Self-Cultivation 4

There are different phases in self-cultivation processes. In this case, the phases to take into account would be the following:

1º Step: Spore extraction

2º Step: Inoculation

3º Step: Primordia formation

4º Step: Fruitbody development

5º Step: Cropping cycle

During the development of the project, the first two phases have mainly been developed.

Spore collection techniques vary, according to the shape, size, and type of the mushroom candidate. For gilled mushrooms, the cap can be severed from the stem, and laid, gills down, on top of clean typing paper, glass, or similar surface.

After 12 hours, most mushrooms will have released thousand of spores, sporeprint. They should be stored in a dark, cool location, low in humidity and free from temperature fluctuation.

Using fresh specimens, a more efficient method of spore collection is recommended. This method calls for the immersion of the mushroom in water to create a spore-mass slurry. Submerged them in a 5-gallon bucket of water.

Spawn run spans the period of time when the mycelium is colonizing the substrate. The amount of spawn inoculated into the substrate can greatly affect the duration of colonization, and therefore, the time to fruiting.

In this phase, it is important to work in optimal hygiene and sterilization conditions.

Materials: Pressure cooker, nutrient agar, electric stive, petri dishes, camping gas + lighter, parafil tape, scalpel, gloves, lab coat, alcohol.

Instructions:

Sterilize the textiles, petri dishes and growing medium in the pressure cooker.

Sterilize working area with ethanol and the camping gas.

Tag your petri dishes and pour growing medium.

Inoculate the petri dishes with the different ingredients.

Pine leaves and pine bark previously pasteurized in hot water for one hour.

Safety:

Wearing gloves and a lab coat si safer

Clean your hands after with ethanol and soap. No food or drinks around.

Deliciosus

Deliciosus

In this table we can observe different substrates inoculated in petris taking the funghi, Lactarius Deliciosus, as the main ingredient.

Evolution: Day 5

Evolution: Day 15

I have not developed any more explorations beyond the inoculation phase. The images shown are the result obtained.

The optimal conditions for the inoculation to be carried out successfully would be the following:

Moisture: Substrate moisture should be between 60 and 75%. Moisture contents below 40% promote slow and wispy mycelial growth. The water content of straw at inoculation is nearly 75%, precipitously dropping after the first flush to the 60% range, and continuing to steadily decline through the remainder of the cropping cycle. Retard the loss of substrate moisture by maintining high humidity during spawn run.

Air Exchange: Mushroom mycelium is remarkable in its tolerance for carbon dioxide. Some Oyster mushrooms´growth rates peak at 20% carbon dioxide, or 200,000 ppm. The best levels vary with the strain, and whether one is working with pasteurized or sterilized substrates. To reduce carbon dioxide, fresh outside air is introduced. Consequently, several other phenomena occur: Evaporation is increased; humidity drops; temperature changes; and the number of contaminant particles entering the growing room rises as air exhanges are increased.

Temperature: Incubation temperature runs higher than the temperature for primordia formation. Internal temperatures should not exceed 95ºF (35ºC).

Lighting: Ligth is especially harmful when intensities exceed 10,000 lux. The mycelial mat only becomes photosensitive after it has coincident with full colonization, and after carbon dioxide evolution has steeply declined.