GROWING GOURMET - Anto2ni.it

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HOME-MADE VERSUS COMMERCIAL SPAWN
for lack of new food to digest. The acids, enzymes,
and other waste products secreted by the
mushroom mycelium become self-stifling. As
the viability of the spawn declines, predator
fungi and bacteria exploit the rapidly failing
health of the mycelium. A mycelial malaise
seizes the spawn, slowing its growth once sown
onto new substrates and lowering yields. The
most common diseases of spawn are competitor
molds, bacteria, and viruses. Many of these
diseases are only noticeable to experienced cultivators.
For the casual grower, buying commercial
spawn is probably the best option. Customers
of commercial spawn purveyors should demand:
the date of inoculation; a guarantee of
spawn purity; the success rate of other clients
using the spawn; and the attrition rate due to
shipping. Spawn shipped long distances often
arrives in a state very different from its original
condition. The result can be a customerrelations
nightmare. I believe the wisest course
is for commercial mushroom growers to generate
their own spawn. The advantages of
making your own spawn are:
1. Quality control: With the variable of shipping
removed, spawn quality is better assured.
The constant jostling breaks cells and wounds
the spawn.
2. Proprietary Strain Development: Cultivators
can develop their own proprietary strains.
The strain is the most important key to success.
All other factors pale in comparison.
3. Reduction of an expense: The cost of generating
your own spawn is a mere fraction of the
price of purchasing it. Rather than using a
spawn rate of only 3-6% of the mass of the tobe-inoculated
substrate, the cultivator can
afford to use 10-12+ % spawning rates.
4. Increasing the speed of colonization. With
higher spawning rates, the window of opportunity
for contaminants is significantly narrowed
and yields are enhanced. Using the spawn as the
vehicle of supplementation is far better than trying
to boost the nutritional base of the substrate
prior to inoculation.
5. Elimination of an excuse forfailure. When
a production run goes awry, the favorite excuse
is to blame the spawn producer, whether at fault
or not. By generating your own spawn, you assume
full responsibility. This forces owners to
scrutinize the in-house procedures that led to
crop failure. Thus, cultivators who generate
their own spawn tend to climb the learning
curve faster than those who do not.
6. Insight into the mushroom life cycle.
Mycelium has natural limits for growth. If the
spawn is "over-expanded", i. e. it has been
transferred too many times, vitality falters.
Spawn in this condition, although appearing
healthy, grows slowly and often shows symptoms
of genetic decline. A spawn producer
making spawn for his own use is especially
keen at using spawn at the peak of its vitality.
These insights can not be had by those who buy
spawn from afar.
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