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CULTIVATIONTIPS ADVISIE Controlling compost temperature By Jos Hilkens


AdVisie ‘the mushroom growing consul- tants’, Herkenbosch


hilkens@mushroomconsulting.nl


At cool down, the compost temperature often rises by one to two degrees in the fi rst day. You will sometimes see this temperature reach values of between 28 and 30oC. The downside of this high temperature is that extra moisture is lost from the casing soil during cool down. This impacts negatively on mycelium quality and makes the microclimate where pinhead formation occurs drier. This can have the undesirable eff ect of speeding up growth and will usually result in fewer pinheads. Wetter composts often show more temperature peaks at the start of cool down as there is still a strong spurt of mycelium growth in the compost. Positive eff ects can be achieved by reducing spraying in the fi rst two days and taking a day longer for preparation. It is also advisable to keep the compost temperature lower during preparation (24 – 25oC) and to reduce the temperature one day before starting cool down to 24oC. If suffi cient CAC is applied, the duration of recovery can be shortened to one/ one and a half days instead of two. In a shorter recovery period, the compost temperature has less time to increase. Allowing slightly more circulation during the recovery period can also improve control of the compost temperature. If all this fails, take a critical look at fi lling practice. Things such as fi lling weight, compost compaction, the amount of supplement and the type of plastic underneath the compost can all infl uence how well the compost tempera- ture can be controlled.


Old chicken manure By Con Hermans


AdVisie ‘the mushroom growing consul- tants’, Heythuysen


hermans@mushroomconsulting.nl Photos: AdVisie


Chicken manure makes the compost richer in nitrogen, ensures good temperature development and fermentation and the high ammonia content is essential for eff ective pasteurisation. The quality tends to fl uctuate and as supplies are not always stable, many composters build up a working stock for several weeks ahead. By continually mixing this stock a reasonably homogeneous product can be obtained, with greater processing stabi- lity. However, in some cases a very large stock is built up. Stockpiling manure for too long has many disadvantages. For example, combustion occurs when chicken manure is stored. This causes ammonia to be lost resulting in poorer chicken manure. The temperature in the bunker will not increase as much which leads to reduced fermentation. The manure will also be more compact in structure and lumpier, and therefore more diffi cult to dose and mix. The manure will attract greater numbers of fl ies and the surrounding area will experience more problems caused by odour nuisance – due in part to the large stock of manure and also to the sulphur compounds released during the combustion process. The moisture content of the chicken manure determines to a great extent how long you can stockpile it. Dry chicken manure shows hardly any temperature development, so you can store it slightly longer. A working stock to last for two to three weeks is often long enough for chicken manure with a higher moisture content. The photo shows straw-ba- sed chicken manure which is so old that inky caps are starting to grow.shows straw-based chicken manure which is so old that inky caps are starting to grow.


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Consulting for: the mushroom growing consultants


Jos Hilkens +31(0)653 31 6204


Mushroom growing Composting 6 MUSHROOM BUSINESS


Air distribution


Con Hermans +31(0)653 29 9396


www.mushroomconsulting.nl


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