Temperature is one of the main factors that affect the fruiting process of mushrooms. The temperature often determine if a mushroom block will produce pins or remain in the mycelium stage of growth. For many mushroom growers, the issue of pins not producing from a mushroom block is often the result of incorrect temperature settings for that particuler mushroom block.
Mushrooms will require specific temperature to initiate their fruiting process; therefore, growers must ensure that they provide the appropriate temperature to initiate the mushrooms reproductive cycle. Mushroom blocks will contain species-specific ideal temperature ranges, as each mushroom species has evolved to grow within a specific environment. For instance, some mushroom species may require cool environment to grow well, while other species will grow best in warm environments.
How to Get Mushroom Blocks to Grow Mushrooms
Pearl and King oyster mushrooms, for instance, prefer cooler environments to grow, while Reishi mushrooms requires warmer environments to effectively grow. A drop in the growing temperature of a mushroom block will often indicate to the mycelium that it is time to begin producing pins. While mycelium will grow best at steady temperatures between 65 and 85 degrees F during the colonization stage of the mushrooms growth, growers often drop the temperature after the colonization of the mycelium to mimic the changing of the seasons.
For instance, Enoki mushrooms require a drop in temperature to encourage their stems to grow to desired lengths, but Shiitake mushrooms will grow best in environments with cool and mild temperatures. In addition to temperature, growers must control other factors within the mushroom block to ensure successful mushroom growth. Factors like humidity must be maintained at high levels (between 80 and 95%) to prevent the pins from drying out.
Additionally, high levels of carbon dioxide in the mushroom block will lead to the mushrooms stems growing too long and thin; fresh air exchanges will help to even out carbon dioxide levels to below 1000 parts per million, as well as using substrates with the appropriate amount of carbon dioxide based off the species of mushrooms being cultivated. A fruiting chamber can help to control the various environmental factors necessary to cultivate mushrooms. A simple fruiting chamber can be established using a plastic tote and perlite at the bottom of the plastic tote.
You can mist the plastic tote several times a day to maintain high humidity levels for the mushrooms, but you should not mist the mushroom blocks direct, as this can lead to bacterial growth on the mushrooms. Instead, the mushrooms should be exposed to indirect light for approximately twelve hour each day. The type of substrate used within the mushroom block is another critical factor in the growth of mushrooms.
Different species of mushrooms require different substrates to provide the proper nutrients for their growth. For instance, Lion’s Mane mushrooms will grow best in substrates composed of hardwood sawdust, while Portobello mushrooms will grow best on manure blends. Using the wrong substrate will cause the mycelium to take longer to colonize the substrate due to the lack of necesary nutrients.
Errors in the environment can often cause issues in the mushrooms growth; therefore, troubleshooting the environment can ensure that you correct issues prior to causing further problems. If pins are not appearing from the mushroom block, the temperature may be too high for that species of mushrooms or the carbon dioxide levels may be too high within the block. If the mushrooms stems are too long and thin, they likely need more light and fresh air.
If the mushroom caps begin to crack, the humidity levels may have dropped too low for the mushrooms. As most growing issue result from environmental factors, addressing the environment will fix the majority of the issues with mushroom cultivation. Mushroom blocks can produce multiple flush of mushrooms.
After the mushrooms begin to form, they can be gently twisted prior to the development of the veils. The mushrooms should be stored in paper bag and stored in the refrigerator once they are harvested. After the first flush of mushrooms is harvested from the block, the block can be rested before soaking the mushrooms in cold water; this will encourage a second flush of mushrooms from the same block.
Thus, with providing the appropriate amount of temperature, humidity, and substrate, the mushroom block will produce multiple harvests of mushrooms.