Proper cultivation of porcini mushrooms in a greenhouse

Mushrooms in a greenhouse
From time immemorial, porcini mushroom has been a real delicacy. Currently, porcini mushrooms can be seen on quite rare occasions at tables, since purchasing this product is quite expensive, and it is currently very difficult to find in the forest.
But today there is a great opportunity for gardeners to grow porcini mushrooms on their own in their garden plots and reap a rich mushroom harvest. To do this, you will need two things - the presence of a garden plot with a greenhouse, as well as a burning desire to grow amazing porcini mushrooms.
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Greenhouse preparation

Before you start growing any mushrooms at home, first of all, you need to prepare a greenhouse for this process. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account all the characteristics of each mushroom species grown. Cultivation of porcini mushrooms in a greenhouse can be carried out using glass or film type.
The main feature of the greenhouse is minimal lighting, and direct sunlight should not get inside at all. Many people even create greenhouses for mushrooms in basements, as this is the ideal place for a good mushroom harvest.
If you already have a greenhouse on your site where you actively grow fruits and vegetables, you can also use it to grow mushrooms.To do this, it will only be necessary to create a small area in the greenhouse, which will be completely protected from sunlight using dark-colored agrofibre. A dark place is an ideal habitat for mushrooms, in which they will feel as comfortable as possible.
The second parameter after light that you need to pay attention to is the humidity level in the greenhouse. Humidity is the determining parameter in the process of growing mushrooms in a greenhouse. Any mushroom, regardless of type, will only grow really well in areas with high humidity levels. In order to ensure the highest level of humidity in a small mushroom greenhouse, it is necessary to regularly spray the area with a spray bottle.
Sawdust has a beneficial effect on the general environment in the greenhouse and on the development of fungi, so it is advisable that they be present in small quantities in the greenhouse. They will also need to be moisturized regularly. The peculiarity of sawdust is that it can store moisture for a long time, thus constantly maintaining high humidity in the greenhouse.
In order to be sure that the greenhouse with mushrooms is really well hydrated, it is necessary to place small containers of water every 1.5 meters. This measure will ensure a high level of humidity in the greenhouse with mushrooms. But humidity will have a truly positive effect on the growth and development of mushrooms only if there is constant air circulation in the greenhouse. Therefore, it is necessary to either ventilate the greenhouse or create ventilation in it.

How to prepare beds for porcini mushrooms?

Mushrooms in a greenhouse

Growing porcini mushrooms at home, in addition to a previously prepared greenhouse, also requires prepared soil. Therefore, the preparatory process itself takes a lot of time, effort and energy.
A specific substrate is prepared for the porcini mushroom, which depends on which tree the mycelium was found under. That is, if for further seedlings and cultivation of greenhouse mushrooms you use material taken from the forest, then along with the mushroom you will need to take a small amount of soil in which it previously grew and developed.
Now soil from the garden and soil from the forest must be thoroughly mixed. Sawdust of any type and a small amount of manure are added to the resulting soil composition. The resulting mixture is infused for a week, after which it is moved to a wooden box, which is already moved to the mushroom greenhouse.
It is worth immediately noting the fact that the porcini mushroom is a rather fastidious plant, so if the mycelium does not produce any harvest not only in the first months, but also in the first year, there is no need to panic; in some cases, small mushrooms appeared almost after a year of waiting. Therefore, you should not give up, but regularly maintain the most favorable conditions in the greenhouse.

Growing from mycelium

Mushrooms in a greenhouse

Porcini mushrooms can be grown on the basis of a nutrient mixture, which serves as the basis for the reproduction and development of mycelium and the subsequent reproduction of the mushrooms themselves. This technology involves the use of either ready-made compost mycelium or seeds. Many mushroom growers who grow mushrooms in home greenhouses use this particular method of growing porcini mushrooms.
The step-by-step process for growing mushrooms using mycelium is as follows:
  1. Porcini mushroom mycelium can be purchased in ready-made form, which will greatly facilitate the growing process.
  2. It is necessary to prepare a plot for porcini mushrooms from the end of May to the end of October. A small bare area is formed around the tree trunk, the diameter of which is 1-1.5 m; about 20 centimeters of top soil must be removed from this area.
  3. On the resulting empty space, it is necessary to lay compost or peat-type soil, the thickness of which is 2-3 cm.
  4. The mycelium of the porcini mushroom is laid out on this soil, which is divided into small pieces. You need to lay it out in a checkerboard pattern. One package of mycelium per tree.
  5. Now the mycelium is covered with the layer that was originally removed. Then the planting needs to be watered thoroughly, per tree 2-3 buckets of water.
  6. The finished planting is covered with 30-40 centimeters of straw. This is necessary to ensure that the humidity is always maintained at least 40%.
  7. As the planting progresses, it should be watered abundantly.
If the planting was prepared in the autumn, then it is necessary to additionally cover it with moss and straw for the winter. In the spring, in mid-May, the mycelium is removed and placed in boxes, then transferred to the greenhouse, where the growth of the mushrooms continues.

Growing from spores

Cultivation of porcini mushrooms in a greenhouse can also be done using spores. To do this you will have to go to the forest for biological material. It is necessary to collect an average of 5-10 mushrooms with fully ripe caps.
When the cap is broken, its flesh should be green in color. If there are larvae in the mushroom pulp, then this is quite normal.Sort the mushrooms into different bags, depending on which tree you found it under.
At home, you will need to separate the caps and stems of the mushroom from each other. All mature mushroom caps will need to be soaked in water in a bucket for a day, preferably using rainwater. It is not advisable to leave mushrooms after picking; as soon as they are picked, it is worthwhile to soak them immediately upon returning home, since they have a short shelf life. You need to add 15 g of sugar per 10 liters of water to the soaked water.
After 24 hours, the mushrooms are ground together with water until a homogeneous mass is obtained. To remove residual water, the mixture is filtered through cheesecloth. The result is pulp, which remains on the fabric and water with spores - neither one nor the other should be thrown away.
Into the soil that will be in advance fertilized with compost, it is necessary to lay out the resulting mushroom pulp, cover it with a layer of peat soil and pour in a solution with spores. Water it all and place it in the greenhouse. Soon the mushrooms should bear their first “fruits”.
Growing porcini mushrooms is a rather complex and labor-intensive process that requires not only effort and time, but also some skills related to greenhouse equipment and the process of planting mushrooms. Maintaining favorable conditions in a mushroom greenhouse is 80% the key to success. During the season, you can collect more than one bucket of porcini mushrooms, which will be an excellent treat for yourself and your guests.
Video guide to growing mushrooms in a greenhouse:
Mushrooms in a greenhouseMushrooms in a greenhouse

Comments

Of all the mushrooms grown in conditions other than natural ones, it is porcini mushrooms that retain their true taste the most. But in any case, it is not comparable to the natural one, and there is practically no smell.I would prohibit mushroom producers from calling their products after the names of authentic forest mushrooms.