GROWING GOURMET - Anto2ni.it

GROWTH PARAMETERS 235
short period of time. At a recent mycological society gathering, the addition of finely chopped Enoki
to a cream sauce, stems and all, resulted in a crerne
Comments: This mushroom is the classic example of the influences light and carbon dioxide have on
fruitbody formation. Like Oyster mushrooms, this mushroom's appearance is contingent upon the
environment in which it was grown. The growing room environment can be tuned to elicit the perfect
crop. Over time, experienced growers can orchestrate flushes with precision and generate clusterbouquets
of golden mushrooms. Properly managed, each bundle achieves a remarkably similar
weight.
Under outdoor conditions (moderate light/low C02), this mushroom is short-stemmed with caps as
wide as the stems are long. The lower regions of the stem develop a darkened fuzz, hence the common
name "The Velvet Foot". Under the lighted, high carbon dioxide conditions, the stems greatly elongate
and are yellow to white in color. The caps remain relatively small. While CO2 determines the
length of the stem, light is an overriding factor in influencing the formation and development of the
cap. Thus under high CO2 and no light conditions, thin stems may form usually without any caps.
Most strains behave in this fashion but responses vary. Depending on the surrounding environment,
the stems can be as short as 1 inch to as long as 12 inches. The cap to stem ratio varies from 1:1 to
1:100. This range in the shape of the fruitbody is remarkable.
The surface mycelium undergoes a radical
transformation during the period of pre-primordia
formation. The mycelium yellows, and then
forms dingy, blemished brown and white zones,
which soon evolve into a roughened, beaded surface.
From this micro-landscape, a high
population of minute, squat, yellow primordia
emerge. The mushrooms appear virtually
stemless. If carbon dioxide levels are kept elevated,
above 5,000 ppm., significant stem
elongation continues. Japanese cultivators have
invented the technique of fruiting in bottles that
are topped with a cylindrical insert of clear plastic
or paper. The cylinder pools carbon dioxide and
the stems elongate. This technique encourages the
formation of highly uniform flushes of mushrooms
in each bottle.
For more information on the development of
the mushroom strains in response to humidity 1evels,
see McKnight (1985, 1990, 1992).
Figure 210. A Japanese Enoki-take cultivator.
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