Mushrooms occupy a strong position in the diet of many people. They are tasty, healthy, easy to prepare, affordable, and inexpensive. Hundreds of farms specialize in growing this delicacy in artificial plantations. However, if you wish, you can organize something similar at home. The main thing is to find a suitable place, which can be a garage, a capital shed, or a basement, as well as provide mushrooms with favorable climatic conditions and a nutrient medium a substrate, and casing soil mix for cultivating mushrooms.
Mushroom Casing Soil can be purchased at a specialized store, but it is not so difficult to prepare it yourself. In today’s post, we’ll show you how to do it.
Table of Contents
What is Mushroom Casing Soil? (mushroom casing mix)
The traditional basis of the casing soil is peat and chalk. Both can be purchased at a specialized store. However, the choice must be approached with caution, since not every type of peat and chalk will create the right nutrient medium. So, for example, highly mineralized peat interspersed with brown coal or fibrous peat is not suitable. Also, the rock should not be ground or be too large pieces to have to be broken. Residual or formation chalk cannot be used: such options are often infected with microorganisms that are harmful to the mycelium. The ratio of calcium and magnesium matters. An excess of the latter inhibits the development of mycelium.
Each peat casing has its own special properties.
Therefore, when an option with the best characteristics is found, it is recommended to immediately purchase a very large batch in order to provide yourself with high-quality raw materials for a long time.
In addition to peat, sifted loams, soddy soil, garden soil are used as a casing material, and chalk is replaced with marl, dolomite chips. In some farms, you can find methods in which part of the shredded toilet paper is added to the chalk, and in France a component that is a fibrous tissue is patented. It is necessary to maintain sufficient moisture in the substrate and is applied on top of the soil.
Calculation of Casing soil per square meter
The optimum density of the “casing soil or mixture” is 500-640 kg per cubic meter, and the layer thickness is no more than 5 cm. To calculate the amount of the mixture, you can use the formula:
- P = m/V, where:
- P is density, m is mass, V is volume
- V \ u 003 d 1m * 1m * 0.05 m \u003 d 0.05 m³.
- m \u 003 d 600 * 0.05 \u 003 d 30 kg – this is the amount of the finished mixture needed to lay one square meter of cultivation area.
However, since the mass will change all the time depending on the irrigation, some farmers do not calculate in kilograms, but in liters (the volume remains unchanged).
Preparing Mushroom Casing Soil Mix Step by Step at Home
The land for champignons, in which the mycelium directly lives and feeds, is called the substrate. As soon as it is completely overgrown with mycelium, according to mushroom growing technology, a casing mixture should be applied to it, the main task of which is to maintain the desired acidity and humidity.
Peat, from which casing mixtures are prepared, is low-lying and high-moor. Each type has different properties: acidity, humidity, structure, density. To get the best qualities, both types are mixed in a ratio of 2 parts of the upper peat to 3 parts of the lower. To achieve optimal acidity (7.3-7.5), chalk is added.
Next, the dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed and a little water is added. Its quantity is determined by the lumps formed: as soon as their diameter approaches 1-2 cm, the addition of water can be stopped. If there is too much water, the lumps will stick together and form a continuous sticky mass. Such a mixture will be unsuitable.
It is very important that the casing mix is clean, that is, not infected with harmful microflora. To do this, it is recommended to purchase peat in specialized farms in packaged and well-packed form, and also carefully monitor that there is no contact with concrete, earth, floor, etc.
For greater reliability, the finished mixture can be disinfected by steam treatment. To do this, the finished composition is kept for 3 hours at a temperature of +70 ° C or 5-6 hours at a temperature of +65 ° C.
Also, the mixture can be disinfected with formalin. For this, a solution is prepared: a 40% chemical is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:20 and the coating is treated at the rate of 12-14 liters of solution per square meter. In this case, the mixture with a thickness of 20 cm should be spread out on a flat surface. After water, it is covered with a film and left for 2 days. Then the film is removed and another 2-3 are given to whether the chemical vapors.
Humidity composition before application should be at least 75%.
Tools for applying Casing soil mixture
The casing soil mixture is applied in an even layer (4-6 cm), using specially purchased or homemade small rakes for this. Take two pieces of polypropylene pipe with a diameter of 20 cm, lengths of 20 and 12 cm, and a tee for connections. Solder the parts with the letter “T”, drive 5 nails (9 cm long) into the short part at a distance of 25 mm from each other. You will get an excellent homemade device for uniform application of the mushroom casing soil.
Watering for Casing soil mix for mushroom
Proper watering is an important condition for obtaining a rich harvest. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully monitor the humidity of the casing layer, preventing it from drying out or waterlogging. Start watering about 3-4 days after applying the layer, when the mycelium grows into it by about half a centimeter. Increasing the rate of watering should be gradual. Fractional watering is considered optimal – in small portions: it is impossible to pour more than a liter of water per square meter at one time. You should also observe the norms of water pressure during irrigation: it should not exceed 400-500 Pa.
Conclusions
- The best cover soil for Mushroom is prepared from peat and chalk.
- An important condition for obtaining a quality crop is the absence of harmful microorganisms in the mycelium, which should be taken care of at all stages of cultivation: the acquisition of mycelium, the preparation (or purchase of a ready-made) substrate, the preparation of the cover horizon.
- It is important to observe sufficient soil moisture, and watering itself in portions, without exerting too much pressure on the surface.
