Growing champignons at home: technology. Preparing the nutritional mixture

Champignons are fairly common mushrooms. They are grown en masse for use in the food industry, particularly in cooking. Entrepreneurs build their businesses on their breeding, which brings in good income. But experienced farmers prefer home-grown champignons. Read about this in the article.

What does soil contain?

Is it possible to grow champignons at home? Of course, this can be done by a farmer or the owner of a private farmstead without any experience. The main thing is to stock up on knowledge in this matter and strictly follow the instructions. The most labor-intensive process in growing mushrooms is preparing the soil. For a mycelium area of three square meters, you will need 100 kilograms of ingredients of plant origin, which include the following:

Straw.
Cereal grains, you can use rye or wheat.
Fallen plant leaves.
Tops from tomatoes or potatoes.

In addition, the soil composition should include:

Horse or cow manure in the amount of half a centner.
Water - 300-400 liters.
Urea and superphosphate in an amount of two kilograms each.
Plaster - seven to eight, and chalk - five kilograms.

You can prepare a different composition using bird droppings. Here are the other ingredients and their quantities:

Litter and straw - per hundredweight.
Water - 300 liters.
Plaster, alabaster - as in the previous composition.
Urea - two kilograms.

Compost preparation process

First you need to make a collar with the same dimensions (one and a half meters) in width, length and height. It is with this ratio of parameters that combustion will occur properly. The compost will mature within two to three weeks.

How to grow champignons at home? First you need to plant them in soil, which is prepared as follows: all components of plant origin and straw need to be soaked for a day. At the same time, they and manure should be laid in layers, and the straw should be watered abundantly. The components contained in the pile must be thoroughly mixed and moistened once a week to ensure proper combustion. During the first mixing, crushed lime is added to the compost. The second time - superphosphate. Then mixing is carried out with the addition of crushed gypsum or alabaster. Each time after mixing, the resulting stack is covered with film.

It should be borne in mind that during the preparation of the soil an unpleasant odor similar to ammonia and carbon dioxide will be released. Therefore, it is better to do the cooking outside. But at the same time you need protection from sunlight and precipitation. If you organize the process indoors, it should be well ventilated.

How to grow champignon mushrooms at home? To do this, you need to take into account important points, without which this process is impossible. First of all, a stock of compost is made, since growing mushrooms requires a large amount of it. During its preparation, the temperature can reach from 53 to 70 o C. When the combustion process is completed, the thermometer will drop to 21-25 o C, and the unpleasant odor will disappear. The finished soil has an elastic structure and a brown color. It does not stick to your hands and the straw can be easily torn apart.

How to compost correctly?

When the preparation of the soil is completed, they begin another procedure - laying it. First you need to select the containers in which the champignons will be grown. They can be racks, wooden boxes, plastic containers, bags. The compost mass is laid out in prepared containers in a layer whose height should not exceed 22 cm.

Types of mycelium

The seed material of mushrooms is called mycelium. It is grown at home or in laboratories. There are two types of mycelium:

Compost - this type of seed is stored for a long time at zero temperature, about a year. For a plot area of one square meter, 500 g of mycelium will be required.
Grain - this composition is more effective than the first. Seed material of this species germinates better and produces larger yields. Its consumption for the same area is less, only 330-350 g. But this mycelium has a significant drawback: a short shelf life. Its properties are preserved only for six months. Keep the seed in the refrigerator.

If champignons are grown for commercial purposes, it is better to buy planting material. But some are confused by the conditions in which it was grown, so they do it themselves. To obtain the material, you need to sow spores or isolate it from fruiting bodies, and then place it in a specially prepared medium: agar wort. Its preparation is carried out using the following technology:

First you need to mix beer wort (one liter) and agar-agar (20 g) with boiling water.
After dissolving the ingredients, the composition is poured into test tubes to a third of their size. Then the containers are plugged with cotton swabs and placed in an autoclave for 30 minutes at a temperature of 101 o C and 1.5 atmospheres.
The test tubes are placed not straight, but obliquely, so that no more than 3.5 cm remains to the plugs. Now all that remains is to wait until the wort hardens.
After this, you need to add spores or a piece of the fruiting body to the test tubes, while maintaining sterility.
Containers should be kept in a thermostat or dark room at a temperature of 24 ° C until they become overgrown. In a couple of weeks, the nutrient medium will be absorbed by the mycelium. This means that they are completely ready for planting.

This composition is usually used by mushroom pickers to grow mycelium at home, although there are also substitutes: oat agar, carrot agar.

Technology for proper mushroom cultivation

Champignons can be grown at home using mycelium. To do this, you need to plant it correctly, and correctly select the temperature and humidity conditions in the room. If these conditions are met, the first harvest can be obtained in a year.

If the planting material is grain mycelium, you need to make grooves 30 cm deep and 50-60 cm wide in the soil. The distance between the holes should be 20 cm. In order for the temperature to normalize, you need to leave them for two to three days and only then plant the mycelium. A checkerboard pattern is used to position the mushroom body.

If compost mycelium is used to plant champignons, the technology is different. The bottom of small pits is covered with drainage. Compost is placed on top, in which the mycelium is placed. After this, the planting material is covered with it. If all the rules are followed, taking into account high-quality mycelium, after seven days you can expect the appearance of new branch threads.

After 21 days, you need to lay moist soil on top of the beds with a thickness of 25-30 cm. If the layer is larger, the bodies of the mushrooms will be blocked, and their germination will not occur soon.

In order to maintain the temperature regime in the room where mushrooms are grown, you need to temporarily install canopies or cover the soil with straw. If a white coating appears on the compost, it means it needs moisture. After watering the soil, the canopy or straw is removed.

You won't have to wait long for the first harvest, only 45 days. Mushrooms need to be collected as soon as they are ripe, since the harvest period is short, only three to four days. The next fruiting period should be expected in three to four months. The harvests of the first waves are the richest.

Champignons in bags

How to grow champignon mushrooms at home? There are many possibilities for this. Each farmstead has outbuildings and basements. They are adapted for growing mushrooms. However, you can grow champignons at home in bags made of polymer materials. This method has been used in many countries for a long time. It allows you to obtain large volumes of mushroom harvest.

You can make bags yourself from transparent polymer film of various capacities. For growing at home, 25-kilogram ones are more suitable. But the main criterion for choosing bags is convenience in carrying out work on growing champignons. And for it to be successful, you need to properly arrange the bags in the room. This is done in different ways, but the most common are the following:

Based on the principle of chess placement. With this method, only 10% of the usable area is not used.
Parallel placement of bags. In this case, the loss of area is even greater - 20%.

This can be compensated for by deep bags that contain more substrate. And the space between the unusual beds is used for air circulation. There are different options for growing champignons at home. If everything is done in compliance with technology, you can achieve excellent results.

Harvest in bags

The time to collect champignons is the most pleasant time. The mushrooms ripen four months after the mycelium is planted in the soil of the bag. When harvesting, you need to be extremely careful: you cannot cut mushrooms with a sharp blade or other object; they need to be twisted. After this, the mycelium is sprinkled with a nutrient substrate and watered using a spray bottle. It will bear fruit within two weeks. During this period of time, champignons are harvested after two to three days. It is advisable to use fresh rather than frozen champignons for food. Mushrooms with light plates inside the cap are useful. If the mushrooms are old, they will be brown in color, since such champignons accumulate toxic substances that can cause poisoning.

Advantages of growing champignons in bags

These mushrooms are unpretentious and can grow in a garden bed outdoors or indoors. But experienced mushroom pickers prefer to grow them in bags, since this method has a number of advantages:

Pests and various diseases do not spread to the entire area, since if the need arises, you can always remove a specific bag from the premises.
Thanks to the mobility of unusual beds in the form of bags, you can grow mushrooms seasonally and permanently.
When placed, bags can be placed in several tiers on special stands. This will save space. This is especially important when growing indoors.
The cost of polyethylene bags is lower than that of plastic containers. This is important when growing champignons in large quantities.

The disadvantage of this technology is the use of manual labor. But if the scale of cultivation is small, this is not burdensome.

Champignons in the basement

It is convenient to grow mushrooms in such a place, since the underground basement has a stable microclimate. Here, labor costs for creating optimal conditions for growing champignons are much less than, for example, in greenhouses. Growing champignons at home in the basement is not difficult, the main thing is to monitor the temperature and humidity conditions. During the incubation period, air humidity should be 75%, not lower. If the basement is dry, use a humidifier. It is important to know that spores are activated at a higher temperature - from 24 to 28 o C, and mushrooms germinate when it drops to 16 o C. The basement must meet the following requirements:

Have concrete walls.
Wooden covering is strictly prohibited. The floor needs to be concreted, or, in extreme cases, cemented.
The basement must have ventilation.
To prevent mushrooms from being damaged by insects that may enter the basement, the ventilation holes are covered with mesh.
Walls and ceilings should be disinfected. You can use lime for this.
If the basement is large, it needs to be divided into zones: for the incubation period and for obtaining fruiting bodies.

How to properly grow champignons at home in the country?

Growing mushrooms this way is much more difficult than, for example, in the basement. Here the choice of site for planting mycelium is of great importance. How to grow champignons at home? To do this, you need to find a place that is always in the shade and the soil never dries out. A canopy is built over the site or a darkened greenhouse is placed in this place. How are champignons grown at home (photos are presented in the article)? The mycelium is planted using standard technology. For champignons, an important condition for growth is the correct temperature and humidity. These indicators should be maintained, especially since mushrooms absolutely cannot tolerate heat. Equally important is the choice of substrate. It should contain nutrients in large quantities, and carbon dioxide in small quantities. The best option is land, which must be brought from the forest in advance.

Growing champignons in an apartment

This method is suitable for those who do not have a summer house or garden. The main task for such mushroom cultivation is to create optimal conditions under which they will grow and bear fruit normally. An example of how to grow champignons at home is presented step by step below:

The first thing to do is to isolate any room in the apartment for growing mushrooms from the rooms in which people live.
Measure humidity. It should be high, about 90%. If its readings are lower, you need to install a humidifier.
To maintain optimal temperature, the room is equipped with heaters and ventilation. With their help, the temperature regime will be maintained. It should be taken into account that the mycelium germinates at 20 o C, and the fruiting bodies - at 15 o C.
After preparing the room, the selected containers are filled with substrate.
Mycelium is planted in them and covered with a film on top, which must be removed after the mushrooms appear.
The soil is constantly moistened; it should not be allowed to dry out.
When the time comes, the champignons should be collected.

Growing champignons in the basement is most often perceived not as a business idea, but as a strange hobby of an amateur gardener. However, with this activity you can really make a profit! To do this, you just need to approach the matter competently: draw up a business plan, calculate profitability and investments, and assess risks.

If the idea interests you, let's get down to the debriefing!

Where to start a business?

Growing champignons in the basement of a residential building is a very realistic idea for implementation. Why not, because the microclimate is completely suitable for conducting such activities, and champignons are not at all picky about the conditions.

The step-by-step algorithm for organizing a business can be presented as follows:

Understand the technology of growing champignons.
Prepare the basement for placing seedlings.
Disinfect the premises.
Buy mycelium.
Purchase compost or raw materials for its production.
Plant the mycelium in the substrate.
Control temperature and humidity levels.
Harvest the harvest following the prescribed rules.
Find sales points and sell the product.

We will analyze each point of organizing the cultivation of mushrooms in your own home.

Business registration

(in the basement) must be officially registered. Unless, of course, your production volumes are limited by “a batch for yourself, a batch for your neighbors.”

When it comes specifically to entrepreneurial activity, and especially to sales through retail outlets, cafes, etc., you cannot do without documents.

Don't worry if you haven't encountered this issue before. It's quite simple. Let's imagine your actions in the form of a step-by-step algorithm:

It is necessary to register an individual entrepreneur. To do this, you need to go to the nearest tax office with your passport.
You select agricultural production and sales as an indication of activity.
With this type of work you can count on a single agricultural tax - 6%. This is a very favorable tax option.
The room for growing champignons is subject to inspection by phytosanitary inspectors. There must be an acceptable background radiation in the basement. After the verification, you will be given a certificate.
Also, at the phytosanitary inspection you will check the goods before sale. Without a quality certificate, no serious client will cooperate with you. The validity period of one certificate is the “life” period of one batch of compost. You will provide this information during registration.

What working conditions are required?

Growing champignons in the basement of a private house follows the same principles as in any other place. We'll talk more about the technology later. Now let's figure out what conditions are necessary to get a bountiful harvest of champignons.

Growing champignons in the basement of a garage or other premises requires the presence of a good, strong building. We will analyze the remaining requirements step by step:

Contrary to popular belief, the floor should be concrete rather than earthen.
The room itself is isolated as much as possible from the environment, excluding the possibility of sources of pollution from the outside.
Another difference from other types of vegetation grown for sale: mushrooms do not need a constant source of light. This provides significant savings on equipment and utility bills. It is enough to install one lamp into the basement to work comfortably.
Even in a small area it is possible to organize the cultivation of a significant volume of crops. To do this, the containers are installed in “layers”, placing ordinary shelving in the basement. The growth height of champignons is small, which allows tiers to be made at a short distance.
It is important to take into account this feature: compost for champignons will emit unpleasant carbon dioxide. It is unpleasant because it leads to mustiness. But mushrooms do not tolerate such conditions well. To avoid problems, install an effective ventilation system.
Don't overdo it with room ventilation. Drafts are also the enemy of your seedlings. It is also worth installing a mosquito net with small mesh on the ventilation holes to prevent insects from getting inside.
Mushrooms, however, are unpretentious to temperature conditions. Try to maintain an “even” level, that’s enough. In summer, a fan is used if necessary. Growing champignons in the basement in winter may require installing a heating system (if the room is completely cold).
Control the humidity level in the cellar. You can reduce it with the help of ventilation, and increase it with a simple spray bottle of water.

If you do not want to test the resistance of mushrooms to a harmful environment, prepare the area as follows:

Examine the room for insects (relevant if vegetables were previously stored in this cellar). If you find at least a few individuals, be sure to treat them with chlorophos.
All surfaces are covered with lime, to which copper sulfate is added.
Use to fumigate a room.
The space is also sprayed with a 4% formaldehyde solution.
Want to insure yourself? Take a deep container of sawdust and pour disinfectant over it. Place the box at the entrance to the cellar. It will serve as an additional barrier to pests.
After carrying out the manipulations, carefully check the basement. Otherwise, you can harm not only the seedlings, but even your own health.

Sometimes simple ventilation does not give much results. This indicates the fact that you need an additional ventilation system. For example, you can place additional fans above the racks with champignons. If your business expands, it makes sense to further invest in installing air purifying filters in the ventilation system.

Technology of growing champignons

By what principle should champignons be planted? Growing in the basement (process technology, to be more precise) has some features:

Zoning. It is recommended to divide the basement into two parts - for the incubation period and direct forcing. The fact is that you will need to maintain different temperature conditions. Zoning the space will make the task much easier.
As was said, each period requires its own temperature. For growing - 23 o C, forcing - 12-17 o C.
Carefully follow the compost preparation conditions indicated on the packaging. Horse manure is considered the best base. When using it, increased productivity is noted.
A substrate that you make yourself will always be better than a purchased one. But to save time and effort, you can still purchase it.

Growing process

When all the conditions for growing champignons in the basement have been met, you can proceed directly to the process. The easiest way for beginners is to present it in the form of a step-by-step algorithm:

We plant the mycelia in the substrate. As a rule, for growing at home, entrepreneurs purchase mycelium ready for planting. Most often, this is a base grown in special laboratories in which ideal sterility conditions are maintained. They buy mycelium for planting through intermediaries - on the Internet, “Everything for the Garden” stores, and also directly from suppliers.
It is very simple to calculate the required amount of mycelium: 1 m 2 - 500 grams of “living” medium. If you decide to grow mycelium from spores, you will need 400 grams.
The planting process is not very different from the usual: you need to make holes about 5 cm deep. Properly prepared compost will feel a little springy. Keep a distance of at least 15-20 cm between the holes. Place a part of the mycelium in each hole.
There is no need to make holes for planting spores. The seeds are simply sprinkled evenly onto the ground. The myceliums will pave their own “path.”
During the incubation period, the entrepreneur’s task is to monitor the level of humidity and how to do this is described in more detail below.
To constantly moisten the soil, you can cover it with paper (cloth) and moisten it.
10-12 days after planting, cover the substrate with another layer of soil - literally 3-4 cm. The soil is prepared in a special way: peat + lime + soil in a ratio of 5: 1: 4.
The incubation period will end in 4-5 days. All this time, regularly moisten the air and soil with a spray bottle.
The next growing period is forcing. At this time, the temperature in the basement is lowered to 12-17 o C. Sometimes this is difficult to achieve; it is much easier to move the racks to another room. It is for this purpose that in the section above it was proposed to zone the basement.
Soon the mushrooms will begin to grow. Follow the rules for collecting them and do not let the champignons overripe.

Sales channels

It’s a rare person these days who doesn’t eat champignons. Growing at home in the basement can meet the mushroom needs of one family. But when it comes to business, of course, it is necessary to establish. It is in finding clients that lies the secret of the success of this endeavor.

Growing champignons in the basement rarely involves a large volume of collected mushrooms. Therefore, the surplus that is not used by family members can be sold at the nearest market.

If the business is still on stream and you want to find a more “solid” sales market, consider the following options:

It is not necessary to sell mushrooms directly to those who consume them. Using intermediaries may reduce your profits, but it will still provide you with a constant flow of orders. Decide for yourself whether such a scheme is beneficial in your case.
Shops, supermarkets, cafes, and restaurants can act as intermediaries for the sale of mushrooms.
If you get a solid harvest, it makes sense to look for the possibility of concluding a supply agreement with manufacturers of semi-finished products (champignons can be included in pancakes, pizza) or culinary shops.
A good idea for promotion is to create your own website. On it you can post useful information for consumers about mushrooms in general and champignons in particular. The price list, potential discounts, terms of delivery of products to customers, and contact information are also indicated there.

Calculation of financial investments

Growing champignons in the basement, which is positioned as a business, will be quite cheap. Of course, it all depends on the resources you have and the planned production volumes. However, not having to pay for rent is already a big plus!

It is also important to note that by growing champignons, an entrepreneur frees himself from such a large cost item as the purchase of equipment. The lion's share of the budget when organizing a business is usually spent on equipment.

Let's consider the remaining cost items for 1 cycle of growing champignons:

raw materials for making 1 ton of compost - 1000 rubles;
champignon mycelium - 500 rubles;
creating the necessary conditions in the basement - 2000 rubles.

In total we receive the amount of 3500 rubles. As you understand, this is a ridiculous price to pay for starting your own business, albeit modest.

Profitability and payback of the champignon business

If you have correctly taken into account all the requirements for growing white champignon in basements, each mycelium can bring you 5-8 harvests. It is worth noting that only the first three will bring the main amount. Typically, the growing cycle is 1-2 months.

Follow these rules when harvesting:

Monitor the condition of the mushrooms - you must not allow them to become overripe.
It’s easy to determine the right moment for picking - the champignon cap is covered with a white film on the bottom.
Champignons that are grown at home are not cut, remember this! You just need to carefully twist them around their axis and take them out.
When you take out the mushroom, cover its location with soil.
If you follow simple rules, the growth of new champignons will continue for several more weeks.

Let's calculate the estimated profit from the business:

1 ton of compost is 200 kg of champignons, if all conditions have been met;
1 kg of this type of mushroom is now estimated at 100-150 rubles;
profit from 1 harvest cycle - 20,000-30,000 rubles.

As you can see, the profitability of the business is 100%. The investment will pay off within a few months.

What risks await an entrepreneur?

Growing champignons in the basement of a house, like any other business, is associated with certain risks for the entrepreneur. You need to know them and, if possible, minimize the negative consequences.

Although we cannot talk about high competition in this area, it is difficult to find a stable sales market. Start building partnerships before harvest, as the product spoils quite quickly. You can find ideas for finding buyers above.
Champignons are not particularly fastidious mushrooms. However, they are also susceptible to diseases, as well as other factors affecting productivity. Monitor compliance with all growing rules and the condition of the mycelium.

Growing champignons in the basement is a worthy business option at home. It has a number of advantages: low competition, minimal starting budget, 100% profitability, ease of planting and caring for champignons. However, it is only possible to receive decent income if the entrepreneur establishes a permanent sales channel. If you find enough buyers or one, but a wholesale one, you can recoup the investment and make a profit after the first harvest.

And be sure to take the time to draw up a business plan before starting to implement your idea in order to make detailed calculations and outline a work plan.

As expected, let's start with the cheapest, simplest method that will satisfy the requirements of many farmers. An ordinary bed is a layer of soil with fertilizers, which is located in the basement or greenhouse. An old vegetable storehouse, a shallow mine, a closed poultry house, etc. are ideal for growing. The main thing is that there is high humidity in the room, and the temperature is a secondary indicator; it can be adjusted with the help of heaters. Let's look at step-by-step instructions for growing champignons on a ridge.

>Step 1: Laying compost.

First, the floor is leveled, then a plastic film is laid on it, which will retain moisture. Compost up to 30-40 centimeters thick is applied to it.

>Step 2: Inoculation with mycelium.

The purchased seed can be immediately sown in furrows previously made in the compost, scattered on top, and then covered with another 4-5 centimeter layer of compost.

>Step 3: Watering and maintaining temperature.

It is necessary to water the crops abundantly so that they are constantly saturated with moisture, only then the mycelium will grow well, and new fruiting bodies will appear within 10-12 weeks after sowing.

Today, more than 80% of all farmers use this method, because it is really profitable. This method has many advantages, let's look at them in more detail.

There is no need to purchase expensive trays, so you can save 600-700 rubles per one.
Quick garden bed equipment. You can make it in almost 1 day; you just need to add ready-made compost. There is a lot more red tape with trays and bags.
Rational use of usable space.

There are, of course, more disadvantages. First of all, we pay attention to infections. If they occur, they spread throughout the entire bed, and this can be a very serious loss. You also need to take into account that it is impossible to clean the room, therefore, sooner or later, infections will appear, brought from shoes from the street or simply on a person’s clothes. Another disadvantage is the inability to raise the bed to a convenient height, so manual labor will be much more difficult than with the Dutch technology.

Growing champignons at home on shelves

This is a more modern method, which provides for convenient placement in drawers. This is the so-called Dutch growing method, which involves rational use of indoor space, as well as the highest quality care. The shelf system involves the use of special mechanized equipment, and therefore is considered more expensive. Many farmers abandoned this method precisely because of its relative high cost. The minimum starting capital for a premises of 50 square meters is $8,000.

Profitability of production starts only from 6 kg/1 m2, so it will be profitable to grow only good hybrids that will produce a lot and often. But, with good yield, the method is very practical, since labor costs are reduced by 2-3 times compared to horizontal ridges. Plastic molds are used as a container for the substrate, from which rows are made, they go on top of each other. Drip irrigation is necessary because with conventional sprays, infections that enter the top row will quickly spread to the lower containers.

How to grow champignons in the basement in ordinary bags

This is the most popular method for oyster mushrooms, but in recent years, champignons have also gradually begun to move into polyethylene, since this is one of the most practical methods for obtaining a good harvest with little labor and low material investments. Let's take a closer look at how to make a mushroom grow out of a bag.

>Step 1: We prepare the substrate.

For this we need 15 kg of horse manure, 3 kg of straw, 2 kg of sunflower husks, 5-6 kg of black soil, 2 kg of mullein. Mix all the above ingredients and get an excellent mixture for planting mycelium.

>Step 2: We are waiting for it to burn out.

Fill it with plenty of water and wait until the temperature is +80 degrees. After 20 days, spread the soil mixture into a thin layer and dry it.

>Step 3: We throw everything into a bag.

Everything is simple here. We fill the bag to the top, make it very tight, pour water into it so that the moisture content of our mixture is as high as possible.

>Step 4: We sow the mycelium and place the bags.

Holes are made in the bag, approximately 10 centimeters in diameter, in a checkerboard pattern so that the bag does not rupture. You get a surface made of polyethylene in a mesh, where mycelium will need to be placed in each cell.

The technology allows you to save on the purchase of containers, but, at the same time, provides all the advantages of shelf growing. If an infection gets into one bag, you simply throw it away or disinfect it; the bacteria do not spread to neighboring blocks. Among the disadvantages, the most significant is manual labor at the first stage, which will be required a lot when stuffing each bag, mixing, moistening, and planting mycelium.

Container method

Americans know better than anyone how to grow champignons at home. It was they who came up with aerated (with the possibility of ventilation) containers for growing. This method allows you to obtain fresh fruiting bodies even on the balcony of an apartment, not to mention basements. To do this, you will need a special container with a lid and a tray into which all the moisture will drain. The compost is prepared as for growing in bags, after which it is placed in wooden containers, previously disinfected at a temperature of +200 degrees in an oven.

Then the mycelium is sown to a depth of 4-5 centimeters, the soil is moistened, and placed in a warm place (a temperature of up to +28 degrees is required). The method is very effective and convenient, especially when infection gets into the soil. You can easily localize the epidemic, since it will not go further than one container. The biggest disadvantage of this method is the high cost for industrial scale, so farmers very rarely use it in Russia. If you haven’t yet figured out how to grow champignons at home without unnecessary “dust and noise,” then this one is right for you. Compact containers will fit in any basement or room.

Champignons are considered the most common types of mushrooms, so there is no need to advertise them further. The product is widely used in cooking; first and second courses, canned snacks, and salads are prepared on its basis. Due to their high protein content, champignons are an excellent source of protein. Experienced gardeners prefer to grow mushrooms on their own, but the procedure has a number of features. To fully comply with the technology, you must follow the step-by-step instructions.

What does productivity depend on?

The main factor influencing yield is the creation of the correct microclimate in which the cobs will begin to bear fruit. Also important is timely watering, proper compost (correctly selected soil composition), and resistance to external factors, diseases, and pests.
If you create optimal conditions, you can easily grow mushrooms all year round. First you need to choose a room that has a temperature range of 14-24 degrees. It is not necessary to take the original place, the main thing is the ability to maintain the temperature (the presence of a heater or, on the contrary, a split system). At the same time, air humidity should not exceed 90% (a humidity of 80-85% is considered ideal).
An equally important factor in ensuring proper yield is air flow circulation. Make sure that the chosen place is thoroughly ventilated, it is important to ensure a flow of fresh air. Otherwise, the excess carbon dioxide released during the process of growing champignons will result in a disproportionate stem (it will stretch unevenly).
A positive feature of growing champignons at home is the complete lack of lighting. It doesn’t matter, so the procedure can be carried out in a cellar, basement or covered barn where the sun’s rays do not penetrate. If you wish, you can use darkened free corners located in the garage or greenhouse. As mentioned earlier, the main thing is to provide humidity and the required temperature in the absence of light.
Since champignons are grown in a humid environment, it is important to immediately prepare for the possible spread of bacteria. Pre-treat the selected room with a mixture of copper sulfate and lime, as well as formaldehyde. Disinfection will kill existing microorganisms, so the likelihood of disease spreading will be reduced to a minimum.
If you plan to grow champignons in the summer or autumn, consider carrying out the procedure in your summer cottage. Select a dark place in your garden field, select a separate bed, and cover the soil. Cover the mycelium with roofing felt (can be replaced with polyethylene) to eliminate the possibility of drying out or, conversely, excessive moisture. Such a simple move will ensure the proper microclimate.

Stage No. 1. Making compost for champignons

Compost means special soil that must be prepared to obtain a full mushroom harvest. It is worth remembering that the soil is filled with organic compounds, which play a major role in growing champignons, so you cannot skimp on fertilizer.
Composting is rightfully considered the most labor-intensive process; the final result depends on it. Mushrooms, in particular champignons, are highly dependent on the composition of the soil, for this reason it is necessary to maintain proportions. Correctly composed soil consists of one part of moistened straw and 4 parts of horse manure (straw-manure proportions are 1:4).
Layer the compost in layers, alternating the two components alternately. To achieve maximum effect, line small quantities of urea or superphosphate between the rows. Champignons will grow faster if you use horse manure specifically. However, in its absence, alternating straw with chicken droppings or processed waste products of other animals is allowed.
Lined compost for ripening champignons must receive air from all sides, for this reason it is not recommended to lay it on the ground. Make sure that the soil is covered with a canopy and do not allow direct ultraviolet radiation or heavy rainfall. Of course, the compost must be moistened, but excess water will interfere with fermentation.
To obtain high-quality compost at the end, prepare a pile for maturation. Its dimensions are approximately 1.5 m wide, 1.5 m long and 1.5 m high. It is this ratio that will ensure proper combustion. Don't make compost in small quantities, as you need larger volumes for proper fermentation.
If we talk about the place where compost is prepared, try to carry out manipulations in the open air. As a result of fermentation of the substrate, ammonia and carbon dioxide are released. If compost is prepared indoors, ensure good air flow and ventilation.
The duration of compost ripening varies between 18-20 days. Stir and moisten the contents of the pile every 5-6 days to ensure proper combustion. During the first kneading process, add crushed lime to the compost. During the second procedure, superphosphate is used, then crushed plaster or alabaster is poured in.
Compost is prepared through fermentation, so its temperature sometimes reaches 53-70 degrees. Upon completion of the combustion process, the indicator drops to 21-25 degrees. The readiness of the compost can be judged by the smell; the ammonia stench disappears. The finished soil has a brownish tint and an elastic structure (when squeezed, it returns to its original position). The composition should not stick to your hands, while the straw breaks easily and has a soft structure.

Stage No. 2. Laying out compost and caring for mycelium

After preparing the compost, you can begin laying it. Select containers for growing mushrooms, arrange the mass so that its height does not exceed 22 cm. Wooden boxes, bags, racks or plastic containers can be used as containers.
If we talk about seed material, it is called mycelium. The composition is grown in a laboratory, so you won’t be able to produce it yourself. You will have to buy the product. Mycelium can be compost or grain.
The first type has a long shelf life (about 10-12 months at 0 degrees). You will need about 500 gr. compost mycelium per 1 sq. m. soil. The grain composition is more effective, it gives a better harvest. For 1 sq. m. of soil you need to add 330-350 g. mycelium. At the same time, the product retains its properties for six months; it can be kept in the refrigerator.
To sow, place the required amount of mycelium in the compost (raise it with a layer), deepen the seed by 5 cm. The arrangement of the holes is a chessboard, each deepening should be made at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other.
If all conditions are met (compost temperature is about 20 degrees, air humidity is about 80%), the mycelium will develop in 15-20 days. During the period of ascent of the seeding mixture, it is necessary to constantly moisten the soil and monitor the temperature of the substrate (the indicator should not rise above 40 degrees). Otherwise, the mycelium will die. To maintain humidity, make a shelter using burlap or polyethylene.
If you grow mushrooms in your summer cottage, there is no ability to regulate temperature and humidity. When the indicators drop, cover the beds tightly with roofing material or film.

Stage No. 3. Harvest ripening

As mentioned earlier, the mycelium grows in about 3 weeks. You will know that the process is complete by the appearance of a cobweb with a silvery tint; it will come to the surface of the soil. At this moment, it is necessary to reduce the temperature to 13-16 degrees and sprinkle 5 cm of the coating mixture on the web. The mixture consists of lime powder and peat, it causes an alkaline reaction.
To ensure productive ripening of the crop, throughout the entire process maintain the temperature within 13-16 degrees, the humidity should be about 85%, and do not forget about good ventilation. Watering of the soil is carried out by drops using dispersing devices that ensure uniform spraying. This move will not compact the substrate, but will fully moisten it.
If champignons grow in a summer cottage, protect the soil from direct ultraviolet radiation and also avoid waterlogging. The sun will cause the compost to dry out or become very hot. At the same time, heavy rains will compress the soil, resulting in a greater load on the mycelium (its development will slow down or stop altogether).

Stage No. 4. Harvesting

The first harvest of champignons can be harvested after 3-4 weeks. The covering peel will tell you that the composition is ready; it will begin to burst in the lower section of the mushroom cap. Champignons have the peculiarity of ripening in stages, the first harvest is the largest, then the wave subsides.
To collect mushrooms, twist them counterclockwise, then carefully remove them from the ground. After removing the mushroom, sprinkle the resulting hole with damp soil. Make rotational movements carefully, otherwise you will damage the mycelium layer and young mushroom ears.
Collect all specimens, even those that are diseased or small in size. This move will protect the subsequent harvest from pests, as a result of which the fruiting bodies will begin to develop many times faster.
Throughout the entire fruiting stage, spray the room with potassium permanganate, diluted until a crimson tint appears. You can also use lime as per your preference. This move will not allow pathogens to develop in humid conditions.
If we talk about quantity, from 1 sq. m. you will collect about 6-13 kg. champignons. In 2-3 months, the mycelium will bear fruit about 7 times, after which the yield will drop sharply. It is forbidden to reuse compost; it can be used to fertilize the garden.

Prepare compost for growing champignons, purchase mycelium. Maintain the required temperature and soil moisture, and harvest in stages. Do not use the used composition a second time. After harvesting, disinfect the mushroom containers and the room in which they were grown.

Video: growing champignons at home

Growing champignons as a business first developed in Europe, and somewhat later appeared in Russia. You can grow champignon mushrooms not only for commercial purposes, but also for yourself. Knowing the principles of their cultivation, you can earn good money, quickly develop your own business and reap a good harvest. Not only industrial but also home conditions are suitable for growing champignons. You can plant the mycelium (mycelium) of champignons at the dacha, in the vegetable garden, garden, garage or shed. This article will tell you how to do this correctly.

How to prepare soil for growing champignons at home

A mycelium with an area of three square meters will require a centner of straw, grains of winter wheat or rye, leaves, tomato or potato tops, half a centner of horse manure or, at worst, cow manure, three hundred to four hundred liters of water, two kilograms of urea and superphosphate, seven to eight kilograms of gypsum and five kilos of chalk. Please note that while the compost reaches its condition, it releases unpleasant-smelling substances such as ammonia and carbon dioxide. Therefore, it will be better if the process takes place in an open place (but protected from the sun and rain) or at least in a ventilated area. You can use bird droppings. In this case, the quantity and composition of the ingredients is slightly different: for 100 kg of litter - the same amount of straw, 300 liters of water, 7–8 kg of gypsum, 2 kg of urea, 7 kg of alabaster. Soak the straw and other plant components for a day. We lay them and manure in layers - three or four. Do not forget to moisten each layer of straw abundantly. Mixing repeatedly, add a little fertilizer, gypsum and chalk or alabaster.

The result should be a stack one and a half meters long and one and a half meters high, and 1 meter 20 centimeters wide. Water, compact, cover with film. After two to three weeks, when the ammonia smell ceases to be felt, we place the substrate in the place where we are going to grow mushrooms. If it is open ground, try to choose an area in the shade of fruit trees. (Rows are made on the surface of the earth or in trenches twenty to thirty centimeters deep). For an enclosed space, prepare drawers or shelving.

If it is not possible to make compost yourself, then you can purchase a finished product of appropriate quality, made in accordance with all standards.

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Incubation period and temperature control

During the incubation period, air humidity should be closely monitored. It should be at the level of 70-95%.

To maintain moisture, it is recommended to cover the box with the substrate with newspaper and spray it periodically. The temperature of the substrate itself should be at 20-27 degrees Celsius.

The mycelium will begin to grow after a week. At this time, the surface of the substrate should be covered with 3-4 cm of soil. 3-5 days after falling asleep, the temperature in the room should be lowered to 12-17 degrees Celsius.

The surface must be constantly moistened. Particular attention should be paid to ventilation of the room, but to avoid drafts.

Planting mushroom mycelium (inoculation)

So, the substrate is ready and placed in the cellar; now you need to add fungal mycelium to it in order to grow mycelium. Mycelium is grown industrially in laboratories under sterile conditions. You can buy it in gardening stores or order it online.

In order to grow mushrooms on 1 square meter of substrate, you will need 500 g of compost mycelium or 400 g of champignon grain spores.

We place the “seeds” in the substrate. If you have prepared the compost correctly, it should spring back slightly when pressed. We make five-centimeter depressions at a distance of 20 centimeters from each other and place a small amount of compost mycelium in each depression. If you purchased champignon spores, you just need to scatter them over the surface. Gradually, the mycelium threads will begin to grow across the substrate.

The temperature at which mycelium grows is 20–27 degrees. Mushroom threads will begin to actively spread within ten to twelve days. Then the surface of the substrate should be covered with 3–4 centimeters of soil and wait another 3–5 days. The soil is not just from the garden, but a mixture of peat (5 parts), limestone (1 part) and soil (4 parts). Do not forget about periodic spraying with water.

How to care for champignons at home

Caring for planted champignons requires regular watering of the substrate and maintaining optimal humidity and temperature in the room.

In general, this procedure must be performed carefully and carefully, since the water must remain in the upper, covering layer of the substrate, and in no case penetrate into the compost (otherwise the mycelium will rot and quickly disappear).

The humidity in the room where mushrooms grow should be maintained at 75-80%. To achieve such indicators, special shelves are installed there and several basins with water are installed on them.

A high concentration of carbon dioxide will be detrimental to mushrooms, so the room must be ventilated at least once a day.

When to harvest champignons?

In just 3-4 months it will be possible to harvest the first harvest. Mushrooms that have a stretched white film under the cap connecting the edges of the cap and the stem should be collected. Mushrooms with brown plates are not recommended to be eaten.

When harvesting, the champignons are not cut off, but carefully twisted out. Fruiting of the mycelium will last a week or two. During this time, up to seven waves of harvest are collected.

From one meter of square usable area you can collect up to 12 kg of mushrooms. Moreover, 70% of the harvest is harvested during the first two waves.

Growing champignon mushrooms in bags at home

You can also grow champignons at home in polymer bags, which promote intensive fruiting of the mushrooms. This method has long been used in many countries to obtain crops in large quantities. You can grow champignons this way at home.

Transparent polymer film is used to make bags. Polymer bags come in capacities of twenty-five and thirty-five kilograms. In order to grow mushrooms at home, it is better to use twenty-five kilogram bags.

You need to choose polymer bags taking into account the convenience of performing work in the mycelium. An important point that influences the successful cultivation of mushrooms is the correct placement of bags. There are two placement methods - parallel and chess.

When installing bags with a diameter of 40 cm in a checkerboard pattern, about 10% of the usable area is lost. With another placement method, losses are about 20%. To compensate for these losses, deeper bags can be used using more substrate. In this case, the space formed between the bags will ensure air circulation, and therefore cooling of the substrate.

There are many options for growing champignons at home. The main thing is to strictly follow the technology and all the rules to get the desired result.

Growing champignon mushrooms in the basement at home

Growing mushrooms in basements is very convenient, because underground rooms have a relatively stable microclimate. In addition, it is much easier to create optimal conditions in basements than in greenhouses.

You can grow champignons even in an ordinary basement. It is desirable that such a basement should have:

concrete walls;
concreted or cemented floor;
good ventilation.

To prevent pests from infecting mushrooms, it is recommended to cover the ventilation holes with nets, and treat the ceiling and walls with lime. If the basement is spacious enough, it can be divided into two zones - in one the incubation period of cultivation will take place, and in the second the fruiting bodies will be received. To maintain high humidity (85-90%), the floor in the basement is moistened.