Tag: growing mushrooms

MUSHROOMS CULTIVATION: THE GROWTH ENVIRONMENTS

Freak of Natural Staff

  ENVIRONMENTS NECESSARY FOR MUSHROOMS CULTIVATION 1. Laboratory: The laboratory is the place where the mushroom growing process begins. This stage is also the most difficult of the growth cycle for new producers. It can be difficult to create an environment conducive to the growth of the fungus mycelium; Growth requires a moist, nutrient-rich environment, such as a cereal jar or Petri dish containing a solution of water, agar agar and nutrients such as potato dextrose. This space, preferably isolated, must remain sanitized. Make sure you can wash the area…

GROWING MUSHROOMS: THE FRUITING

Freak of Natural Staff

  Mushroom cultivation success used to be an activity that very much depended on climatic conditions. The substrate was prepared and sown taking into account the season when the temperature and humidity conditions were favorable. This still happens today for small producers of Shiitake and some species of Pleurotus. For example, French growers of the genus Agaricus, better known as champignon, has found in the eighteenth century the ideal environment for cultivation,  the right temperature and humidity, in the French caves. Growers can adapt different places  for mushroom cultivation, such as…

MUSHROOMS ARE TRUE SUPER FOOD

Freak of Natural Staff

  Solid are the foundations and evidence that mushrooms are real all round cure, a real super food capable of benefiting those who consume them regularly in various ways. There is however something to consider carefully. Mushrooms absorb very easily the elements present in the environment in which they grow through soil, air and humidity. This characteristic determines that mushrooms grown in soils polluted by heavy metals, or in particularly polluted areas, fill them with substances that are harmful to us, counteracting the numerous nutritional benefits that they would have…

GROWING MUSHROOMS: MAKING THE SPAWN

Freak of Natural Staff

  The purpose of the “spawn” is to increase the fungal biomass, previously present as a small mass of cells in a Petri dish or liquid culture, and to expand this mass to possibly several kilos of mushrooms. The seed is generally made up of cereal grains such as barley, wheat, rye, oats, rice, etc., already colonized from the fungus. Each colonized grain, mixed in the final substrate, becomes a point where the fungus will develop,  colonizing completely the bag or jar containing the substrate in just few days. To…

GROWING MUSHROOMS: NOTIONS OF STERILIZATION

Freak of Natural Staff

  In this article we will deepen into the part that is considered by many to be the most delicate in the processes of mushroom cultivation. Any lack of attention during this steps can lead to contamination, making all our efforts in vain. The first step in mushroom cultivation, taking into account that you want to go through all stages of their production, is to learn how to work with the culture medium, with sterilization methods and good laboratory practices so that there won’t be contamination in any stage of…

GROWING MUSHROOMS: MYCELIUM CULTURE MEDIA

Freak of Natural Staff

  When growing mushroom, culture media are usually medium solid and consist of a water base to which nutrients are added, and a compound with solidifying properties, which is normally Agar. The compound is mixed in the liquid phase, bringing the water in which the nutrients and Agar powder are dissolved to a boil. The liquid is sterilized and then poured into Petri dishes where it will cool and solidify to obtain a gelatinous consistency where it is possible to inoculate the mycelium to start the culture. The culture medium…

GROWING MUSHROOMS: THE LIFE CYCLE

Freak of Natural Staff

  To learn how to grow mushrooms it is essential to know their life cycle in nature. During the cultivation of mushrooms the grower needs to simulate all the conditions that the mushroom would encounter in nature. So, instead of a rotting tree trunk, we will give the mushroom to feed it sawdust or straw that has a similar composition to its natural substrate. Instead of the shade and fresh air that you would find in an undergrowth, we will set up an air-conditioned greenhouse that simulates the conditions of…

GROWING MUSHROOMS: THE SPORES

Freak of Natural Staff

  WHAT ARE MUSHROOMS SPORES? We know that re the spores that allow mushrooms propagation. They separate from the fungi and travel long distances thanks to the air currents until they fall on a suitable substrate, giving birth to another colony of mushrooms.   When we collect these spores, we can place them in a container containing substrate, and start cultivation. Growers do not normally use spores to grow mushrooms due to the high genetic variability. Each pair of spores will generate a different individual. This means that hundreds of…

MUSHROOM CLASSIFICATION AND CULTIVABLE SPECIES

Freak of Natural Staff

  Mushrooms are classified into categories based on how they feed. There are basically four categories. These are: saprotrophs, mycorrhizal, parasites and endophytes. Saprotrophs Saprotrophic fungi use specific enzymes and acids that help them break down decaying organic matter, hence the dead tissues of trees, other plants and sometimes mammals. This allows them to feed on the decomposed matter. Saprotrophic fungi play a fundamental role in the decomposition process in nature, and therefore in the entire food chain. These mushrooms include: Agaricus Bisporus (White button, Portobello, Cremini) Morel mushrooms Reishi…

WHAT MUSHROOM SPECIES TO GROW

Freak of Natural Staff

  AGARICUS BISPORUS (Button, Cremini, Portobello mushrooms) The collection of these mushrooms in different stages of their life produces types with different names, even if in reality it’s always the same species. The classic white Champignons or Button mushrooms are harvested at the beginning of their growth, or at most in an intermediate phase. Cremini are also called baby portobello or brown mushrooms. Portobello mushrooms are simply the most mature mushrooms of this genus, have a more apologetic brown color and the hat is more open. These mushrooms also grow…

GROWING MUSHROOMS: INTRODUCTION and TECHNIQUES

Freak of Natural Staff

  GROWING MUSHROOMS IS SMART, SUSTAINABLE AND PROFITABLE! Do you plan to grow mushrooms? There are many good reasons to begin  this hobby or activity: if desired, mushrooms are a good, profitable and economically attractive commercial crop. In addition, they are easy to grow even at an amateur level and finally they have important nutritional values. Some species, if that weren’t enough, also carry important medicinal properties. The period between inoculation and harvest can be very short, just three weeks. After the cultivation, the support can still be reused to…