Organic mushroom farming is one of the most profitable agribusinesses that can be started with minimum investment and space. Organic mushroom farming is growing gradually as an alternative source of income, especially for urban farmers. In a detailed article below, Seeds of Gold highlights a step by step guide.

Varieties

At present three types of mushrooms are being cultivated. These are white mushroom, paddy-straw mushroom, and oyster mushroom. Out of these three types, the white mushroom is the most popular and economically sound to grow and is extensively cultivated throughout the world. Though, due to its low-temperature requirement, its cultivation is restricted to the cool climatic areas.

Management of production site

Organic and non-organic production units must be in separate facilities separated by space and time and have separate ventilation systems, boxes, trays, tools, the substrate holding racks, including facilities for compost production.

The farmer is advised to maintain the entire production site including housing facilities in a way that prevents contact with prohibited substances with a production site, tools, and boxes/ trays organically produced mushrooms, and every step throughout the entire growing cycle including harvesting and post-harvesting process. Any wood or plant material used for the construction of the mushroom house, racks, substrate holding containers, boxes and trays shall be free from prohibited substance treatment.

Natural compost

Poultry manure, sawdust and gypsum are the ingredients. Poultry droppings must not be mixed with that of other animals. Also, it must be preferably freshly collected and not exposed to rain. Once the ingredients are mixed, they are uniformly spread on the composting yard. Water is sprinkled on the spread surface to wet the sawdust sufficiently. It is heaped and turned like that for synthetic manure. Owing to fermentation, the temperature of the heap increases and it gives an odour due to ammonia escaping. This is an indication that the compost has opened. The heap is turned every three days and sprinkled with water.

Process

For effective organic mushroom production, each grower must produce as economically and efficiently as possible the highest quality of mushrooms. This can be accomplished among other requirements, by choosing the best strains which must be high yielding, visually attractive, having desirable flavour, and resistance to adverse climate and pests and diseases. Now, there are many strains of white, brown, and cream varieties in cultivation. The brown variety is the usual mushroom and considered to be the most vigorous form. It tolerates and adverse conditions better than the white variety.

The propagating material used by the mushroom growers for planting beds is known as spawn. The spawn is equal to the vegetative seed of the higher plant. Quality of spawn is basic for the effective mushroom cultivation. Compost for mushroom has a significant role in production; as it is the basis for growth. Controlled temperature, humidity (85 to 95 percent), ventilation is essential for mushroom cultivation. Sterilisation is another important factor in cultivation hence steaming at 37°C (pasteurization) is more acceptable. Mushroom growing is an occupation requiring patience, perseverance, intelligent observation, and a skill that can be developed only through expert training and intelligent experience.

Compost filling in trays

The compost when ready for spawning and filling has a dark brown colour and no trace of ammonia. There is no unpleasant odour but it smells like fresh silage. The pH is neutral or near neutral. The compost should not be too wet or too dry at the time of filling in the trays, which can be determined by the palm test. For this purpose, a small quantity of compost is taken into the hand and pressed lightly, if a few drops of water ooze out of the fingers then it is of the right consistency.

If relatively dry then the water must be made up by sprinkling. If too wet, the excess water should be allowed to evaporate. The prepared compost is now filled in trays, which may be of any convenient size but depth should be 15 to 18 cm. The standard size of the tray should be 100 cm x 50 cm x 15 cm. The trays must be made of softwood and provided with the pegs at the four corners so that they can be stacked one over the other leaving sufficient space between the two trays for various operations. The trays are filled with the compost, lightly compressed and the surface levelled.

Buy organic mushroom spawn

Mushroom spawn is particularly harvested and grown fungal tissue that can be used to grow mushrooms.

For the log method, select spawn in the plug form, which is spawn contained inside short wooden dowels. You can buy mushroom spawn at online or in many garden stores.

The seeds are a mix of the compost. Before seeding, wash the utensils used in seeding and seeding in a 2% formalin solution and wash the hands of the person working in the seedling with soap so that any infection can be avoided. 

Casing soil

The importance of casing soil would be to keep the moisture content and exchange of pollutants inside the top layer of the compost which assists in the correct development of the mycelium. The pH of this casing soil should be 7.5 to 7.8 and have to be free of any disease. The casing soil is loaded on the cemented ground and can be treated with a 4 percent formalin solution. Through rotation of the ground is completed and it’s covered with polythene sheet for another 3-4 days. Pasteurisation of shell soil at 65°C for 6 to 8 hours is shown to be a lot more successful.

Pasteurisation

Proper sanitation methods in mushroom farming require pasteurisation of the soil medium before a fresh crop can be grown. Pasteurising eliminates many of the insects, pest fungi, nematodes, and any other pests that may be living inside the compost. To accurately pasteurize compost for mushroom farming, its temperature is raised to 60°C for at least 4 hours. Higher temperature levels will deactivate or kill good microbes needed for later growth processes.

SPAWN

The propagating material used by the mushroom growers for planting beds is known as spawn. The spawn is equal to the vegetative seed of the higher plant. Quality of spawn is basic for the effective mushroom cultivation.