Oyster mushrooms are unpretentious mushrooms: they do not need careful care, their cultivation does not require large monetary costs. Even an inexperienced summer resident can grow them in a garden. I will tell you about the preparation of material and the rules for planting oyster mushrooms on stumps, and also share the secrets of caring for them.
Mycelium preparation
The material for growing oyster mushrooms is the mycelium. This is a kind of vegetative substance - the body of mushrooms, consisting of hyphae (branched thinnest filaments). You can buy mycelium in specialized stores that sell gardening products. Mycelium can be purchased in advance - it is perfectly stored in the refrigerator without losing its properties.
Pay attention to the expiration date indicated on the package, as well as the color of the seeds - they must be fresh, without black and brown spots.
Wood harvesting
One of the most popular and effective ways of cultivating oyster mushrooms is growing on a log. Not every wood is suitable for this purpose. For harvesting stumps, it is best to use hardwood (aspen, poplar, maple, chestnut, etc.) and fruit trees (apple, pear, plum, etc.).
But pine species for growing oyster mushrooms are not suitable because of the high content of resins in the wood, which can destroy the mycelium.
The trunks of the selected trees are sawn into rounds of a certain diameter (18 cm or more) and height (about 40 cm). Prepared stumps must be cleaned of rotten, rotten bark and soaked in water for 10-14 days in order to saturate the wood with moisture.
Landing dates
The best period for growing oyster mushrooms is April-May. During these months, the most suitable conditions for the growth of mushrooms are observed: the optimal temperature regime, high humidity. These factors have a positive effect on the formation of mycelium and the growth of a large mycelium.
Seat selection
The laying of the mushroom plantation must be placed in ventilated shady areas, protected from bright light. All these factors contribute to the retention of moisture in the stumps for a long time. Stumps with mycelium are best placed in the shade of trees, under the walls of buildings and other structures.
But I strongly do not recommend placing mycelium next to a compost heap or mullein! The carbon dioxide emitted by organic fertilizers will have a negative effect on the development of mushroom bodies.
Methods for laying mycelium in logs
There are many ways to lay the body of mushrooms. I will tell you about a few that have been verified by me personally.
The simplest and most effective way of laying a mycelium, in my opinion, is as follows:
- in a previously prepared and moistened section of the stump, holes are made with a diameter of about 2 cm and a depth of about 5 cm;
- mycelium is placed in the holes made and clogged with sawdust;
- the stump with the substrate is buried 15 cm into the ground.
When planted in this way, oyster mushrooms grow on all sides of the log.
And here is another effective method that I tried in practice:
- a depression about 15 cm high is made in the ground;
- round timber is laid at the bottom of the hole;
- mycelium is placed on the wood (layer thickness is about 1-1.2 cm), covered with a wooden chock and covered with soil.
With this method of planting, the mycelium first grows from below, and then, expanding, rises up.
Mycelium care
As I said above, mycelium is extremely undemanding to care for. For a faster formation and development of fruit bodies, you only need to keep the wood with mycelium moist. Logs need to be watered regularly to avoid drying out. I recommend covering the top with a piece of burlap or other fabric and dampening it.
Oyster mushrooms planted in May can be harvested in early October. In the future, myceliums will bear fruit twice a year: in spring in April-May and in autumn in October.
The lifespan of mushrooms on the same stump is about 5 years.
Try to plant oyster mushrooms in the spring using one of the methods I have proposed and you will be able to see for yourself that growing and harvesting a rich harvest of mushrooms is not difficult.
Read also: Let's figure out whether it is worth leaving the polycarbonate greenhouse open in winter or not.
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