How to Add Gypsum and Lime to Mushroom Substrate and Disease Identification

Must Gypsum and Lime Always Be Added to Mushroom Cultivation Substrate?

Gypsum, also called calcium sulfate, is added at about 0.5% of the total substrate weight. It can supplement the sulfur, calcium and other nutrients needed for mushroom growth, and it also helps stabilize the pH value, so that the acidity and alkalinity of the substrate do not change greatly.

Lime, the quicklime used in mushroom production, is also called calcium oxide. It is added at about 2% of the total substrate weight. Besides supplementing calcium for the mycelial growth of mushrooms, it can also be used to adjust the pH value of the substrate. In addition, it helps prevent contamination by competing microorganisms and buffers the organic acids produced during mycelial metabolism.

When mixing the substrate, quicklime must be added, and if conditions allow, it is best to add gypsum as well.

(Li Jinlong, mushroom cultivation expert of the "12316 Agriculture, Rural Areas and Farmers" service)