How to Cultivate Mushrooms

Introduction

In recent years, the practice of mushroom cultivation has begun in Tanzania after people have considered the nutritional value of protein and the benefits of the crop. Since mushrooms are varied, their development varies according to their needs, including weather, raw materials, ease of reproduction technology in the Tanzanian environment and its market to the public and the hotel. However, few people know mushroom cultivation.

The produced mushrooms are known. The best varieties for Tanzania are those that thrive, in areas with average temperatures of 20C to 33C. For example the mother mushroom type e.g. These types of mushrooms also require 75% humidity.

Breeding

Before you start producing mushrooms you must have a rooftop room that will withstand the sun, rain, and dust. This room should have a humid floor as well as a dark area which is essential for growing the mushroom membrane. The average farmer can use the box as part of the dark.

Seeds

Mushroom seeds are produced in laboratories that have the ability to produce the seeds without contamination or mix with pathogens such as bacteria, fungi or other non-cultivated mushroom communities. In Tanzania right now the labs are located at the University of Agriculture (SUA), the University of Dar es Salaam, the Uyole agricultural research center, Tengeru (HORTI-Tengeru, Arusha), and TIRDO

Important steps for growing mushrooms

Collect crop residues such as stalks, rice leaves, wheat, rice pods or maize, sugarcane residue after scrub etc. These substances are used as raw material for the preparation of mushrooms.

Stalks, leaves of rice or bananas should be cut to a height of not more than 6 cm, or the length of your fingers using a sword or a knife.

Soak raw material in normal water for a full day (24 hours).

Then boil for two hours to kill the germs and parasites.

Drain and dump all the water and then spread it in a clean gutter so that it does not get contaminated with dust or germs.

Then fill this raw material into nylon bags ready for planting.

How to Plant

There are two types of planting

The first type

Take a nylon bag about 40 - 45 cm wide and 75 cm high. Place a layer of 10 cm deep raw material in a bag and spread the mushroom seeds on it. After placing the seeds, place another layer of eggplant and place the seeds on it. Continue adding layers in this manner until it comes to three quarters of the bag.

Type II

Mix the fermentation raw material (after boiling and cooling) with the mushroom seed in a ratio of 1: 25 (seed: fermentation raw material) to the mother mushroom (Pleurotus spp.). Then the mixture should be filled in nylon bags. These bags should have a size of 20 cm to 40 cm in which you can fill 1 - 1.5 kg of raw material for cooking.

Close the bags and lock the holes in bags 1 cm in diameter every 6 to 10 cm in each bag. The vents should be large enough to allow enough air into the bags. Remember mushrooms are a living organism so you need to breathe.

Care

Keep bags in a dark room. For the average gardener you can use a lightweight box like a dark room. Leave the bags there for 14 - 21 days without revealing so that the white fog can spread well.

If the mushroom membrane is spreading well on the raw material for cooking, transfer it to a light and ventilated room. In a light room, bags can be placed on tables, tables, wire racks or poles.

Bags can also be hung from a string from the beams of the room's roof. You need to maintain the humidity in the light room by pouring water on the floor. If you see the seedlings dry you can spray the boiled water and cool it on the bags three or more times a day. Use a one-liter mobile tap to spray water. Please: do not overload the water as too much water can damage the mushrooms you started growing. Most types of mushrooms begin to produce heads (pins) 2 - 3 days after they are placed in the light.

Harvesting

Mushrooms are ready to be harvested three days after the heads / pins appear. Mushrooms are harvested by hand by holding the center of the stem of the mushrooms and rotating until the mushrooms have thickened. Do not remove the head alone in harvesting the mushrooms as retaining the stem prevents other mushrooms from occurring. The farmer needs to know the mushroom market before harvesting to avoid storage costs. Since the mushrooms are harvested, they should be eaten before they are damaged.

How to save

i) You can put the mushrooms in paper bags and store in the refrigerator.

ii) You can dry it in the sun until it is dry and put in tightly sealed nylon bags so that it does not air and moisture.

Mushroom Market

i) Most people like raw mushrooms from the field at the same time as a stew, using it as meat, fish, or as an ingredient.

ii) You can sell raw mushrooms at a price of Shs. 6000 / = up to 10000 / = per kilogram of mushrooms.

You can also export if your mushrooms are large and are internationally accepted.

Factors to Consider

Mushroom production is very sensitive to the weather and materials you have available, so before you choose the type of mushroom you want to plant, consult your local experts.

Once you buy the seed, if it is sown for the time being, be sure to store the seed in the refrigerator. If you do not have a refrigerator for storage, buy seeds after preparing everything. However, seed germination is good if they stay outside the refrigerator for two days.

Mushrooms are packed in a 300-mL container, and you can use one bottle to plant 15 kg of raw material for cooking. Make sure

you get rid of all the seeds in the jar as they remain infected.

Make sure you buy the seed white. A non-white seed is a symptom of another parasite infection and is therefore unsuitable for planting.

Make sure the planting room is clean and free of dust from outside to prevent fungal infections.

Do not pour boiled water to mushrooms as that water is usually not safe. It can cause some parasites to germinate, since mushrooms are too weak to withstand parasite competition.

They can also cause mushroom diseases whose treatment requires the use of toxic chemicals and thus cause harm to the consumer. You can get many benefits from mushroom production.

Benefits of Mushrooms

Nutrition as a protein similar to that found in milk, fish and legumes. You will also find vitamins B, C, and D, as well as warm minerals, phosphoras, iron and potash.

Mushrooms are believed to cure diseases like tuberculosis, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and kidneys.

Crop residues are used in mushroom breeding, and after mushroom cultivation they can be used as natural fertilizers for horticulture. The remainder of the mushroom cultivation is also used as animal feed for cattle.

This crop requires very little land and a small amount of water, thus alleviating the problem of land scarcity and social strife that is the cause of the problem.

This cultivation is year-round, with the first cycle being between 6 to 12 weeks

This farm is the easiest way to provide employment to families due to the low cost, easy technology used and its high output.