Forest Mushroom — a tasty edible mushroom, used fresh or pickled. It grows: from late June to mid-October in coniferous (pine) and mixed (with pine) forests, grows well after rain, often near ant hills, in clusters. Cap diameter 5-8(15) cm, bell-shaped, then spread out, often with a prominent bump, young mushrooms are brown. With age, the surface splits into fine, fibrous scales. Gills: frequent, white-pink, then reddish, later purplish-brown. Stipe: 4-8 cm long and 1-1.5 cm in diameter, slightly widened at the base, white above the ring, brownish below, longitudinally fibrous, ring white, sometimes disappearing. Flesh: thin, with pleasant mushroom aroma, white, slightly pink or reddish when cut.
The following compost compositions are used for growing mushrooms:
Variant 1.
Fresh, unspoiled, dry straw — 12 kg, fresh poultry manure — 8 kg, preparation time — 24-26 days.
Variant 2.
Fresh, unspoiled, dry straw — 12 kg, fresh horse manure — 8 kg, preparation time — 22-24 days.
Variant 3.
Fresh, unspoiled, dry straw — 12 kg, fresh cow manure — 8 kg, preparation time — 23-25 days.
Compost preparation: layering straw and manure to form a stack (bur). After stacking, the bur is watered daily, preventing it from drying out, no need to create a bog. Turn the stack 4-5 times during the entire substrate preparation period, so that outer layers become inner and vice versa. The sign of ready substrate is the disappearance of ammonia smell.
Ready compost is laid in beds (open ground) in a layer of at least 10 cm, in boxes and polyethylene bags — in a layer of at least 20 cm. Variant 4 (no preparation required). 20 kg of ready compost (manure, aged over a year, without ammonia smell) of any type except swine.
Planting norm: Planting depth 5-7 cm. Inoculation is done by sprinkling mycelium into holes spaced 15-18 cm apart. During mycelium colonization, the bed is protected from drying out with straw or burlap. After mycelium spread (12-15 days), the beds (compost surface) are covered with a protective layer of soil (soil mixed with peat in a 1:1 ratio or plain garden soil), 2 cm high (6-7 kg).
Fruit production: Optimal temperature range 16-29°C, lighting regime day-night or 4 hours per day in closed spaces, favorable air humidity should be no less than 85% (watering by drip if necessary). First mushrooms appear approximately after 20-30 days. Fruit production occurs in waves and lasts for 6 weeks, with intervals between waves of 7-10 days.
Yield: 18 kg over three waves.
Consumption norm: One package is sufficient for 20 kg of compost. Growing mushrooms on a homestead plot. On open plots, mushrooms grow in shady areas, in partial shade under trees, shrubs, in raspberry patches, on strawberry beds, on shaded sides behind buildings and fences, where they are not harmed by direct sunlight. Soil on S=2.5-3 m2 must be tilled. During this process, weed plants and grass roots, if they do not harm other crops, should not be removed. Sow mycelium on the loosened surface. Then evenly spread compost in a layer of 5-7 cm.
The mycelium will start fruiting after 2-2.5 months. During this time, no visible changes on the soil surface are noticeable. Fruit production lasts from early spring to late autumn. During this entire period, mushrooms can be planted. The yield of cultivated mushrooms is very high — 12 kg per square meter per month.
