How long honey mushrooms grow
Honey mushrooms are outwardly unpretentious, unpretentious mushrooms, however, they have excellent taste and are universal in use. They are often grown at home. The growth time of honey agarics is short and depends on the organized climatic conditions.
How long honey mushrooms grow
Features of growing honey agarics
In nature, mushrooms grow in large groups on fallen trees and stumps, i.e. on dead wood, although they can settle on living, but weakened trees.
- These are "hemp" fungi that actively reproduce on the moist wood of deciduous trees. They do not germinate on rotten wood. This method of growing on logs or stumps is also practiced at home. Mycelium grows with proper care in a greenhouse
- Growing honey agarics in glass jars.
- If there are freshly cut trees on the garden plot, it is better to choose the main cultivation method and not risk future mushrooms. If not, sprouting mycelium in a jar will do. As a planting material, the fruiting body of the fungus or a piece of wood is used, where they germinated earlier (it contains mycelium).
- The time of growing mycelium on stumps (or with other methods of keeping) depends on the weather conditions. Usually, mushrooms go to the forest after the rain, expecting to get a rich harvest. In artificially organized conditions, the climate created by the owner of the "mushroom garden" also plays an important role.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
Having chosen stumps left over from sawn trees and still growing as a basis for growing honey agarics, you will have to periodically water the ground around them after settling with mycelium.
If you decide to opt for logs, then in the case of logs that have been felled long ago, they will have to be soaked before planting the mycelium. Then such logs will need to be placed in the basement, where a constant temperature is maintained at + 15 ... 20 ℃ and covered with straw. Since high levels of humidity are required, you will need to wipe the floors and walls several times a day, or supply a sufficient number of containers of water. As soon as the logs become overgrown with mycelium, they need to be taken out to the site and dug in the place chosen for this. Already next year you will receive the first harvest of honey agarics. The collection will continue until the complete "death" of the hemp or log.
The more accurate and quality the growing conditions are, the higher the growth rate will be. The average readiness of the mycelium for harvesting is 7-8 days.
Dependence of mushroom growth on air temperature
Mushroom growers in their practice are often guided by the air temperature. Reproduction of mycelium planted on a hemp begins already at a temperature of + 3 ... + 4 ° C (spores of winter, autumn and spring honey agarics germinate). The mushroom grows under such conditions for up to 30 days. The germination rate changes in the presence of systematic jumps (drops) in the night and daytime temperatures.
A favorable indicator for active growth of mycelium is usually in the range of + 16 ... + 26 ° С.Summer and autumn varieties of mushrooms are able to grow and complete a period of active growth in just 8-9 days without changes in temperature and high humidity. If the temperature is above the upper limit, the germination rate slows down.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
The mushroom grower should never forget that the mycelium absorbs all nutrients by osmosis, and chemical reactions in the cells of the fruiting body occur only at certain temperatures. For fungi, air humidity in the ground layers is extremely important. Fruit (spore-bearing) bodies are formed when the air humidity in the surface layers is at least 50-60%, because their body is devoid of structures that protect the cells of the fungus from excess moisture evaporation. Therefore, very often mushroom pickers and mycologists say that the growth of fungi (fruit bodies) stops in case of a sharp onset of drought, even if this happened after a rainy period and there seems to be enough soil moisture. But the air in the surface layer is dry and, as a result, the fruiting body of the fungus dries up. In this case, experienced mushroom pickers look for mushrooms under the moss or in the forest floor.
When the thermometer exceeds the + 30 ° C mark, the honey fungus quickly deteriorates, especially if a drought is observed during its development.
Growing honey agarics in the forest
Temperature is important for mushroom growth
Meadow mushrooms (they are also called "wild mushrooms") sprout on stumps. For active growth, they need a temperature of + 20 ... + 23 ° С (in summer) and + 10 ... + 12 ° С (in autumn and spring). For the rapid ripening of fruit bodies, high moisture content of the wood and the surrounding air is also important. Both autumn and spring and summer mushrooms need an optimal combination of heat and moisture for rapid development.
A favorable humidity indicator should be 50-65%. In just a day, an increase in the leg of 2-2.5 cm is observed. In the following days, only the cap develops. You can go for mushrooms 3-4 days after the rain.
Subject to the parameters of heat and moisture at home, an edible mushroom mushroom will germinate on a hemp up to 4 times a month.
Germination rate of autumn mushrooms
Autumn mushrooms, collected in September and early October, are the most popular among mushroom pickers, as they contain a large amount of compounds useful for humans in their fruit bodies. It is the start of the rainy season, but the weather is still warm outside. This period is referred to as the most productive time for mushroom picking.
In autumn, mushrooms grow most rapidly: from late August to mid-October, mycelium grows in just 8 days. In case of heavy rain, it takes even less time to grow. The fruiting body is suitable for cutting as early as 4-5 days.
Autumn mushrooms have different growth rates, depending on the state of the wood. On an old and rotten tree, mycelium grows faster, since this wood, due to its characteristics, absorbs moisture more easily. In just a day, their number often doubles, and a new, young mushroom, after 24 hours will have a leg 4-5 cm long, and a cap with a diameter of 2-2.5 cm. The maximum growth of this mushroom reaches 14 cm at the size of the cap is 8-9 cm. If the mushroom exceeds this size, most likely, it is a representative of false agarics.
Mushrooms harvested later, in late October - early November, are considered winter. In comparison with autumn mushrooms, winter mushrooms grow more slowly and only in those regions where the climate is mild and warm. A favorable condition for the germination of the last crops in the year will be the absence of frosts and the temperature range from + 6 ° С to + 10 ° С
Conclusion
Honey mushrooms are one of the fastest growing mushrooms, so it is profitable to grow them at home. Growth rate depends on climatic conditions. With the proper temperature and humidity, it will be possible to cut off the fruit bodies in 7-8 days in the summer, and in the beginning of autumn - after 4-5.
