In the process of growing oyster mushrooms, many mushroom farmers often encounter the phenomenon of mycelium "not eating". How is this going? Mycelium does not eat food, there are several reasons:
1. Incomplete sterilization
The symptoms of incompletely sterilized bacterial bags are as follows: the bacteria germinate normally at the beginning, and then stagnate after growing a few centimeters into the bacterial bag. At this time, when you open the bacterial bag, you will smell a severe sour smell, and you will also see that the culture material has been infected with miscellaneous bacteria.
2. Unsuitable pH
The adaptability range of Pleurotus ostreatus mycelium to pH value is between 3 and 9, and the optimal pH value is around 5 and 6.5. There are slight differences in different varieties. Within a certain pH range, normal growth can occur, but if it exceeds this range, mycelial growth will be inhibited or even stagnant. In order to reduce the chance of infection by miscellaneous bacteria, some mushroom farmers add excessive lime when mixing. If the pH reaches above 8.5, the mycelium of oyster mushrooms will grow slowly or even not at all.
3. Inappropriate water content
The suitable moisture content of Oyster Mushroom culture material is about 65%. If the moisture content of mushroom culture material is less than 50%, the material is too dry, or the humidity is higher than 70%, the growth of mycelium will be inhibited. Before bagging, check the moisture of the culture material. Hold the material tightly with your hands. It is better if there is water seeping out but not dripping.
4. The filling is too tight
If the materials are too tight when bagging, the bacteria bag will have poor air permeability and the hyphae will grow slowly due to lack of oxygen. After filling the bag, gently pinch the wall of the bag with your hands. The process of pinching will form a depression, which will bounce back appropriately after your hands are released. In this case, the tightness of the material is relatively appropriate.
5. There is a problem with the raw materials
Some mushroom farmers grow oyster mushrooms and use pine and fir wood chips as raw materials without any preliminary processing. Pine and fir wood chips contain oily substances that inhibit the growth of mycelium and cause the mycelium to stop eating. When growing mushrooms, you should use less or no wood chips containing oily substances. If you must use them, they need to be left for half a year to a year before use to evaporate and eliminate aromatic substances before they can be used normally.
6. Carbon-nitrogen ratio imbalance
If the nitrogen in the culture material is too high and the carbon-nitrogen ratio is unbalanced, mycelial growth will also be slow.