Mycelium on sticks cultivation. Oyster mushroom cultivation

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24.04.2018

Mycelium is the vegetative body of the fungus, which has the ability to change its structure, while forming special organs that provide reliable attachment to the substrate, nutrition and subsequent reproduction. In fact, mycelium is nothing more than a mycelium familiar to everyone. The fungus actually begins to grow from it, therefore, taking, for example, a mycelium of a white mushroom or a butter dish, you can very successfully grow them in any place adapted for this.

Mycelium most often looks like a kind of formation that looks like cotton wool or fluff in the form of a fluffy coating, and may look like a light film or threads woven together in the form of a fine mesh.

The branched filaments of mycelium are very thin (1.5 to 10 microns thick) and have a light shade. Biologists call them hyphae. On the hyphae, a fine network of miniature lateral processes is formed ( haustorium). With the help of them, the fungus easily penetrates the internal tissues of plants, pulling nutrients and water from the substrate. It is noteworthy that the total length of hyphae in some types of fungi can reach 35 (!) Kilometers in length.

Thin and branching bundles of hyphae ( rhizoids) superficially resemble the root system of plants, and they really help the fungus to securely attach itself even on a very solid base.

Neighboring and nutrient-rich hyphae can form filamentous branching clumps ( sclerotia), which are dense black formations and act as protective capsules. They, thanks to a strong structure, retain mycelium during the winter cold.

With the onset of heat, sclerotia germinate, releasing spore-forming organs.

Cords and strands can be formed from parallel and homogeneous hyphae, which are a fused branched network of thin filaments. With the help of them, the fungus is attached to the substrate.

Mushrooms use seeds called spores to reproduce.

Mushroom mycelium is usually divided into two classes:

· Immersed(if the mycelium is completely immersed in the nutrient substrate)

· Air(when the mycelium only partially touches the nutrient base)

Mycelium varieties

There are two main varieties of mushroom mycelium:

"Non-cellular" or coenotic(devoid of transverse partitions between cells and representing one large cell with a large number of nuclei)

"Cellular" or septate, in which there are intercellular partitions between the cells of the mycelium and each cell can contain a certain number of nuclei

Mushrooms are usually divided into three main groups:

hat

This is the most common group, which in turn is divided into two types:

- Pipe Mushrooms

- Lamellar mushrooms

moldy

Yeast

Cooking mycelium at home

Useful mushroom mycelium can be easily grown independently at home, such as Kombucha, known to everyone for its medicinal, nutritional and taste qualities, or traditional cultivated types of mushrooms, such as champignons, mushrooms, porcini mushrooms and so on.

Mycelium for subsequent cultivation of mushrooms can be purchased from the distribution network or obtained independently from mushroom legs.

Depending on the basis of the nutrient medium, the mycelium of edible mushrooms can be divided into three types:

Grain

substrate

Liquid

To grow mycelium at home, initially it needs to create conditions for a normal existence and, first of all, take care of two significant factors: sufficient humidity and ambient temperature, which should not rise above 25 ° C, otherwise the mycelium will die. Low temperature is also undesirable, as it will slow down the growth and normal development of fungi.

Among other conditions, the growing room should be adequately lit and well ventilated.

The easiest way to grow mycelium

Pour wheat grain into a large metal container and fill it with water so that it covers the seeds a couple of centimeters higher. We put the dishes on the fire and cook for half an hour, after which the grain must be filtered and then dried, scattered on a flat surface.

Pour the dried grain into liter jars (two-quarters of the volume) and sterilize in a large bowl. When the jars have cooled down, you can put a little mycelium in each.

To prevent infection of the mycelium with harmful microbes, it is desirable to carry out all manipulations under the light of a quartz lamp.

The first signs of mycelium in the form of white fluff will appear on the fourth day, and after a week the mycelium can be sown on straw and mushrooms can be grown. The main thing in this business is desire and patience.

You can read more about how to grow champignons at home.

Interesting facts about mushrooms and mycelium

It turns out that mushrooms are on average 90% water.

Mushroom mycelium has the ability to use as a nutrient medium even such toxic substances as oil or E. coli

Fungi DNA is different from most plant DNA and is closer to human DNA formula

In terms of amino acid content, mushrooms are ahead of plants such as peanuts, soybeans, beans and even corn.

In nature, there are more than 70 varieties of mushrooms that grow in complete darkness. The fact is that these types of mushrooms are able to produce light using bioluminescence, so in ancient times people used them to illuminate at night.

Mushrooms, like human skin, are able to produce vitamin D when exposed to sunlight.

More than 80% of all land plants are similar to fungi, since the roots of most crops are similar to mycelial hyphae

There is a symbiosis of plants and fungi, in which mycorrhizal endo fungi penetrate directly into the root of plants, forming mycelium in them. Thus, mycelium helps many crops to strengthen immunity, fight pathogens of various diseases, and also absorb water, phosphorus and other nutrients from the soil.

An antibiotic called penicillin was derived from a fungus ( lat. Penicillium)

The largest mushroom on the planet is the honey mushroom in the Blue Mountains (Oregon). It covers an area of ​​about four square miles (!) and, according to some experts, its age is over 8,000 years old.

Mushroom sticks that have recently appeared on the market have become a real breakthrough in mushroom growing. Now it is not difficult to grow mushrooms in a personal subsidiary farm or in a country house - and a high yield of delicious "forest gifts" is guaranteed. With the right organization of the business, a mushroom plantation can bring, moreover, a good profit.

Environmentally friendly product

A real "mushroom boom" has been observed in recent years in Russia: the demand of the population for this tasty and very valuable product in terms of nutrition is constantly growing. However, there are fewer and fewer people who like to go looking for mushrooms in the forest, since the ability of mushrooms to accumulate harmful substances from the environment - especially heavy metals in areas of industrial emissions, large cities, railways, highways - cannot be discounted in our age of ecological trouble. These mushrooms are not safe to eat.

How, then, to satisfy the growing need for natural, environmentally friendly mushrooms? You have to grow them at home! With modern "lightweight" technologies for home mushroom growing, this will not be difficult. You can grow a small amount of mushrooms for family consumption and, as they ripen, roast them with crispy fried potatoes. Or you can organize your own business by selling mushrooms on the local market or offering them to restaurants and supermarkets. In any case, the business is interesting, exciting and profitable.

Mushroom sticks - our everything

A modern mushroom grower does not need to order tens of kilograms of special substrates, liters of mycelium and several volumes of specialized literature. Everything is much easier. Thanks to a recent - somewhat revolutionary - invention in mushroom growing, mushroom sticks, growing mushrooms has become an uncomplicated and effective business. It is enough to drill several holes in the chosen hemp or logs, stick ready-made sticks with mycelium there, place the logs in polyethylene - and wait for the mushroom harvest. Moreover, it can be removed for 3-7 years, depending on the hardness of the wood.

Thus, you will have your own mushroom plantation, from which you will receive guaranteed yields (just follow the requirements of the instructions). And this fruitful mushroom richness for years - from just 16 sticks included in the standard package.

You can grow mushrooms from sticks in your summer cottage from May to September, and if you create the necessary heat and humidity, then all year round. Such conditions are easiest to maintain in a greenhouse, barn or basement. Although some quite successfully grow mushrooms on the balcony or even on the windowsill.

What mushrooms can you grow yourself?

Today, the assortment of mushrooms from sticks is quite wide. Shiitake, Reishi - five years ago, no one heard such names in our country, but today this exotic is in vogue. Therefore, you can grow it not only to amuse your exquisite taste, but also earn extra money on the sale of mushroom delicacies. So, we present mushrooms suitable for cultural cultivation.

1. Oyster mushroom is the most unpretentious and cost-effective mushroom. Unique in its nutritional and healing properties. The index of essential amino acids of oyster mushroom exceeds the index of vegetables, nuts and grains and is close to the index of meat and milk.
2. Shiitake is an exotic mushroom rich in substances necessary for the body; widely distributed in the Far East. In Japan, China and Korea, it is considered the most delicious and healing.
3. Winter mushrooms (flammulina) - one of the most cold-resistant mushrooms, able to grow at a temperature of 1-27 ° C. It has a great taste, strong mushroom flavor and high nutritional value. Hats of winter mushrooms are fried, salted, marinated, you can cook soup from them.

Mushroom business - to be

In the West, the cultivation of cultivated mushrooms has long become commonplace. Wild plants are collected there only for the sake of sports interest and are not used for food. But in Russia, despite the fact that the demand for domestic mushrooms is constantly growing, the mushroom growing business is just beginning to develop. For example, in 2007, in all of more than 140 million people in Russia, 15 times fewer mushrooms were grown than in 14 million people in Holland!

What does this meager indicator mean? The fact that there is virtually no competition between Russian mushroom growers. Therefore, having carefully studied the necessary technological information, it is possible to organize a profitable enterprise for growing domestic mushrooms. They will be 100% environmentally friendly, of excellent quality, and you will successfully sell your products in the markets and stores.

Especially interesting for business may be the option of growing several crops "in assortment": oyster mushrooms - for sale in the fall, honey mushrooms - for the winter-spring sale, shiitake - for the spring and summer.

Start growing mushrooms at home, and you will always be provided with delicious, satisfying, environmentally friendly mushroom dishes. Or maybe your hobby will gradually develop into a profitable business? Try it!

What is a mycelium mycelium? What are the types of mycelium, how to choose and store them? There may be confusion - some sources of information call the mycelium the substrate on which the mycelium was settled for further transportation and cultivation. Some people call the mycelium itself a mycelium - the body of the fungus, previously crushed and planted in a substrate for further settlement, but not both.

I'm leaning towards that mycelium- this is a substrate inhabited by mycelium, which is waiting for it to be germinated soon on straw, logs, cardboard, and what else ... Read on the page for the types of substrate for growing. Mycelium is needed to transfer mycelium to these substrates.

Growing mushrooms from pure mycelium is not recommended. The exact amount of mycelium (which has already turned white on the substrate and is viable) can populate a much larger amount of the substrate than raw mycelium, which has yet to germinate into the substrate. The mushroom picker is easier to control, you can be sure of the result if you see live mycelium in the mushroom picker, and not naked porridge, which may not germinate for some reason. Next, we will deal with the pros and cons of different types of mycelium.

Types of mycelium

Mycelium on sawdust

Mycelium sawdust is sterilized. Deciduous trees are used, preferably fruit trees. The size of sawdust is several millimeters. A mushroom picker from small sawdust can be populated in logs, an open mushroom "bed", straw, cardboard and other substrates. Pressed dowels with mycelium are made from sawdust, which are hammered into.

Mushroom on sawdust, already overgrown with mycelium.

If sawdust were more nutritious, it would become an ideal mycelium mycelium. If you buy mycelium on sawdust, then most likely bran or some other source of nitrogen has been added to the bag. The main advantage of sawdust is in the size of their particles. Due to the fact that they are small, the mycelium is distributed more evenly and can colonize more substrate for growing mushrooms. Our mycelium on sawdust is not very popular, grain is much more common.

grain mycelium

Sterilized grains of rye, corn, wheat or millet are populated with mycelium. Grain mycelium can populate any kind of substrate. Grains are much more nutritious than sawdust, so a handful of grains can propagate mycelium to other grain myceliums, and not only. However, grain mycelium may not be suitable for growing in the air - birds, and even more so mice, will definitely smell the grains ...

Mycelium on corn (popcorn)

Mycelium on rye grains

Sticks with mycelium

Mushroom sticks are made from sawdust and even from the legs of mushrooms. This method of colonizing with mycelium is very effective for logs, cardboard, wood chips - everything that is made of wood.

Mushroom stick from pressed sawdust

Sticks with mycelium

Other types of mycelium

• Wood shavings mixed with bran.
• Suspension with mycelium.

What kind of mushroom is better? The main thing is that the type of mycelium fits the substrate. If you have logs for settlement - take mushroom dowels. Mycelium has already studied woody material, so its spores quickly colonize a stump or log.

The mushroom picker on sawdust will well populate logs enriched with sawdust bran, cardboard, straw.

The grain mycelium is suitable for decontaminated straw and sawdust.
Once you have decided on the type of fungus, do a little research on a suitable substrate. But, looking ahead, I’ll tell you that the usual gray oyster mushroom prefers straw or cardboard.

Buying and storing mycelium

Now there is a real boom in the mushroom business. Buying mycelium in the mycelium is not a problem - look for mushroom pickers on the Internet closer to you or with the best reviews. It is advisable to do without transportation by transport companies, since the living organism of the mycelium feels temperature changes, tedding, light and darkness, lack or excess of air ...

On sale there is a dry mycelium, in bags for seeds. But experienced mushroom pickers do not use such seeds - they say that it takes root disgustingly, wakes up very slowly, and so on. I will change my rules and make a link to a third-party resource with an article on the topic of dry mycelium. And I noticed that foreign sites do not sell any "dry" mycelium.

dry mycelium

The mushroom picker should be fresh, without yellow spots. Mold and other fungi compete for a nutrient medium, and the mycelium itself produces its own waste that poisons it. Before buying mycelium, you should have everything prepared.

If you notice errors in the article (on growing) - please write in the comments. There are many conflicting sources of information on mushrooms, so I really need your help and advice!

Currently, the production of champignons and oyster mushrooms is quite a popular and profitable business. A good product is obtained from a high-quality and pure culture of mycelium, which, if desired, can be grown at home. The detailed information presented in the article answers the questions of what mycelium is and how to cultivate it correctly.

What is fungal mycelium and its functional features

Mycelium or its other name, mycelium - the vegetative body of fungi (thallus) - is a system of the thinnest branching filaments or hyphae. Thallus is divided into two types:

• substrate, designed to attach to the substrate and transport nutrients and water;
• air, which forms reproductive organs above the surface of the substrate.

The network of hyphae that forms the thallus can, under favorable conditions, spread over long distances. You can see such plexuses in the soil with the naked eye, they look like a white cotton pad.

The fungus performs a number of important functions:

• promotes attachment of organisms to nutrient substrates;
• with the help of enzymes, it processes cellulose, obtaining from it substances available for growth and development;
• has the function adaptations to the environment;
• participates in sporulation and is responsible for the preservation of the resulting spores.

Mycelium is a very important organ, in addition to the transport and nutritional functions, it is responsible for the vegetative reproduction of organisms.

Types of mushrooms and what they look like

There are 7 varieties of the vegetative body:

• Film, consisting of light, densely woven hyphae of different sizes. The main function is to attach to the substrate and obtain nutrients from cellulose.
• corded, which is formed due to the fusion of hyphae and is responsible for the attachment and spread of fungi due to strong branching.
• are powerful cord-like weaves of threads of different colors, which determine the resistance of organisms to adverse environmental conditions.
• , consisting of thin and airy cord-like clusters of hyphae and serving for the attachment and distribution of organisms.
• Sclerotia formed by tightly woven together and strongly branching threads. Like rhizomorphs, it helps to endure aggressive living conditions.
• are formed in places of contact with the tissue of the host plant, tightly growing together with it, and are intended to preserve fungal spores.
• fruiting body is the site of formation and maturation of spores of the fungus.

Thus, the mycelium is a unique formation involved in the distribution, nutrition and reproduction of fungi.

Why get mycelium

The main purpose of thallus cultivation is to harvesting edible mushrooms. As soon as people realized that the hyphae clusters perform the function of reproduction, they began to use parts of wild mushrooms for breeding them at home. But such a product did not give a high yield.

Over time, attempts began to grow pure cultures of mushrooms to increase their yield and sustainability. At the end of the 19th century in France, it was possible to obtain such a culture of champignons grown on a special sterile substrate.

The grown mycelium showed excellent growth characteristics. Using the technology of obtaining thallus in the laboratory, it became possible to produce cultivated mushrooms on an industrial scale.

How to get a quality mushroom

Before you start cultivating mushrooms, you need to find out where to get the mycelium from. The highest quality mycelium is obtained in laboratories. Such a product can be bought in specialized stores with good reviews.

If desired, the mycelium can be grown at home on its own, having properly prepared the substrate, providing comfortable environmental conditions and sanitation. It is quite possible to implement this idea.

The main requirement for successful cultivation of mushrooms at home is compliance with temperature conditions, illumination and cleanliness.

Do-it-yourself mycelium production is a suitable way for beginner mushroom growers, because it makes it possible to try the method on a small batch and at no great cost.

Features of cultivation technology

The technology of growing mycelium for the purpose of breeding champignons, oyster mushrooms, mushrooms involves the sequential implementation of several procedures.

First pure culture technique from mushroom spores is still widely used for the cultivation of high-quality mycelium, called uterine. This method allows you to grow clean, strong crops that give a good harvest and have excellent characteristics.

The main task of the mushroom grower in obtaining the uterine thallus is to maintaining aseptic conditions, so as not to infect the culture with microorganisms present in the environment. Compliance with this rule guarantees a quality product with excellent taste properties.

Mature spores or part of the fruiting body are planted on a substrate, which is a sterile nutrient media wort agar, oat or carrot agar.

The media are prepared in test tubes, and after they have solidified, they are cultured there with a sterile instrument, which can be a wire or a knitting needle with a loop at the end. To maintain sterility, all manipulations are performed over the fire.

The tubes are sealed with a sterile cotton-gauze stopper and stored at a constant temperature. about 24 degrees within 2 weeks before the formation of a full-fledged mycelium. The mother culture in test tubes can be stored for a long time at a temperature 1-2 degrees with periodic reseeding (1 time per year) to maintain good properties of the mycelium.

The next step is receiving seed from compost or grain mycelium. The best quality compost is formed from the following ingredients:

• manure, preferably horse or cow;
• straw;
• gypsum;
• urea;
• superphosphate;
• alabaster flour.

Convenient to use as a substrate ready compost. It is placed in three-liter jars for 2/3 of the volume, a recess is made in the middle, the jars are rolled up with a metal lid with a hole of 2-3 cm in the middle. The hole is sealed with a cotton-gauze stopper and the containers are sterilized.

Under aseptic conditions, the uterine mycelium is planted in the compost recess through the hole in the lid, which is closed again after the end of the procedure. Cultivation of the seed mycelium is carried out similarly to the uterine mycelium.

For growing mushrooms at home, it is convenient to get grain mycelium. To do this, it is important to properly prepare the grain:

1. Boil the grain in water at a ratio of 1:1.5 for 30-60 minutes and cool it.
2. Dry the grain and place it in jars or polypropylene bags, filling them halfway.
3. Sterilize prepared materials.
4. Sow the mycelium, as in the case of compost.

Pure culture has the appearance of a white fluffy coating without green or brown spots. Ready sowing mycelium is used to grow mushroom crops on substrates.

The production of high-quality mycelium requires some skill and careful preparation of conditions. Therefore, before you get down to business, it is best to try to grow a small batch of culture and collect the first crop. The experience gained will be very useful and will allow you to evaluate all the pros and cons of a mushroom growing project.

Record What is mushroom mycelium and how it looks first appeared About the farm.

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Advantages:

• less weight compared to grain mycelium;
• during transportation can withstand even the most severe frosts;
• a wide variety of mushroom species;
• the possibility of growing in logs, stumps, packages;
• low cost;
• low cost of shipping (transportation) due to low weight;
• long shelf life (up to 4 years).

Flaws:

• afraid of moisture (wet mycelium should not be allowed);
• germination takes a little longer compared to grain mycelium.

You can grow mushroom mycelium on sticks in hardwood logs or in plastic bags with a substrate (sawdust, sunflower husks, straw, coconut substrate or corn cobs). There are some peculiarities here. Substrate bags germinate faster, but only bear fruit for 1-2 months, because. the mycelium completely decomposes the substrate. Logs and stumps germinate more slowly, but they can bear fruit for up to 7 years, until the complete destruction of the wood occurs.

Favorable time for planting mushroom cultures on a wood base in natural conditions is from April to October, indoors - all year round at a temperature of 15 to 27 degrees.

Growing mycelium on sticks in bags.

Special bags and bags for growing mushrooms can also be purchased from us.

Take a 6-8 liter bag and put some substrate (about 5 cm) on the bottom. The substrate must be pre-moistened to such an extent that when squeezed in the palm of your hand, a little water appears.

Spread evenly on the substrate 3 sticks infected with mycelium. Put a new layer on top. And so on until the package is completely filled. Count so that the package can then be tied.

With a toothpick in a checkerboard pattern, make holes over the entire surface except for the bottom. After that, the package with mycelium can be placed in a pallet or tied up under the ceiling. If you have a plantation, then use both methods to save space.

Light in this process is optional, the main thing is not to let the substrate dry out. To do this, it is necessary to periodically spray the bags with water from the sprayer. If the cultivation takes place in the basement, then it makes sense to put open containers with water to maintain high humidity.

After 7-12 days, the substrate will begin to grow mycelium - a white "web" will appear inside the bag. 20-30 days after planting, the first mushrooms will begin to appear through the holes in the bag. At this time, the substrate intertwined with mycelium will turn into a dense homogeneous block. On the sides of the package with a knife, make 4 cuts 1-2 cm long to exit the fruiting bodies.

To stimulate fruit formation, place the mushroom block in the refrigerator for 2-3 days at a temperature of 3-5 ° C or in a lighted room at a temperature of 15-20 ° C.

Moisten the substrate through the cuts made with a sprayer. After 3-4 days, "primordia" will appear - these are the beginnings of mushrooms. Within 4-5 days, primordia will grow to the size of a mushroom. They can be picked and used for food.

From one package with a volume of 5-8 liters, you can collect 3-5 kg ​​of mushrooms, while fruiting will occur in waves.

If you put not 16 sticks (one package), but 32 (two packages) in a bag and place them more often, then the growing process will accelerate and the yield will be higher.

Growing mycelium on sticks in logs (stumps, logs).

In this way, mushrooms are usually grown in vegetable gardens (on the street) and in greenhouses.

The main advantage of this method is long-term fruiting, up to 7 years.

We choose a log (burnt, stump) of hardwood (aspen, birch, poplar, etc.) without signs of rot, 10-15 cm in diameter and 30-50 cm long, with bark (without branches).

We soak it for 2-3 days in water, then leave it in a clean, ventilated room for 1 day to evaporate excess moisture.

We drill holes with a diameter of 0.9 cm and a length of 5 cm in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of about 20 cm from each other. The more mycelium sticks are used per log, the faster it will germinate with mycelium and begin to produce a crop.

With clean hands or gloves, insert the sticks with mycelium into the holes until they stop, then close with wooden plugs or wax (garden pitch) to prevent the penetration of bacteria.

You can cover the log with burlap, which will significantly speed up the development of the mycelium. We place the wood in a shaded, well-ventilated place at a temperature of 20-25 ° C. To maintain wood moisture: when growing mushrooms outdoors, water the soil near the stump (log) 2-3 times a week;

Overgrowth of a log occurs in 1-2 months, depending on the conditions. The wood is overgrown if white mycelium is visible in the places of infection and on the ends. Fruiting will begin in 2-6 months from the moment of planting at an air temperature of more than 15 ° C.

For the winter, sprinkle with leaves, cover with burlap.

Fruiting occurs in waves, up to 3-4 years on soft wood (poplar, birch, willow), 5-7 years on hard wood (beech, maple, mountain ash). In one year, you can collect 3-6 kg of mushrooms from each log.

In late autumn, the logs must be sprinkled with leaf litter and covered with burlap.

Best before date

3 years when stored at a temperature not exceeding +24°C.

4 years when stored at temperatures from +2 to +4°C.