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CULTIVATION TIPS ADVISIE Casing soil structure
By Jos Hilkens AdVisie ‘the mushroom growing consultants, Herkenbosch
hilkens@mushroomconsulting.nl
Photo’s: AdVisie
It is very important not to have too much mycelium in the casing soil. If too much mycelium is for- med during colonisation of the casing soil or at cool down, it is often impossible to create the right moisture content in the casing soil after the first flush – even if small bursts of water are sprayed the whole night. The second flush will emerge slower and often display blotches and will mature faster. The cause of a surfeit of mycelium often starts with a casing soil structure that is too fine. Gro- wers can create a coarser structure by increasing the moisture content of the casing soil, or by adjusting the speed of the CAC machine and the levelling system. In some cases, a heavier type of casing soil can be ordered. For mechanical cutting farms where high uniformity is crucial, a casing soil with a more crumb- like structure is preferable, but frequently the structure is too fine. There should still be some small clumps present of between 10 to 20 millimetres where no mycelium can grow. These clumps act as moisture buffers at a later stage of cultivation. The upper surface of the casing soil may be somewhat looser and more crumbly at filling to encourage uniform recovery and pinheading. Farms that pick manually generally prefer more spread then mechanical harvesting farms. One way to achieve this is by filling a slightly coarser upper layer of casing. Prevent clumps that are too large, however, otherwise fewer pins will often develop and production may drop by 1.5 to 2 kg/ m2. The influence of casing soil is greater than often thought. Assess the structure and the way the casing is applied critically, as growers can still make adjustments during casing or filling. Don’t forget to examine the extent of settling, pore clogging and rehydrating during cultivation either.
Rye and millet Praktisch advies bij:
By Con Hermans AdVisie “the mushroom growing consultants”, Heythuysen
hermans@mushroomconsulting.nl
Ziekte analyse en oplossingen
Compostering van A tot Z
Well-incubated compost is the foundation of stable growth, which is why growers favour compost that has incubated for 16 or 17 days. However, from a cost viewpoint, tunnel companies do not want to devote too many days to mycelium growth. The art is to achieve faster colonisation of the compost in fewer days of mycelium growth. Synthetic spawn carriers that should ideally guarantee faster colonisation of the compost are not yet gaining ground in Europe. Tunnel companies do not see enough advantages compared with using traditional rye grain spawn. The use of millet grain spawn seems to be on the increase again. Until about 30 years ago, millet was the standard carrier used by many spawn labs. Sub- sequently a gradual switch occurred to using rye grains. The sales argument ran that rye grains had a greater nutrient reserve, and in situations where the compost quality was not optimal, this property was considered an advantage. However, for spawn producers the real advantage was the far cheaper and easier spawn production on rye grains. In the meantime, we have learned that the nutrient reserves in spawn grain are of secondary importance. The main concern is adequate and fast colonisation of the compost, and millet can help in this respect. Practical experience shows that after 14 days of mycelium growth, compost inoculated with millet spawn is better colonised than if rye spawn is used. However, after a 17-day period the difference is negligible. The 100-grain weight of rye spawn is around seven grams and that of millet one gram. In other words with an identical dose of spawn in kilos, millet will give seven times more inoculation points for the mycelium to grow from, hence the faster colonisation. Millet spawn is more expensive for spawn labs to use in production, and the higher costs are often passed on to the customer. But, as a composter do not fall into the trap of compensating for the difference by using less spawn. That will simply make the advantage vanish!
Jos Hilkens +31(0)653 31 6204
Luchtbeweging en -hoeveelheid
Con Hermans +31(0)653 29 9396
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Jos Hilkens +31(0)653 31 6204
Mushroom growing
Composting
Disease analyses and control
Con Hermans +31(0)653 29 9396
www.champignonadvies.nl
www.mushroomconsulting.nl
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