Large-capped Champignon — a very tasty, edible mushroom, used in all forms: fresh (boiled for about 10 minutes) in first and second dishes, salted, pickled.
Grows: on nutrient-rich soils, especially on meadows, in September-November. Cap diameter 8-18 cm, white, convex, cracking with age. Gills: thin, free, crowded, initially white or grayish, brown in maturity. Stipe: 6-10 cm long and 1-2 cm in diameter, white, cylindrical, smooth, slightly widened at the base, may be covered with flakes. Ring — thin, wide, single, with scales underneath. Flesh: thick, dense, fleshy, white, slightly pinkish when cut, with almond scent.
When cultivating champignon mushrooms, the following compost compositions are used:
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 pile (burrow). After layering, the pile is watered daily, without allowing it to dry out, no need to create a bog. Turn the pile 4-5 times during the entire substrate preparation period, so that outer layers end up inside and inner layers outside. The sign of ready substrate is the absence of ammonia smell.
Ready compost is laid down in rows (open ground) at a layer of at least 10 cm, in boxes and polyethylene bags — at 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 rate: Planting depth 5-7 cm. Sowing 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 topsoil layer (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% (if necessary, water by drip). 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 per three waves.
Consumption rate: One package is intended for 20 kg of compost. Cultivating champignons on a homestead plot. On open plots, champignons grow in shady areas, in partial shade under trees, shrubs, raspberry patches, strawberry beds, on shaded sides behind buildings and fences, where they are not exposed to direct sunlight. Soil on S=2.5-3 m2 must be loosened. At this time, weeds and roots of grasses, if they do not harm other crops, should not be removed. Sow mycelium on loosened soil. Then spread compost evenly to a layer of 5-7 cm.
The mushroom bed will start fruiting after 2-2.5 months. During this time, no visible changes on the soil surface will be noticeable. Fruit production lasts from early spring to late autumn. During this entire period, champignons can be planted. The yield of cultivated champignon is very high, up to 12 kg of mushrooms per square meter per month.
