Friday, August 21, 2015

Growing Mushroom at Home

Mushroom farming business can be mean big profits in just a few weeks. Plus, starting your own business growing oyster mushrooms for profit is fairly easy. In fact, here’s how to get started in just six easy steps
Oyster mushrooms are probably the easiest kind of mushrooms to grow. Though they are accustomed naturally to growing in wood, you also can raise oyster mushrooms in a variety of other growing media, including straw or sawdust. The easiest way to begin is with a kit/poly bag. If you want to experiment on your own, then oysters give you a greater chance of success than other mushrooms.  Mushrooms are basically fungi, which have a fleshy and spore bearing fruiting body.They have been in use not only for consumption purposes, but also for medicinal purposes, since ages there are over 14,000 types of mushrooms in the world, out of which 3,000 are edible, about 700 have known medicinal properties and around 1400 have been recognized as poisonous. In this post oyster mushroom spawn is being processed.Health Tips:Being rich in fiber, protein and Vitamin B, mushrooms help maintain a healthy metabolism. It has been found that mushroom extract helps stop migraine headaches and is beneficial for people suffering from mental illnesses, like obsessive-compulsive disorder.
  • Mushrooms contain about 80 to 90 percent water.
  • Mushrooms help fight against Cancer.
  • Very low in calories (only 100 cal/oz) and very low sodium and fat.
  • 8 to 10 percent of the dry weight is fiber. 
  • An ideal food for persons following a weight management program or a diet for hypertensive.
  • Mushrooms are an excellent source of potassium.
  •  In fact, it is said that there is more potassium in a mushroom than a banana, Mushrooms are rich in copper, a mineral that has cardio-protective properties.
  •  Oyster mushrooms are said to be useful in strengthening of veins and relaxation of the tendons.
  • Mushrooms contains some very important mineral and vitamins like: Folate (Vitamin B9), Niacin (Vitamin B3) , Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Thiamin (Vitamin B1), Vitamin B6, Copper – 0.3 mg, Iron – 0.5 mg, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium. 
  


Mushroom growing steps

1. Find a dark closed room or build one providing light proof cubical/cells.

2. Create a humid environment within the celland it would be good if a temperature is maintained less than 25 degree Celsius





3. Soak straw for 12 hours.

4. Use a pressure cooker to cook it for 5-7 mints in high flame


5. Spread the soaked straw on a clean and plain surface to drain the water content.

6. Straw when used in stuffing into poly bags it should be wet and never allow to get it dry.


7. Mushroom spawns (seeds) are required to start the culture.     

8. In this image, the spawns are processed using rice grains.

9. Encircle inoculated straw as showed in the image.


10. Place the inoculated encircled straw as the first layer at the bottom-most of the poly bag. 



11. Spread the spawn along the outermost edge of the first layer of the encircled straw placed in the bag.

12. Spawn should be spread around in such a such a way that it should be visible from outside after packing. 
13. Repeat steps 9-12 until the poly bag is filled with 5-6 layers as appropriate considering the height of the bag 

14. Bags to be tied tightly from the upper most opening.
15. Use needle to poke holes on the sides of the bag every few inches. Mushrooms will grow out of these holes.

16.Hang the bag on to a stand and make use of a spray bottle with clean water to sprinkle/mist it a few times a day through the holes on the bag to keep it.
17. Mushroom starts appearing on their own at this point, or even a 40 watt bulb light need to initiate fruiting.
18. Direct sunlight may not be required, any light through ventilator is good enough.
19. The dark and cool room, should have a high level of humidity, temperature will need to be 24 to 28 degrees Celsius. Also it is good to have provisions of natural lights at least 3 hours a day. 
20. After 3 to 8 weeks, white mycelium has colonized most of the straw.

Now just enjoy! Harvest and have pest free and nutritious mushrooms