Growing champignons at home for beginners and experienced mushroom pickers is a modern, fashionable, fun and profitable activity. This is a kind of hobby, and a source of additional income, if you approach the matter rationally, competently. Knowing how to grow champignons at home, you can provide yourself, as well as your friends and relatives with a quality product. Champignon is a fairly popular, always in demand, tasty and healthy food. They do not lie on store shelves, despite the fact that they are not of the lowest cost. Growing them yourself, you will always be sure of their "pure" origin.
Champignons, photo:
They are useful: they contain glucose, carbohydrates, vitamins, 18 amino acids, and easily digestible fats. Also harmoniously combined with any products, they can be cooked, fried, baked, pickled, canned.
This mushroom is incredibly tasty, low-calorie, an excellent alternative to meat (which, of course, attracts the attention of vegetarians).
Before you begin to engage in mushroom growing, you should sensibly assess your desires and opportunities. In addition to time and money investments (acquisition of materials), you must have the appropriate premises. Some skills, a detailed study of the information on the relevant Internet forums, the presence of a competent adviser will never hurt you. If we compare the process of growing champignons and oyster mushrooms, then our case, of course, is more time-consuming. But if you compare it with the concerns and nuances of breeding porcini mushrooms, it will be much easier, shorter in terms.
Where do champignons grow in nature?
If we consider the natural conditions, then they are found almost everywhere. Forests, steppes, meadows, edges, lowlands, open spaces with moistened soil and even semi-deserts, mountain forests are common habitats.
As for the "home" conditions, they can grow in the garden or garden, cellar, basement, specially equipped garage, greenhouse.
How to grow champignons? Long-standing experience of mushroom pickers has been proven that they grow best where the basement is equipped with good ventilation.
At the same time, the air temperature should be relatively cool (not higher than +20 ° C), and if this process is put on stream, the mercury column on the thermometer should vary between +12 .. + 18 ° C year-round. The moisture percentage should be approximately 70..85%, lighting does not play a special role.
It is not recommended to cultivate mushrooms in apartment conditions due to the lack of all the required standards: temperature, the presence of compost (smells from it), lack of space.
Conditions for growing champignons at home
The necessary factors for a successful process are:
- The right choice of place.
- Disinfection of the room.
- Organization of microclimate.
- Proper preparation of the substrate.
- Compost laying.
- The choice of mycelium.
- Planting mycelium.
- Appropriate care.
As mentioned above, under properly organized conditions, mushrooms can be grown throughout the year. The technology itself is not very complex, as it might seem initially. From the very beginning, you need to correctly execute everything, and then the process will go along the thumb track. This work can even be called creative, something like a hobby. To date, breeders have bred approximately 50 varieties of this fungus, which have slight differences in appearance. The color of the hat, its structure, and storage duration may vary, but all cultivar cultivars are the “children” of ordinary white champignon.
An example of a light brown variety in the photo:
Let us, as a basic example, consider basement cultivation, since this method is considered the most common. For the so-called “cellar” breeding, it is best to choose high-yielding varieties such as Silwan 130 (Sylvan 130), Hauser A15 (Hauser A15) or Somycel 512 (Somycel 512). They are quite unpretentious, it’s not difficult to care for them, and they are also very “prolific”.
Remember - the most important factor for a successful result of your efforts is the presence of well-established ventilation in the room where mushrooms will grow!
A constant flow of fresh air is very important, since during the growth they emit carbon dioxide, and its excessive concentration in the room leads to elongation, lengthening of the mushroom leg.
How to grow champignons in the basement
The selected room must be disinfected. This factor does not depend on whether it is a basement, a garage or a separate shed. As mentioned above, in addition to good ventilation, there must be a high level of humidity. This is necessary for the quality growth of mushrooms, but high humidity is a direct way to the appearance of mold and various fungi on walls and shelves. In addition, champignons themselves are extremely sensitive to all sorts of parasites and diseases. Therefore, the processing of the premises is a must for the mushroom grower.
How to grow champignons at home - room disinfection:
- Of the most common, often used, it is whitewashing of the ceiling, walls, all surfaces with lime and copper sulfate (copper sulfate) added to it. The so-called “recipe”: 2 or 3 kg of slaked lime + 100 g of copper sulfate per bucket of water (10 liters). When working with disinfectors, be sure to wear a face mask!
- The second method is more dangerous for the human respiratory tract and also requires protection. 350 g of bleach are taken, diluted with 10 liters of water, used by irrigation of the walls of the room.
- Irrigation of walls and other surfaces with 4% formalin, with the help of a building spray gun - is most convenient.
- You can fumigate the room with a sulfur checker - also gives a very effective preventive effect.
- Chlorophos is a radical, destructive method, but too toxic in composition. It affects not only mold, but also harmful insects.
After any treatment, the room must be properly ventilated - this is also a prerequisite.
Let us return to ventilation, or rather, we clarify one nuance: the air should be fresh, but drafts should be excluded. Ventilation pipes (“stranglers”) are best closed with nets with a small mesh - this will create an obstacle to the penetration of insects, as well as a small barrier to air masses. If you have a serious room of large sizes, and the cultivation is put on stream, then the ventilation system should be more global, with additional fans located above each large drawer. If possible, the installation of air purifiers with replaceable filters will not be superfluous for this.
It is clear that a thermometer with a hygrometer is simply necessary for the room where mushrooms are grown. So you can always control the level of air humidity: if there is a lack, spray water with a spray bottle, if there is an excess, ventilate it. With the onset of summer heat, fans solve this problem, but if the cultivation of this type of mushroom occurs throughout the year, then in addition to all the above-mentioned civilization benefits, you will also need additional heating of the basement or cellar.
Large cellar room, photo:
Best of all, if your cellar, in addition to all the requirements for growing, will have exactly an earthen floor (not concrete). By and large, the more focused the room will be adapted specifically for mushroom growing, the better. Any unnecessary additional factors in the basement, cellar, garage or shed that are not related to the cultivation of mushrooms will only interfere with and disrupt the "microclimate" of the room.
To the "pluses" of mushroom science, we can add the fact that they are able to bear fruit well even in complete darkness. This distinguishes them from all other green inhabitants. The weakest bulb is enough - they will feel comfortable, but the light is more likely to be more useful to you to comfortably navigate on the spot.
If growing champignons at home initially has far-reaching plans, the owner has a large room, then dividing it into 2 zones will be a reasonable, convenient solution. Simply put, the mushrooms must be nucleated somewhere, and a specially prepared substrate (about it a little later) is designed for this process. So, in one zone there will be a substrate along which the mycelium will spread (this is called incubation). In the second compartment, boxes of mushrooms will be placed directly, where they will be distilled.
The temperature regime of these two compartments should also be different: the mycelium usually grows at a temperature of +23 .. + 24 ° C, and the growth of fungi occurs at a temperature column of +16 .. + 18 ° C. If you get used to it, work out your own “schedule” for moving boxes from one zone to another, then you can grow these delicious, beloved mushrooms all year round.
Champignon compost
Composting (substrate) is one of the most critical aspects of mushroom growing. The quality of the fungi will directly depend on the properly prepared substrate. Usually, when you buy champignon mycelium, the packaging with the contents indicates the substrate corresponding to this variety, as well as the nuances of its preparation. Varieties are different, and the composition of the compost, its collection technology may vary. However, most often these parameters do not have significant differences.
Mycelium, photo:
The substrate should be prepared either in a room specially designated for these purposes, or in the open air (on the street), under a well-equipped canopy. It is important that no rain or rain falls onto the compost. It is also not recommended to pour compost on the “bare” ground - lay a sheet of dense plastic film. Thus, unwanted insects or some other pests do not penetrate into the substrate. It should not touch the ground, but blowing it with air from all sides is a must!
Mushroom compost should be moderately moist, as excess moisture can disrupt the proper fermentation processes.
Be that as it may, the street is the best place for the maturation of the substrate, the active release of ammonia, carbon dioxide will not be useful to anyone. The average time of "readiness" of the substrate, its fermentation, is approximately 25-30 days. During this period, it is recommended to mix it at least three times (to ensure uniform fermentation). You will learn that the process has come to an end by the absence of a specific smell of ammonia. Its color by this time acquires a brownish tint. While the substrate is fermented, the temperature inside it can be approximately +50 .. + 65 C °, and the compost already ready for use has a temperature of no more than +24 .. + 25 ° C.
By the way, to enrich the contents of the compost during its first mixing, you can add crushed lime to the overall composition. During the second mixing - superphosphate fertilizer, in the third - grated gypsum or its building analog (alabaster). Already a “ready-made” substrate, in addition to the above-described features, does not stick to hands, springy upon tactile contact, the straw is extremely softened, easily divided into fragments.
As an alternative to the independent process of compiling the substrate, you can advise the purchase of ready-made compost, which is sold in the garden departments of supermarkets or flower shops. Of course, such a substrate will be less high-quality than prepared by hand, even though it will be written on the package that it has all the required characteristics.
Here it is only up to you to decide what is more convenient for you, do you have the time to carry out all the points of preparation for growing these mushrooms. Considering the general signs of “good” compost, let's highlight the main ingredients.
Compost composition for growing champignons:
- For these purposes, it is considered to be the best horse products of vital activity. In addition to this, it is important to consider that the horses were fed on hay, not green grass. The moisture content of horse manure for composing the substrate should be approximately 45%. Horse waste can be replaced with cow or bird waste, but, according to the experience of experienced mushroom pickers, the crop on such a “basis” will be much worse. So, horse manure you will need approximately 100 kg.
- Straw - Better choose a dry, rye or wheat variety. You will also need about 100 kg.
- Alabaster (gypsum) - about 6 kg.
- In other cases, alabaster is replaced by urea (2.5-3 kg) or the same amount of nitrate (per 100 kg of straw and 1000 kg of manure). As we recall, these fertilizer additives are added with compost mixing.
- Again, the use of 100 kg of horse waste, 100 kg of well-dried rye straw, 3 kg of urea, 5 kg of chalk, 2 kg of superphosphate, 8.5 kg of gypsum when mixed will create the optimal ratio of ingredients.
How to grow champignons at home? Use fresh animal livelihoods while they still contain maximum nutrients. Make sure that there are no coniferous shavings or sawdust in the introduced components - they emit resin, and these mushrooms feel it, they react painfully to its presence. Phosphorus fertilizers, as well as urea, are actually highly recommended, useful - these are sources of phosphorus and nitrogen, so necessary for champignons. But the chalk normalizes the acidity of the substrate, maintains an optimal pH level.
Champignons: growing at home is the easiest way to create layers:
- We take a convenient wide container, fill it with hot water, soak the straw for about 24 hours.
- After that, we lay it in layers together with manure. You will get about 5-6 layers. Do not forget to moisten each layer with not very hot water, slightly, but do not moisten generously.
- After 3 days have passed, we take the forks and thoroughly mix the straw-straw “pie”, but at the same time we add fertilizers - superphosphate with urea (urea). At this stage, the substrate begins to smell strongly of ammonia. After 4 days, we again shovel the substrate, additionally adding those top dressings that are required by the standard for this variety.
- In general, the compost should be mixed approximately 4 or 5 times over the entire time. Do not spare efforts on this - useful elements are evenly distributed throughout the composition, and the mass will acquire a relatively uniform consistency.
The so-called "care" for compost has already been described above, but I want to add, repeat about the warning regarding excessive moisture. Too much moisture in the substrate will slow down its maturation, but even worse, it will wash out all the useful ingredients required for development and growth from the mixture.
Compost components (dry hay, horse manure, fertilizers), photo:
Champignon mycelium - planting
The substrate, of course, should be purchased from a reliable representative (best of all - special laboratories). When the compost has already matured, we transfer it to the appointed place, put it in boxes or in special forms, where further actions will take place:
- To get a good champignon crop, about 500 g of mycelium or 400 g of these varietal spores will be needed per 1 m² of compost.
- If mycelium is used, then on the entire surface of the container with compost, at a distance of 20 cm from each other, you need to make small dimples, 4 or 5 cm deep.An appropriate amount of mycelium is laid in these pits, but if fungus spores are used for sowing, they are simply spread evenly over the surface of the substrate.
- After a while, you will notice cobwebs covering the surface of compost containers. By this time, the temperature of humidity in the room should remain at the level of 75-95%. To avoid drying out of the substrate, it can be irrigated from time to time with clean, settled water from a spray bottle, and also optionally covered with a clean, damp cloth or paper.
- The mushroom mushroom begins to grow at a temperature of +20 .. + 28 ° C, the active phase of the spread of the mushroom "cobweb" occurs after about 10 or 12 days, then the upper layer of compost will need to be sprinkled with the appropriate soil mixture (about 4-5 cm), wait another 3 days, after which transfer the containers with future mushrooms to a colder room with a temperature of +12 .. + 16 ° C. Or forcefully lower the room temperature to a given mercury indicator.
- Keep in mind that ordinary garden soil for "sprinkling" is not suitable for you. Prepare in advance a mixture of 1 share of limestone, 5 parts of peat, 4 parts of clean soil. After 3 - 3.5 months, expect the first deserved results of your work.
Harvest from one mycelium can give from 5 to 8 periods of maturation of new mushrooms. This is called the "wave", the most generous collection of champignons falls on the first three "waves". Here it is important to catch the ripening moment - when the hat from below is still tightened with a thin white skin (film), and brown plates still cannot be seen. Mushrooms need to be twisted from the place of its growth, but not cut (so that harmful bacteria do not enter the mycelium through the cut).
After the crop has been harvested, again gently sprinkle the substrate with the above described soil mixture. Over the next two weeks, they will grow especially actively.
Properly extracted mushroom from the soil, photo:
Hat in optimal ripening condition, photo:
How to grow champignons in the country in the open ground?
In addition to the above, the most commonly used "basement" method of growing mushrooms, there are other alternatives. For example, how to grow champignons at home, namely, in a summer cottage. Sometimes, for some reason (lack of a basement, garage or other suitable room), the desire to breed these mushrooms seems impossible. But if you are a happy owner of a summer cottage - everything is feasible!
The most successful period for this is summer and autumn, it is also important to choose a comfortable place here. Champignons - where do they grow? In shaded places, on specially prepared soil, the place for mycelium should be moderately moist, the earth should not dry out, the sun's rays should not illuminate the selected place too much. To protect against drought on hot days, the beds are often covered with plastic wrap or a special covering material to create a certain microclimate. It is important to bring mushrooms as close as possible to conditions similar to the environment of their natural growth. Since we are unable to influence the weather, we need to try to give the mushrooms moisture - when they need it, as well as the presence of fresh air.
In the garden under the trees, photo:
After sowing the mycelium on the beds, on the open ground, the cultivation of mushrooms - their technology, is practically no different from the rules for growing in the cellar. After a couple of weeks, the "cobwebs" of the mycelium grow on the soil surface, at this point the temperature is lowered by sprinkling the soil surface with a thin (up to 5 cm) layer of moist earth. The temperature, similarly, should vary between +12 .. + 15 ° C, but in no case should it reach above +20 ° C. As in the method described above, it will be much more productive if this land contains peat and limestone. Regular watering (or rather, delicate irrigation) is best done after sunset - this will optimally moisten the soil and prevent the formation of a dense earthen crust. With the right approach to business, in about 3-4 weeks you can expect a harvest of your own mushrooms.
Mycelium launches "cobwebs", photo:
To summarize how to grow champignons in the country:
- Mycelium or spores are best planted on specially prepared soil. This may be soil brought from a forest zone.
- The earth should be optimally saturated with fertilizing, well-moistened, not have stones, fragments of bricks or the remains of old roots.
- It is best to plant mushrooms on open ground at a neutral air temperature of +21 .. + 22 ° C.
- If a greenhouse is chosen for planting, you should carefully monitor the level of humidity and air temperature in it. The conditions are not much different from a basement or garage mushroom cultivation. It should be remembered that heat and drought are harmful to them.
- As already mentioned, the planting technique does not differ from the “basement” analogue (20 cm from each other, shallow pits, sprinkling with earth mixture after the appearance of the “cobweb”).
- With the receipt of the first mushrooms, the abundance of watering can be reduced (so that the roots do not rot), irrigation is our everything in this matter.
After all the waves of the mushroom crop come to naught, the spent substrate can simply be disposed of, or it can be quite successfully used as organic fertilizer or mulch for some trees or even flower beds. Of course, it will not be suitable for re-growing mushrooms, but as an excellent top dressing for your green inhabitants, it will serve. As for all kinds of containers, boxes after harvesting and composting, they will require mandatory disinfection, as well as the room where the mushrooms were grown.
Reviews of those who grew champignons
Champignon is such a mushroom, the demand for which is much higher than for oyster mushroom. We, for example, buy them for each holiday, but oyster mushroom, perhaps once or twice a year. If oyster mushroom can be grown in the garage without any preparation, then for the champignon it is necessary to specially equip the room with ventilation, irrigation, an automatic system to maintain the set temperature.
Goshek
https://forum.rmnt.ru/threads/texnolgija-vyraschivanija-shampinonov-malyj-biznes-na-dache.105293/
My friend grew champignons in the basement of a wooden house. Bottom line - the logs were infected with a fungus. It is better to grow them in a room specially designed for this.
Nadeya
https://forum.rmnt.ru/threads/texnolgija-vyraschivanija-shampinonov-malyj-biznes-na-dache.105293/
Hi, I don’t know if my experience is useful, I really only collect them, I work on the farm where they are grown. 1) they do not need light at all. They grow in our dark hangars. When we work, turn on the light, of course. When not, then not. 2) When they sprout, you don’t need to water them. It is necessary to water before such small fungi crawl out, and if water gets on them, they get dirty and get sick 3). We have sawdust (more precisely, compost with straw) lying about 15 cm thick, and sprinkled on top of the ground. The earth's layer is about 5 cm. In total, the height of the beds is, respectively, 15 + 5 cm. 4) Temperature + 15-20, the lower (up to 15), the supposedly grow better. 5) I don’t know about humidity, I have never seen sensors but it’s quite possible - since we grow in 5 rows (shelves) 6) Harvesting: It is enough to make a half turn to pick carefully, as if unscrewing from the ground. Collect gradually as it grows. As soon as the hats begin to open (they become so brownish and soft to the touch, but have not opened yet) - collect everything that has come out except for the smallest ones the size of a nail. Water again, as it should, and wait a week later for a second crop. Then you can wait for the third. We have the 3rd - the last, then everything is thrown out (composted) and again everything is laid in a new way.
Nadya
http://forum.cofe.ru/showthread.php?t=109166
Yes, they themselves grow 😉 They put cow dung in the pile, and the cows graze in the meadow, where there are mushrooms, hats and eat. Here we have grown on last year’s manure, and when the bed was sprinkled with manure, they grew there for 3 years, not much, but enough for pizza.
Gopher
http://agro-forum.net/threads/120/
Growing champignons at home for beginners cannot be called a very easy process, but, like in any new business, following the rules, as well as taking advice from already experienced mushroom pickers, will undoubtedly help you in this interesting, fascinating activity. A self-grown crop will please you, your loved ones and, quite possibly, will bring material income!