Home-grown champignons? You need to select mycelium carefully

Have you come across a champignon mycelium in a garden store or supermarket? Perhaps you were attracted by the nice image on the cover promising beautiful white pilei that will taste great. Well, you need to be careful when selecting mycelium because this is the most important part. Many vendors my offer a “star-up” package that may bring no yield.

Up to 10 kg of mushrooms from one package

If you have selected the right package and care for it properly, you should be able to get that much mushrooms. Produces usually promise from 8 to 10 kg. The minimum should be 3 kg. However, if you do not care your mushrooms properly and fail to follow instructions, you may get no yield at all. It happened to us. When we finally threw out the mycelium it was teeming with ants. So, how can you tell that you are getting the right package?

Photo: Pixabay

Fresh package is essential

If the champignon package has been sitting at the store for more than a month, it is very likely that it will not give you much yield. Manufacturers usually do not state the substrate filling or production date and that is unfair. The vendor should store packages that have not been sold immediately in a dark room where the temperature is around 10 degrees Celsius. Storing them under direct sunlight and therefore at higher temperatures is bad. Best if you can buy packages that have been stored at room temperature and which have already grown a bit. Try to press on the package lightly. It should be quite flexible and return to its original state.

White-to-grey mycelium and relative humidity

If the mycelium has grown through the substrate well, it should give out a wonderful mushroom smell but this you cannot check when buying, but when you bring it at home, let it grow at a temperature of around 25 °C. The white-gray mycelium should gradually become more and more visible. Packages that lay around in front of gardening stores do not look attractive and you should not buy them. Most likely they have been exposed to low or too high temperatures. Packages contain a manual with pictures and you should strictly follow the instruction within. It is not complicated but do not try to create your own rules.

Preview photo: Radek Štěpán