conditions become favorable (most often in the fall), mushrooms begin to grow from the stump. The mushrooms grow until the wood is completely decomposed, which can take several years. In the meantime, it is necessary to provide a humid environment without direct sunlight and strong drafts.
With this method you can we turn unwanted stumps in gardens into mushroom “gardens” for a few years, We grow a few kilograms of mushrooms and subsequently turn them into humus.
For growing on straw we need:
Growing on straw, compared to growing on solid wood, requires slightly more engagement, However, the extra effort is rewarded with faster growth of the mushroom bed and the first mushroom harvest after about three weeks.
Straw for oyster farming needs to be pasteurized beforehand to remove microorganisms from its surface. Pasteurization can be done by boiling in hot water or by steaming.
The cooking process in hot water should take place at a temperature of around 65 ̊ C, Meanwhile, the straw should be completely submerged under the surface of the water. When the straw is boiled, drain it in a clean room and cool it, and mix in the mushrooms on the grain. Unlike boiling, steaming straw at a temperature of around 95 ̊C is easier to do on a larger scale, i.e. in an old barrel, alpha boiler or similar metal container. Place bricks on the bottom of the container, and a piece of metal mesh on top of them. Pour water into the container up to the height of the mesh, and place the soaked straw on the mesh. Light a fire under the container or place it on an electric stove. When the water boils and steam starts to come out of the top of the straw, cover the barrel and let the straw steam for 1.5 to 2 hours.
After steaming, the straw is cooled and inoculated with oyster mushroom on cereal grain.
The cooled straw is filled into plastic bags and gradually mixed with the oyster mushroom mycelium., gently press it into the bags, tie them, poke a small hole in them, and place them in a room at room temperature.
After three to four weeks, the mushrooms will have grown over the entire volume of the straw, which means that the bags or containers with the overgrown straw can be moved to a more humid, slightly lit space (basement, polyvinyl tent, greenhouse, bucket, aquarium, etc.), where the first mushrooms will soon begin to sprout from the holes.
They produce fruit several times from the same substrate, with short breaks between harvests, and we mustIt's time to take care of high relative humidity, light lighting and ventilation, and a room temperature of around 20 ̊C.
After the harvest is complete, the used substrate is used to enrich the compost pile, and the mushrooms are of course prepared in a variety of dishes.
When growing paradižnika seedlings, it often happens that the plants germinate, but quickly become long, thin and weak. This phenomenon is called stretched seedlings. At first glance, it may not seem serious, but such seedlings later: –
Once your paradižnika, pepper or chili seedlings have sprouted, the next important step soon comes – transplanting or picking the seedlings. Many gardeners skip this step or do it too late, which can affect the growth of the plants and the final yield.