GROWING GOURMET - Anto2ni.it

other gourmet and medicinal mushrooms. More
accurately, I would described these fruitings as
being triggered by nutrient limitation, not deprivation.
FRUITBODY (Mushroom)
DEVELOPMENT
Moisture: Atmospheric moisture must be
carefully managed to allow mushroom development
but not to the advantage of
competitors While relative humidity approaches
100% during primordia formation, it
should be lowered to levels whereby a constant
rate of evaporation is drawn from the
fruitbodies.The crop should be sprayed several
times a day, as long as the excess water is soon
reabsorbed by either the mushrooms, the substrate,
or the air. This dynamic process of
replenishment and loss encourages the best crops
of mushrooms. The humidity in the growing
room is often reduced several hours prior to
picking, extending the shelf life of the crop.
This is where the "Art" of cultivation plays a
critical role in affecting quality.
Air Exchange: Air exchange and turbulence
are managed for maximum benefit of the
mushrooms, in terms of reducing carbon dioxide
levels, elevating oxygen concentration, and
to effect the constant evaporation of moisture
from the surfaces of the maturing mushrooms.
Temperature: Temperature levels either remain
the same or are raised. Typically after
primordia formation, temperature controls the
GROWTH PARAMETERS 217
speed of development of the fruitbody. Naturally,
warmer temperatures result in faster
growth while colder temperatures slow development.
One advantage of fruiting at a cooler
temperature is that a firmer-fleshed, higherquality
mushroom forms at the time of harvest.
Lighting: Without adequate light, stem elongation
and malformation of the cap occur.
Oyster and Enoki mushrooms are especially
sensitive. Also strong light alters the pigment
of the developing mushrooms. Some strains of
Oyster mushrooms darken under bright light
conditions; others pale. This response is also
affected by temperature.
Duration: The timing of crops; their first appearance,
the duration of harvest, and the
period of time between crops are strain and
process dependent. With Shiitake on sterilized
sawdust/chips/bran, I go for 4 or 5 crops. With
Oyster mushrooms grown in columns on pasteurized
straw, two to three flushes seem most
efficient. Approximately seven days to two
weeks separate the end of the first flush to the
beginning of the second. Fruiting occurs within
time frames, or "windows of opportunities. "A
period of dormancy is required between crops
so nutrients can be accumulated as the mycehum
prepares for the next crop. During these
windows of opportunity, the cultivator must actively
signal the mushroom mycelium with as
many environmental stimuli as possible. Synchronizing
this combination of events gives
rise to the best possible fruitings.
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