🍄 Cómo Cultivar Hongos usando Cartón y Café en Casa

Summary

In this video, the process of growing mushrooms on cardboard is explored, with an added twist of using coffee grounds to boost production. The video covers essential steps, including cleaning and preparing the cardboard, moistening and sterilizing both the cardboard and coffee grounds, and mixing them with mushroom mycelium. The mixture is then placed in bags for incubation. Over the next few weeks, the mycelium colonizes the substrate, and the mushrooms begin to fruit. Tips for optimal humidity, temperature, and oxygen levels are shared to ensure successful mushroom growth.

Takeaways

• 😀 Make sure to clean cardboard by removing labels, tapes, and staples before using it for mushroom cultivation.
• 😀 It’s important to cut the cardboard into small pieces (3-4 cm) to allow better colonization by the mycelium.
• 😀 Moisten the cardboard before sterilizing it to help eliminate unwanted spores and facilitate sterilization.
• 😀 Sterilize cardboard by boiling it in water for 40-60 minutes to ensure it’s free from competing fungi.
• 😀 Coffee grounds provide essential nutrients like nitrogen, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, which help mushrooms grow.
• 😀 Coffee should only be lightly soaked before sterilizing, as it’s already wet from brewing, which reduces the need for additional water.
• 😀 Sterilize coffee grounds by simmering them in water for 20-30 minutes before using them in the cultivation process.
• 😀 After sterilizing, ensure both cardboard and coffee are well-drained to avoid excess moisture, which can hinder mycelium growth.
• 😀 Inoculate the prepared substrate (cardboard and coffee) with mycelium from store-bought mushrooms, which can be cultivated into new mycelium.
• 😀 Seal the inoculated substrate in bags, tightly securing them to create a low-oxygen environment, which promotes the mycelium's growth.
• 😀 Keep the bags in a dark place at 20-25°C for optimal colonization, checking periodically for progress and gas exchange.
• 😀 Once colonized (about 20 days), cut small slits in the bags to allow oxygen in, triggering fruiting of the mushrooms.

Q & A

Why is it important to remove labels and tapes from the cardboard before starting the mushroom cultivation?

Removing labels and tapes is crucial because these often contain plastics and adhesives that could interfere with the growth of the mycelium and potentially contaminate the cultivation process.

Why should the cardboard be cut into small pieces for mushroom cultivation?

The cardboard should be cut into small pieces (around 3-4 cm) to prevent large air spaces that could make it difficult for the mycelium to colonize the material effectively.

What role does adding coffee grounds play in mushroom cultivation?

Adding coffee grounds provides essential nutrients like nitrogen, carbohydrates, sugars, and minerals (potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus), which help in supporting the growth of the mushrooms.

Why is it necessary to moisten the cardboard before sterilization?

Moistening the cardboard helps to trigger the germination of any competing fungal spores present, making it easier to sterilize the cardboard and promoting the rapid growth of the mycelium.

How do you sterilize the cardboard and coffee grounds for mushroom cultivation?

The cardboard is boiled for 40-60 minutes to sterilize it, while the coffee grounds are boiled for 20-30 minutes. The process eliminates unwanted spores and ensures the substrate is clean for the mycelium to grow.

What is the purpose of using mycelium from store-bought mushrooms for cultivation?

Using mycelium from store-bought mushrooms allows you to reproduce the fungus and create your own inoculation source, saving time and effort in growing your own mycelium.

Why should the mycelium be allowed to warm up to room temperature before being used?

Allowing the mycelium to reach room temperature (preferably 12-24 hours) ensures that it adapts better to the substrate and can colonize it more efficiently.

Why is it important to use alcohol to disinfect the container before mixing the cardboard and coffee?

Spraying the container with 70% alcohol helps prevent contamination from bacteria or fungi that might otherwise affect the cultivation process.

What is the reason for tying the bags tightly during the initial incubation phase?

Tying the bags tightly reduces the amount of oxygen available, which encourages the mycelium to colonize the substrate more effectively. The reduced oxygen environment mimics the conditions needed for initial mycelium growth.

What should you look for to determine if the mycelium has successfully colonized the substrate?

When the substrate turns completely white and appears to have a web-like structure around the inoculated areas, it indicates successful colonization by the mycelium.

How do you prepare the substrate for fruiting once the mycelium has colonized it?

Once the substrate is fully colonized, make small cuts in the bag to expose the substrate to oxygen, which stimulates fruiting. The bag can then be placed in a humid environment to support mushroom growth.