How to grow oyster mushrooms on stumps at home

Mushrooms are a wonderful product that can be a worthy alternative to meat or fish in the kitchen. They can be used in preparing first and second courses and various snacks. You can find mushrooms in the forest or on the store counter, but the best way to stock up on fresh produce is to grow it yourself. A mushroom such as oyster mushroom grows well in open and protected ground conditions. So, growing oyster mushrooms growing on stumps will not be difficult and will delight you with a good harvest. We will talk about the rules of such cultivation later in the article.

Oyster mushrooms on stumps: possible growing methods

Oyster mushroom is one of the most tame types of mushroom. Man has long learned to grow it in his garden and even in a greenhouse. Growing oyster mushrooms in open, unprotected soil is called the extensive method. It does not require significant financial costs, but it also allows you to get only a seasonal harvest. The intensive cultivation method allows mushrooms to be grown in the protected conditions of a greenhouse or, for example, a basement.The method is more labor-intensive, but effective, since the harvest can be obtained all year round, regardless of the season.

Growing oyster mushrooms on stumps can be carried out using an intensive or extensive method, because the stump in this case serves as the basis for propagating the crop. And the stump does not necessarily have to be stationary, because mushrooms grow well on individual pieces of solid wood or other lumber, for example, sawdust.

Stages and rules for cultivating oyster mushrooms on stumps

Oyster mushroom is distinguished by its unpretentiousness. In nature, it can be found on oak, rowan, linden, alder and other deciduous trees. If there is a stump from a fruit tree in the garden, it can also be used as a basis for growing mushrooms. In the absence of natural hemp, you can stock up on artificially prepared wood lumps.

For some owners, oyster mushrooms can become a real helper in clearing the garden of unnecessary stumps. After all, literally in 2-3 years this crop makes dust from a fresh stump, which avoids uprooting.

When deciding to grow oyster mushrooms, you need to remember that they do not tolerate direct sunlight, so the best place for their cultivation is a shaded area of ​​the garden or a ventilated, illuminated cellar. In the case when we are talking about using a stationary stump or it is not possible to place artificially cut stumps in the shade of trees, you can use a trick and install an artificial canopy.

Stump preparation

You need to take care of growing oyster mushrooms at the end of winter or with the onset of early spring. If a naturally created, stationary stump in the garden was chosen as the basis, then the period of its preparation and planting of the mycelium falls on April-May.The temperature at this time should be consistently warm to preserve planting material. If you plan to grow oyster mushrooms on separate, artificially created stumps, then at home you can take care of applying mycelium at the end of winter. This will speed up the harvesting process.

You can artificially prepare stumps for growing oyster mushrooms from freshly cut or already dry trees. The only condition in this case is the absence of mold. The stump can have different sizes, but it is preferable to use logs 30-50 cm long and 15-30 cm in diameter.

A prerequisite for the normal development of mycelium is high wood moisture. Thus, logs of fresh wood, as a rule, have the required level of humidity, but dry or long-cut logs must be soaked in water for several days. In this case, the wood will be able to absorb the necessary amount of moisture inside.

Methods for sowing mycelium

There are at least four different ways to introduce mycelium into a stump:

1. Sealing grain mycelium into the holes. This method is quite simple. Most often used when working with stationary stumps. You need to make round holes in them with a diameter of 8-10 mm and a depth of 5-6 cm. It is convenient to use a drill for this. You can replace round holes with cuts of the same depth. You need to push grain into the resulting holes. oyster mushroom mycelium and cover them with moss or seal them with tape. This method of infecting stumps with oyster mushroom mycelium can be seen in the video clip:
   
2. Using mycelium on a bar.If the mycelium is obviously applied to a wooden block, then you need to make a hole of the appropriate size and insert a piece of wood inside the stump. In this case, be sure to seal the hole with a piece of moss or sawdust.
3. Applying mycelium to a cut stump. To implement this method, you need to cut a disk of wood from the stump, 2-3 cm thick. You need to sprinkle grain mycelium on the end of the cut and cover the cut with a wood disk. It is recommended to secure the disc with nails.
4. Wooden column made of stumps. This method allows you to grow a large number of oyster mushrooms in a limited area. The technology involves cutting one long tree trunk into several stumps, between which grain mycelium is sprinkled. Composing the stumps again into a single trunk, the seams are connected with nails. Such a column of stumps can be up to 2 m high. It will be stable if you choose wood with a large diameter (more than 20 cm).

Stumps with mycelium (except for columns) must be wrapped in burlap, matting or perforated film. Place them in the basement, shed or closet. The optimal temperature for oyster mushrooms at this stage of cultivation is +15⁰C. At the same time, it is important to maintain high humidity of the stumps themselves and the air in the room.

Columns with mycelium need to be stored a little differently. This is due, first of all, to the dimensions of the created structure. Proper storage of columns involves placing them vertically in several rows with small intervals. The free space between the columns is filled with damp straw or sawdust. Along the perimeter, the rows of stumps are wrapped in burlap or perforated film.On top of such a “planting” it is also necessary to pour a layer of wet sawdust or straw.

You need to store hemp with oyster mushrooms in a room with good air circulation. At the same time, drafts can harm the entire growing process. It is also recommended to monitor the level of humidity in the room, periodically spraying it with water. The period of such storage should be 2-3 months. That is why it is recommended to prepare artificially created stumps at the end of winter, so that with the arrival of consistently warm temperatures, the plantings can be taken out into the garden.

Stationary stumps in the garden can be infected with oyster mushroom mycelium with the arrival of spring. The recommended infection period is April-June. The stumps of apple, pear and other fruit trees can be used as a base. The hemp chosen for growing oyster mushrooms must be healthy, and there must be no signs of the presence of other mushrooms on their surface.

You can introduce mycelium into a stump using the technologies proposed above; the only difference is that the wood does not need to be wrapped in burlap or any other material. Holes or slits on the stump are made closer to the surface of the earth. You need to retreat at least 4 cm from the top cut.

Placing stumps with oyster mushrooms in the garden

A few months after the mycelium is introduced into the stump, provided that it is properly stored, a white coating appears on the surface of the wood. It indicates the formation of a fungal body. At this time, you can take the stumps into the garden, to open areas of land. As a rule, this is done in May. Oyster mushrooms are placed under the canopy of tall trees, in the shade of gazebos, or under a canopy.

You need to prepare a place for placing stumps with oyster mushrooms as follows:

• Make a shallow hole or trench in the ground.
• Place damp leaves or sawdust at the bottom of the hole.
• Install and fill the stumps with soil to a height of 10-15 cm.
• The distance between two nearby stumps in the same row must be at least 30 cm. The distances between rows must be more than 50 cm.

To save free space in the garden, individually infected stumps can be stacked on top of each other, forming a wall of several tiers. Columns with oyster mushrooms can be connected to each other according to the principle of a solid wall using wire or nails. This wall can be installed both vertically and horizontally on the ground.

Another option for sowing stumps with oyster mushrooms

You can introduce oyster mushroom mycelium into stumps at any time in the spring and autumn. In this case, you can use a very original and productive method of infection. This can be done as follows:

• in a shaded area of ​​the garden, choose a place for growing oyster mushrooms;
• dig a trench 15-20 cm deep;
• pour boiled millet or pearl barley onto the bottom of the trench;
• Sprinkle pre-mashed grain mycelium on top of the cereal in a layer of at least 1 cm;
• install pre-prepared wood stumps vertically or horizontally in a trench on top of the mycelium;
• Lightly press the stumps into the trench and cover with garden soil.

The proposed method is quite simple and allows you to create an entire plantation of oyster mushrooms on the site at any time during the warm period. If you take care of planting in the spring, then by autumn you can expect a mushroom harvest. Otherwise, you will only be able to enjoy mushrooms next year.

Crop care and harvesting

To obtain a full harvest of mushrooms, it is very important to properly care for oyster mushrooms in the first year of cultivation. You need to monitor the humidity level especially carefully. Dry soil must be watered regularly until the end of the fruiting period. With a decrease in temperatures and sufficient humidity, within a week from the moment the rudiments of the mushroom body appear, it will be possible to begin harvesting.

Oyster mushrooms on stumps do not require any special preparation for the winter period. Stumps overwinter safely in open areas of the ground without insulation. Oyster mushroom mycelium can exist in such conditions for 5-6 years. The maximum mushroom yield can be observed in the second year of fruiting.

Oyster mushrooms on stumps in a greenhouse all year round

Many farming enthusiasts are wondering how to grow oyster mushrooms on stumps all year round. But such cultivation is quite possible if you have a heated greenhouse. Oyster mushrooms are grown on an industrial scale under such artificial conditions. It's all about regulating temperatures and humidity. Oyster mushrooms can be grown on stumps in a heated greenhouse or illuminated cellar, observing the following conditions:

1. To grow in a heated greenhouse, hemp is sown with mycelium in October-November using any of the above methods.
2. The stumps are buried 10-15 cm into the greenhouse soil.
3. At the initial stage of growing oyster mushrooms, the temperature in the greenhouse should be maintained at +14-+15⁰C. Humidity should be 90-95%. Under such conditions, oyster mushroom mycelium should last 1-1.5 months. After this period of time, it will begin to form a mushroom body.
4. During mycelium germination, it is necessary to reduce the room temperature to 0-+2⁰C. Such conditions for 2-3 days will contribute to accelerated fruiting.
5. After a few days, the temperature in the greenhouse needs to be increased to +10-+14⁰C and preserve until the end of fruiting.
6. The temperature cycle in the greenhouse can be repeated an unlimited number of times. The fruiting cycle of oyster mushrooms on stumps in a heated greenhouse is 2-2.5 months.

Growing oyster mushrooms on stumps in a greenhouse allows you to enjoy fresh mushrooms all year round, including during severe winter frosts. An alternative to a greenhouse can be a basement or cellar, but you need to remember that light is required for mushrooms to grow. Otherwise, the stumps will rot without producing a harvest. A good example of growing oyster mushrooms in a greenhouse is shown in the video:

After watching the video, you can learn from the positive experience of a specialist in the field of mushroom growing.

Conclusion

Growing oyster mushrooms at home is quite easy if you know the basic principles and rules. Tree stumps in this case are the best basis for growing. Wood retains moisture well and is able to supply the crop with essential substances. You can harvest oyster mushrooms in the fall in the garden in accordance with the life cycle of the mushroom or all year round in a heated greenhouse. If desired, the mushroom can be used as an assistant in eliminating unnecessary stumps on the site. Over the course of several years, the mycelium will repeatedly produce a fresh product and destroy the wood.Each farmer decides on his own how to grow oyster mushrooms on stumps at home, but we have given several methods and examples of successful cultivation of this mushroom.

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