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When growing champignons, the main costs, almost 40%, are associated with the acquisition of mycelium. In addition, it is not always of high quality. But knowing how to grow champignon mycelium with your own hands, you can start producing it at home.
Despite the predominant reproduction of fungi through spores, they are also capable of vegetative reproduction. This property was used in the last century in mushroom production. The technology was simple – having collected the mycelium in manure dumps, it was planted in the prepared soil. However, this method did not give large yields, since fruiting was reduced by extraneous microflora present in the mycelium. In the 30s, a method was developed for growing grain mycelium, which is now used in the production of mushrooms.
Mycelium production methods
Champignon also, like other types of mushrooms, reproduces by spores. The imprint of the spores can be seen by placing the cap of a mature champignon on a sheet of paper with the bottom side. In the presence of a nutrient medium, spores germinate, giving rise to a new mycelium. Mushrooms also reproduce excellently in the tissue way – when placed in a sterile environment with an appropriate nutrient substrate.
In the production of champignons, spore and tissue cultivation of mycelium and its selection are carried out in special laboratories equipped with microbiological control, the ability to maintain sterile conditions, the required temperature and humidity. But many mushroom growers today are fond of growing mushroom mycelium at home and do it quite successfully.
Obtaining a nutrient medium for the mycelium
The technology for growing mushroom mycelium requires an appropriate nutrient medium. It is of three types.
Wort agar is prepared according to the following technology:
- beer wort is mixed in a volume of one liter and about 20 grams of agar-agar;
- the mixture is heated with stirring until the jelly is completely dissolved;
- sterile test tubes are filled one third of the volume with a hot mixture;
- test tubes closed with cotton-gauze swabs are sterilized for 30 minutes under appropriate conditions (P = 1,5 atm., t = 101 degrees);
- further, they are installed obliquely to increase the surface of the nutrient medium, while the contents should not touch the cork.
Oat agar is prepared from components such as water – 970 g, oatmeal – 30 g and agar-agar – 15 g. The mixture is boiled for an hour, then filtered through a gauze filter.
In carrot agar, 15 g of agar-agar are combined with 600 g of water and 400 g of carrot extract. After 30 minutes of boiling, the mixture is passed through a gauze filter.
Sowing champignon mycelium
When the nutrient medium in the test tubes solidifies, the second stage of obtaining mushroom mycelium begins. On the prepared nutrient medium, you need to place particles of the mushroom body, cut with sharp tweezers from the champignon leg. This operation must be carried out under sterile conditions. Tweezers can be disinfected with alcohol, hydrogen peroxide or ignited in the flame of an alcohol lamp. Instead of tweezers, a so-called inoculation loop can be used. It is a steel needle with a bent and sharpened end. It is convenient to take out pieces of the champignon mushroom body with it and quickly add it to the test tube.
The whole process consists of several manipulations:
- pre-prepared champignon should be carefully broken into two parts;
- a piece of mushroom tissue must be picked up with an existing device and lowered for a second into a hydrogen peroxide solution for disinfection;
- open the test tube and quickly place a piece of champignon mushroom tissue on the nutrient medium – all actions must be carried out over the burner flame in order to avoid pathogenic microflora entering the medium;
- the test tube is immediately closed with a sterile stopper, holding it also over the flame.
During the germination of the culture of the fungus, the test tubes should be kept in a warm, darkened room. It will take about two weeks for the mycelium to fill the nutrient medium of the test tube. A mother culture of champignon is formed, which can be stored, transplanted into a new nutrient medium every year.
Further reproduction of the mycelium
If the task is to further multiply the mycelium of champignons, the contents of the test tubes are brought into large jars filled with the substrate by 2/3. This procedure also requires sterile conditions:
- a recess is prepared in the substrate contained in the jar, after which it is tightly closed with a metal lid;
- a hole must be made in it, closed with a soft stopper;
- jars prepared in this way are placed in autoclaves for 2-hour sterilization under pressure (2 atm.);
- jars should cool in a sterile room;
- when the temperature drops to 24 degrees, you can add the mother culture of champignons to the substrate.
Manipulations are carried out over the flame of the burner. Having opened the test tube, a mushroom culture is taken out of it with the help of an inoculation loop. Quickly taking the cork out of the jar hole, put the champignon mycelium into the recess in the substrate and close the jar.
Preparation of grain mycelium
How to make mushroom mycelium at home on grain? More often, wheat or oats are chosen for this purpose, but other cereals – rye, barley – can also be used.
Dry grain is filled with water in a ratio of 2:3. For disinfection, you can add hydrogen peroxide in proportion to water 1:10. The mixture is boiled for 20-30 minutes, depending on the hardness of the grain. It should soften enough, but not boil.
After draining the water, the grain should be dried. For this procedure, a wooden box is very convenient, in which a small fan is fixed. The box is covered with a metal mesh. On top of the grid, grain is poured with additives of chalk and gypsum. These substances improve the grain structure and regulate its acidity.
The jars are filled with dried grain by 2/3 of the volume and sterilized under pressure. After the mother culture is added to the jars, they are placed in a thermostat at a temperature of 24 degrees and a humidity of about 60%.
Mushroom mycelium should colonize the entire substrate in the jar. The grown grain mycelium can be used for the next sowing of containers. The resulting mushroom culture is suitable for several crops, after which it needs to be updated.
During the colonization process, you need to regularly look through the banks. If green or brown spots or a liquid with an unpleasant odor appear, the infected jar should be sterilized for 2 hours under pressure.
To prevent sticking of grains and accelerate the growth of mycelium, you need to shake the jar from time to time.
Ready grain mycelium of champignons is conveniently packaged in plastic bags to protect them from alien microflora. The grain mycelium is stored for up to four months at 0-2 degrees. In contrast, compost mycelium lasts up to a year.
Advantages of cardboard
You can grow mushroom mycelium at home in a simpler and cheaper way than on compost or grain. At the same time, this material is not alien to mushrooms grown on sawdust. Colonization of champignon mycelium on cardboard is easy and fast. Often, cardboard is even more comfortable for mushroom mycelium than sawdust, in which insufficient gas exchange inhibits the development of mycelium.
The advantages of growing mycelium on cardboard are that:
- cardboard is less susceptible to pathogenic microflora;
- the corrugated structure of the cardboard provides effective air exchange, necessary for the breathing of the growing champignon mycelium;
- cardboard perfectly retains moisture;
- no need for sterilization, which is very important;
- an important argument in favor of cardboard is its cheapness and availability;
- when using cardboard, less time and labor is spent.
Mushroom on cardboard
To get champignon mycelium, the best option would be brown corrugated cardboard, cleaned of smudges of glue or paint. And planting material can be selected from mushroom waste.
The technology for obtaining mushroom mycelium on cardboard is very simple:
- cardboard, cut into small pieces, is soaked in boiled, lukewarm water for about an hour or more, and then laid out in a spacious plastic container with drainage holes;
- manually or with a knife, the champignon should be divided into fibers;
- having removed the top layer of paper from the cardboard, it is necessary to spread the pieces of champignon on the corrugated surface, first disinfecting them in peroxide, and cover with the removed paper on top;
- slightly compact the layers so that air pockets do not form;
- in order to avoid drying out, the container is covered with plastic wrap, which must be removed every day and ventilated the cardboard plantation of the mycelium;
- cardboard should not be allowed to dry out, so it needs to be moistened periodically;
- mushroom mycelium plantings should be in a dark and warm place until the entire cardboard turns white from the overgrown mycelium – the process can last up to three months.
Having grown mushroom mycelium on cardboard, you can plant this mycelium on the next sheet of cardboard. On it, it will grow even faster, as information about the environment is transferred genetically to the next generation of mushrooms. You can use part of the cardboard mycelium to get a new portion of mushroom mycelium. The rest is used to colonize the substrate, for example, populate bags with pasteurized straw or sawdust with cardboard mycelium. It also grows well on other types of substrate – coffee grounds, tea leaves, paper.
Conclusion
It is not difficult to grow champignon mycelium at home if you have patience and follow these recommendations. And high-quality mycelium is the key to a good harvest of mushrooms.