GROWING GOURMET - Anto2ni.it

282 GROWTH PARAMETERS
In Japan one can often find fresh Nameko for sale while in the United States only canned mushrooms
have been available. Every fall, select Japanese restaurants in the United States feature this
mushroom in a traditional autumn soup which is clear, subtilely seasoned with tiny bits of coriander
leaf and other herbs.
Comments: This mushroom is more sensitive to moisture and carbon dioxide levels than most. For
indoor cultivation, a precise initiation strategy
is called for. I prefer not to use a casing layer as it promotes
contamination, makes the cleaning of mushrooms tedious, and is unnecessary with good
environmental controls in the growing room.
Should a casing layer not be applied, the block of supplemented sawdust
must be exposed to a
"condensing-fog" environment during the primordia formation period. If the aerial mycelium suddenly
dehydrates, and dies back, surface primordia will be prevented and no crops will form. In this
event, the cultivator must either roughen the surface of the block and/or apply a moist casing layer,
two second-choice alternatives.
To initiate mushroom
formation, temperatures are lowered to the 50-60° F. (10-15° C.) range, carbon
dioxide levels are lowered, relative humidity is increased to 98-100 % rH, light levels are
increased to >500 lux, and the surface mycelium is frequently misted with a fine spray of water. Approximately
a week after initiating, orange streaks of slime form across the exposed surface of the
mycelium. It is essential that the cultivator encourages
the formation of this marmalade-looking
goop. Soon thereafter, populations of primordia form and emerge within this overlaying, glutinous
mass. So elastic is this material that it can be stretched more than 6 inches with each pull. This glutinous
layer acts as a moisture bank promoting mushroom formation and
development. Should this
layer collapse due to dehydration, the primordia are at risk of aborting.
Rather than removing the entire polypropylene
bag, I recommend that most
cultivators cut off the
top portion ofthe incubation bag, leaving 3-4 inch side walls of plastic surrounding the exposed, upper
surface of the sensitive mushroom mycelium. These plastic walls will help collect moisture,
enhancing primordia formation. If done properly, the mushroom stems will elongate to exactly the
height of these walls, facilitating harvest.
Using this casing-less
the second flush will be poor unless the surface is roughened to
expose viable mycelium.A paddle with extruding nails or a wire brush serves this purpose well. Once
the surface layer is torn apart, humidity is again raised to achieve the condensing-fog atmosphere.
Soon thereafter (4-7 days), the mycelium becomes aerial, fuzzy, regenerates the orange slime layer,
giving rise to another break of mushrooms. To achieve a third flush, I
recommend turning the block
upside down, roughening
its surface, and following a similar strategy to that described above. Fourth
and fifth flushes are usually not substantial. However, I have put Nameko blocks into my "mushroom
graveyard", letting nature prevail, and have been
pleasantly surprised at getting more mushrooms. Be
forewarned. For a slug, there can be no better feast than this slimy Pholiota!
The advantages of not using a casing layer are: less work; less risk of green mold (Trichoderifla)
contamination; and the harvested mushrooms are free of debris. Because of the glutinous nature of
the P. nameko fruitbodies, casing debris readily adheres to, and is difficult to remove from the harvested
mushrooms and your fingers.
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