GROWING GOURMET - Anto2ni.it

Figure 158. The Phoenix Oyster, Pleurotus
pulmonarius fruiting from a wall formation of
stacked bags.
underdeveloped, causing abnormal, fluted or
trumpet shaped mushrooms.
The key to the success of this method lies
with strains which form bouquets of mushrooms
site-specifically at the holes in the
plastic. Ideally, primordial clusters hosting
multiple mushrooms form at each locus. (See
Chapter 14. Features for Evaluating & Selecting
a Mushroom Strain.)
Vertical Wall Culture
In the progression of techniques, the
Agaricus tray has been modified for growing
Oyster mushrooms by turning it vertically so
mushrooms could fruit out both faces. Usually
these vertical surfaces are screened with tight
wire or plastic mesh. Perforated plastic positioned
between the substrate and the wire mesh
allows the formation and development of mush-
CROPPING CONTAINERS 195
rooms while retaining moisture. Alternately, a
plastic curtain is used to envelope the container
until the time of fruiting.
Racks having a breadth of 12-16 inches support
full flushes and generally do not become
anaerobic near the core, a problem seen when
racks are 20 inches and more in breadth. If properly
designed, individual 4 ft. x 4 ft. to 4 ft. x 8
ft. rack frames can be stacked upon each other
in the construction of continuous mushroom
walls. With one side of the frame hinged for
opening, filling is made easy.
Another variation of wall culture is the building
of walls by stacking polypropylene bags,
sideways, on top of one another. Only the ends
of the bags have an opening, causing mushrooms
to form on the exposed outer surface of
the constructed wall. Here, forming the bags
into a square shape at the time of inoculation facilitates
wall construction.
Figure 159. Slanted wan culture of Shiitake, constructed
of stacked sawdust blocks.
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