What mushrooms can be grown in the country and how to do it

There are many varieties of mushrooms that can be grown on your own site. In the list of the most popular can be called champignons, shiitake, oyster mushrooms and honey mushrooms. Also, the technology for cultivating morels, donuts, flammulin and even black truffles is quite well developed. For some, the intensive method is used, and the cultivation of other fruiting bodies is possible only in an extensive way.

To date, there are approximately 10 species of edible artificially grown mushrooms, and about 10 are at the stage of studying and developing the optimal cultivation technology.

About what mushrooms can be grown in the country, and in what ways to do this, is described in detail in this material.

How to grow shiitake mushroom mycelium in the country

The oldest known cultivated mushroom that is grown under artificial conditions is shiitake (“black forest mushroom”), which began to be bred on wood in Japan, Korea, China and Taiwan as early as 2000 years ago (according to another version, in 1000-1100 .). In nature, this wood-destroying mushroom can still be found in China, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines on such trees as oak, hornbeam, and beech. Volumes of industrial mushroom cultivation are increasing every year.

This mushroom has been an important agricultural export product of Japan for several decades. This country is the leader in the production of shiitake. They are dried and sent to France, Germany, the USA, Great Britain, where the delicious mushroom is in great demand. In Europe and America, they also conduct research and experiment on the cultivation of this fungus.

Before growing mycelium of shiitake mushrooms in the country, you need to take a fallen deciduous tree and saw it in two along. The halves are placed obliquely and planted on them a mycelium, which "colonizes" the wood. If there is enough moisture (rain and watering), then fruiting bodies form on wood after 2 years. In total, the duration of mushroom harvesting is 6 years, while about 240 kg of fresh mushrooms are harvested from 1 m2 of wood.

For the successful cultivation of these mushrooms in the garden, you need to provide a temperature within 12-20 ° C and high humidity. Using modern technology, this is not difficult to achieve.

To grow the shiitake mushroom crop in artificial conditions as abundant as possible, you need to organize a plantation outdoors in a shaded place. There are encouraging results from the cultivation of these fruiting bodies in greenhouses. Of course, the use of a special room increases the cost of production, but the process does not depend on weather conditions and ensures a stable crop.

Next, you will learn what other mushrooms are grown artificially.

Flammulin mushroom cultivation in the garden

In Japan and some Asian countries, industrial cultivation of wood-destroying velvet-legged flammulina is popular. This is done by specialized mushroom breeding farms, also called winter mushrooms.

For its cultivation, an intensive method is used and only indoors, since flammulin can develop as a parasite on living plants, and therefore its open breeding can be dangerous for gardens, parks and forests.

Under what conditions it is possible to grow these mushrooms, it was already known in 800-900. At first, flammulin, like shiitake, was bred on wood. And how to grow these mushrooms in the garden in modern conditions? Now they use glass or plastic jars for this, where they place the substrate, which is a mixture of sawdust and straw with mineral additives. All processes, from mixing the substrate to planting mycelium in it, are mechanized.

Banks are installed in special thermostatic rooms with adjustable temperature, humidity, degree of illumination. The sufficiently long legs of the fruit bodies peeking out of the can are cut off, and soon new mushrooms appear in their place.

Flammulin cultivation experiments are also carried out in Europe. Local mushroom growers have found that the best substrate for this mushroom is a mixture of 70% sawdust and 30% rice bran. In the presence of such a substrate and other necessary conditions, the crop is harvested 2-3 weeks after planting the mycelium.

Watch the video how to grow shiitake mushrooms on a plot:

How to grow volvarilla mushrooms in a summer cottage

Other mushrooms grown in Asian countries are volvarielles, also called straw mushrooms or herbal champignons. However, they are more like fly agaric and mushroom floats. They began to breed almost at the same time as the mushrooms, i.e. around 1700, most likely in China

Currently, in the countries of the Far East and Southeast Asia, volvarilla is actively grown in open ground on ridges of rice straw. The most optimal combination of temperature and humidity for the cultivation of this fungus is 28 ° C and 80% humidity. In the same straw ridge, the temperature should vary from 32 to 40 ° C.

In terms of production and popularity, of course, the leader is champignon (champignon bicorean), which began to be grown in France in about 1600, in connection with which the mushroom was called French champignon for a long time.

In vivo, almost all of the above mushrooms live on wood. Among the grass on the earth, only volvarilla can be seen, and champignon lives on decayed manure or humus.

In tropical and subtropical countries, mushroom can be bred outdoors, which to some extent reduces its cost. In temperate regions, grass champignon is cultivated in closed ground, which entails significant costs, therefore, in these areas, growing volvarella is not very common. A good solution for growing these mushrooms in the country is the use of greenhouses. For example, in the summer cottage, vegetables are not grown in greenhouses in the summer, so their heat-loving straw mushroom may well take their place.

Quite good results were obtained when growing mushrooms in household plots using a substrate from ground corn cobs. Sometimes it is possible to get up to 160 kg from 1 m2 per year.

In its structure and taste, volvarilla is a very delicate mushroom. A signal of maturity is the achievement of a weight of 30-50 g. As a rule, it is eaten fresh, and because of the delicate consistency, herbal champignon cannot be transported.

In other countries, especially Asian ones, volvarielle has been grown for a long time, but in Russia this has been reached recently.

Growing truffle mushrooms in the garden

The first of the cultivated mushrooms was wood-destroying, since it is among them that among all the cap species it is easiest to obtain fruiting bodies. In humus and mycorrhizal fungi with their complex relationship with vegetation, this is more difficult to do.

Mycorrhizal fungi have been studied for more than a century, but no reliable methods for their cultivation have yet been developed, so you have to copy nature and dig a mushroom in the forest, move it under a tree in the forest or in your garden, you can also sow spores.

The only more or less studied mycorrhizal fungus is black truffle, which is widespread in France since the mid-18th century. It was even called French, or Perigordian truffle in honor of the corresponding province, where the main plantations were located. Then the French truffle in small volumes began to be bred in the south of Germany.

The mushroom is characterized by a strong, persistent and pleasant smell and delicate taste, which is why it is very much appreciated.

At the moment, the mushroom is justifiably considered a valuable delicacy, the cost of which is very high on the world market.

The fruit bodies of black truffle are underground and, as a rule, are at a depth of 2-5 cm, the shape is round, the surface is uneven with hollows and bulges, the color is brownish-black, about the size of a walnut or a small apple. Its main producer is traditionally France.

Is it possible to grow these mushrooms on your site? For true fans of their field, nothing is impossible! The mechanism for growing truffles for almost two centuries has not changed. As then, now they use natural or artificially planted oak and beech groves for this, since it is with these trees that the truffle willingly enters into symbiosis and forms mycorrhiza.

The distribution area of ​​black truffle is limited to France, Italy and Switzerland. Other species of it grow in Russia, however, much inferior to it in taste, therefore, its breeding in the country is not common. In addition, he needs a special crushed stone ground with a high content of lime, as well as strictly defined temperature conditions and the corresponding humidity.

The agricultural technology for growing truffles is shown in these photos:

How to grow oyster mushrooms in the country (with video)

You can see that almost all types of edible mushrooms grown on wood began to be cultivated in the countries of the Far East and Southeast Asia. An exception is the traditional wood-destroying mushroom called oyster oyster mushroom, which began to be bred in Germany at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. Recently, this mushroom has become widespread in Europe, Asia and America.

Oyster mushroom is a valuable edible mushroom, which is much easier to cultivate than champignons. Moreover, both in taste and appearance, oyster mushroom is similar to a shiitake, only the color of the last hat is dark brown, and the central leg and, as a rule, is more pronounced than the lateral one in oyster mushroom.

Oyster mushroom culture is characterized by high productivity in the open field and excellent taste, so it is rightly loved among amateur mushroom growers.

When cultivating oyster mushrooms, an extensive method is used.

Details on how to grow oyster mushrooms in the country are described in this video:

Growing morels and mushrooms on a summer cottage

Speaking about which mushrooms can be grown in the country, one cannot but mention morels and honey mushrooms.

In the forests and apple orchards of France and Germany since the middle of the XIX century. morels began to breed morels, among which the more common conic morel.

Mushroom pickers are familiar with this mushroom. In the spring, morels grow on meadows and forest roads with a pointed, elongated, cone-shaped brown-brown hat. Its closest relative is the common morel (edible) with a round hat.Currently, there are two main methods for the cultivation of morels - edible and conical.

The first books on how to grow mushrooms on a site were written in the USSR back in the 30s of the last century. And in the 40s. cultivation of this fungus on pieces of wood engaged in Germany. A few decades later, a method for growing fungi using mycelium prepared in the form of a paste was also developed there.

The study of honey agarics and methods of growing them in summer cottages is also carried out in Russia.

Growing ring mushrooms in the country

The ring can be called the youngest of the cultivated mushrooms, since the technology of its cultivation appeared in Germany in 1969, and it gained the most popularity in Poland, Hungary and the UK. However, in other countries, mushroom growers are keenly interested in how to grow these mushrooms in their summer cottage. Cultivating the rings is quite simple, they need a substrate from straw or from other agricultural waste, which is quite simple to prepare.

The mushroom has high palatability, it can be stored, transported for a long time. Ringworm is very promising in terms of cultivation and is able to compete in popularity with champignon or even surpasses it, however, attempts to cultivate this fungus in Russia have begun recently.

Summing up a brief excursion into the varieties of cultivated mushrooms, it should be noted that local customs play a significant role in their distribution. However, by the end of the 20th century, a situation began to arise when various mushroom cultures cross the borders of their homeland and become truly “cosmopolitan”. To a large extent, this is due to globalization and the intensive development of communications and information exchange opportunities between different countries. For example, oyster mushroom from Europe has spread widely throughout Asia and America. Volvariella, no doubt, in the near future will win the hearts of mushroom growers far beyond Asia.

To grow mushrooms in the country, start with those species that are easy to cultivate: oyster mushrooms and champignons. If your experience is successful, you can try to breed more picky mushrooms.

Tips for growing mycelium mushrooms in the garden

Below are tips for budding mushroom growers on growing Mushrooms from mycelium in a garden plot.

1. To prepare the raw materials (for steaming, soaking), you will need a tank and, possibly, not one. For this, a traditional city bath is quite suitable, from which it is very simple to organize the discharge of water, the temperature of which it maintains quite well.
2. For growing mushrooms on the site, steaming and soaking the raw materials for the substrate is conveniently done using woven permeable bags (it can be made from sugar, only first you need to remove the plastic bag that is inside). Bags are filled with dry chopped straw, placed in a bathtub and filled with hot water.
3. It is best to heat the steaming water in a different container, for example, in a bucket or tank, using a boiler, on a stove, in a column, on a stove. Then hot water is poured into the bath with bags laid there, covered with a dense film and left for 8-12 hours.
4. Before sowing the substrate with mycelium (inoculation), it is advisable to grind it well to individual grains. In this case, there will be more foci of overgrowth. Perform this work in disinfected rubber gloves. The mycelium should be removed from the refrigerator 6-10 hours before acting on it.
5. It is necessary to fill the bags with a substrate, tamping it very tightly, since excess air and free spaces will impede the process of overgrowing.

Look at the photo how to fill the bags to grow mushrooms:

• Slots in the bags can be made at the end of overgrowing to reduce the likelihood of drying out of the substrate in their area, as well as infection.
• Place bags with the seeded substrate in the room so that it is possible to pass between them freely.In this case, you need to try to organize uniform lighting and ventilation.
• You need to moisten the air, bags, etc., but not the mushrooms themselves, since this can cause infection with a variety of bacterial rot.
• When collecting mushrooms, their shape must be taken into account. Mushrooms can bend horizontally, and they should be cut off first of all, since they will no longer develop and can throw out spores.
• If mushrooms are grown for sale, it is important to ask in advance about the possibility of marketing, cost.
• Although in words growing mushrooms may seem quite simple, you should not immediately organize a plantation. First you need to try to cultivate at least a couple of mushrooms.
• If the volume of mushrooms produced is not very large, then for their implementation certificates and other documents are not needed, so you can sell the excess of the garden plot.
• In order to maximize the effect of their efforts to grow mushrooms, it is recommended in each case to give priority to their own observations, which will probably differ to a certain extent from theory.
• The one who cultivates mushrooms for sale not directly, but through resellers, as a rule, receives less than the one who only sells them. In connection with which you can give such advice: try to combine in your person both the manufacturer and the seller.
• Collaborate with other mushroom growers. This will not only mutually enrich the mushroom growing experience, but will also help, if necessary, complete an order for a large batch of mushrooms. In general, cooperation is very beneficial.

The basics of growing mushrooms in the country are described in this video: