When it comes to foods, various people that are health conscious often choose green vegetables. Nowadays, people love to eat mushrooms in different forms, such as snacks and mushroom sabzi as well. Mushrooms are of different colors, sizes, and shapes. Some people also buy mushroom seeds, so they can get fresh mushrooms at their homes.
Mushrooms and Mushroom Seeds
Mushrooms that are not toxic will be healthy and tasty. Mushrooms have been used for many years to add more flavors to different culture’s cuisines. You can use mushrooms for cooking purposes, and they can add extra taste to your dish without fat or sodium.
Make sure to buy mushrooms from a reliable grocery store because it is hard to identify, which is a healthy or poisonous mushroom. Even you can buy mushroom seeds to grow at your home. The following are the most common types you can get from the grocery store:
- Button or white mushroom
- Enoki
- Beech
- Maitake
- Shiitake
- Portobello
- Crimini
- Oyster
Each mentioned above mushroom type will have a unique look and taste. When buying mushrooms, ensure they are not moist and mold-free. You can store them inside the fridge in a paper bag for about five days. Before you cook mushrooms, make sure to wash them properly.
What is Mushroom Spawn?
As gardeners and farmers use seeds, similarly, mushroom growers use spawn. Spawn is a genetic material that is used to grow mushrooms. Spawn is a kind of living fungal culture, known as mycelium and developed onto a substrate. Mycelium is a series of cells that resemble a thread. Mycelium is a base to grow mushrooms. If you want to grow mushrooms, then you can use mushroom spawn to shift mycelium to any substrate.
You can use different substrates like cardboard, straw, logs, wood chips, and others. Some people ask what if they want to grow mushrooms from spawn without letting them transfer to substance. You can do it, but it is not a good approach. Some quantity of spawn can immunize substrate. It can help produce more mushrooms than using spawn alone.
Types of Mushroom Spawn
- Sawdust Spawn
- Grain Spawn
- Plug/Dowel
- Straw Spawn
- Sawdust Spawn Plugs
- Woodchip Spawn
- Liquid Spawn
Mushroom Farming and Mushroom Cultivation Process
Preparation of Compost
The first step in growing mushrooms is to prepare compost. The platforms where the compost will be prepared must be raised in a way so that excess water doesn’t get stored at the heap. There are two types of compost:
- Natural compost
- Synthetic compost
- Phase I Composting
Phase I of composting takes around 5-8 days, and it will depend on the raw materials. Once you have mixed all the raw materials like horse manure, straw, poultry manure, and gypsum, then they’ll be divided on the yard. To wet the straw, spray water on the surface. When the fermentation occurs in the heap increase temperature, and when the ammonia releases, then it leads to opening up the straw.
After the end of this process, the compost is known as ‘Phase I-compost’ or ‘Fresh compost.’ After the completion of compost, it is placed in a room known as a tunnel. The grating floor of the tunnel is filled with compost.
- Phase II Composting
This phase includes pasteurization and conditioning of compost. The pasteurization is done to make it free from pathogens, and conditioning is done to eliminate ammonia. After the completion of the process of compost, it is known as ‘phase II compost’ or ‘Spawning compost.’
- Spawning
In the process of spawn production, mycelium is placed on steam-sterilized grain. The mixture of mycelium/grain is known as spawn, and spawn is utilized to seed mushroom compost. When you mix the spawn with compost, then this process is called spawning. The whole process takes 14 to 18 days.
- Casing
For the growth of the mushrooms, casing soil acts as a substance or substrate. It can be done by mixing peat and other organic matter. Once it is done, it needs sterilization either by formalin solution or steaming to kill insects, pests, and other molds.
- Pinning
Once the growth of mycelium starts the soil surface cooling down will be done. After 5-6 days when the surface of the soil is cool down and lower CO2, the fluffy mycelium will begin to contract to form a pin or pinhead. This whole period is known as pin formation.
- Harvesting
In the end, harvesting will continue as mushrooms continue to mature. This cycle of harvesting will repeat itself in a rhythmic fashion.
Read about “A Brief Introduction to Yellow Chilli Powder and Plant”
What is Mushroom Rock?
Mushroom rock is also known as rock pedestal or pedestal rock that naturally develops. It is known as a mushroom rock because its shape looks like a mushroom. It is developed by different processes. Glacial actions and erosion or weathering by wind are the main cause, but sometimes mushroom rocks are formed from a sudden disturbance.
Summary
From this blog, you come to know all about mushroom seeds, mushroom rock, mushroom cultivation, and mushroom farming. Well, another famous thing with the name of mushroom is mushroom cut. Most kids love to get a mushroom cut. Even women and men also love the mushroom cut, and it is also known as bowl haircut, in which your hair is cut short on the back and sides.
