GROWING GOURMET - Anto2ni.it

GROWING GOURMET MUSHROOMS ON ENRICHED SAWDUST 163
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Figure 132. :\dding 2-3" diameter wood chips on top
which builds the matrix.
this formula is equivalent to:
64 gallons sawdust
32 gallons wood chips
8 gallons bran
1 gallon gypsum (calcium sulfate)*
The above-mentioned mixture fills 160-180
bags of moist sawdust/bran to a wet mass between
5.0 and 5.5 lbs. I recommend using a
standardized volumethc unit for ease of handling,
anything from a plastic 4-gallon bucket to
the scoop bucket of a front end loader. In either
case, simply scale up or down the aforementioned
proportions to meet individual needs.
Thorough mixing is essential.
The above weights of the sawdust and chips
are approximate, based on their ambient, airdried
state. (The wood used, in this case, is red
alder, Alnus rubra, and is highly recommended.)
Bran should be stored indoors, away
from moisture, and off the ground to prevent
Figure 133. The ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
souring. Rice bran readily contaminates and
must be carefully handled. Molds and bacteria
flourish in nitrogen-rich supplements soon after
exposure to moisture.
Using a four-gallon bucket as a measurement
unit, 16 buckets sawdust, 8 buckets chips,
and 2 buckets bran lie ready for use. All three
are mixed thoroughly together in dry form,
then gypsum is added, and the final mixture is
* Raaska (1990) found that the use of calcium sulfate
(gypsum) stimulated mycelial growth of Shiitake in a
liquid media supplemented with sawdust. The
calcium sulfate did not, by itself, significantly affect
pH at make-up. However, mycelial growth was
stimulated by its addition, and there was a corresponding
precipitous decline of pH and a four-fold increase
in biomass vs. the controls. Leatham & Stahlman
(1989) showed that the presence of calcium sulfate
potentiated the photosensitivity of the Shiitake
mycelium, affecting fruitbody formation and
development.A beneficial effect of calcium sulfate on
the growth rate of other wood decomposers is strongly
suspected.
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