What to Do About Mushroom Mycelium Spindly Overgrowth? Cause Analysis and Key Technical Points for Prevention and Control
Spindly overgrowth of mushroom mycelium is a common phenomenon in mushroom cultivation, which means the mushroom mycelium consumes a great deal of nutrients in the growing medium, so the fruiting bodies naturally cannot keep up with the nutrition and cannot form, and this is extremely harmful to mushroom growth. Let us take a look together at the introduction to the causes of mushroom mycelium spindly overgrowth and the key technical points for prevention and control.
I. Causes of Mushroom Mycelium Spindly Overgrowth
Spindly overgrowth of mycelium is a fairly common phenomenon in mushroom growth, and there are many reasons for it to occur; most are due to the influence of the growing environment and the cultivation substrate.
If the mushroom house has relatively few windows, or if it is built in a relatively concealed spot, the indoor light will be rather dim, and the mycelium may then show spindly overgrowth. When preparing the nutrient material, if a large amount of water is added, or too many nutrients such as corn flour are added, the mycelium will also overgrow. If the indoor environment is too humid and not ventilated, spindly overgrowth of the mycelium is the most common. If the covering film is lifted too gently or for too short a time, the mycelium will overgrow.
Why is spindly overgrowth of the mycelium bad? Because spindly overgrowth of the mycelium wastes and consumes most of the nutrients in the growing material, so at the time of fruiting there is naturally insufficient nutrition, and the formation of fruiting bodies is also affected. If the mycelial skin is too thick, it will inhibit the respiration of the mycelium, making the growth of fruiting bodies relatively difficult and causing a long fruiting time or no fruiting at all, and growers will suffer great losses.
II. Key Technical Points for Prevention and Control of Mushroom Mycelium Spindly Overgrowth
During the fruiting period of mushrooms, the growth and development of the fruiting bodies is very important, so a growing environment in which they can develop must be created. If the mushroom mycelium has already reached 2 cm without falling over, has turned a thick white color, and is growing unevenly, the film can be lifted to let air in for a few days, until the growing bags and the surrounding area are no longer sticky to the touch, and then the film is put back on. On the following day the film does not need to be lifted again, letting the condensation on it make the mycelium fall over, until it changes color. If it still has not fallen over, the film can be lifted again to let air in.
III. Causes of Mushrooms Not Fruiting
1. The carbon-to-nitrogen ratio in the mushroom compost is unsuitable; it is very likely that insufficient carbon and excessive nitrogen led to excessive nutrition for the mushrooms, and the mycelium showed spindly overgrowth. In that case fruiting will be delayed.
2. After the mycelium has fully covered the bag, if the air humidity is relatively low and the temperature is relatively high, the bag opening can be opened early, and a relatively dry mycelial film will appear on the surface, so that the mushroom buds cannot differentiate. If a similar situation is encountered, a hole can be made on each side of the mushroom bag, and after removing the dry mycelial film, the bag is soaked in water; after it has absorbed its fill of water, it is placed on the rack for ventilation and light, which will accelerate fruiting.