How to Use Horse Manure and Straw Mushroom Substrate 25lbs
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How to Use Horse Manure and Straw Mushroom Substrate 25lbs
Preparing Your Workspace
When working with the Horse Manure and Straw Mushroom Substrate 25lbs, it’s important to maintain a clean and sanitized environment to reduce the risk of contamination. While a laminar flow hood or still air box is ideal, you can still achieve excellent results with these precautions:
- Sanitize your workspace with rubbing alcohol or a similar disinfectant, ensuring the area is free of dust and debris.
- Avoid rooms with moving air from fans, air conditioners, or heating systems, as this can carry contaminants.
- Wipe down the outside of your substrate bags with rubbing alcohol to remove any potential contaminants.
- Make sure your hands and all tools, such as scissors, are sanitized before opening the bag.
Working in a clean environment is critical to ensuring successful inoculation and growth of your mushrooms. A still air box is a useful tool if you don’t have access to a laminar flow hood, helping to limit the introduction of airborne contaminants during inoculation.
Inflating the Substrate Bags
The Horse Manure and Straw Mushroom Substrate 25lbs is pasteurized and ready to use, but before inoculation, it’s important to inflate each of the 5 x 5lb bags slightly. This process allows for proper airflow through the 5-micron filter patch, ensuring that the substrate has adequate gas exchange. Follow these steps to inflate the bags:
- Grasp the opposite gussets of the bag and gently pull them apart.
- Repeat this process several times to pull air through the filter patch, slightly inflating the bag.
Once the bags are properly inflated, they are ready to be inoculated with your grain spawn.
Inoculating the Horse Manure and Straw Substrate Bags
1. Prepare Your Grain Spawn
Before inoculating the substrate, you’ll need to prepare colonized grain spawn. This can be done by inoculating grain jars or grain bags with spores or liquid culture and allowing them to fully colonize over several weeks. If you need help with preparing spawn, refer to our detailed grain inoculation guides.
2. Cut Open the Substrate Bags
Once your spawn is fully colonized, use sanitized scissors or a sterilized knife to carefully cut open the top of each substrate bag as close to the heat seal as possible. Be careful not to damage the sides of the bag or the filter patch, as this could impact airflow and lead to contamination.
3. Add Your Colonized Spawn
After opening the substrate bags, break up the colonized grain spawn to ensure even distribution. For spawn stored in jars, use a sterilized tool such as a butter knife to break up the grains. For spawn stored in bags, gently massage the bag with your hands to break up the mycelium before adding it to the substrate bag.
Each 5lb bag of horse manure and straw substrate can be inoculated with up to 1 pound (or 1 quart) of colonized spawn. This ratio ensures that the substrate is fully colonized within a few weeks. If you want to speed up colonization, you can add more spawn.
4. Reseal the Substrate Bags
Once the spawn has been added, reseal the substrate bags. The best method for sealing is using an impulse sealer, which ensures an airtight closure. If you don’t have an impulse sealer, fold the bag several times and secure it with large paper clips or tape. Avoid using micropore tape, as it won’t create the airtight seal necessary for proper colonization.
Incubating the Horse Manure and Straw Substrate
After inoculating, place the substrate bags in an upright position, ensuring the filter patches remain unobstructed to allow for proper gas exchange. Store the bags at room temperature (65-75°F) in a place away from direct sunlight or temperature fluctuations.
The colonization process usually takes 3-4 weeks, depending on environmental factors and the type of mushroom culture used. Be patient and monitor the growth, making sure that the mycelium spreads evenly throughout the substrate. If you notice slowed growth, ensure the filter patch isn’t blocked and there is sufficient airflow.
Fruiting the Substrate
Once the substrate is fully colonized, you can introduce fruiting conditions to stimulate mushroom growth. Look for the development of hyphal knots, small white bumps that indicate the beginning of mushroom pinning. To introduce fruiting conditions, follow these steps:
- Open the bag once a day to allow fresh air to enter. This helps initiate the fruiting process by encouraging air exchange.
- Maintain humidity at around 90% by lightly misting the inside of the bag. Be careful not to over-mist, as too much moisture can lead to aborts during the pinning stage.
- Watch for mushroom development and harvest them just before the caps fully open to avoid spore release, which can be messy and affect future flushes.
Harvesting Your Mushrooms
To harvest the mushrooms, gently twist and pull them from the substrate. Avoid cutting them, as this can leave material behind that could invite contamination. After harvesting, continue misting and fanning the substrate bag to encourage additional flushes of mushrooms. Under the right conditions, you should be able to achieve multiple flushes from the same substrate bag.
Dealing with Contamination
While pasteurized substrates like the Horse Manure and Straw Substrate are more resistant to contamination, it’s still important to monitor the bags for signs of mold or bacterial growth. Watch for unusual colors, slime, or foul odors during the colonization and fruiting stages. If contamination occurs, it’s best to discard the affected bag and start over. Always sanitize your workspace after dealing with contamination to avoid spreading it to other projects.
Conclusion
The Horse Manure and Straw Mushroom Substrate 25lbs is an excellent bulk solution for cultivating dung-loving mushroom species. By following these steps for inoculation, incubation, and fruiting, you can achieve healthy and abundant mushroom flushes. Always prioritize cleanliness and proper airflow for the best results, and enjoy the multiple flushes this substrate can provide.