White Oyster Mushroom Mycelium Spores Seeds (Pleurotus cornucopiae)

White Oyster Mushroom Mycelium Spores Seeds (Pleurotus cornucopiae)

Price for Package of 10 ml.

Pleurotus cornucopiae is a species of edible fungus in the genus Pleurotus, It is quite similar to the better-known Pleurotus ostreatus, and like that species is cultivated and sold in markets in Europe and China, but it is distinguished because its gills are very decurrent, forming a network on the stem.

Naming

The species name means "of the Cornucopia" (Horn of Plenty), which is appropriate since the mushrooms are edible and sometimes take on a shape similar to a drinking horn.

The original definition of this species, or basionym, was made by Jean-Jacques Paulet in 1793 as Dendrosarcos cornucopiae. At a time when most gilled mushrooms were lumped into genus Agaricus, Paulet invented genus Dendrosarcos, later Latinised to Dendrosarcus, for those having an excentric or missing stipe. In fact those fungi have not been found to be a closely related group, and today the name only has historical interest, though the taxonomic rules imply that it still needs to be recorded. In 1871 in his "Führer in die Pilzkunde" ("Guide to Mycology"), Paul Kummer introduced Pleurotus as a genus,[4] but the allocation of P. cornucopiae to it was only done later in 1910 by Léon Louis Rolland.

The synonym Pleurotus sapidus due to Schulzer (1873) is sometimes seen

The English name "Branched Oyster Mushroom" has been given to this species.

General

The cap grows to about 15 cm, with a pale yellowish, brownish or greyish surface. At most there may be very slight traces of the veil.

The stem is always present, may be forked and can vary from excentric to fairly central. Each stem may be up to about 11 cm long and up to 2 cm thick.

The whitish gills are decurrent down the stem and anastomose (criss-cross), becoming a network of ridges at the bottom.

The strong smell has an aniseed element and is also floury when the mushroom is cut. The taste is floury.

Distribution, habitat & ecology

This mushroom is saprobic on dead wood and can also be a weak parasite.[8] It occurs stumps and fallen trunks of oak, beech, elm, and other broad-leaved trees.

Appearing from spring to late summer, it is distributed in the wild throughout Europe, where it varies locally between common and fairly rare.[7] It is also reported from the U.S. and Mexico.

Similar species

P. cornucopiae is quite similar to the well-known food mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus, being distinguished because in the latter case, the gills are not very decurrent and the cap colour is slate or bluish grey. Another species, Pleurotus pulmonarius has a comparable cap colour to P. cornucopiae but the gills on the stipe are similar to P. ostreatus.

It is even more closely related to the yellow-capped "golden oyster mushroom", Pleurotus citrinopileatus, which is native to eastern Asia. The forms are easily distinguishable by the cap colour, but they are sometimes considered to be just varieties of the same species, and as a consequence golden oyster mushrooms are sometimes identified using the older scientific name Pleurotus cornucopiae.[12] However, according to the mycological reference "Species Fungorum", these are two separate species.

Human impact

This mushroom is edible and it is cultivated in a manner similar to P. ostreatus, though less extensively.[14] For instance a Chinese paper evaluated several commercially available varieties of P. cornucopiae and reported that it in the Shanghai area an appropriate growth medium is cotton-seed hulls and wood-chips, with 65% water content.[15] Another paper (actually treating the yellow-topped form) also suggested pasteurized switch grass as a useful substrate, though the yield was less than with cotton-seed hulls and straw.

It is a mild parasite of broad-leaved trees.

GROWING INSTRUCTION Oyster

Growing of mushrooms on wood (extensive method)

Oyster mushrooms are grown on tree stumps in greenhouses or cellars, in shady places on the plot. Freshly chopped aspen, poplar or oak trunks are cut into chunks 30-40 cm in length and 15-25 cm in diameter. In the prepared sections, holes with a depth of 4-5 cm are drilled. And a diameter of 2 cm. Or make the notches over the entire area, or the notches with an ax. In these holes put a little mycelium, then cover with pieces of bark, chips, sawdust or moss, so that the mycelium does not fall out of them. The air in the room should not be dry, with a relative humidity of 90%. At lower humidity, water can be sprayed. In 2-3 months the mycelium of the fungus permeates all the churks. In the future, the chocks can be taken out of the room and each chuck is buried in the ground at 10-15 cm deep in a shaded place, where direct sunlight does not reach. And you can land at once in the garden, moreover, at any time of the year, even in winter. Morozov mycelium is not afraid. During this period it is necessary to water chocks. Mushrooms, planted on wood, grow 5-6 years.

Rate of consumption: one package of mycelium is enough for 50 kg of wood.

Growing mushrooms on plant residues (intensive method)

Substrate

Straw or sunflower husks are used as a substrate. Straw and husk must be of good quality, without signs of rot and mold. Before processing, it is desirable to chop the straw, at home it will be sufficient to grind to 3-7 cm. Grinding makes the straw compact and more accessible to the enzymes of the mycelium.

Substrate preparation

For home use, simple pasteurization options can be used, for example, with boiling water. The substrate is poured with water at a temperature of 80-90 ° C and held for 3-4 hours for husks or 7-8 hours for straw. Then the water is drained, and the substrate (straw or husk) should cool to a temperature of 20-30 ° C. Before sowing the mycelium and packing, the moisture content of the substrate is approximately determined: if the substrate is compressed in the hand, water droplets should appear between the fingers, which corresponds to the optimum humidity of the substrate-70%. In case of waterlogging, water will flow down in trickles.

Formation of substrate blocks

Then, the well cooled and wrung out substrate is mixed with the mycelium. Put the compost in a transparent plastic bag. To tie. For air exchange, make several incisions 3-5 cm across the entire area of ​​the package. A ready-made mushroom block was obtained.

Fruiting

Germination of mycelium lasts 15 - 18 days at a temperature of 14 - 28 ° C. When fruiting, natural and active ventilation is used. Illuminate substrate blocks only during fruiting, and in open areas and in rooms with windows, normal day-night mode is considered. In those places where the rudiments of fruiting bodies appeared, they carefully cut the film. Fruiting takes 2-3 weeks. In 5-7 days between the waves. The first three waves bring the greatest harvest. Yield 35-40% of the weight of the substrate.

Rate of application: 2% of the mycelium from the total mass of the moistened, soaked substrate.

Growing Mushrooms on Your Own Substrate and Container VIDEO