CULTIVATION TIPS ADVISIE A minute more or less
By Con Hermans
AdVisie ‘the mushroom growing consultants’, Heythuysen
hermans@mushroomconsulting.nl
The process in the fermentation bunkers still literally and fi guratively takes place in the dark. We think that what happens is partly a biological and partly a chemical process, whereby simple sugars are combusted, biomass is formed, straw is softened and decomposed and ammonia is ‘locked’ into the material. Composters want to see the temperature rise as quic- kly as possible and stay above 80C for as long as possible. The only real form of controlling and managing this process is by dosing the amount of air that reaches the bunker. This is usually done using an on/off system. In cycles of, e.g. 15 minutes, fresh air is blown into the bunker for a few minutes, then the fan is switched off for a few minutes so excess water can drain from the compost. This on/off ventilation cycle diff ers on each composting facility, and depends on the fan capacity, size of the spigots, fi lling weight, recipe, moisture content and compost structure. This process can best be compared to kindling a fi re. You have to provide enough air (oxygen) to fuel the fl ames, but not too much or the air will extinguish the fi re (activity). Composters can play around with the on/off times: as the compost temperature rises, the less air you need to maintain the temperature increase. However, assessing whether you are giving the right amount of air is not easy – the diff erence between too much and too little can be just a minute. But if you start to do the maths, even that one minute may mean you are supplying 50% more or less oxygen. A signifi cant contributor to making productive compost is fi ne-tuning the optimal volume of air supplied. Too much air makes it diffi cult for the compost to reach the right temperature and you will blow away too much ammonia that ought to be locked in and too many carbohydrates needed as nutrition for the mushrooms will be combusted. Too little air means a gradual progression towards anaerobic processes, odour formation and higher sensitivity to Trichoderma.
Pick methodically and not all over Clear instructions and monitoring harvesting activities are essential to reach the intended
By Jos Hilkens
AdVisie ‘the mushroom growing consultants’, Herkenbosch
hilkens@mushroomconsulting.nl
Photos: AdVisie
production and quality goals. It isn’t always simple getting everyone on the same page and focussing properly on the task ahead .The key is repeat and repeat again. So bring everyone’s attention to correct practice every day - or week – by highlighting certain aspects. One of these is picking using an unvarying, logical and methodical system. You still often see pickers reaching too far - too far to the left and right and too far behind mean they miss the centre of the bed. This has a negative eff ect on the picking performance. Time is spent moving over the bed instead of picking mushrooms and fi lling the punnets. It is also bad for the picker’s posture, movement uses up a lot of energy and increases the risk of straining the back and shoulders and muscle injury. Pickers should instead concentrate on sections of the bed, as the colours in the photo show. The picker shouldn’t zig-zag across the section, but work methodically from the outside to the middle keeping to a tight pattern. This reduces the risks of damaging the mushrooms and gives a clearer view of which mushrooms should be picked or left on the bed. Change always take adaptation and time, and only pickers who persevere will start to notice the benefi ts. So don’t despair if things don’t go well on day one!
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Consulting for: the mushroom growing consultants
Jos Hilkens +31(0)653 31 6204
Mushroom growing Picking 6 MUSHROOM BUSINESS
Composting
Con Hermans +31(0)653 29 9396
www.mushroomconsulting.nl
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