a few weeks ago i bought an Unwins button mushroom box. followed instructions, airing cupboard for 2 weeks, then cooler room, keeping damp but not wet etc. had about 20 mushrooms in good nick, now it all seems to be going a bit mouldy, where am i going wrong?
Are you sure it's mould and not myceleum?
If it's blue green it's definitely mould. Myceleum looks more like cobwebs.
Myceleum (I could be spelling it wrong) is good as it's like the roots of the mushrooms - they grow out of it.
If the mushrooms are still growing it is unlikely that it's mould as the mould halts their growth.
If it's too warm and too damp, it'll go mouldy. If it's definitely mould, you'll need to through the whole lot away. The mould can spread into the mushrooms and make them inedible and you run the risk of getting nasty infections from touching it (toxoplasmosis!)
its not green, its that furry kind of stuff, its not all over, but the mushrooms are coming up soft and brownish and clumpy and not quite formed properly. havent been eating them. do you reckon i should give it more air or something
usually brown means they are too wet. Are you watering them regularly? maybe cut that down. Can you leave them somewhere for a couple of hours to allow the moisture to evaporate?
mould looks kind of crumbly, but more solid. Myceleum is more wispy - furry?
I've found usually the first batch is a bit malformed (although still perfectly edible!) and they do tend to come up in clumbs. The second flush is usually bigger and better.
And easy way to tell is to look down the side of the box - if it's mouldy it's usually green under there. (but don't look if it means damaging the growing medium!)
thanks, i'll try that, i dont have any signs of green mould, so think i'll be able to rescue them :D
My s h i t take mushroom kit did the same- still gives big mushrooms- harvests tend to come in flushes with a week or two between. The mould is nothing to worry about- i got a mushroom the size of a hubcap from my mouldy kit ;D
Quote from: aquilegia on May 10, 2005, 11:20:18
Myceleum (I could be spelling it wrong)...
Close enough...Mycelium.
My wife was given a kit at Christmas and still hasn't started it. I may have to take it over as I'm intrigued and excited about growing mushrooms. Once had two morel come up in my garden about five years ago - thought I'd be getting a regular supply thereafter, but not a single one has appeared since. Darn!!
I've got white fibres (mycelium, right?) all over the top of my mushroom kit which I started on May 13th (Friday!) but no mushrooms showing yet; I'm wondering if I should put another thin layer of compost on top or just wait with fingers crossed? In D.G. Hessayon's 'Vegetable & Herb Expert' he says to cover the white mould with a layer of compost and cover over again with the compost whenever you harvest a mushroom.
I've got it sitting in a wooden crate lined with a plastic bin-bag, with another plastic bag loosely over the top (leaving an airspace). I think it might be better to replace the top plastic bag with an old tea-towel - bit less damp atmosphere, because I see water forming on the underside of the top plastic bag, can anyone advise me?
Also, how frequently do you need to water and do you spray, or sprinkle, or inject the water into the compost?
Thanks!
Dan.
Dan - is the plastic bag clear? mushrooms do need light to grow. And they do need quite a damp atmosphere. Watering - follow the instructions. they seem to vary hugely! Last one I had said 20 sprays once a day until they start pinning. then stop watering and soak the kit after you've harvested the first flush.
Hi Acqui,
thanks for the tip, I'll replace with a seethrough bag, although I know (at least some species of) mushrooms will happily grow in the dark - there's a very interesting mushroom museum in a cave in France (Saumur) and there are many underground mushroom caves in France - here's a link (in french):
http://www.musee-du-champignon.com/
My mushroom box that Mum gave me for easter has been very productive, and after nothing for about 3 weeks, we checked yesterday and there are at least 10 little mushies coming. They were called something like small brown french, but to be honest, I can't remember!
My instructions said cover the white fibres to start with, but once cropping commences, stop. Also the lid is now lifted just a few centimeters off the box on matchsticks and it is in my cool porch after spending a week in my hot conservatory. I have to admit, I only remember to water it once in a blue moon, but it is doing well, and at least with this one we are not being plagued by trillions of little black flies!
My first mushrooms are coming through! I did what EJ and Aqui said, added about a centimetre of good potting compost, kept it moist with a water spray and covered it with clear plastic - now there's around 6 healthy little mushrooms and more on the way! Just under a month from when I started.
Looking forward to our first harvest - fried in butter yum yum! I'll wait till they're a bit bigger though.