Growing porcini mushrooms in a greenhouse: practical tips.

Since ancient times, porcini mushroom or boletus has been considered a real delicacy. Today, the main mushrooms that can be found in stores are champignons. It is quite rare to see boletus on the table, since they have a high price on the market, and it is not always possible to find them in the forest. As a rule, this mushroom grows in old forests where there are mosses and lichens.

Did you know? The color of the porcini mushroom depends not only on the place where it grows, but also on what kind of forest surrounds it - coniferous or deciduous.

Of course, growing porcini mushrooms yourself is not a simple process. This is a very painstaking work that requires certain knowledge. And yet it's worth it. After all, the mushroom has an amazing taste, a unique aroma, and also contains various beneficial substances. Boletus is a tasty and healthy product!

Many gardeners are well aware of the beneficial properties of boletus and therefore grow porcini mushrooms in a greenhouse on their own in their garden. In this review, we’ll look at how to do it correctly in order to get a high-quality harvest in the future.

Main features of growing porcini mushrooms

Growing porcini mushrooms can be considered as a business idea or for your own needs. After all, this is a product that is added to many dishes, improving their taste. In addition, porcini mushrooms contain protein, which is so valuable for our body. That is, boletus is not only tasty, but also a healthy product.

In order for the harvest of porcini mushrooms to be of high quality and plentiful, it is necessary to follow certain rules, which are quite simple and easy to follow. The microclimate in the greenhouse should be as similar as possible to the natural habitat:

• Constant temperature from +8 to +12 C;
• Abundant hydration 80-90%;
• Dry soil;
• High-quality drainage device;
• Good lighting.

Secrets of getting a good harvest of porcini mushrooms

Champignon

These mushrooms require virtually no sunlight to germinate. They are also undemanding, like oyster mushrooms, and can even grow near fruit trees. An important condition for growing champignons is the use of soil rich in organic components.

To prepare the soil mixture, you need to prepare 12 kg of gypsum and lime, 50 kg of cow or horse manure, 20 kg of straw. The ingredients are thoroughly mixed to form a pile. It is watered with water and compacted tightly. The mixture is covered with plastic wrap, leaving it for 2-3 weeks. The ammonia smell should completely disappear.

Now you need to dig a trench 30 cm deep. It is filled with the prepared substrate. The soil is watered with plenty of water. The mycelium is placed in a trench. It is covered with straw. The ambient temperature should be around 20°C.

The soil on which the mycelium grows is moistened, but not compacted. The harvest can be harvested in just 2 months.

How to prepare a greenhouse

To grow porcini mushrooms, first of all, you need to prepare a greenhouse. Each type of mushroom has its own specific characteristics. Boletus loves high humidity and dark places.

ATTENTION! When growing porcini mushrooms in a greenhouse, there should be a minimum of light, since dark places are the ideal habitat for them. This will ensure a good harvest.

Porcini mushrooms can also be grown in a regular greenhouse where vegetables or fruits were grown. Before planting boletus, it is necessary to prepare it in a special way. The main thing is to exclude sunlight. This is done using agrofibre. The greenhouse must be carefully and efficiently processed with this material. You can purchase dark-colored agrofibre in specialized stores.

After solving the issue with room lighting, you need to pay attention to humidity. It must be of a high level. This is one of the basic and important conditions for plant growth. To do this, it is necessary to constantly spray the mycelium and the greenhouse area.

Experts recommend adding some sawdust or straw to the greenhouse. At the same time, they also need to be systematically moistened. Due to the fact that sawdust can store moisture for a long time, this allows you to maintain a high level of humidity. For additional moisture, you can place buckets of water every 1.5 meters.

In addition, with high humidity, regular air circulation in the greenhouse for porcini mushrooms is a prerequisite. This can be ensured by systematically ventilating the greenhouse or installing high-quality ventilation. If the room has high humidity and no ventilation, the plant will not be able to grow and develop normally.

Thus, a greenhouse for porcini mushrooms must meet the following requirements:

• Minimize exposure to sunlight;
• Ensure a high level of humidity in the room;
• Organize proper air ventilation in the room.

Equipment

It would seem, what equipment is needed to simply grow mushrooms - floor, walls and ceiling? This is an erroneous statement. For normal operation you will need to purchase and install:

Greenhouse

• polyethylene in order to place soil and mycelium on it
• refrigeration chambers and devices
• heating radiators
• electric humidifiers
• storage cabinets
• packaging boxes and film
• boxes for easy transportation of crops from the greenhouse to the consumer

There is an opportunity to save. Polyethylene is often left over from product packaging at large hardware and electronics stores. You can ask them for material - they are unlikely to refuse. Instead of humidifiers, it is enough to place deep containers of water so that the liquid does not run out too quickly.

Ordinary heaters, even the simplest ones, will perfectly heat the room; the spores will be warm and comfortable.

An ordinary household refrigerator is suitable for storage - there is no need to spend money on expensive professional equipment if the scale of production is still too modest.

It is very important here to find that golden mean when saving does not become the main principle of your business, otherwise it is unlikely that you will be able to reap a rich harvest and offer it in perfect condition to the client.

A good entrepreneur is not obsessed with saving. He understands that in order to make a profit, an initial investment is needed. You still won't be able to avoid them.

How to prepare beds

In addition to a prepared room, greenhouse mushrooms require specially prepared soil. It is a special substrate, additionally filled with a variety of materials.

If you use mycelium from the forest, then you need to take a small amount of soil where the boletus grew. Forest soil is thoroughly mixed with the soil where the plant is planned to be grown. You need to add a little sawdust and manure to the resulting mixture, which is used as additional fertilizer. The resulting composition is left for a week. During this period, the soil should be thoroughly infused and become as nutritious as possible for the mushrooms. After 7 days, the soil is moved into a wooden box and placed in a greenhouse. In the future, planting will be carried out in this soil.

ATTENTION! Boletus is a fastidious plant, and the harvest may appear after a year of planting. In the first months, there is no need to panic or worry if there are no shoots. The main thing in a greenhouse is to provide the most comfortable conditions for growing porcini mushrooms. It is the correct microclimate in the greenhouse that is the basis for mushroom germination.

Pros of business

Growing mushrooms, like any business, has its pros and cons. The disadvantage is that it is not always possible to immediately develop to full capacity, it is difficult to look for clients at first, and the harvest may die due to disease. These are risks without which the existence of your own business is impossible in principle.

There are also undeniable advantages. In particular:

Successful business

• no special, special care required
• Almost everyone can grow - no special education required
• you can organize a business even at home
• all equipment and materials are quite accessible
• demand is year-round, the price of mushrooms is only growing from year to year

Experienced businessmen who have tried themselves in this field note: you need to start small here. Try growing mushrooms on one square meter for yourself. Do you like this activity? How do mushrooms behave?

The process doesn't always go right the first time. Difficulties happen, you need to be prepared for them. Difficulties arise at the stage of registration and collection of licenses. This issue must be approached with maximum responsibility.

It is recommended to conduct business honestly and legally - obtain all permits and documents in advance, and only then purchase materials and equipment. Without certificates, no one will buy mushrooms - even if they grow to be the most beautiful in the world. After all, the buyer wants to be sure that he is buying and consuming safe products that will not harm his health.

In small cities there is practically no competition in this area. In large cities you will have to work hard to find your client. To do this, initially you should not inflate prices and offer obviously disastrous conditions for deliveries and large purchases.

The business of growing mycelium will pay off in about a year. The harvest can be harvested almost monthly - this is an excellent investment. No special knowledge is required to run the business; it’s possible to take care of mushrooms with just two people – there’s no need to hire a large staff. Look for consumers on the Internet - today this is the easiest and most accessible way, sometimes requiring no advertising costs at all. Mushrooms are usually bought by restaurants and cafes, shops and supermarkets.

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How to prepare planting material

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Sowing porcini mushrooms is carried out in two ways:

• Natural material (growing from mushroom spores);
• Purchased material (growing from mycelium).

As a rule, the first option is used. It is important that the mushrooms collected from the forest are mature and mature. You can even use wormy mushrooms. The next harvest obtained from natural material can be harvested no earlier than 1 year.

Seed material from porcini mushroom spores is prepared as follows:

1. It is necessary to collect ripe porcini mushrooms in the forest.
2. Take about 10 caps of adult boletus mushrooms, maybe even wormy ones or slightly dried ones. The main thing is that the mushroom spores are mature.
3. Prepare a weak manganese solution. To do this, add 1 gram of potassium permanganate to a bucket of rainwater. Add 15 pieces of refined sugar to the resulting solution.
4. Mash the mushroom caps until you get a homogeneous mixture.
5. Place the mushroom porridge in a bucket with manganese solution.
6. After a day, strain the mixture.

Purchased mycelium can be purchased in specialized stores. It is a nutrient mixture that is the basis for the propagation of boletus mushrooms. Such a ready-made mixture greatly facilitates the growing process.

How much money will it take to start a business?

It is impossible to start your own business without an initial investment. It doesn’t matter where exactly you get the money:

• accumulate
• borrow from friends or a bank
• attract an investor to whom you promise a percentage of the profit

A sample list of expenses would be as follows:

Growing costs

• you will have to spend about 7 thousand rubles on rent
• for mycelium - about 10 thousand more
• on the ground for mycelium – 20,000
• polyethylene will cost about 5 thousand
• plastic storage boxes cost 10 rubles per unit
• climate control equipment – ​​15,000
• refrigeration units – from 30 thousand rubles
• transportation costs - approximately 15 thousand
• obtaining licenses, medical books, registration, payment of state fees - 20 thousand
• utility bills - 20 thousand rubles
• employee salary – from 20 thousand rubles per person

Of course, the exact numbers depend on the specific locality, the number of employees and the volume of total production. Initially you will need about 200 thousand rubles.

Now let's calculate the approximate income. A kilogram of champignons costs about 150 rubles. In a month at home you can grow up to 10 kilograms of crops per square meter of mycelium. If the room is 100 square meters, then one harvest will be 1,000 kilograms. If you sell them all, you will be able to earn 155 thousand.

This is approximately what your monthly profit will be. Expenses must be subtracted from it (utilities, wages for workers, land renewal, etc.). Then the minimum net profit will be approximately 50-100 thousand rubles. The larger the mycelium area, the higher the income.

How to plant seed in a greenhouse

When using natural material, sowing is done as follows. Mushroom pulp is laid out in the prepared soil. Peat soil is poured onto it and filled with seed from spores. Water the soil thoroughly. A layer of sawdust is placed on top of the planting.

When using purchased mycelium-based material, sowing is carried out as follows:

• It is necessary to lay out the mycelium on the prepared soil in a checkerboard pattern;
• Cover with a layer of soil on top;
• Water the planting generously with water. As a rule, you will need about two buckets of water for watering;
• The planting beds are covered with straw or sawdust. This will provide additional hydration.

In winter, the planting with mushrooms must be covered with moss or straw.

Purchase of raw materials

Before purchasing raw materials, you need to understand the essence of the process itself. In a simplified version, the mushroom production scheme looks like this: mycelium, sunflower waste, rye grains, oats and wheat straw are purchased. Next, the substrate is prepared - the straw is poured with boiling water and infused for 20-25 minutes. After cooling, it is put into bags in layers with mycelium. Cuts are made in the polyethylene. The bags are hung on hooks and the harvest is expected. The whole process takes place in compliance with the rules and technologies.

Creating beds from scratch is more profitable than buying ready-made blocks. For example, 1 kg of mycelium costs 500 rubles, a bale of wheat straw on an agricultural farm costs 40-50 rubles. This amount will yield 5-6 bags of mycelium. The price of one finished block is 600-700 rubles. The savings are obvious. But, if you organize the mycelium yourself, the risk of mycelium death increases - you can introduce foreign flora (the same mold) into the substrate and the mushrooms will not sprout.

Buying mycelium is a real art. The quantity and quality of the harvest completely depends on it. Mushroom raw materials must be carefully inspected and sniffed. You should be wary of:

• sour smell – fresh, healthy mycelium does not have unpleasant odors;
• any colored spots on the substrate are the first sign of mold;
• the finished blocks are packed in opaque, dark bags - the manufacturer has something to hide.

If all technological requirements are met, the mycelium will begin to bear fruit in 14-16 days. One block has a strictly fixed fruiting period - three stages (waves). The first is 70% of the harvest (2.5 kg of mushrooms, an average of 200 grams per hole). After 15 days there is a second wave - 30% of the total number of mushrooms, approximately 1.5 kg per block. The third stage is rare mushrooms in an already acidifying substrate. Do not affect the total amount of harvest. They are used either for personal purposes (for food) or for processing. But experts advise getting rid of blocks even before the onset of the third wave. The substrate can contain harmful bacteria and midges, which will infect the entire room. And these are additional costs for disinfection.

Main features of mycelium care:

1. Humidity should be around 85%. This condition must be observed throughout the entire growing process.
2. There should be no sunlight or any other lighting in the room, since boletus is a shade-loving plant.
3. Availability of high-quality ventilation to prevent the occurrence of various pests.
4. When mushrooms germinate, the temperature should be at 25-28C.
5. When the first shoots appear, the temperature should be 15-17C.
6. Water for watering plants should be soft. Rainwater is very good for irrigation. Of course, if it is possible to fulfill such a condition.
7. The temperature for watering plants should be 10-13C.

As you can see, the boletus does not need any special care; all the rules are very simple and easy to follow. By following the recommendations, you can easily get a good harvest of porcini mushrooms.

Mycelium preparation

There is ready-made mycelium on the market. If you purchase one, you must follow all the specified points.

Here is information using boletus as an example:

The following is a step-by-step instruction, which describes the alternation of layers of substrate, soil, and additives.
There is another way - you can get the mycelium yourself. To do this, the caps of adult mushrooms are twisted in a meat grinder or finely chopped with a knife.

Next you need to prepare a solution of manganese - 1 g per 10 liters with sugar (take 10 cubes). The crushed parts of the cap are placed in this liquid for 4 hours. The nutrient mixture with spores is ready.

Important! A mandatory measure when experimenting with growing mushrooms at home is to disinfect the premises. https://www.youtube.com/embed/3Z92zpAnr0c

Diseases and pests

When growing porcini mushrooms, special attention should be paid to possible troubles that may arise. Indeed, despite the comfortable growing conditions for boletus, no one is safe from pests. The main plant pests are the following:

• Mushroom fly. It is a fungivorous insect and appears in the presence of unsanitary standards.
• The gall gnat is a small black mosquito.
• Fungus mite. Usually occurs due to unsanitary conditions. As a preventive measure, you can use a metaphos solution.
• Mushroom woodlice. Appears in rooms with high humidity. Therefore, a preventative measure for the appearance of insects is high-quality ventilation of the greenhouse.
• Springtail (fool). In small quantities they do not cause much harm. As a rule, the insect appears in undisinfected soil.
• Mold. Appears in soil rich in carbohydrates and with a minimum of nitrogen. It occurs due to improper hygiene. You can get rid of mold with proper soil preparation.
• Fungal rot. As preventative measures for its occurrence, it is necessary to properly care for the plants, namely, to efficiently organize air circulation in the room. In addition, you can disinfect the soil with a formaldehyde solution.
• Various types of rodents. When they appear, poison or a mousetrap is used to fight them.

Any fungal disease leads to a decrease in yield, or it may not appear at all. In order to avoid the appearance of such pests in the greenhouse, it is important to correctly observe the technological parameters when preparing the soil and the further process of plant growth, including their high-quality care. At the same time, pay attention to preventive measures to prevent the occurrence of various diseases and pests.

Self-grown porcini mushrooms in greenhouses will certainly delight their owner, and every gardener has the opportunity to enjoy the taste of porcini mushrooms all year round.

Staff

Growing mushrooms in splendid isolation is too difficult. You will have to, as they say, “spray.” This is not always necessary. Mushrooms need careful care; if it is not there, then you can forget about a rich harvest.

The assistant does not place in this case. It could be a spouse or a close acquaintance, or a complete stranger. It is important that he also likes your business. This is the main secret of success.

For global production, you will have to hire a whole staff. Be sure to include:

Hiring assistant

• technologist
• assembler-packer
• handyman for all sorts of errands
• sales manager

Should these people have special education? Theoretically yes, practically no. It all depends on experience. If a person knows how to sell your harvest in just a couple of minutes, will you really refuse to hire him just because he does not have a diploma of higher professional education?

Every person who works or is generally near mushrooms, especially who is responsible for collecting and packaging them, must have a medical book, which indicates that the citizen is healthy. Only then can he touch the product in principle.

Personnel are required to undergo training on proper handling of crops, safety precautions, and minimum sanitary requirements; only after this they are allowed to begin their work duties.

In accordance with Russian legislation, employees must be registered in accordance with the Labor Code of the country. The working hours are discussed separately.