Straw is an important ingredient in compost production for mushroom cultivation. Why do we need straw? Straw has three functions: It creates structure in the compost Why is the structure important? Mycelium is very similar to ourselves. What do we do 24/7? We breathe, we need oxygen. And that is what mycelium needs too. Just like micro-organisms during composting and – to a lesser extent- during the caramelisation process. The structure of the straw allows air to flow through the compost. This supplies oxygen and extracts CO2. It provides a water buffer Straw doesn’t absorb water easily. It i ..read more

We all know the cause of scales! Too much air movement and/or too dry air. However, the wrong solution is often chosen. This decision is linked to knowledge of the Mollier Diagram. During the first flush, what decision do you make as a mushroom grower? Do you increase or decrease the fan speed to prevent scales during the first flush? Many of my clients say they reduce the fan speed. So what happens when you reduce the speed? Fewer cubic metres of air flow into the growing room to control the air temperature in the room. This means using colder inlet air  to control the room air temperatu ..read more

Perfect quality mushrooms To grow perfect quality mushrooms, creating a stable climate is essential. A stable climate is determined by the fresh air inlet, the cooling and the heating. The faster these respond, the faster the growing room climate will change. On the one hand, we want a fast enough response to any changes in the indoor or outdoor climate, but an over-fast response can be too much. This means you have to take counter measures to compensate immediately. This situation should be avoided at all times. You can adapt the response speed of inlets and valves yourself, but even I always ..read more

I’m often asked where spores of mould suddenly appear from. In cases of one-off infections or clear sources of contamination the answer is easy. This only becomes an issue if the infection persists. At this moment the hygiene protocols are tightened. Strict hygiene should in fact always be a priority, but when there are just a few or no outbreaks of infections, the protocols tend to be relaxed. However, say that despite properly applying the hygiene protocols an infection just keeps on coming back. In this case it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. Look for spores? Forget it – spores a ..read more

Production costs are rising sharply. Faced with the high cost of compost and higher energy costs, how can you produce more mushrooms per ton of compost using less energy? This blog explains one of the options. Filling weight The average filling weight on a mushroom farm that picks manually is approx. 85-90 kg/m2. In the current cropping cycle of two flushes picked in 4.5 weeks, this appears to give good production volumes and quality in many different conditions. However, a filling weight of 77-80 kg/m2 can also give good production and quality. How? By filling less compost in the beds, compos ..read more

Mushroom Office is closed due summer holiday from July 23  to August 16. The post Mushroom on holiday appeared first on Mushroom Office ..read more

Bacteria are present everywhere, all the time – but do not cause bacterial blotch. What does cause bacterial blotch is too many bacteria. A bacterial blotch infection of mushrooms is caused by favourable growth conditions for bacteria.   How can you prevent bacterial blotch? By preventing the conditions in which bacteria can grow rapidly. I will give you some tips in this blog. Optimal conditions Humid, warm conditions are ideal for bacterial growth. However, bacterial blotch isn’t immediately visible in these conditions, but they do start to form. The actual blotch is only seen later during o ..read more

The filling weight, i.e. the number of kilos of compost per square metre, should be between 80-95 kg/m2. The general trend is the more compost, the better the mushroom quality. But is that right? Mushroom growing is all about the difference between air temperature and compost temperature, referred to by growers as activity. Activity is essential to grow good quality mushrooms. As the compost is warmer than the air, moisture is released in the form of evaporation. This caused the mushrooms to grow. Managing activity Managing activity is key to mushroom growing. So too much activity, because the ..read more

Dry bubble disease may cause a lot of problems because the spores spread quickly. It’s essential to identify and remove the first affected mushrooms to prevent an outbreak of the disease throughout your entire nursery. So how do you remove the first infected mushrooms? Spread by spores Dry bubble disease is spread by spores. The spores are sticky and are spread by any carrier to which they may adhere, such as people, flies, dust, water, etc. Preventing the spread The best way of preventing the spread of spores is by covering an infected mushroom and removing it. Wet a tissue with a disinfec ..read more

My previous blog described what the pH should do during the composting process. This blog examines the role of the raw materials, such as ammonium sulphate, gypsum and water. Ammonium sulphate, (NH4)2SO2 During indoor composting, NH3 is removed from the air by a reaction of the air to sulphuric acid, H2SO4. The by-product resulting from this process is ammonium sulphate, (NH4)2SO2. ammonium sulphate can be added to compost as a source of nitrogen. This reduces the pH value of the compost. Gypsum? What is the principle property of gypsum? The acid binding capacity of gypsum neutralises the pH i ..read more