Watering
A new watering system has been in use for some years now. It is a static system that incorporates pipes and nozzles in the beds. With conventional watering systems, a spray lorry moved along the beds. This blog explains the advantages and disadvantages of the static system. How the static system works The static system […]
Sealed growing rooms and tunnels
Well-sealed growing rooms are essential in order to exclude phorids and sciarids flies! Using chemical or biological control agents makes no sense at all if there are all manner of entry and exit routes still open to phorids and sciarids. If a room or tunnel is well and truly sealed, then you won’t even need […]
Recovering Period
Mycelium has to grow toward the surface where it develops pinheads. How do you achieve this? By not using the cooling! Common mistakes: You set the computer phase from mycelium growth to recovery period. For example, you set the air temperature to a minimum of 19oC. Heating quickly helps reach this temperature. The RH is set […]
Pre-wett
Straw determines the structure and the nutrient value of compost. New straw is harder, which is why the pre-wet period is crucially important for good production. Exciting: the first new straw Last year the straw produced in Europe was bad quality. For this reason many composters are quickly switching over to using the new season’s […]
Pest and diseases information
It is difficult to find good information about the pests and diseases that affect mushroom growing. This blog offers you handy tips on where to find good sources of information. Extensive reports The results of most studies are published in the form of extensive reports. But for growers concerned with the daily practicalities of mushroom […]
Odourless hazard
One of the basic raw materials used by composters is gully water or black water. This water is often stored in large water tanks. The hazards this involves are illustrated by the fact that in the Netherlands alone at least three incidents with slurry tanks occur each year. Unfortunately these incidents usually result in several […]
Mollier diagram
What is the absolute moisture content of the air? Or the enthalpy of the air? More and more growers have a handy app that reads out these values. I always ask: “What do you do with this data?” I don’t always get an answer. Because it’s not about the numbers. The best way to understand […]
Number of days of mycelium growth?
Mycelium growth is the stage from the moment of spawning up to the moment the compost is removed from the tunnel and filled into the growing room. Or when mycelium growth in compost took place in the growing room, it continues until the moment the compost is covered with casing soil. What happens during mycelium […]
Mushroom casing soil
Why is casing soil used? There are two main reasons: 1. the Pseudomonas putida bacterium; 2. to regulate evaporation. Mushrooms will not grow without evaporation. The casing soil structure, through the depth of casing and on the surface, is the factor that determines how much water can absorbed and released. This is also known as […]
Mycelium fails to develop properly – what now?
You have started cool down, but the mycelium fails to develop properly in the casing soil. The surface of the casing soil stays black. The pinheads develop from the mycelium below and between the clumps of casing soil and are therefore invisible. In these growing rooms too many pinheads then develop, which will lead to […]