Usage of a substrate that is too wet or too dry is a common mistake. It should be damp but not wet, with a gentle squeeze enough to release a few drops of excess water.
How do I know if my mushroom substrate is too wet?
A) lots of water dripping shows that the substrate is too wet. b) a few drops released with some pressure show that the substrate is well watered. If it is too dry then with no drops will be released with pressure.
Does mushroom substrate need to be wet?
Addition of Potential Nutrients
An ideal mushroom substrate needs to be moist and rich in nutrients.
How much water do mushroom substrates need?
This is necessary for the mycelium to colonize well. Your substrate needs a moisture content of 50-70%.
Is my substrate too wet?
Take some substrate with your hand, squeeze it and observe if any water is released through your fingers while squeezing. There are three different outcomes to this test: Water is running from your hand while squeezing the substrate: This means the substrate is too wet because too much water has been added.
What does healthy mycelium smell like?
cucumber
Fresh mycelium smells like cucumber, I would say. For a short moment a light and fresh smell fills your nose as soon as you open a bag of healthy mycelium. Yet as soon as it is out of its plastic skin and build into a tower, the smell starts to mature.
What does contaminated mycelium look like?
If you spot green, blue, grey, or black patches on or in your fruiting box, your culture is most likely contaminated. Do keep in mind, however, that small blue stains in the mycelium may just be bruising and not mould. Especially where the rye presses the mycelium against the grow box, you may see some blue spots.
Does mycelium grow faster in the dark?
Radial growth of the mycelium was faster under dark incubation rather than under light incubation.
Why is my mycelium not fruiting?
Not Enough Moisture
Mycelium, the underground vegetative growth of a fungus, needs a moist environment to thrive and produce mushrooms. Mushrooms themselves are mainly water, so if you let the mycelium dry out or the humidity level get too low then nothing will happen.
How long does it take mycelium to colonize substrate?
approximately 5-10 days
It will take approximately 5-10 days for the substrate to completely colonize with mycelium (you will be able to tell if it has completed colonization when the substrate has turned completely white).
How much water do you put in substrate?
If there’s still dry patches and no water coming out you’ll need to add a little more water. For my setup, I find that a good ratio is 1kg of sawdust, 250grams of wheat bran and 1.6L of water. For a typical dry sawdust you’ll need approximately 1.5L of water to 1kg of sawdust.
How do you water mycelium?
Dampen several layers of newspaper and press it onto the top of the compost. It takes two to three weeks for the mycelium to develop, so spritz the newspaper with water from a spray bottle every couple of days to ensure it stays damp to help hold moisture in the compost below.
How do I make mycelium grow faster?
If the mycelium fails to develop properly during the first two days, reduce the RH and CO2 more gradually. This will stimulate more mycelium growth. This helps, but only to a limited extent. In addition, if the casing soil still shows black during pinhead development, look between the clumps of casing for pinheads.
Can you reuse mushroom substrate?
No – unfortunately, reusing mushroom substrate forever is not an option. The organic materials will eventually break down to a point where they will become unusable for a new flush of mushrooms. There simply won’t be enough nutrients or energy for the mycelium to absorb.
What do you do with spent mushroom substrate?
There are many appropriate uses for spent mushroom substrate. Spent mushroom substrate is excellent to spread on top of newly seeded lawns. The material provides cover against birds eating the seeds and will hold the water in the soil while the seeds germinate.
What is substrate in mushroom cultivation?
The main nutrients are less nitrogen and more carbon so materials containing cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin (i.e., rice and wheat straw, cotton seed hulls, sawdust [SD], waste paper, leaves, and sugarcane residue) can be used as mushroom substrates [8].
What kills Trichoderma?
Immerse the mushrooms in hot water to kill the mold.
Unfortunately, Trichoderma is tough to get rid of once it starts growing. It’s resistant to most chemicals and pesticides. However, picking the affected mushrooms and immersing them in water heated to 140 °F (60 °C) seems to work.
Is it cobweb mold or mycelium?
Another way to identify cobweb mold is by the sheer speed of its growth. A small patch the size of a penny can grow to cover an entire jar or tub in 24 to 48 hours. In the photo below, cobweb mold on grain is distinguished by its light wispy appearance when compared to the more vibrant white patches of mycelium.
How do you tell if my substrate is contaminated?
In areas where substrate presses against glass and condensation is present brown-yellow slimy rings are often present around the grains. The material will also look sludgy and thick, bacterial contamination often accompanies an odor of fermentation or decay. Spongey or Soft: Your Mycelium block is soft and squishy.
What causes slow mycelium growth?
It may be due to a high concentration of nitrogen source leading to a too low carbon/nitrogen ratio, which inhibited the growth of mycelium.
Can mycelium outcompete mold?
Oyster mushroom mycelium will definitely NOT out-compete green mold in anything but the most nitrogen poor substrates. Even then, it is usually just a race to get the mycelium to the point of fruiting before the mold starts to take hold.